CTO & Engineering Leadership Mentoring
One-on-one advisory for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and technical co-founders navigating the challenges of scaling — organizational design, hiring, culture, and the transition from builder to leader.
Technical advisory · Est. 2026
The advisor founders, investors, and CTOs call before the hardest decisions.
TideHelm is the advisory practice of Duncan Grazier, former Chief AI Officer at BuildOps and an engineering leader who took organizations from founding teams to hundreds of engineers — through a NASDAQ IPO at Weedmaps, a $550M acquisition at ShopKeep, and the shift to AI-native software. I partner with founders preparing for their next phase, investors sizing up technical risk, and CTOs navigating the calls that will define their tenure.
- FounderAqen.ai
- Chief AI OfficerBuildOps
- CTOWeedmaps (NASDAQ: MAPS)
- VP EngineeringShopKeep ($550M exit)
300+
Engineers led through hypergrowth
2
Exits: NASDAQ IPO and strategic acquisition
$550M
ShopKeep acquisition by Lightspeed Commerce
15yrs
Building and operating technology organizations
01 — Engagements
How I Work
Fractional Technical Leadership
Hands-on leadership for companies between CTOs or scaling through inflection points. I embed with your team to set technical direction, unblock execution, and build the engineering culture that outlasts my engagement.
AI Strategy & Implementation
Practical guidance on integrating AI into products and engineering workflows. Grounded in shipping real AI-powered products and leading teams through the transition. I help leaders cut through the hype and make decisions that compound.
Board & Investor Advisory
Technical diligence for private equity and venture capital. Board-level advisory for founder-led companies preparing for their next round, an M&A process, or a CTO transition.
02 — Who I work with
The room I’m most useful in
- Founders & CEOs preparing for their first VP of Engineering hire, or replacing one.
- CTOs & VPEs navigating post-Series B scaling, org redesigns, or platform rewrites.
- Boards & PE sponsors who need technical diligence, interim leadership, or an honest read on a portfolio company.
- Executive teams deciding how AI reshapes their product, their workforce, and their moat.
If you’re facing a decision that will shape your engineering organization for the next two to three years — that’s where I focus.
03 — Background
A career at the helm
- Founder Aqen.ai
- The AI cofounder system: you bring the idea, Aqen brings everything else — legal, finance, marketing, ops, product, brand — coordinated across every business function.
- CTO → Chief AI Officer BuildOps
- Led AI strategy and implementation through BuildOps’s transition to a $1B AI-native platform for commercial contractors.
- VP → SVP Engineering → CTO Weedmaps (NASDAQ: MAPS)
- Scaled engineering from 30 to 300+ engineers through a NASDAQ IPO.
- VP Engineering ShopKeep
- Built and led engineering through the $550M acquisition by Lightspeed Commerce.
- Writing itsmeduncan.com
- Essays on engineering leadership, AI, and building technology teams.
- Based Southern California
- Working with teams across North America and Europe.
04 — Press & speaking
For journalists, producers, and event organizers
I speak on engineering leadership in hypergrowth, CTO succession and transitions, the operational reality of AI inside technology organizations, and what changes when a private company becomes a public one.
- Scaling engineering through IPO and acquisition
- Building AI-native engineering organizations
- The modern CTO operating model
- Technical diligence and the board’s view of engineering
- Succession: handing over the helm
For booking inquiries, podcast appearances, or quote requests — hello@tidehelm.io. Same-day response on weekdays.
05 — Get in touch
Start a conversation
No forms. No scheduling links. Tell me what you’re working on and what you’re trying to decide. I read every email personally and reply within one business day.