Barry Hess
Fractional CTO at Quantum Surge Technologies, LLC
Based in United States · 30+ years experience
Summary
TS/SCI Cleared Fractional CTO | I help defense tech companies get proven technology adopted by DoW not just demo’d | 30 yrs DoW/IC | Keynote speaker
About
Your technology works in the lab. But the warfighter still doesn't have it.
That gap between prototype and operational deployment is where defense tech companies lose contracts, burn credibility, and watch their runway disappear. You built something that solves a real problem. But somewhere between the successful demo and a fielded capability, momentum died.
I fix that.
I'm a TS/SCI cleared fractional CTO with 30 years inside the DoW and IC ecosystem. I've deployed technology in theater, trained teams before deployment, and pressure-tested systems in field exercises. I know what operators need when lives are on the line, and I know why good technology stalls before it reaches them.
I know this problem from the inside. Early in my career I built a drag-and-drop mission app for SOCOM. Operators loved it. They used it in combat zones. It never achieved force-wide adoption. The technology worked fine. We had no champion above the operator level. That failure taught me the lesson that shapes everything about how I work now: great defense tech without an advocacy chain dies on the vine.
Here's what I change:
• I restructure your development and deployment cycle so your team stops building things twice
• I build the advocacy chain from the operator level up to senior acquisition decision-makers
• I stand between your engineering team and the acquisition bureaucracy, so your engineers can engineer
• Relationships stay warm while your team builds, so operators are ready to receive and decision-makers are ready to moveRecent result: prototype to fielded capability in 6 months, 3 months ahead of schedule. We restructured the deployment cycle. We didn't add a single headcount.
I work with defense and intelligence technology companies in the $5M-$15M range on a fractional retainer basis.
If your technology is proven but your DoW adoption timeline isn't, connect with me, send a direct message, or book a call: https://choto.co/9nwuohtk
Skills
Regions covered
Israel, Asia-Pacific, United States, Europe, North America, Middle East
Industry experience
Government, Healthcare
At a glance
Barry brings hands-on experience across Cybersecurity, Engineering Leadership, Data & AI. Available for engagements across Israel, Asia-Pacific, United States, Europe, North America, Middle East. Industry experience includes Government, Healthcare.
How fractional CTO engagements with Barry work
Barry works on a fractional basis — typically one to three days a week for an agreed engagement length — so you get senior technical leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Engagements commonly include technical due diligence, board reporting, engineering team leadership, technology strategy, architecture reviews, hiring support, and stepping in as interim CTO during a transition.