Why Your Kubernetes Setup Is Burning Money
Most startups don't need Kubernetes. Here's how to know if you're one of them.
Most startups rebuild their entire tech stack after product-market fit. Mine don't.
I architect production systems that survive your first 10,000 users—then scale to your first million without a rewrite.
Fractional CTO & Technical Architect for venture-backed founders who can't afford to get infrastructure wrong.
I've been the technical person in the room for 15 years.
I've built systems that processed billions in transactions. I've debugged production disasters at 3am. I've walked into inherited codebases that made me question my career choices. I've hired engineers, fired engineers, and trained engineers who became better than me at specific things.
Most technical problems aren't technical. They're communication problems disguised as architecture decisions. Founders don't need a CTO who speaks in jargon. They need someone who can translate "our PostgreSQL connection pool is saturating" into "we can't handle Black Friday traffic and it'll cost us $200K in lost sales."
My unfair advantage: I've seen your exact problem 40 times before.
Building, breaking, and fixing systems at startups, enterprises, and everything in between
From zero-to-one MVPs to scaling systems serving millions of users
I can tell you the fix before looking at the code—I've debugged it before
I don't work with everyone. I only work with founders who have secured funding or revenue, value speed and quality over cheap, are coachable, and actually plan to implement recommendations.
Request processing
500ms average latency at peak load
Concurrent operations
1,000+ simultaneous property evaluations
AI pricing accuracy
94% within 5% of market value
Broker efficiency
60% reduction in property evaluation time
System uptime
99.8% during first 6 months
"The queue automation and AI integration transformed how our brokers work. What used to take hours now happens in seconds."
— Radian Corporation Team
These are real engagements with real outcomes. Your results will vary based on your specific situation.
Not what you think you need.
A 2-week deep-dive into your existing system or planned architecture. You get a brutally honest assessment of what is working, what is broken, and what will break when you scale.
Best For
Pre-Series A startups with working prototypes, founders inheriting code from departed contractors, technical teams stuck in analysis paralysis, or investors conducting technical diligence.
I become your acting CTO for 3-6 months. Not advisory—actual execution. I make technical decisions, manage engineers, architect systems, and ship product.
Best For
Funded startups (Seed to Series A) without a technical co-founder, companies between CTOs, non-technical founders building technical products, or teams that need to ship in 90 days.
Ongoing strategic guidance for technical leaders who need a sounding board. Think of it as having a CTO coach who has seen your problems 40 times before.
Best For
First-time CTOs at growing startups, technical founders scaling beyond their experience, engineering leaders navigating org changes, or teams post-Series A building out leadership.
Not sure which fits? Book a 30-minute fit call (free) — I will recommend the right engagement. No sales pitch.
Battle-tested across 40+ engagements. Longer than this, your runway burns. Shorter than this, you cut corners you'll regret.
Technical debt audit, stakeholder interviews, threat modeling, architecture decision records, and technology stack selection with explicit rationale.
Database schema design, auth framework, API architecture, error handling, logging infrastructure, and development environment standardization.
Core user flows implemented, third-party integrations, background job processing, real-time features, and mobile responsiveness testing.
Load testing, security audit, monitoring setup, disaster recovery procedures, team training, and operations playbook handoff.
Get the foundation wrong, and every feature built on top inherits that weakness. Month 2 is where I prevent your $500K rebuild.
15 years of building systems that actually work.
EqualsTrue
Leading complete system redesign and infrastructure development. Responsible for process optimization, architecture decisions, and team leadership.
Systec Labs
Integrated OOP patterns and SOLID principles in React/Next.js development. Planned and executed design systems for atomic design and vendor integration. Implemented scalable AWS Cloud infrastructure architecture to enhance system scalability, security, and manageability.
Nearshore IT
Demonstrated expertise in client interactions and form handling with Redux-Form. Maintained strong focus on best practices and test-driven development with Jest, Jasmine, and Mocha, ensuring code quality and reliability.
Sonata Services
Proficient in working with several Node.js frameworks including Sails, Socket.io, Express, and MEAN stack applications. Collaborated with design and marketing teams to provide optimal solutions combining technical expertise with user-centric design.
What happens from kickoff to exit. No ambiguity, no surprises.
I review your entire stack, interview your team, audit your processes, and identify the 3-5 critical issues that will break you at scale.
Deliverables
We build the technical roadmap together. You get architecture decisions, hiring plans, infrastructure strategy, and a clear path from where you are to where you need to be.
Deliverables
I work alongside your team. Code reviews, architectural decisions, infrastructure buildout, team mentorship. Weekly check-ins keep everyone aligned.
Deliverables
I am not an advisor who shows up once a month. I become part of your technical leadership.
Every engagement has clear, measurable outcomes. No vague deliverables.
System Uptime
99.9%+
Deploy Frequency
10x improvement
Team Confidence
Measured quarterly
Technical Debt
Documented & prioritized
Q2 2025 calendar opens March 1st. I take 6-8 engagements per quarter, max.
No fluff. No motivational BS. Just hard-won lessons from 40+ projects.
Most startups don't need Kubernetes. Here's how to know if you're one of them.
Every founder thinks their prototype can scale. Then reality hits at 10,000 users.
It's not about your code. It's about what happens when your code fails.
More articles coming soon. Building authority through published work.
187-page playbook + production checklist sent instantly to your inbox.