About Our Client Our client is a funded, early-stage startup building a groundbreaking consumer hardware product—a private, pocket-sized AI device with on-device intelligence. With manufacturing operations already in place, a clear product roadmap, and the capital to execute, they are now preparing for a significant capital raise and formal corporate domiciling in the UAE. They are looking for a technical visionary and hands-on builder to lead their engineering arm and drive the product to market.

The Role This is the central technical leadership role through whom the entire project runs. We are not seeking an advisory consultant or theoretical strategist—this is a hands-on CTO role for someone who wants to actively build, execute, and lead technology strategy.

As CTO, you will own the end-to-end technical delivery—from defining technical strategy to writing critical code. You will lead internal and external developers, manage global vendors, and act as a credible technical authority to represent the company during upcoming venture fundraising. You will directly oversee and collaborate with a Full-Stack Developer to convert technical vision into lightweight, stable code.

This role is for someone who has done the startup grind before, knows how to balance speed with quality, and thrives in the ambiguity of early-stage building.

Key Responsibilities Technical Strategy & Architecture
• Define, document, and execute the overall technical roadmap spanning web interfaces, APIs, and on-device software layers.
• Establish clear delivery timelines, strict documentation practices, and performance standards across the technical team.
• Make high-judgment architecture decisions, balancing what is built in-house versus what is outsourced or integrated via third parties.

Investor & Capital Representation
• Represent the company's technology strategy, infrastructure, and technical feasibility credibly to prospective venture capitalists and investors during capital raises.
• Provide necessary technical frameworks aligned with the upcoming corporate domiciling in the UAE.
• Articulate complex technical concepts to financial investors with clarity and confidence.

Hands-On Execution & Development
• Maintain an active presence in the codebase—writing, reviewing, and optimizing critical backend and web software structures.
• Guide the technical team's focus toward commercially viable initiatives that either generate revenue, reduce operating costs, or produce monetizable features.
• Lead by example—you are in the code, not just managing from above.

Vendor & Team Leadership
• Manage, mentor, and hold the distributed team of developers (including the dedicated Full-Stack Developer) accountable for output and efficiency.
• Coordinate directly with hardware manufacturing partners, global contractors, and technology vendors to ensure timelines and budgets are met.
• Foster a culture of ownership, speed, and quality across the technical team.

Requirements (Non-Negotiable)
• Startup & Fundraising Track Record: Proven experience operating in early-stage startups, ideally having navigated capital raises, fundraising rounds, or successful tech exits.
• Full-Stack Mastery: Exceptional hands-on expertise in web development, database architectures, and API design.
• No Advisor Mindset: Genuinely hands-on builder who wants to "do the work" rather than consult or request fully structured specifications.
• Project Management & Vendor Oversight: Successful track record of managing distributed engineering pipelines and keeping global vendors aligned with strict project scopes.
• Collaborative Availability: Capacity to coordinate closely with teams operating on Bangkok Time (GMT+7) or Indian Standard Time (IST).
• Startup Resilience: You have been through the early-stage chaos before and know how to stay calm and focused under pressure.

Preferred (Strong Advantage)
• AI, ML & Edge Computing: Familiarity with edge model inference, local LLM deployment, multi-agent RAG pipelines, or privacy-first data handling.
• IoT & Hardware Integration: Practical exposure to hardware development, embedded firmware, custom BLE SDKs, or device-to-cloud data streaming.
• Global Travel Capacity: Open to travel to India or manufacturing facilities for critical testing, QA, or production milestones if needed.
• Fundraising Experience: Direct experience presenting to VCs, preparing technical due diligence, or contributing to successful funding rounds.
• Corporate Structuring: Familiarity with UAE corporate domiciling or international business setup.

The Ideal Candidate (Mindset & Attributes)
• Commercial Pragmatism: You design simple, lightweight tech solutions that support fast commercial launch rather than heavy, over-engineered architectures.
• Dual-Threat Leader: You can articulate deep technical concepts to a room of financial investors but are equally happy to pull up a terminal and squash a critical bug yourself.
• Ruthless Executioner: You understand the startup grind, manage time effectively, and prioritize team hours to match actual output.
• Founder-Aligned: You treat this business as your own. Every decision you make considers the company's long-term success, growth, and sustainability.
• Decisive & Accountable: You make sound technical calls quickly and stand by them. You own outcomes—both successes and failures.
• Resilient & Adaptable: You thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities shift quickly and ambiguity is the norm.

What Success Looks Like Success in this role is defined by tangible outcomes that move the company from development to market readiness and beyond. You will know you are succeeding when:
• Investor Readiness Is Achieved: The company's technical infrastructure and IP are fully documented, clean, and optimized to confidently present to VCs during capital raises.
• Execution Velocity Is High: Development tasks, API integrations, and product features are shipped on time and within budget.
• Infrastructure Is High-Performing: Development, staging, and live codebases remain secure, responsive, and stable as user volume grows.
• Integration Is Flawless: Web portals, customer databases, and payment architectures integrate perfectly with the product's hardware release timeline.
• The Team Is High-Performing: Internal and external developers are aligned, accountable, and delivering quality work consistently.
• Vendors Are Managed Effectively: Manufacturing partners and global contractors are held to scope, timelines, and quality standards.
• You Are a Credible Technical Authority: The founders and investors trust your technical judgment without needing to second-guess.
• The Product Launches Successfully: The software layers are ready on time, enabling the physical product to go to market without technical delays.
• You Think and Act Like an Owner: Every decision you make aligns with the company's long-term growth, profitability, and sustainability.

Why This Role Stands Out
• True Technical Ownership: Define the technical architecture of a physical, privacy-first consumer AI product from its foundational stages.
• Strategic Exposure: Work directly with the executive founders as a core pillar of the business as it moves to its next corporate growth stage in the UAE.
• Hands-On Building: This is not an advisory role—you will write code, review PRs, and ship features alongside your team.
• Fundraising Impact: Play a critical role in representing the company to VCs and helping secure the next round of funding.
• Highly Autonomous, Global Environment: Fully remote execution with flexible scheduling and competitive compensation.
• Long-Term Opportunity: As the company scales, so will your role, responsibilities, and equity potential.