Technical advice for founders, boards and investors
Founders, boards and investors bring me technical problems that have real money attached to them - an architecture nobody senior understands, a hire they can’t assess, a vendor with too much leverage, an AI claim that sounds expensive, or a platform that keeps falling over.
I’ve answered to boards and government ministers as a CTO, and pitched San Francisco investors as a founder. In 2016 I co-founded Really, which used machine learning on speech and writing to spot early signs of neurodegeneration, years before boards were asking about AI.
Two advisory slots open. Sydney, working anywhere.I typically reply the same day.
How I work
Four ways to engage me. Each one has a defined start, a defined end and something you can hold at the finish.
Advisory retainer
Founders & CEOs
A standing slot in my week for a founder or an executive team - architecture reviews, hiring decisions, vendor negotiations, board papers, and the phone call at two in the morning when something is on fire. I only keep a few of these going at once, so each one gets proper attention.
Board & advisory seats
Boards & recruiters
An independent technical voice at the board table. I know which questions directors should be asking about technology - and I can tell when they are getting a straight answer.
I’m CEO of Production City while its funding round closes. I’m also a director of Aperim, a creative and digital agency. I won’t advise on a decision where either could be a supplier, a competitor or an investment, and if a piece of work comes close to that line I’ll say so before we start.
Technical due diligence
VCs & investors
For investors, boards and founders weighing up a technical or AI claim. I read the code, the data pipeline, the architecture, the infrastructure bills and the team, then write up what I found in plain language. I don’t talk about my clients’ projects.
Audits & rescues
Operators in trouble
A fixed piece of work on a specific problem - a platform that keeps falling over, a rebuild that has stalled, a team that has lost its only architect. I get it stable, document it, and hand it back with a plan.
If one of these fits, write totroy@troykelly.com.