Who I Work With

I typically work with:

• Technical founders building their first engineering teams

• Startups scaling from 2 → 20 engineers

• First-time CTOs / managers learning to lead

• Founders preparing for fundraising or technical diligence

• Engineering leaders transitioning from great engineer → great leader

If you’re building a startup and suddenly responsible for hiring, leading, and scaling a technical team, I can help.

Problems I Help Solve

Hiring Your First Engineers

Early hiring decisions define the company.

I help founders:

• define the hiring bar

• create effective interview loops

• evaluate engineering candidates

• avoid common early hiring mistakes

• design hiring frameworks that scale

Scaling an Engineering Team

Going from a few engineers to a real team is a major transition.

Typical challenges include:

• engineering org design

• leveling systems and performance management

• introducing the right amount of process

• deciding when to hire managers

• maintaining engineering quality while growing quickly

Leadership for First-Time CTOs

Many technical founders suddenly find themselves managing people.

I work with leaders on:

• transitioning from individual contributor to leader

• managing engineers and setting expectations

• handling difficult team decisions

• coaching technical leaders and engineering managers

• evaluating or hiring a CTO

Product & Engineering Execution

Startups often struggle to turn ideas into consistent execution.

I help teams improve:

• roadmap discipline

• shipping cadence

• product and engineering alignment

• resolving product–engineering conflicts

• focusing engineering effort on the highest-impact work

Technical Credibility

Early startups often need help communicating their technical strategy.

I support founders with:

• technical recruiting

• preparing for investor technical questions

• architecture discussions

• technical diligence for fundraising

My Background

I led engineering teams at Apple and Google, where the bar for hiring, engineering quality, and leadership is extremely high.

I repeatedly saw the same problems slow down startups and new managers: hiring mistakes, unclear expectations, and teams that struggle to scale.

Now I work with startup founders and first-time engineering managers to build strong teams early, design effective org structures, implement clear performance management, create the right incentives, and avoid costly hiring mistakes as they scale.

How Coaching Works

Most engagements involve:

• 1:1 coaching sessions with the founder or CTO

• help with leadership decisions and team challenges

• engineering hiring and organizational design

• ongoing support for difficult technical leadership problems

Sessions are typically weekly or bi-weekly.

Interested in Working Together?

If you’re a founder or technical leader dealing with engineering team challenges, feel free to reach out.

Schedule a conversation and we can discuss whether coaching would be helpful.

→ Schedule a call