I work with product companies of roughly 10 to 75 people—big enough to have real tech burn and a leadership–engineering gap, small enough that one shared narrative can still move the whole company.
Start here: what is your current technology narrative?
Not a pitch. We talk through what you are building, what it costs, and whether leadership and engineering are telling the same story.
Let's talk about your tech narrative (initial call is free)Most problems that look like a tech issue are really a mix of all three. Complexity prevents a single narrative. Simplicity is harder to achieve—but it gives throughput, and that is where the value lands.
Leadership gaps, team morale, and who actually carries the work—especially when a strong engineer is burned out or a manager is stepping into tech for the first time.
How work flows between leaders and builders—handoffs, priorities, and the disconnect that shows up when engineering and the business speak different languages.
Engineers excel at building solutions—not at buying or simplifying them. Complexity comes from execution; every fix can add stack. Simplify here and throughput follows.
If there is a fit, most clients build the narrative first—then extend it with monthly access when the work needs to stay close to the team.
A fixed-fee package to unpack your technology story across people, processes, and tech. Narrative is the mechanism—lower burn, faster roadmap, and engineers pointed at the right work are the outcomes.
Learn more →An ongoing relationship—usually three to six months—where simplicity gets executed into your stack. I work with engineers so their voice is heard, unpack what the team was not seeing, and coach tech leadership to buy tech—not just solutions.
Learn more →
Fractional CTO · Boston, MA
I'm a seasoned CTO. I've raised money, built companies, and shut them down. What teams actually needed was never another slide deck—it was lower cost, simpler systems, and engineers who stayed and shipped.
I help leaders and engineering teams close the gap: a shared narrative, fewer surprise bills, and decisions that hold up when someone asks “why are we building it this way?”
Boston-based, working with companies in that same 10–75 person range. Co-founded a company in the Techstars Boston cohort (2018). I've led engineering teams from 2 to 40 people, navigated SOC2 audits, AWS migrations, and more than a few pivots.
Karen Kelly
Founder & CEO
“Stephan and I work together frequently, and his collaborative nature is a huge plus. He brings clarity and practical solutions to our tech challenges, breaking down complex technical decisions into actionable steps. His ability to work alongside our team—rather than dictating solutions—has been invaluable. He understands growth-stage business challenges and provides guidance that aligns with both our immediate needs and long-term goals.”
Yvan Castilloux
CEO of Augusta Care
“Stephan led our SOC2 compliance planning with a budget-conscious approach that balanced risk reduction with operational reality. He assessed our tech stack and delivered a practical roadmap that addressed compliance requirements without breaking the bank. His executive-level guidance gave us confidence we could meet our obligations while maintaining growth momentum.”
Michelle Chao
COO of Phoenix Tailings
“Stephan worked with our team as we started to scale up and address security requirements. He assisted in our selection of security frameworks that matched our unique funding, IP, and cyber-security needs. His experience with growth-stage businesses provided us with options that matched our stage and immediate concerns. We hope to tap into his experience when our security requirements change.”
Jesse Marple
Solutions Architect at Brytebridge
“We brought Stephan in to accelerate delivery on a critical integration project. He executed in record time, providing our front-end teams with Just-in-Time API resources as we finalized email providers, payment gateways, and AWS infrastructure decisions. His practical approach delivered both working solutions and best practices for API testing, JWT security, and a framework our team could extend. He restored delivery cadence and helped us ship a critical initiative in 4 weeks—exactly the execution leadership we needed.”
Dan Zollmann
CEO & Founder of Qase
“Stephan's contribution to Qase has been extraordinary: he found ways to reduce platform spend by 80%, decrease data migration time by 90%, all while improving Qase's resilience and security. Even more incredible is how he achieved this: instead of dictating solutions, he actively coached and mentored our existing staff, helping them to identify and implement new, better approaches. It's also rare to find a CTO equally comfortable in both the boardroom and the trenches. I highly recommend Stephan to any growth-stage business looking to optimize costs, improve delivery, and scale their team effectively.”
