Helping startups and investors cut through the noise, avoid disasters, and build tech that actually works
Helping startups and investors cut through the noise, avoid disasters, and build tech that actually works
I'm a veteran CTO from Silicon Valley, now based in Copenhagen. I help founders and tech companies make smarter decisions — and fix the stuff they don’t even know is broken yet.
I have worked for decades in the software industry, both as developer and technology leader. I was a programmer at Netscape in the mid-90's, where I co-authored the Java Swing UI toolkit. I have since been partner and CTO in multiple successful startups both in the US and Europe.
Whether you’re drowning in Jira tickets, unsure about your architecture, or wondering why your team keeps missing milestones, I’ll give it to you straight. No fluff. No dogma. Just the truth and a plan.
You don’t need another consultant. You need someone who’s shipped real products, built real teams, and knows the difference between a shiny idea and a solid one. I ask the hard questions — before they turn into expensive problems and debilitating technical debt.
Alongside my tech work, I’m also a certified psychotherapist and coach — which comes in handy more often than you’d think. Tech problems are often people problems in disguise, and I know how to navigate both. Sometimes tech leadership means reading the room, not just the code.
I have been living for over twenty years in Denmark, though I maintain strong roots to San Francisco. I am more than happy to communicate in English or in Danish, and am fluent in both.
Let me provide the guidance needed to sustain and expand your business well into the future, by bringing native Silicon Valley experience to the sensible and practical Scandinavian context.
You wouldn’t build a house without someone competent in all aspects of construction — from the architecture to the carpentry to the electrical wiring. The same goes for building technology platforms.
I scope the plan, assemble the right expertise, solve problems as they hit, and deliver a plan that actually works, and that is aligned with your real business goals.
Every engagement is grounded in
✦ Listen
First, we talk. You tell me what’s broken — or what just feels off. I ask hard questions until we get to the root problem.
✦ Assess
I review your product, codebase, people, and pain points. You get plainspoken feedback fast. Not a 40-page PDF.
✦ Propose
I give you a clear, actionable plan. Sometimes it’s a big initiative. Sometimes it’s just “stop doing that dumb thing.”
✦ Execute
I either lead the work or coach your team — your call. Fractional CTO, ad hoc firepower, or retained advisor.
✦ Exit
When the job’s done, I get out of the way. You keep the clarity, the code, and the calm.
"Great product teams are built by leaders who understand the technology, the business, and the talent it takes to deliver. That’s David Karlton.”
ZACK ROSEN, CEO & FOUNDER PANTHEON.IO
“Building things is hard, and lots can go wrong. David makes it look easy. He assembles great teams, appropriately scopes projects and delivers great results.”
LLOYD TABB, FOUNDER LOOKER.COM