How we help
We embed in your organization to solve specific problems. We're operators, not advisors—we make decisions, execute work, and transfer knowledge. Every engagement has clear deliverables, explicit timelines, and a defined exit strategy. We measure success by whether you need us again. You shouldn't.
Interim Technical Leadership
Who needs this
You need an embedded CTO, VP Engineering, or Head of Engineering—someone who can start immediately and hit the ground running. Maybe your technical leader just left. Maybe you're between permanent hires and can't afford a gap. Maybe you need experienced leadership while you build organizational capacity.
This works when you need decisiveness, experience, and stability while your organization figures out its next permanent move.
What we do (concrete, not abstract)
We step into the role with full authority and accountability:
- Make critical decisions that have been stalled or avoided
- Manage and stabilize the existing team while addressing morale and process issues
- Interface with investors, board, and business leadership with honest technical assessment
- Establish or fix processes for planning, execution, and delivery
- Build hiring and organizational plans for sustainable growth
- Execute hands-on technical work when needed (architecture decisions, code reviews, critical fixes)
- Develop internal technical leaders so the team can operate independently
We're accountable for results, not just recommendations. If something breaks, it's on us.
Typical outcomes
- Stability: Team has clear direction, decisions are made, anxiety decreases
- Delivery: Blocked projects move forward, critical work ships
- Capacity: Internal leaders step up with coaching and support
- Clarity: Investors and stakeholders understand technical reality and path forward
- Sustainable handoff: Organization can function without us
When we exit
We exit when:
- A permanent leader is hired and successfully onboarded (we help with hiring and transition)
- An internal leader has been developed and is ready to step up
- The immediate crisis is resolved and the organization is stable enough to operate independently
Typical duration: 3-6 months. We set exit criteria explicitly at the beginning.
Example scenarios
"Our CTO left two weeks before a board meeting. We needed someone who could step in, assess reality, and communicate honestly with investors while keeping the team focused."
"We promoted a strong engineer to engineering lead, but they'd never managed at this scale. We needed an experienced leader to guide them and bridge the gap until they could run the org independently."
"We're a seed-stage company. We don't need a permanent CTO yet, but we need someone to establish technical direction and build processes that will scale."
Execution Support & Stabilization
Who needs this
Your team is in crisis. A critical project is failing. Deadlines keep slipping. Technical debt is compounding. Team morale is dropping. You've tried to fix it internally but can't break the pattern.
This is for situations where immediate, pragmatic intervention is needed—not a six-month assessment followed by recommendations.
What we do
We embed with the team to identify and fix root causes:
- Rapid assessment: Within the first week, identify what's actually blocking progress (often it's not what people think)
- Triage and prioritization: Separate critical path from noise; focus effort where it matters
- Unblock execution: Remove impediments, make hard decisions, resolve conflicts
- Stabilize processes: Fix broken workflows, establish sustainable cadence
- Rebuild confidence: Show the team they can deliver; restore trust with stakeholders
- Transfer patterns: Teach the team how to identify and solve similar problems independently
We work alongside your team, not above them. We're in the code, the standups, the incident channels. We do whatever needs doing.
Typical outcomes
- Immediate stabilization: Critical paths unblocked, delivery resumes
- Root cause fixes: Underlying problems addressed, not just symptoms
- Process improvements: Sustainable ways of working that prevent future crises
- Team empowerment: Confidence restored, team knows how to handle future challenges
- Stakeholder trust: Business and investors see concrete progress
When we exit
We exit when:
- The immediate crisis is resolved and the team is back to sustainable delivery
- Root cause issues are fixed (technical, process, or organizational)
- The team has demonstrated they can maintain momentum without us
Typical duration: 4-8 weeks for acute crises, 8-12 weeks for deeper organizational issues.
Example scenarios
"A critical product launch was three months overdue. The team was exhausted, the business was frustrated, and nobody could articulate why it kept slipping. We needed someone to cut through the noise and get it done."
"Technical debt had reached a breaking point. Every change took longer and broke more things. The team knew something was wrong but couldn't step back to fix it while also shipping features."
"Our distributed team had broken down after going remote. Communication was terrible, decisions weren't getting made, and people were working in silos. We needed to rebuild how the team operated."
Technical-Business Translation
Who needs this
There's a gap between what engineering says and what the business understands. The engineering team says "it's impossible" or "it'll take six months." The business says "just get it done" or "our competitors shipped this already." Trust is eroding. Investors are asking questions nobody can answer clearly.
You need someone who speaks both languages and can bridge the gap with honesty and clarity.
