John Gwinner
Fractional Chief Technology Officer
Based in United States
Summary
CTO / Fractional CTO | AI Strategy & XR/VR Innovation | Scaled 16→350 to Acquisition | “Managing developers is herding cats only if you don’t speak the language. I do—fluently.”
About
I'm a CTO and technology executive who's spent 25+ years scaling engineering organizations; growing one company from 16 to 350 people and a later acquisition by Accenture, and developing AI strategy and product roadmaps for board-level investor pitches at Series B companies that resulted in successful funding.
Futurist, 0-to-1 innovator at heart, equally comfortable setting long-range technology vision and going deep in the code when a problem demands it. My technical range spans deep AI/ML work — I'm a daily practitioner of agentic coding (Claude Code, Copilot) on production systems, having built local ML pipelines (a Whisper + pyannote speaker-diarization system from CUDA setup to finished output), several WordPress plugins, and an ERPNext extension — alongside a career rooted in XR/VR.
I'm a traditionally published author ("Getting Started with React VR," Packt) and led a funded DARPA award project on 3D representation of security and database information.
Managing developers is only "herding cats" if you don't speak the language. I stay hands-on enough to work fluently with developers, DBAs, IT specialists, and the customers and boards they ultimately serve.
Track record: • Scaled engineering teams up to 80 direct reports, onshore and offshore • Delivered $75M+ in revenue growth and cut millions in costs across startups through Fortune 500 clients • Built offshore delivery generating $80M+ in services revenue • CTO / Chief Architect roles at venture-backed companies • Veteran — pioneered the first RFID implementation and first logistics simulation in the Marine Corps; later served as ACIO/CIO for organizations of 16K+ people, CISO for Marine Corps Logistics • Cornell EE; completed all graduate-level computer engineering coursework as an undergraduate.
Currently taking on Fractional CTO engagements, with a particular focus on "Fixing" products, and XR/VR and spatial computing companies.
Also open to senior full-time CTO, VP Engineering, or AI-strategy-focused roles. Based in Los Angeles; remote or hybrid.
Skills
Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, Platform Modernisation, Engineering Leadership, DevOps, Data & AI
Regions covered
Industry experience
Fintech, Professional Services, Manufacturing, Retail, SaaS
At a glance
John brings hands-on experience across Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, Platform Modernisation, Engineering Leadership, DevOps, Data & AI. Available for engagements across North America. Industry experience includes Fintech, Professional Services, Manufacturing, Retail, SaaS.
How fractional CTO engagements with John work
John 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.