Most founders don’t need a full-time CTO yet. They need senior technical judgement at the right moments — an honest read on the engineering, a roadmap they can build to, and someone accountable for the outcome. That’s the work.
I help investors and deep-tech founders make confident technology decisions: from technical due diligence on a deal, to embedded fractional CTO leadership that turns an ambitious vision into a costed, executable roadmap. Thirty years across Formula 1, Formula E and autonomous vehicles, an Oxford MBA, and companies I’ve founded, scaled and sold.
Who I work with
I work at the hardware/software frontier — deep tech, mobility, autonomy, energy, and engineering-led ventures — not generic SaaS. If your product has real engineering risk, regulatory weight, or a physical thing at the centre of it, that’s my ground.
- Investors (VC and PE) who need technical due diligence before committing — or a clear-eyed read on a portfolio company that has stalled.
- Founders without a technical co-founder, who need a roadmap, a build plan, and the right first engineers.
- Boards facing a technology transition, a build-or-buy decision, or a step-change in scale.
How an engagement works
The same discipline that wins races: understand the problem precisely, set a plan you can measure, then deliver against it.
- Diagnose — the architecture, the team, the delivery cadence, the real risks. Where you actually are, not where the deck says.
- Roadmap — a costed, prioritised 12-month plan tied to the commercial milestones that matter, usually the next raise.
- Execute — embedded one to three days a week to install the cadence, hire the team, and own the outcome. Or I hand the plan to your team and stay on call.
What I do
Technical due diligence
For investors backing or acquiring engineering-led companies. An honest assessment of the technology, the team, the build, and the risks — the same scrutiny I applied to Oxford University spin-outs including Oxford YASA Motors (sold to Mercedes) and Kepler Energy. Fast, specific, and written for people who have to make a decision.
Fractional CTO leadership
Embedded, part-time technical leadership for a founder who needs a CTO’s judgement but not yet a CTO’s salary. I own the technical strategy, the roadmap, the hiring, and the delivery cadence — and I’m accountable for the result, not just a set of slides. One selective engagement at a time, so the company that has me has my attention.
Building from zero
Standing up a technical organisation at speed. I co-founded Super Aguri and put a Formula 1 team on the grid in 100 days — two cars, two drivers, 96 people. I founded StreetDrone and built it from concept to a commercial autonomous-vehicle platform, through to acquisition by Oxa. When the clock is the constraint, that’s a forcing function, not a problem.
AI-native decision systems
As CTO at DeQuorum, I apply engineering rigour and motorsport operational thinking to AI-native decision platforms. If AI sits at the centre of your product, I can help you separate what’s real from what’s noise.
Track record
- Founder & CTO, StreetDrone — concept to commercial autonomous platform, acquired by Oxa (2024).
- Managing Director & CTO, Formtech Composites — a carbon-composites design and manufacturing business serving automotive and defence.
- CTO, DeQuorum — AI-native decision systems.
- Technical due diligence for Oxford spin-outs — Oxford YASA Motors (sold to Mercedes), Kepler Energy.
- Principal Designer (Structures), McLaren F1; Head of R&D, Arrows F1 — three decades of engineering at the sharp end.
- Five FIA Formula E World Championships as Team Principal — the first customer team to win a title.
Engagement models
- Due-diligence sprint — fixed scope, fast turnaround, written assessment for a specific deal.
- Roadmap sprint — a short, intensive engagement to produce a costed 12-month technology plan.
- Retained fractional CTO — one to three days a week, embedded, over six to eighteen months.
The right model depends on the problem. The best starting point is a short conversation to work out whether my experience is a genuine fit.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a fractional CTO and an advisor?
An advisor gives guidance a few hours a month and owns nothing. A fractional CTO is embedded and accountable — I own the technical strategy, the roadmap and the delivery, just part-time. I do both, depending on what you need.
What sectors do you work in?
Deep tech, mobility, autonomy, energy, and engineering-led ventures — anywhere hardware, software and regulation meet. I deliberately don’t position as a generalist SaaS CTO; my edge is the harder, more physical end of technology.
Are you available, given your other roles?
I take a small number of engagements at a time so each one gets proper attention. Due-diligence and roadmap work is the most flexible; a retained fractional seat is selective. Get in touch and we’ll work out what fits.
How do we start?
Use the contact form to outline your situation and what you’re looking for. I’ll come back to arrange a short call.