Deep Tech Operator & De-Risking Partner

I spent eight years in 3D display technology, a hardware-plus-software problem where the failure modes all live in the seams. I moved from optical R&D through hardware and software leadership to VP of applications and CTO roles. I've managed distributed teams across the US and Netherlands, built third-party developer ecosystems, and led the transition from prototype to production.

Before that, a PhD in microelectronics and hands-on cleanroom work; before that, early-career research in integrated optics. The through-line is the same: understanding how complex technical systems actually work, where they break, and how to tell whether a supplier or a team can really deliver what they claim.

I now apply that to deep tech evaluation and fractional CTO work. The question I ask is always the same: not "is this innovative?" but "is this real, and what would have to be true for it to work?" That's the function.

I write about this occasionally: evaluation frameworks, how I look at deep tech companies.