The CTO in your corner.
I'm a product and engineering leader with more than 15 years' experience building B2B and B2C SaaS products, and these days I help founders who don't have a CTO yet make sure they're building the right thing, in the right way, with the right team around them.
- 15+ yearsbuilding and leading product and engineering teams
- Full-stackleading teams across React, Node.js, .NET and Java
- AWS + GCPcloud architecture, platform engineering and FinOps
- 65%+ fasterspeed to market after leading REA Group's platform launch
- Top 100Emerging Engineering Leaders, Logz.io 2021
Building without a technical leader gets expensive, fast.
In my experience, most founders have great ideas with some good data points to back up their viability, but what's often missing is someone technical in their corner - someone who can translate those ideas into a real MVP and a scaling product.
"Is our agency actually any good?"
You're paying invoices you can't really judge, for code you can't read, and you're never quite sure if you're getting good value.
"Why is everything taking so long?"
Releases keep slipping and every delay comes with a new reason, but nobody can give you a straight answer about what's actually going on.
"Are we building the right thing?"
Your roadmap has turned into a wishlist, rather than a plan that's tied to what your customers will actually pay for.
"What will investors find?"
A raise is on the horizon, tech due diligence is coming, and you're not 100% sure what investors will find when they look under the hood.
What founders say
I'm proud of the work I've done with fellow founders, helping them bring their ideas to life.
I was new to the Head of Engineering role and April helped me map out our strategy and plan to move from our legacy platform to our new one. We migrated without a hitch and no customer downtime.
It’s rare to come across standout talent like April and I had the pleasure of working with her for two years. Initially, we worked together delivering various features under her guidance to eventually experiencing some of the best coaching from a leader after the Adepto acquisition.
April streamlined our knowledge management and made things so much easier to find. Our newstarters were onboarded in a week instead of a month.
Senior leadership, without the full-time hire
You might not be ready to bring on a full-time CTO just yet, but that doesn't mean you have to go without the experience and advice of one. As your fractional CTO, I'll work with you for a set number of days each month to set the technical direction, make the big build decisions alongside you and lead your team (or agency) - taking what you've validated so far and turning it into a product your customers will actually use, for a fraction of the price.
Strategy
- Turning your idea into an MVP and roadmap
- Build, buy or partner decisions
- Architecture that scales with you
Team
- Hiring and setting up your engineering team
- Health checks on your dev team or agency
- A delivery rhythm that actually ships
Risk and investors
- Tech debt and security priorities
- Tech due diligence before you raise
- Clear, honest tech updates for your board
How it works
Whether you're still at the idea stage or already have a product in market, we'll start by getting a clear picture of where things are at, so the plan we put together is built around your product, your customers and your team.
Founder chat
Tell me about your idea, what you've validated so far and where your product and team are at - you'll walk away with my honest first read, whether we end up working together or not.
Tech health check
Over two to three weeks I'll dig into your product, code, architecture, team and delivery (or if you haven't started building yet, what it'll take to get to an MVP), then walk you through what I found in plain English along with a clear 90-day plan.
Ongoing leadership
From there I can stay on as your fractional CTO and lead the build from MVP through to a product that scales, get your tech investor-ready ahead of a raise, or help you hire your first full-time CTO when the time is right.
Wondering what working together looks like? Every product is at a different stage, so I'll walk you through the options (and what they cost) on our chat, based on where you're at and where you're heading.
Book a founder chat
I've built and led the teams you need to bring your idea to life
I've spent more than 15 years leading product and engineering teams everywhere from ASX-listed enterprise to B2B and B2C SaaS startups, taking products from a rough idea to an MVP and on to scale. Along the way I've grown customer retention by 25% and cut cloud costs by 65% - and honestly, it never gets old seeing an idea turn into a product people rely on every day.
- REA Group
- Led the launch of a Platform-as-a-Service that lifted speed to market by 65%+, and took 20+ tools down to 2 (saving $6M+ a year)
- Degreed
- Director of Engineering
- Reejig
- Head of Product
- Family Insights
- Head of Product
- Logz.io
- Named in the Global Top 100 Emerging Engineering Leaders, 2021
Questions founders ask first
Why not hire a full-time CTO?
You may well need one eventually! Until then, a fractional CTO gives you senior experience at a fraction of the cost, and when the time comes I can help you find and hire your first full-time technical leader.
We haven't built anything yet. Is it too early?
Not at all - it's often the best time to bring me in. I can help you turn what you've validated into a well-scoped MVP, choose the right tech and set up the right team (or agency) to build it, so you're not paying to rebuild it later.
Is a fractional CTO committed enough?
You get dedicated time every week, a direct line to me and someone who treats your roadmap and outcomes like they're her own - because if it's not working, I'll be the first to tell you.
Can you work with our agency or offshore team?
Yes - and it's really common. I'll set clear expectations, review what they're delivering and give you an honest view of whether they're the right partner for where you're heading.
What happens on the founder chat?
You tell me about your idea or product, what you've validated so far and what's keeping you up at night. I'll give you my honest first read and, if it feels like a good fit, walk you through how a health check would work.
Do you work outside Brisbane?
Yes! I'm happy to come on-site in South East Queensland, and I work remotely with founders right across Australia.
Let's bring your idea to life.
Tell me where your idea, product and team are at, and you'll walk away with an honest read on what's working, what isn't and what I'd tackle first.