Your engineering team needs a leader. Your business needs someone who speaks both languages.
Embedded engineering leadership for early-stage startups that need an experienced leader — part-time, remote, on contract.
Part-time engagement. Full-time impact.
Sound Familiar?
These are the situations where companies reach out.
Engineering Leadership
You have engineers. The work just isn't moving the way it should.
“We have engineers but we're not shipping.”
Features take 2–3x longer than estimated. Releases slip. You ask “when will it be done?” and get a different answer every week. The team is busy — but the product isn't moving forward.
“Our engineering leader left and the team is drifting.”
Engineers are still writing code but nobody is setting direction. Architecture decisions are stalling. The CEO is getting pulled into technical calls they shouldn't be on. Team morale is dropping.
“We grew from 3 engineers to 10 and everything broke.”
The informal processes that worked at 3 people don't scale. Engineers are stepping on each other. Onboarding takes weeks. The founder used to review all the code — they can't anymore.
The Business–Engineering Bridge
These need someone who's credible on both sides. Most fractional CTOs aren't.
“Our CEO is playing CTO and both jobs are suffering.”
The CEO is in standups instead of sales calls, approving PRs instead of closing deals. They know they need a CTO but can't justify $250–400K for a full-time hire at this stage.
“Engineering and the business side don't speak the same language.”
Product asks for something and engineering says it'll take 6 months. Engineering asks for time to refactor and the CEO asks “but will users see anything?” Both sides are frustrated and starting to distrust each other.
“We're raising and investors are going to ask about our tech.”
The pitch deck tells a business story but can't survive technical diligence. Or your technical founder can explain the architecture but can't frame it as a business narrative. Either way, there's a gap.
“We built something real but can't articulate why it matters.”
The product works. Engineers are proud of what they built. But the pitch reads like a technical spec, the website explains features instead of outcomes, and there's no sales narrative. You're excellent at building but not at packaging what you've built.
Does one of these sound like your situation?
That's exactly what the call is for. We'll talk through where you are, what isn't working, and figure out if I'm the right fit.
30-minute call. No prep needed.
How I Work
Embedded
I join your team. I'm in Slack, in standups, in planning sessions. I know your engineers by name and your codebase by architecture. I'm not a consultant who delivers a report and disappears.
Part-Time
Typically 10–20 hours per week on a 3+ month engagement. Enough to lead engineering effectively — at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive.
Remote & Contract
I work as a contractor. No benefits overhead, no long-term commitment. Senior leadership you can scale up or down as the company needs change.
Honest
I'll tell you what's actually going on in engineering, even when it's uncomfortable. And if your business narrative has problems, I'll catch them before investors do.
Track Record
Three former employers brought me back for a second engagement.
That's the clearest signal I know how to offer.
Companies I've led engineering at:
GAIN Fitness — CTO & Managing Partner
Personalized fitness app. Owned the full technical stack from architecture through delivery with a small, focused team.
MentorFit — CTO & Co-Founder
AI-powered resume builder and employee-matching platform for the construction industry. Built from zero to production.
Better World Software — Co-Founder
Software consultancy serving non-profits and charities. Built a custom ERP for Meals on Wheels from scratch and sold it to organizations across North America.
Next Epic — Fractional CTO
Led architecture, delivery, and technical direction for a Fortune 500 connected fitness initiative. Small team, large scope, multi-year engagement.
0+
Years in Tech
0+
CTO & Co-Founder Roles
F500
Delivery Experience
3×
Rehired by Former Employers
Dustin Parnell
I'm an engineering leader with 15+ years of experience across software engineering, technical leadership, and startup operations. I've held multiple CTO and co-founder roles, delivered products from zero to production, and built businesses from scratch.
The thing that makes me useful is that I'm credible on both sides of the table. I can lead an engineering team and present to investors in the same week — and both groups will trust what I'm saying. That combination is rarer than it should be.
I do my best work embedded in a team, solving real problems with real people. Not advising from the outside. Not writing reports. Actually in it.
I also built and run a 100+ agent AI system I use across development and business operations every day. Not a product — just proof that I go deep on what I recommend.
Let's Talk
Not sure if this is the right fit? That's what the call is for. We'll talk through your situation honestly — and I'll tell you if I'm not the right person.
30-minute call. No prep needed. No obligation.