Founded in 2009, Tech DNA is an elite team of former CTOs, data scientists, privacy lawyers and major technology corporation executives.
TECHNICALLY DEEP
Deep hands-on technology experience, having been the actual inventor or named patents holders on patents built for, licensed by, or sold to over 50% of the technology companies on the Fortune 100.
UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE
Decades of experience architecting, managing, delivering, and maintaining some of the world’s largest and most complex code bases and most popular software used by over 1 billion people daily.
UNDERSTAND BUSINESS
Have been the most senior engineer or scientist at their prior organizations answerable to management and boards for business results with decades of experience building technology businesses, not just technology.
No juniors.
Or mid-levels.
Only experts with decades of experience.
Every project. Every time.
With the above individual experience as a starting point, Tech DNA consultants collectively leverage a proven methodology pressure-tested by over 500 million lines of code, written in dozens of languages across 100’s of targets valued, at assessment, at over $50 billion.
With only days or weeks from start to finish, there is no time for junior mistakes or for experts to manage juniors. Or even mid-levels.
TECH DNA'S LEADERSHIP TEAM
For media profiles or press inquiries, please see our Press page. Or contact Michael Kauffman.
Mike Kelly
Founder
Mike is a 35-year technology industry veteran tapped by Microsoft to help set the standard for all of Microsoft’s 10,000+ software engineers. As Tech DNA founder, he has personally reviewed more code, at more companies, with a higher collective valuation at time of acquisition, than any other technology due diligence practitioner.
MORE ABOUT MIKE
Mike’s career began with a position at the prestigious R&D department of the original AT&T before its breakup into the “Baby Bells.” He then led various technology efforts at various startups before being recruited by Microsoft in 1993 to help Microsoft manage the integration of Word, Excel and PowerPoint into Microsoft’s (and the world’s) single most profitable product: Microsoft Office.
After a decade at Microsoft, Mike rose to Partner level, a distinction of technical excellence conferred on fewer than 1% of all Microsoft employees since the company’s founding. Several years after making Partner, he was asked to help lead Microsoft’s Engineering Excellence, the company’s standard setting body responsible for establishing the highest level of software development standards and practices for all Microsoft software engineers.
In 2009, Mike left Microsoft to found Tech DNA, one of the first companies dedicated to technology assessment, due diligence and M&A integration. Today, Tech DNA is a leader in technology due diligence on behalf of the world’s most active acquirers on the Global Fortune 500 and top 20 private equity firms.
Mike has published in UNIX Review and PC Magazine and spoken at numerous industry conferences including TechEd, PDC, ACG and USENIX, among others.
He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Northwestern University.
After a decade at Microsoft, Mike rose to Partner level, a distinction of technical excellence conferred on fewer than 1% of all Microsoft employees since the company’s founding. Several years after making Partner, he was asked to help lead Microsoft’s Engineering Excellence, the company’s standard setting body responsible for establishing the highest level of software development standards and practices for all Microsoft software engineers.
In 2009, Mike left Microsoft to found Tech DNA, one of the first companies dedicated to technology assessment, due diligence and M&A integration. Today, Tech DNA is a leader in technology due diligence on behalf of the world’s most active acquirers on the Global Fortune 500 and top 20 private equity firms.
Mike has published in UNIX Review and PC Magazine and spoken at numerous industry conferences including TechEd, PDC, ACG and USENIX, among others.
He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Northwestern University.
Michael Kauffman
CEO
Michael has more than 20 years of technology experience and over 15 years of legal experience. He has advised Global Fortune 500 companies and top 10 Private Equity on both technical and legal matters, often the two combined. Michael has been published in Forbes, quoted in Wall Street Journal and profiled in Vanguard Law, among other publications, on topics ranging from privacy to machine learning to technology due diligence in general. See Michael's publications.
MORE ABOUT MICHAEL
Michael oversees Tech DNA service offerings and advises companies on the business and management implications of the risks revealed by Tech DNA technology findings.
