Fractional CTO · AI strategy and governance · Remote
I help CEOs and founders put AI and modern technology to work safely: a plan the board believes in, guardrails that protect your data and customers, and systems that actually run in production. I've built production AI and MLOps pipelines and hold patents in medical-grade image recognition, so my advice comes from shipping, not slides.
Sound familiar?
Why work with me
Production AI systems, MLOps pipelines, and patented medical-grade image recognition. I know what it takes to get from demo to dependable, and what it costs.
Healthcare, benefits and regulated data: HIPAA, security reviews, accuracy that has to stand up to scrutiny.
Board conversations, team structure, vendor decisions and budgets. I explain technology in plain English and tell you what I would do.
Ways to work together
A clear picture of where AI can pay off in your business, where you're exposed today (data, security, vendors, shadow AI), and a prioritized 90-day plan. Ends with a readout for you and your board.
About 3 weeks, fixed fee
How the assessment worksOngoing technology leadership: strategy, team, vendors, architecture, AI roadmap, board support. Hands-on when it helps.
Monthly, from about 5 hours a week
An acceptable-use policy, approved tools, data rules and a staff briefing, so people can use AI without putting the business at risk.
About 2 weeks, fixed fee
What I help with
You get the judgment of an experienced technology executive, scoped to what your company actually needs right now. When it's time for a full-time CTO, I help you hire one.
01
Where AI genuinely pays off, which risks to manage first, and the policies that let your team use it safely.
02
From prototype to dependable system: data pipelines, MLOps, monitoring, and the cost of running it.
03
A technology plan tied to business goals, with priorities your team and board can rally behind.
04
Get ahead of audits, customer security reviews and regulators before they stall a deal.
05
Structure the team, hire well, and get an independent view of your dev shop and spend.
06
Platforms that scale without runaway cloud bills, from a certified AWS and Google Cloud architect.
How it works
We talk through where the business is going and what is getting in the way.
I review your AI use, data, team, code, cloud and vendors, and hand you a clear, prioritized plan.
Regular time with your team and leadership to execute the plan and make the calls.
When you are ready for a full-time CTO, I help you hire them and hand off cleanly.
Selected experience
Client names are kept confidential. Every engagement starts with the business problem; the technology comes second.
Medical imaging technology
Image recognition AI built to medical-grade standards, from model to production.
Production AI
MLOps pipelines to train, deploy and monitor models so they stay accurate after launch.
Health insurance company
Front-end architecture in React, TypeScript and GraphQL for benefit portals operating at national scale.
Michael has been an exceptional cloud consultant for our team.
About Michael
For more than two decades I've built and led software for startups and Fortune 100 enterprises: member portals serving millions, event-driven platforms, secure cloud architectures, and production AI. Along the way I've earned patents in medical-grade image recognition and built the MLOps pipelines that keep AI models accurate after launch.
Today I bring that experience to leadership teams that need a CTO's judgment without a full-time hire. I'll tell you plainly what I see, what I'd do, and what I wouldn't spend money on.
Insights
Your team is already using AI tools you never approved. Banning them won’t work, so here’s a practical way to bring shadow AI into the light…
As AI systems become integral to real-time applications, engineering leaders face the challenge of keeping complex AI pipelines both responsive and resilient. In particular, orchestrating workflows…
TLDR; I can’t wait until universities start offering degrees in “Prompt Engineering” (troll) — If that happens, I’ll know the GenAI hype cycle has reached the…
An experienced technology executive who works with your company part time, owning technical strategy and leadership without the cost of a full-time hire.
Yes. Many of my clients run businesses where technology supports the work rather than being the product. AI is changing that, and I help you decide what to do about it.
Usually with the assessment or the guardrails sprint: know where you stand, set simple rules, then pick one or two use cases worth doing properly.
Yes. Often the most useful thing I do is give you an independent view of their work and help you manage them.
Less than a full-time CTO, and scoped to what you need. Assessments are a fixed fee; ongoing work is a monthly retainer. I'll give you a clear number after our first call.
It depends on what you need. Most engagements settle into a regular rhythm of time with your team and leadership, and we adjust as priorities change.
When it helps. My focus is leadership and direction, but I stay hands-on enough to review architecture and code with credibility.
That is a good outcome. I help define the role, interview candidates and hand everything off cleanly.
Yes. I work remotely with companies across the US.
A 30-minute call, no pitch deck. You'll leave with a clearer view of your options, whether or not we work together.
Book a 30-minute intro call