---
title: About Dan Williams
description: Experienced, independent judgement on technology, engineering teams, delivery and AI.
canonical_url: https://thestartupcto.com/about/
html_url: https://thestartupcto.com/about/
author: Dan Williams
language: en-GB
---

# About Dan Williams

## I’ve actually done the job.

I’m Dan Williams. I’ve spent my career building technology companies as a software engineer, founder, CTO and Head of Engineering. I now help founders, senior executives, investors and engineering leaders make clearer decisions about technology, teams and AI.

## Experience is a shortcut

I’ve written the code, designed systems, hired teams, managed performance, changed team structures, dealt with technical debt, missed deadlines, shipped products and sat in leadership meetings trying to work out what to do next.

The value is not being the world’s narrow specialist in every engineering problem. It is having seen companies from enough angles to recognise the pattern, explain it in plain language and shorten the path to a useful decision.

## The operating path

### Software engineer

Building products and systems, working inside the details and living with the consequences of technical choices.

### Founder and CTO

Balancing product, technology, customers, cash, hiring and the constant need to decide with incomplete information.

### CTO in consumer technology

Leading an established engineering organisation while managing delivery, quality, people and technical direction.

### Head of Engineering at a YC-backed startup

Helping a growing product and team meet the next stage without burying it in process.

### Engineering leader working with applied AI

Turning fast-moving AI capability into useful engineering practice, clear boundaries and better outcomes.

## A personal practice, not an agency

### What you get

Direct access to an experienced view of technology, delivery, people and risk: someone to work out what is happening, challenge assumptions, explain the trade-offs and make the next move clearer.

### What you don’t get

A pool of consultants, an outsourced development team, generic transformation language or a framework looking for somewhere to be applied.

### Where I work best

With early-stage founders, senior executives, investors, advisors and engineering leaders facing a problem that is difficult, important or about to become expensive.

[Tell me the problem](mailto:hello@thestartupcto.com?subject=The%20problem%20I%27m%20trying%20to%20solve).