# How I help: a small number of things, done well. I focus on situations where an experienced technical counterpart makes a real difference — from building custom AI agents and pipelines to advising founders and executive teams on the decisions that shape their organizations. ## AI Agents & Process Automation Teams with a real manual process to automate — not a vague interest in AI, but a specific workflow that is too slow, too expensive, or too inconsistent to keep running by hand. ### Typical situations - A sales or marketing team spends hours on manual lead research, enrichment, and outreach that could run as a continuous, automated pipeline. - A team has shipped an AI agent or integration but has no reliable way to know when it is working well and when it has silently gone off the rails. - A process is too bespoke for off-the-shelf automation tools but too small to justify a full engineering build — it just needs someone who knows how to wire it together correctly. ### What I can help with - Design and build custom agents and multi-agent pipelines — from a single-task agent to a coordinated system where specialized agents plan, delegate, and hand off work to each other. - Integrate the right data sources and APIs — CRM systems, lead enrichment services, outbound tools, internal databases — so agents do work that was previously done by hand. - Instrument evaluation from the start: systematic testing, observability, and correction mechanisms so the system stays reliable in production, not just at launch. **What this looks like:** A scoped build engagement, from a single agent to a multi-step pipeline. Typically a few weeks, with evaluation infrastructure and handoff documentation included. ## CTO & Executive Advising Founders and executive teams who need an experienced technical counterpart in the room. ### Typical situations - A founder without a technical co-founder is making architecture or hiring decisions alone. - A board or CEO wants an independent technical opinion before a major investment. - A newly appointed CTO wants a sounding board during the first year in the role. ### What I can help with - Pressure-test technical decisions before they become expensive to reverse. - Translate between technical and non-technical stakeholders. - Provide candid, outside judgment without the politics of an internal role. **What this looks like:** Usually a standing monthly conversation, plus availability around specific decisions as they arise. ## Technical Strategy Teams facing a consequential architecture, platform, or build-versus-buy decision. ### Typical situations - A system has outgrown its original design and a rearchitecture is on the table. - A team is choosing a platform, vendor, or build-versus-buy path with long-term consequences. - Technical debt has started to slow the roadmap and leadership needs a clear-eyed plan. ### What I can help with - Frame the decision, its trade-offs, and its actual cost of being wrong. - Stress-test a proposed direction against the team's real constraints. - Produce a plan that engineering and leadership can both stand behind. **What this looks like:** A focused engagement scoped to the decision at hand — typically a few weeks of working sessions and review. ## Engineering Organization & Leadership Leaders building or rebuilding an engineering organization through a period of change. ### Typical situations - An engineering team is scaling quickly and its structure or process hasn't kept up. - A leadership team wants to improve delivery without resorting to more process for its own sake. - A reorganization or leadership transition needs an outside perspective to get right. ### What I can help with - Diagnose what is actually slowing the organization down. - Design team structure, leveling, and process suited to the company's stage. - Coach engineering leaders through the transition. **What this looks like:** Often begins with a short diagnostic phase, followed by ongoing advising through implementation. ## Career Guidance for Technical Leaders Engineers and engineering leaders navigating a significant career decision. ### Typical situations - An engineer is deciding whether to move into management. - A leader is weighing an offer, a transition, or a step up in scope. - Someone is trying to figure out what kind of technical leader they want to become. ### What I can help with - Think through the decision honestly, without a stake in the outcome. - Draw on comparable situations from a long run in technical leadership. - Offer a perspective on how the decision looks a few years out. **What this looks like:** Usually a small number of focused conversations rather than an ongoing engagement. ## Get in touch Available for a small number of conversations. Email [hi@davecto.com](mailto:hi@davecto.com?subject=Advisory%20inquiry) with the subject "Advisory inquiry", or see [Contact](https://davecto.com/contact). --- Dave Brown · CTO & Executive Advisor · New York, NY · [hi@davecto.com](mailto:hi@davecto.com) Site guide for agents: [llms.txt](https://davecto.com/llms.txt) · Sitemap: [sitemap.xml](https://davecto.com/sitemap.xml) · Any page is available as Markdown by sending `Accept: text/markdown` or adding `.md` to its URL.