Ship with confidence.
Strategic product & engineering leadership for companies scaling from 0-1 MVP to enterprise deployments.
Fractional CTO, interim leadership, and hands-on consulting that turns vision into production systems.
Hi, I'm Michael.
I’ve spent over 20 years turning ambitious product visions into scalable, production-ready platforms; from 0-1 MVPs through enterprise deployments.
I build cohesive, high-performing teams across co-located, remote, hybrid, and cross-border environments. I’ve repeatedly delivered 2x productivity gains and 70%+ reductions in TCO. Not by driving people harder, but by creating clarity, alignment, and sustainable execution systems. I will help you build a delivery machine with a scalable, maintainable team that feels ownership.
Whether you need fractional CTO support, interim Head of Product or Engineering leadership, strategic roadmap and architecture guidance, or help integrating AI responsibly, I bring hands-on experience from both early-stage startups and complex enterprise environments. My goal is simple: help you ship faster, reduce risk and chaos, and build technology and teams that create lasting competitive advantage.
I’m currently working with early-stage SaaS and platform companies and corporate pilot programs. And I am open to the right full-time Product and Engineering leadership opportunities.
Recent startups…
Bearing
Physical Security Reimagined - simplified, systemized, and scaled.
MarketChorus
Early-stage startup GTM tools, mentoring and investor networking.
StartupOS
AI powered Content and audience intelligence solutions for brands and publishers.
The Challenge
You have a vision, and you need to turn it into something real. Fast enough to matter, solid enough to scale, and without burning through runway or team morale.
Many leaders face the same frustrations: Roadmaps that drift from revenue goals. Teams that don’t connect (especially distributed or hybrid). Technical decisions that create more problems than they solve. AI experiments that add risk instead of value. And the constant feeling that you’re one misstep away from expensive rework or stalled momentum.
…It doesn’t have to feel this hard.
How I Help
I guide you from uncertainty to momentum. Together, we will…
Ship investor/production-ready products faster with roadmaps that actually connect to business outcomes
Build (or strengthen) teams that deliver real productivity gains, -even across distributed, hybrid,
or onshore/offshore teamsMake technology decisions that reduce risk and total cost of ownership instead of increasing it
Bring clarity and governance to AI strategy so it supports scale instead of creating new headaches
The result? You focus on growth and customers, not constant firefighting.
Book a no-pressure Discovery Call. We’ll explore where you are, what’s getting in the way, and whether there’s a fit.
What Leaders Say
“Michael combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution. He demonstrates a people-first leadership approach that builds organizational capability and fosters accountability. I recommend Michael without reservation for senior engineering leadership roles.”
— Jason Veiock, CEO, Bearing
“What truly sets Michael apart is his approachable communication style. He has a knack for breaking down complex technical language to make it accessible for everyone to understand. He is patient, thoughtful, and extremely thorough in the ways that he communicates, creating great balance and harmony within our cross-functional teams. I consider it a blessing and privilege to work with Michael both now and into the future!”
— Lisa Hoover, Head of Experience & Design, CloudZero
“One of Michael’s greatest strengths is his remarkable ability to break down complex problems into a clear roadmap of achievable milestones, making even the most challenging initiatives feel structured and attainable. I would highly recommend Michael to any organization looking for a thoughtful leader who combines strategic thinking with exceptional execution.”
— Priyanshu Sharma, CEO, ByteBrainSolutions I Provide
I work with early-stage SaaS and platform startups and enterprise 0-1 / scale initiatives
as a fractional CTO, interim Head of Product/Engineering and strategic advisor.
Engagements are flexible and designed to fit your stage and budget:
Strategic discovery, roadmap development & architecture planning
Team building, leadership, and optimization (especially distributed/hybrid cohesion)
Execution oversight and delivery velocity improvement
AI strategy, governance frameworks, and responsible integration
Platform scaling, integrations, and cost/TCO optimization
We’ll find the right model, whether that’s a retained fractional relationship, focused project sprints, or interim leadership, while staying mindful of your runway and priorities.
Proof & Results: Real outcomes from platforms
Took a venture-backed physical security platform from 0-1 MVP → enterprise customer deployments + Apple App Store certification
Bearing (Head of Engineering / de facto Product Lead)
“Delivered an award-winning, production-ready, white-label platform from a clean-slate start through App Store certification and enterprise customer deployments.”
Re-platformed for 50% TCO reduction, x3 speed-to-market for new apps + maximized productivity through streamlined processes
MarketChorus (Director of Engineering)
“Delivered a unified enterprise AI platform that reduced total cost of ownership by 50% and tripled speed-to-market for new apps, while leading a high-performing globally distributed engineering team.”
2x productivity gains + 70% TCO reductions + 100% increase in onboarding completion and 70% improvement in user retention
StartupOS (VP of Engineering)
“Built and scaled a cross-border remote engineering team, doubling productivity even after staff reductions… 70% reduction in total cost of ownership… 100% increase in onboarding completion and 70% improvement in user retention.”
My Approach
What sets this apart isn’t just the experience, - it’s how we work together.
I’ve spent years building and leading cohesive, high-performing teams across co-located, remote, hybrid, and cross-border environments. The result? Teams that don’t just execute, -they communicate, align, and deliver 2x the productivity without the usual chaos or burnout.
I bring the rare combination of:
Hands-on 0-1 MVP to enterprise/App Store scaling experience
Deep platform architecture and AI governance expertise
A practical, people-first approach to team building that actually works
We move fast, stay grounded in business outcomes, and build systems and teams that last.
Wether you’re starting from zero, or you’re trying to scale from MVP… At any budget, or none at all… I’m here to help. Book some time with me, and I will help you.
Building Truelane
You’ve scrolled this far, so I’ll let you in on a secret…
I’m currently building Truelane: An AI-driven requirements pipeline and product management platform born directly from years of real-world platform scaling.
It helps teams…
Shape clear, de-scoped requirements with an intelligent intake agent
Manage features across tools like Jira, Monday and ClickUp
Auto-estimate, score, and prioritize based on AI-led strategic value inputs
Plan realistic MVPs and phased roadmaps with agent assistance
Audit feature sets for cohesion before execution
Export requirements packages for teams or AI build agents
Truelane turns scattered ideas into a clean, actionable release package, ready for internal teams, contract partners, or AI-assisted development.
Connect with me on LinkedIn for updates, and reach out if you want to help or pilot!
michaeljameslee@gmail.com
(972) 375-1313