James P.

Most founders I work with don't arrive knowing exactly what they need. They arrive because something technical isn't working. A developer who's gone quiet, a product that won't ship, decisions piling up with no one to make them. Some have an idea that's ready to move but no technical foundation to build on. That's usually where I come in. I work best with founders and teams who need a trusted technical partner. Someone who can look at their situation honestly, tell them what they actually need, and help them move forward. Not just execute tasks, but engage with the problem as a partner. I'm a technical consultant and senior engineering leader with 20 years of experience across startups and larger companies. I've served as CTO, Head of Engineering, and Principal Engineer. I understand both the hands-on technical work and the business decisions that sit around it. Recent work includes building an AI innovation lab at Checkatrade (600 employees, £70m revenue) from scratch, and serving as CTO of start-up StageClip, growing it from prototype to a platform used by 1,000+ institutions including Harvard and Arizona State University. I can help with: - Making sense of a technical situation you've inherited or outgrown - Taking a founder's idea from concept to first technical decisions and early build - Evaluating or managing developers, agencies, or technical hires - Getting a stalled or broken project moving again - Preparing a product and team for scale - Technical strategy and architecture for early-stage products - Being the senior technical voice in the room when you don't have one If any of that sounds like your situation, I'd like to hear about it.