United States
Software is becoming something new. AI agents now write, test, review, and modify code, and the field doesn't yet have the language to describe what it's turning into. I'm building that language. I edit The Intent Layer, where I write about what engineering becomes when agents do the work, and I advise reboot.dev, a platform built so systems are safe for agents to change. This is the work my whole career was running toward. For 30 years I've done one thing: take complex technology that engineers love and skeptics dismiss, and turn it into a market narrative that makes adoption feel inevitable. I've done it from garage to IPO, across categories I helped name and build. Why a CEO hires me: I'm a force multiplier. I reduce cognitive load, surface the real issues faster, and turn strategy into execution without adding bureaucracy. At Heroku, I helped define Platform as a Service. At Mesosphere, I launched the Datacenter Operating System category as the first senior executive at an 11-person company. At Vapor IO, I built an unknown startup into the company that defined edge computing, winning the planet's largest infrastructure providers as customers and partners. At Salesforce Desk.com, I led one of the most successful launches in Salesforce history, scaling acquisition from dozens a month to thousands. Before that, I co-founded Wink Communications, an interactive TV startup that went from whiteboard to a NASDAQ IPO at roughly $1B, and 1000 Markets, a venture-backed e-commerce platform that was acquired. Through Outcome Partners, I help pre-seed to Series A founders architect their go-to-market from the ground up. I'm not a consultant who hands over a deck. I embed with the team, shape positioning, guide category creation, and run the GTM motion alongside the founders. My depth is in commercial open source, developer-led growth, and infrastructure software. I founded the Commercial Open Source Startup Alliance (COSSA) through a Linux Foundation grant, to give COSS founders the mentorship and connections to build sustainable businesses around open source. I've built technology narratives since I was a game designer for the Atari 800 and a technical writer for the Commodore 64. I don't just understand technology markets, I grew up inside them. If you're a technical founder with powerful technology and no market narrative, let's talk.
Outcome Partners is my vehicle for advisory and consulting to early-stage startups. I collaborate with pre-seed to Series A founders to hone their go-to-market playbook. Together, we architect unconventional strategies that actually work: the kind of marketing and business moves that make competitors wonder what just happened. If you're building something that matters and need someone who challenges assumptions as fiercely as you do, let's create outcomes that redefine your market. My launch and category creation record includes: * Interactive TV (Wink), * DCOS, Data Center Operating System (Mesosphere), * Edge Computing (Vapor IO) * Commercial Open Source (COSSA)
I launched COSSA as a passion project through a generous grant from The Linux Foundation. COSSA exists to give commercial open source (COSS) founders the tools, know-how, mentorship and introductions they need to operate a successful commercial open source business. For startups that already have a commercial open source strategy, we accelerate and de-risk their business by providing education and access to capital. For startups that do not yet have a commercial open source strategy, we provide them with the tools and know-how to develop into a commercial open source business.
I was given a nine month grant to nurture the Commercial Open Source Startup Alliance (COSSA) within The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs, investors, and communities to build sustainable businesses around open source. COSSA bridges the gap between startups and the open-source ecosystem by providing tools, mentorship, and innovative programs tailored to commercial open-source success.