What we do
We translate between technical reality and business objectives:
- Honest assessment: Explain technical constraints and trade-offs in business terms
- Investor communication: Translate technical status, risks, and roadmaps for board meetings and due diligence
- Alignment facilitation: Help engineering and business find solutions neither side saw independently
- Roadmap reality-checking: Assess whether plans are achievable and what constraints exist
- Technical due diligence support: Partner with investors and firms like Philipps & Byrne to assess technical health and risks
- Strategic guidance with execution: Not just advice—we help implement the decisions
We don't take sides. We tell the truth as we see it, even when it's uncomfortable for both parties.
Typical outcomes
- Shared understanding: Engineering and business leaders aligned on reality and constraints
- Trust rebuilt: Both sides feel heard and understood
- Better decisions: Trade-offs made explicitly with full information
- Investor confidence: Board and investors have clear visibility into technical execution
- Sustainable pace: Unrealistic pressure reduced; realistic commitments maintained
When we exit
We exit when:
- Communication patterns are established and sustainable
- Internal leaders can have these conversations without us
- Trust is rebuilt between engineering and business
- Investors have the visibility they need
Typical duration: 2-4 months, often overlapping with interim leadership or crisis stabilization work.
Example scenarios
"Our investors were concerned about technical execution after two missed deadlines. They wanted an independent assessment and someone to help us get back on track."
"Our VP Engineering kept saying 'no' to every business request. The CEO thought they were being obstructionist. Turns out both were right—and both were wrong. We needed a translator."
"We were in acquisition talks. The buyer's technical due diligence was exposing real issues, and our team couldn't articulate a credible plan to address them."
Organizational Development
Who needs this
Your company is scaling, but your engineering organization isn't keeping up. Hiring more people isn't solving the problem. Processes that worked at 10 engineers are breaking at 50. You need to mature your organizational capability, but you don't have time to figure it out while also running the business.
What we do
We build organizational capacity and sustainable practices:
- Hiring process development: Establish efficient, effective recruiting and interviewing processes
- Team structure and roles: Design org structure that scales; clarify responsibilities and career paths
- Engineering practices: Establish sustainable development, code review, testing, and deployment processes
- Technical leadership development: Coach and develop engineering managers and technical leads
- Performance and growth frameworks: Build systems for feedback, growth, and accountability
- Culture and communication: Establish patterns for decision-making, conflict resolution, and information flow
We work with your existing leaders to build these capabilities. We're not installing a generic playbook—we're helping you figure out what works for your specific context.
Typical outcomes
- Scalable hiring: You can grow the team without sacrificing quality or culture
- Clear structure: People know who's responsible for what; decisions get made efficiently
- Sustainable practices: Engineering processes that scale without slowing down
- Developed leaders: Engineering managers and technical leads operating independently
- Institutional capability: The organization can continue maturing after we leave
When we exit
We exit when:
- Key organizational systems are in place and proven to work
- Internal leaders are capable of continuing the work independently
- The organization has the patterns and practices to evolve as it grows
Typical duration: 6-9 months (organizational change takes time).
Example scenarios
"We grew from 10 to 40 engineers in a year. Our old ways of working weren't cutting it. We were hiring fast but couldn't onboard effectively. We needed to professionalize quickly."
"We promoted our best engineers to management, but they'd never managed before. We needed someone to coach them and help build a sustainable engineering leadership culture."
"We had a two-tier engineering culture: old-timers who knew everything, and new people who felt lost. We needed to build systems for knowledge transfer, onboarding, and shared practices."
Engagement Principles
How we work
High trust, high autonomy, high accountability. When you engage us, you're giving us real authority to make decisions and take action. We don't operate by committee or wait for approval on everything. You'll know what we're doing and why, but we move fast.
Embedded, not external. We work inside your organization, not from the outside looking in. We attend your meetings, work in your systems, communicate in your channels. We're part of the team for the duration of the engagement.
Honest, even when uncomfortable. If something's broken, we'll tell you. If your plan won't work, we'll say so. If we don't know something, we'll admit it. We don't sugarcoat problems, and we don't overpromise solutions.
Sustainable outcomes, not quick fixes. We're not here to make the problem go away temporarily. We fix root causes and build your team's capability to maintain the fixes after we leave.
What makes us different
- We're operators, not career consultants. We've spent 15+ years building products, leading teams, and solving these problems ourselves.
- We work in situations others avoid. Crisis, conflict, uncertainty—these are the contexts we're built for.
- We exist to become unnecessary. Every engagement includes explicit knowledge transfer and capability building.
- We're selective about fit. If we're not the right operators for your situation, we'll tell you.
Pricing philosophy
We price based on impact and risk, not hours logged. Engagements are fixed-scope with clear deliverables and timelines. You know what you're paying and what you're getting.
We're not cheap. But if you're in a critical situation, the cost of inaction is usually far higher than the cost of bringing in experienced operators who can fix it quickly.
Not sure which service fits your situation?
Let's talk. We'll ask questions, understand your context, and tell you honestly if and how we can help.