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Erik Larson: Strategic Advisor, Interim CTO, Speaker

Technology team in collaboration
25+ yrs building solutions
7× Chief Technology Officer
8 yrs private-equity advisor
250+ diligence projects
Erik Larson
Erik Larson

I work at the intersection of technology and finance. I've spent my career both inside tech organizations, responsible for whether we release or not, and as that trusted advisor the investors brought in to assess how real is your tech. With a background in education, software, cloud architecture, and tech transformation, I help investors and executives partner to scale and grow.

I've spent my career both inside tech organizations, responsible for whether we release or not, and as that trusted advisor the investors brought in to assess how real is your tech. With a background in education, software, cloud architecture, and tech transformation, I help investors and executives partner to scale and grow.

How can I help?

Same operator. The engagement changes, the judgment doesn’t.

Fractional / Interim CTO Effective Technology Leader

When the money is in and the technology systems and those responsible for it are now under the microscope, I step in. I have been an interim CTO seven times now, so I know what it feels like inside a company in transition.

This is not a "grade your tech from across the room" role; this is roll-up-the-sleeves and get hands-on wherever needed. The intersection of team, tech, process and innovation is where those next winning solutions are incubated.

Strategic Advisor Experienced M&A Practitioner

Sometimes you don't need someone to run it. You need someone who has already seen how it breaks. That might be an architecture review before you wire the check or a board seat because you need an actual nerd in the strategic conversations. Often times it is a strategy session to clarify priorities and ensure the plan will deliver the results needed.

A quarter century of building solutions and a couple hundred diligence projects have taught me how to spot the opportunities to accelerate as well as where the risks like to hide.

Speaker / Facilitator Engaging Conferences & Events

I talk about scale and scalability a lot. The stories come from the work I do, helping operating teams de-risk the dotted line on a growth model with the right tech investments.

That is exactly what I bring to a stage: a technologist who speaks M&A and finance and integration as well as technology and innovation and the art of the possible. It's all about value creation and making sure each person in the room walks away with something immediately usable.

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Which engagement, when?

From early-stage companies → established and growing

Fractional CTO Interim CTO Strategic Advisor
Company stage Seed to Series A Growth / In transition Established
Commitment Part-time, ongoing Fractional or full-time, fixed term As needed
Call when
  • A few engineers (1–5), no shared standards yet
  • Need consistent patterns to prove viability and scale
  • Leadership gap or post-acquisition
  • You need someone accountable now
  • Technical due diligence or cloud architecture
  • You need an outside read
What you get
  • Strategic oversight
  • Mentorship for the team
  • An operator who ships
  • Owns releases, team, and roadmap
  • Pattern recognition, no politics
  • Says what insiders can't

I work with businesses at every stage of growth, and the right engagement depends on your needs.

Reach out and we’ll figure out the right fit together.

Common questions

What does an interim CTO actually do?

Steps in as an accountable technology leader during a gap or transition, owning releases, the team, and the roadmap. Not advisory; operational. The job ends when the company has the right permanent leader in place or the transition is stable.

How is an interim CTO different from a fractional CTO?

The CTO offering is fractional and/or interim. Interim means a fixed term rather than an ongoing role, typically post-acquisition or during a leadership gap; it can be structured as fractional (part-time) or full-time depending on what the situation needs.

What is technology due diligence?

An independent assessment of a company’s technology, team, and architecture before an investment or acquisition closes. The goal is to surface real risks, including threats to the investment thesis, to scalability, and to profitability, and recommend how to de-risk them.

Who do you typically work with?

Private-equity firms and the portfolio companies they back. On the investor side: diligence, architecture reviews, board advisory. On the operating side: interim CTO engagements guiding a technology organization through transition, which is anything but typical.

How do I engage you?

Use the contact form below. Include a one-line project title and which hat fits: CTO, Advisor, or Speaker. I respond to every inquiry personally.

Send me a note