Team
Tech DNA was founded in 2009. We are an elite team of software developers, former CTOs, data scientists, privacy lawyers and major technology corporation executives, each with at least 20 years of experience before joining. No juniors. No mid-levels.
What sets US apart
Senior only. An unrivaled bench.
Senior only.
No juniors and no mid-levels. Every consultant has spent at least twenty years building and running technology before joining Tech DNA. The team that reviews the code brings its combined experience to the report.
Senior minds, working together
Most have been the most senior technologist at their prior organization, answerable to management and boards for business results, with decades of experience building technology businesses, not just technology.
Inventors and patent holders
Our consultants are the inventors or named patent holders on technologies spanning big data, security, UX and network protocols, built for, licensed by, or sold to over half of the technology companies in the Fortune 100.
Codebases used by a billion people
Decades of architecting, delivering and maintaining some of the world’s largest codebases and most popular software, used by over a billion people every day.
Deep bench.
We are the firm companies turn to when they have been told nobody can diligence their target. Hundreds of deals, every mainstream stack and most of the obscure ones, specialists when it matters most.
When nobody else can diligence it
Quantum algorithms, avionics, mainframe banking cores, medical imaging, industrial control systems. The unfamiliar, exotic target is usually familiar to someone on our bench.
Every stack, ten billion lines and counting
Mainframe to mobile to firmware, and a single engagement can mean ten or more languages. Most engagements run with three to six consultants, depending on scope, each matched to the target’s domain and stack.
Broad exposure, and depth where it counts
From enterprise SaaS and healthcare to defense, semiconductors to quantum computing and AI of every flavor. See the industries we’ve worked in →
How we show up
What clients say it is like to work with us
Technical horsepower
Senior practitioners who have led technology companies, organizations and products.
Trustworthy and calm
Good bedside manner. We collaborate with target companies to keep the assessment burden light and the insight deep.
Pragmatic and business centric
We start with strategy and business thesis, then build everything else around it. The analysis is consumable by technical and business teams alike.
Fact based and thorough
What the technology actually does matters more than what the documents say it does. We vet answers with deep code dives.
Fast, focused and ready
Efficient and accurate. Flexible and nimble are core principles. We need 24 hours’ notice to begin an engagement.
Consistent and reliable
Hundreds of deals since 2009, across a vast array of complex industries and global locations, at every scale from $1 million to $20+ billion.
Senior leadership team
Who leads the work
Mike Kelly
Founder
A 35-year industry veteran, recruited by Microsoft in 1993 to help integrate Word, Excel and PowerPoint into Microsoft Office. Rose to Partner level, a distinction fewer than 1% of employees reach, and later led Microsoft’s Engineering Excellence, setting software development standards for every Microsoft engineer. Founded Tech DNA in 2009. B.S. in Computer Science, Northwestern University.
Michael Kauffman
CEO
Over 20 years in technology and 15+ years in law, advising Fortune 500 companies and top-10 private equity firms on technical and legal matters. Leads our service offerings, open-source licensing and privacy compliance teams. Started programming at nine and worked the full progression from software testing to CTO. JD with honors, George Washington University Law School; BA in History, Colorado College.
Martin Langhoff
Practice Director
Leads our most complex assessments, with 20+ years in the Linux ecosystem and contributions to git and to major distributions including Debian and Fedora. Lead engineer and then CTO for One Laptop per Child, overseeing the design and deployment of roughly 3.5 million XO laptops. Software he architected runs in New Zealand’s national elections and in bank cybersecurity systems.
References are available on request. Our client list is confidential by NDA, which is exactly the discretion we will extend to you.
In the press
Coverage and commentary
Expert comment from Tech DNA
Article by Michael Kauffman
Profile of Michael Kauffman
Commentary from Michael Kauffman
Interview with founder Mike Kelly
For press inquiries, email info@tech-dna.net.
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