Michael also leads Tech DNA's Open Source Licensing and Privacy Compliance teams, regularly assisting client counsel with the technical and legal nuances of open source liability and privacy regulations.
Michael began programming for fun at age 9, and for a living at age 19. He started in software testing and worked his way up through programmer, DBA, database programmer, lead programmer, UX architect, systems architect and, finally, IT Director and CTO. He has worked as an employee, contractor or consultant to, among others, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, University of Washington and various startups, including Cesari Interactive, Blockbuy.com and DataPatrol.
Michael earned his JD (with honors) from The George Washington University Law School and has represented large multinational corporations, sovereign countries and startups on a range of legal matters, both in court and numerous private transactions and negotiations. Michael has, as an associate or law clerk, worked for the Center for International Environmental Law, the USDOJ and American and European offices of Salans (now Dentons, the world’s largest law firm).
In addition to his JD, Michael was awarded a BA in History from Colorado College, where he was on the Dean’s List.
Michael also leads Tech DNA's Open Source Licensing and Privacy Compliance teams, regularly assisting client counsel with the technical and legal nuances of open source liability and privacy regulations.
Michael began programming for fun at age 9, and for a living at age 19. He started in software testing and worked his way up through programmer, DBA, database programmer, lead programmer, UX architect, systems architect and, finally, IT Director and CTO. He has worked as an employee, contractor or consultant to, among others, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, University of Washington and various startups, including Cesari Interactive, Blockbuy.com and DataPatrol.
Michael earned his JD (with honors) from The George Washington University Law School and has represented large multinational corporations, sovereign countries and startups on a range of legal matters, both in court and numerous private transactions and negotiations. Michael has, as an associate or law clerk, worked for the Center for International Environmental Law, the USDOJ and American and European offices of Salans (now Dentons, the world’s largest law firm).
In addition to his JD, Michael was awarded a BA in History from Colorado College, where he was on the Dean’s List.
Martin Langhoff
Practice Director
Martin leads complex assessments and reviews in TDD and consulting. His depth of experience in the Linux ecosystem and in the hardware design and manufacture space provide a solid foundation for our broad coverage of the industry. His reviews range from the RPG2000 language to quantum computing and equipment for end-to-end robotic assembly lines, along with conventional modern stacks.
MORE ABOUT MARTIN
Prior to Tech DNA, Martin spent 20+ years deep in the Linux ecosystem, contributing code and designs to key applications such as git, and major Linux distributions (Debian, Fedora), as well as many smaller contributions across the Linux stack.
With many years of experience in the industry, in particular in education and e-government, Martin joined the groundbreaking One Laptop per Child foundation as a lead engineer for their School Server. He was eventually appointed CTO for the organization, leading the design and development of two generations of the OLPC XO laptop, and overseeing the manufacturing, distribution and deployment of approximately 3.5 million devices to schools in some of the most difficult locations on the planet.
After OLPC, Martin consulted as CTO for several companies before joining Tech DNA. Software he architected helps developers track their code, powers crucial parts of the New Zealand National Elections, and protects bank networks from cyber attacks.
Over many years in the industry, he has worked shoulder to shoulder solving real world problems with Nicholas Negroponte, Walter Bender, Linus Torvalds, Andrew Tridgell, and many others.
With many years of experience in the industry, in particular in education and e-government, Martin joined the groundbreaking One Laptop per Child foundation as a lead engineer for their School Server. He was eventually appointed CTO for the organization, leading the design and development of two generations of the OLPC XO laptop, and overseeing the manufacturing, distribution and deployment of approximately 3.5 million devices to schools in some of the most difficult locations on the planet.
After OLPC, Martin consulted as CTO for several companies before joining Tech DNA. Software he architected helps developers track their code, powers crucial parts of the New Zealand National Elections, and protects bank networks from cyber attacks.
Over many years in the industry, he has worked shoulder to shoulder solving real world problems with Nicholas Negroponte, Walter Bender, Linus Torvalds, Andrew Tridgell, and many others.
