Vetted Chief Technology Officers

Vijay Mohan

Screened ReferencesStrong rec.

Executive technology leader specializing in AI, cloud platforms, and enterprise software

Nashua, NH25y exp

“Founder of Braindump (redfly.ai), an AI companion for memory and personal organization, who has already raised $60,000 from Alchemist Accelerator. Brings hands-on experience with customer discovery, technical validation, and VC pitching, and stands out for a first-principles approach to building products with dramatic performance and cost improvements.”

Zia Karim

Screened ReferencesStrong rec.

Executive AI and technology leader specializing in regulated enterprise and FinTech

Stamford, CT26y exp

“Founder with 10+ years in the startup ecosystem who is actively building an early-stage company and raising capital through partners in Singapore, Dubai, and LatAm. Deeply familiar with VC and accelerator models but intentionally pursuing a partner-led, B2B enterprise route to accelerate revenue, preserve control, and leverage direct customer and distribution access.”

“Startup-focused technology leader who has supported two startups over ~10 years, including conducting initial M&A/technology-fit research and serving as CTO to build required platforms. Recently automated manual marketing lead processing with agentic AI and drove workflow standardization through user interviews to align teams on a common process.”

Luis Mirantes

Screened

Executive engineering leader specializing in scaling ML platforms and FinTech systems

Chevy Chase, MD30y exp

“Founder of an AI-agent startup focused on high-speed train braking efficiency, with a subsystem already demoed to RENFE Spain and positive initial feedback. Has hands-on fundraising and investor presentation experience, and stands out for a highly analytical approach to venture building centered on ROI, competitive barriers, IP protection, and evidence-based decision making.”

“Chief Quantum Officer working at the intersection of quantum and AI, motivated by market opportunities to safely accelerate AI adoption. Four-time CIO/CTO with global technical and business leadership experience, plus exposure to the startup funding ecosystem through Newchip (Austin-based accelerator) and fund advisory work with AFG Partners in Hong Kong.”

“Entrepreneurial builder using Claude Code to rapidly prototype multiple product ideas and validate them with target users via social channels. Created and launched NotePulse (a lower-priced Notionlytics alternative), acquiring a dozen early users through Reddit-driven discovery and light paid experiments, with a strong emphasis on MVP scoping and product polish.”

“Insurance-tech CTO and repeat founder with 10+ years in insurance startups; was employee #4/CTO at Polly (formerly DealerPolicy) and helped scale it from a PowerPoint to 250 employees while raising $180M+. Currently building and selling AgentCanvas.ai—an extensible AI accelerator platform for large insurance agencies—after coding the product end-to-end and now running demos/POCs with prospective buyers.”

“Former PwC Director with hands-on early-stage venture experience (e.g., BridgeLights, a big-data analytics concept for early fintech) spanning concept creation, platform architecture, and go-to-market experimentation. Strong focus on building scalable, modular data platforms with rigorous governance/compliance (data lineage, quality controls) and supporting technical diligence in investor-aligned environments.”

John Ward

Screened

Executive Applications Development & Analytics Leader specializing in enterprise transformation

Chicago, IL30y exp

“Candidate has prior startup experience building systems and has firsthand experience with a venture that lost angel funding. They show thoughtful reflection on why the startup failed—emphasizing unclear success criteria, weak funding planning, and lack of team consensus—and would seek experienced advisors earlier in future ventures.”

“Founder/CTO-type startup leader who has built cloud-native data and AI platforms from scratch while owning both technical vision and product direction. Brings rare end-to-end startup experience spanning zero-to-one building, growth-stage execution, and fundraising from early stage through exit, with a strong ability to translate technical complexity into clear investor narratives.”

Richard Bemis

Screened

Executive CIO/CTO/CDO specializing in data, AI/ML, and digital transformation

Long Beach, CA21y exp

“Founder building a healthcare provider data management startup who has progressed from problem identification to product architecture, patent filing, prototype development, beta customer outreach, and angel fundraising. They also have experience performing technical assessments for VCs and approach company-building with a structured focus on customer demand, risk mitigation, IP protection, and candid core-team formation.”

“Candidate is not currently pursuing a startup or business plan and is not looking to found a company at this time, expressing a preference for joining an existing organization. They have limited familiarity with the VC/accelerator landscape but are specifically interested in learning how companies are evaluated and how investment decisions are made.”

“Serial venture builder/operator across ad tech, media delivery, search engines, international content management, and ecommerce; has raised up to $150M and been involved in 8 acquisitions or IP-acquisition events. Known for refactoring/re-engineering smaller or troubled platforms into higher-value businesses, including building yield-management algorithms and a Kafka-like system to improve ad delivery profitability.”

“Serial entrepreneur who built Verb Technology from a garage startup to a Nasdaq IPO, raising multiple rounds of capital along the way. Invented interactive live streaming technology that was acquired by Amazon and demonstrated rapid product/market response during COVID by prototyping and launching a solution for users while tightly managing AWS costs.”

Jeff Cushler

Screened

Executive Technology & Product Leader specializing in Healthcare IT, SaaS, and Cloud Transformation

Austin, TX30y exp

“Startup product/enterprise-stack builder who helped take Ventric Health from R&D to a market-launched healthcare product in 2024, operating in a $34M-raised, revenue-generating model leveraging Medicare C reimbursement through providers. Previously drove adoption of an integrated K-12 digital learning platform distributed to 100+ institutions over two years, with reported improvements in test scores.”

“CTO-oriented engineering leader who emphasizes building and mentoring teams while aligning technology work to real business needs through close collaboration with product stakeholders. Also has entrepreneurial exposure, including an alcohol-related startup and prior experience securing funding.”

Joseph Herbst

Screened

Executive Technology Leader specializing in IoT, PoE building automation, and semiconductors

Portland, OR35y exp

“Engineering/exec leader (CEO experience) who built a lighting controls and building automation platform from scratch, choosing an Ethernet/PoE and Node.js web-centric architecture that anticipated market shifts and later became an industry pattern. Known for rigorous vendor QA (test-to-failure) and for delivering high-profile deployments (e.g., Black Desert Resort, Resorts World Villa 66) while leading globally distributed engineering teams.”