Founded in 2009, Tech DNA is an elite team of former CTO’s, data scientists, academics, 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 & CEO

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.

Russell Johnson

President

Russell leads the most complex assessments at Tech DNA, including targets with 100’s of engineers, sprawling code bases written in 30+ programming languages, in all manner of industries and niches, from back office products (EPR, HR, Accounting, etc…) to health care to oil and gas to education to aeronautics to telematics, often involving multiple heterogenous computing paradigms, be it big data, cloud, consumer IoT devices, industrial applications and/or mobile, among others.

MORE ABOUT RUSSELL

Prior to Tech DNA, Russell spent 25 years working on some of the most complex and widely used software in the world. He was first recruited by Microsoft in 1989 and, after a range of technical roles (including 5 patents to his name for various Windows innovations) quickly rose to sit on the Microsoft Office “Triage Team”, the technology management team responsible for overseeing 1000’s of engineers to successfully deliver Microsoft’s (and the world’s) most profitable software product, Microsoft Office. As a member of the Triage Team, Russell was one of the elite, evaluating all facets – both technical and business – of some of the world’s largest and most complex code bases against numerous competing technical and business requirements.

Russell was next tapped to be the founding Group Program Manager for MSN Chat, one of the world’s first global, peer-to-peer, real-time SaaS services to operate at scale.

After leaving Microsoft, Russell consulted as CTO / Chief Architect for several startups before being recruited to Tech DNA.

Russell graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a dual B.S. in Information Systems and Industrial Management.

Michael Kauffman

Principal and Chief Legal Officer

Michael has more than 20 years of technology experience and over 10 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 others 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 United States Department of Justice 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.

“One of the biggest benefits of working with Tech DNA is their ability to determine what the real focus should be. They just know how technology affects a business and exactly what to look for. They understand the ‘So What?’ of technology.”
— SVP OF M&A, GLOBAL FORTUNE 500 CLIENT
“Tech DNA consultants simply have a more substantial technical and M&A experience than the competition. They’re just really clear and concise about a technology company’s strengths and weaknesses.”
— INTEGRATION CONSULTANT FOR TOP 10 TECH-FOCUSED PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM
“Tech DNA is very technically deep, but they do it in a way that doesn’t over compensate for people that are not as technically deep. They bridge that gap between what engineers say and executives need to hear.”
— M&A DIRECTOR AT FORTUNE 50 CLIENT