Fit Check (Free, 20 minutes)

Lower friction than a retainer conversation. Higher intent than a newsletter subscription. You describe the problem in plain English, I ask three questions, and I tell you what I'd do. Or who to call instead.

If there's no fit, I say so directly and point you somewhere useful. No sales sequence, no follow-up emails. One call, one answer.

42µs TEE signing 3,095× AWS KMS 1,245 tests green AI orchestration: Letta + BAML

Book the diagnostic call →

What happens in the 20 minutes.

0-5

You describe the problem

Plain English. Current stack, where it hurts, what you've tried. No prep needed. If you only have a vague sense, that works too.

5-15

I ask three questions

Technical specifics. Latency numbers you actually measure, signing architecture, policy enforcement, deploy cadence, team size. This is the diagnosis.

15-20

I tell you what I'd do

Specific recommendation, not a pitch. If there's a fit for Advisory / Fractional / Embedded, I'll say so. If there isn't, I'll name someone better suited.

Zero trading advice. Zero P&L promises. Infrastructure, architecture, operations, and SRE only. Per my Authority Play framework.

Common questions.

Is this really free?

Yes. No card, no contract, no sales sequence. The 20 min is a qualifying step. For me, not you. It's how I decide whether to take a retainer.

What if I'm not sure what my infrastructure problem is?

Perfect. That's the most common starting point. You describe symptoms ("slow fills", "signing feels brittle", "I don't know what my p99 is"), I figure out if it's an infra problem or an adjacent one.

Who is this NOT for?

Teams looking for general engineering contracting, full-stack web app work, or a CTO for a non-infra-critical product. I do infrastructure. If your problem is "we need a React dev" or "our ML model isn't converging", I'll say so and redirect.

What's the follow-up?

If there's a fit, I'll send a one-pager with scope + price within 48 hours. If not, I'll say so directly and recommend someone else. No drip sequence.

Can I skip this and go straight to a retainer?

Yes. See the pricing page for the three engagement tiers (Advisory $5K / Fractional $15K / Embedded $30-40K), or the work page for full scope. The diagnostic is optional. Most retainers start here.

What this fit check is not.

Not for generic fractional CTO seekers. If you need a generalist executive to sit in on all-hands, manage vendor relationships, and write the engineering roadmap for a non-infra-critical product, I'm not the right fit. I work on infrastructure where failure has legal or financial consequences.

Not for full-stack web development. I don't build React apps, mobile products, or CMS integrations. If your primary need is frontend or product engineering, I'll say so and redirect you.

Not for ML model debugging. If your model isn't converging, your training pipeline is slow, or you need prompt engineering help, that's not what I do. I work on the infrastructure that surrounds AI systems (signing, attestation, policy, oversight controls), not on the models themselves.

Not a sales call. I'll tell you whether I'm a fit or not. If there's no fit, I'll say so in the first five minutes and recommend someone useful.

Ready?

Next available slots shown on the calendar. Pick whichever works.

Book the 20-min call →

Need a deeper diagnosis?

The fit check surfaces the category of problem. These paid audits go deeper.

EU AI Act

Article 14 Gap Audit

$7,500 · 10 days

Written gap analysis across 4 Article 14 control patterns. Remediation roadmap prioritized by Aug 2 enforcement date.

See scope →

Signing infrastructure

Signing Latency Audit

$5,000 · 7 days

p50/p99 measurement under load. Compared against TEE, CloudHSM, KMS, and colo HSM baselines.

See scope →