John S.

Fractional CTO and technical advisor for founders with AI-built or fast-growing SaaS products. I review architecture, code, security, scalability, and technical debt, then give you a clear plan to fix, rebuild, hire, or scale with confidence. The tools changed. Good judgment didn’t. I’ve been building software professionally since 1997. My best work usually begins when a founder says: “We built this. Now I need someone experienced to tell me if we built it right.” WHAT I CAN HELP WITH: • You built an application with Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, Lovable, Replit, Bolt, or another AI-first tool and need to know whether it is production ready. • You need an independent architecture or code review before investing further. • Your SaaS product is breaking, slowing down, accumulating technical debt, or becoming difficult to change. • You are deciding whether to repair, refactor, or rebuild what you have. • You need to evaluate developers, hire a technical team, or improve an existing one. • You need senior technical leadership but not a full-time CTO. • Fractional CTO and technical advisory • AI-built and vibe-coded application audits • Software architecture and system design • Code review and technical due diligence • Security, scalability, and performance reviews • Technical debt assessment and modernization planning • SaaS product strategy and technical roadmaps • Development team leadership, hiring, and oversight • AI development and LLM integrations • Project rescue and troubleshooting • Hands-on development when that is the fastest route to an answer RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Cometly came to me after an expensive false start with a marketing-attribution product that began as a spreadsheet. I recommended rebuilding on a clean foundation, spent six months as the solo developer, then assembled and led the senior engineering team as CTO. The platform grew into a mature SaaS system capable of processing and storing billions of records. I also built and operate seeProgress.ai, an AI-native product that connects to the tools software teams already use and turns their activity into clear answers about what is moving, what is stuck, and what needs attention. Recent engagements include SaaS architecture reviews, code audits, fractional CTO work, technical consulting, and project rescue. HOW I WORK: I do not assume software built with AI is bad, and I do not recommend a rebuild just because the existing system is imperfect. I first determine what works, what is risky, and what actually matters to the business. Then I explain the tradeoffs in plain English and recommend the most practical next step. I can stay at the advisory level, work directly with your developers, lead the technical side of the company, or get into the code myself. My core stack includes PHP, Laravel, MySQL, JavaScript, Vue.js, React, REST APIs, Redis, AWS, Linux, queues, caching, authentication, integrations, and SaaS architecture. My AI work includes Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, LLM integrations, AI agents, automated code review, and multi-agent development workflows. If you are unsure whether you need a CTO, an audit, a code review, or simply an experienced second set of eyes, send me a short description of what you have built and what concerns you. I will help you identify the real question and the best next step.