01
CTO
Technology & architecture
AI-native transformation studio for growth-stage businesses
Founder-led commercial, operational, financial and technical transformation for businesses ready to modernise, scale, and grow.
Internal Founder Concept
01 — Positioning
Not consultants.
Not developers.
Not another agency.
CXO Studio combines experienced operators, strategists, financial leadership and AI-native builders.
We diagnose business bottlenecks, redesign workflows, build modern operating systems around how businesses actually work, and stay involved to drive adoption, optimisation and growth.
Transformation, run by operators.
02 — Founding team
Founding team
Read full bios →
Jack Smies
Entrepreneur, investor, CTO. Former Accenture leader with deep experience building AI, blockchain, and digital products for banks, telcos, and enterprise platforms.
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Colin Fitzpatrick
Close to 20 years at Oracle, HubSpot and Salesforce. Prolific builder and Vibe coder. 25K+ LinkedIn audience on AI and emerging tech. Speaker, presenter and podcast host.
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Nils Johannsen
International CFO who structures growth, raises capital and executes complex M&A and restructuring deals.
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Simon Peck
30+ years rebuilding revenue engines for founder-led, PE-backed and high-growth technology businesses.
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Rupert Breheny
Ex-Google engineer and product strategist turning emerging AI into scalable products for global brands.
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Extended bench
20+
senior specialists on call
Assembled per engagement — strategic leadership plus hands-on delivery when you need it.
Specialist capability
AI engineersAutomation specialistsData & analyticsUI / UX designersOffshore developmentSpecialist consultants
03 — Why now
Enterprise software was built for a different era
For decades, growing businesses had two bad choices.
Buy rigid software and force teams to adapt around it.
Or spend huge time and money building custom systems.
That model is breaking.
AI-native tools, APIs, automation, and rapid software development have fundamentally changed what's possible.
For the first time, experienced operators can redesign business operations at software speed.
Businesses no longer need to bend around software.
Software can adapt around the business.
That's why CXO Studio exists.
04 — Why us
Operators
Strategists
Builders
Most consultancies advise. Most agencies build. Most software firms sell tools.
CXO Studio sits in the middle.
We combine commercial, operational, financial and technical leadership with AI-native execution — built by people who have actually run businesses, not just consulted to them.
This is operator-led transformation
05 — Fractional leadership
Fractional CXO leadership
Full-team impact
Hiring a senior CTO, CMO, CRO or transformation leader can take months, cost significant budget, and still leave capability gaps.
CXO Studio gives you faster access to experienced executive-level operators across strategy, growth, product, technology and execution — without the cost or delay of full-time hires.
Rather than hiring one expensive executive, you gain access to a broader operating bench that understands business problems and can shape and deliver practical solutions quickly.
02
CMO
Brand, growth & demand
03
CRO
Revenue & commercial
04
CFO
Finance & capital
05
COO
Operations & delivery
06
CPO
Product & experience
Why hire one executive when you can access an entire operating bench?
06 — AI-native by design
AI-native by design
Built on the frontier.
Beyond chatbots and basic automation.
We actively work at the forefront of applied AI — from agentic systems, voice AI and browser automation to orchestration frameworks, OpenAI Agents, MCP ecosystems and emerging AI-native tooling.
This allows us to design and deploy practical, commercially useful AI systems using the best modern approaches rather than outdated automation.
Agents01
Agentic systems
Agents02
OpenAI Agents SDK
Orchestration03
MCP ecosystems
Orchestration04
Orchestration frameworks
Interfaces05
Voice AI
Interfaces06
Browser automation
Data07
RAG & knowledge graphs
Data08
Frontier model routing
Frontier technology. Practical business outcomes.
Ready to talk?
See how this team could plug into your business.
05 — Operating model
Legacy operating models vs
AI-native operating models.
Legacy business
Before- siloed systems
- spreadsheets everywhere
- disconnected workflows
- manual reporting
- poor user experience
- slow decision-making
- expensive consulting
- software that teams hate
AI-native business
After- connected systems
- custom operating layers
- automation-first workflows
- real-time visibility
- better employee experience
- faster decisions
- commercial agility
- intelligent operations
The shift
We replace spreadsheets, broken workflows, disconnected systems and manual processes with AI-native operating models
Business systems built around how your company actually works.
07 — How we work
How CXO Studio works
From diagnosis to ongoing optimisation — led by people who've run the business, not just advised it.
- 01
Diagnose
Identify bottlenecks, fragmented systems, inefficiencies and growth constraints.
- 02
Design
Define future-state operating model and transformation roadmap.
- 03
Build
Rapid implementation using AI-native tools, APIs, automation and custom software.
- 04
Enable
Train teams, drive adoption and embed new workflows.
- 05
Operate
Continuous optimisation, commercial support and iterative evolution.
06 — What we build
What transformation
actually looks like.
Real operational transformation. Not generic AI consulting. Each build ships into the operating model and pays for itself in measurable commercial outcomes.
01
AI Command Centre
Bring ERP, CRM, finance, sales and operations data into one real-time decision layer.
02
Sales Growth Engine
AI-assisted prospecting, outreach automation, pipeline visibility, CRM workflows and growth systems.
03
Executive Dashboard
Replace fragmented reporting with a live business cockpit.
04
Workflow Automation
Remove repetitive manual tasks across operations, finance, sales and support.
05
AI Enablement Layer
Internal copilots, prompt workflows, team enablement and training.
06
Custom Business Tools
Rapid-built software solving specific operational bottlenecks.
07
Partner / Channel Platforms
Create new revenue channels via partner-facing digital tools.
08
Commercial Intelligence Layer
Pricing, forecasting, margin visibility and opportunity intelligence.
08 — Where it lands
Where transformation lands
Concrete operating layers, not abstract themes. Each one ties to a measurable commercial outcome.
Revenue Intelligence
Turn fragmented sales activity into visibility, forecasting and faster action.
Quote-to-Cash Automation
Reduce friction between enquiry, quote, order, invoicing and payment.
Customer AI Layer
Improve customer experience with intelligent workflows and automation.
Leadership Dashboards
Create real-time executive visibility across the business.
Finance Intelligence
Better forecasting, reporting and financial decision-making.
Workflow Automation
Remove repetitive manual work across teams.
Partner Enablement Platforms
Create new commercial distribution opportunities.
Internal Knowledge Copilots
Make business knowledge searchable, usable and scalable.
09 — By the numbers
The reality of transformation today
95%
AI projects fail
due to poor adoption, unclear ownership and weak execution.
150+
Years combined experience
senior operators across commercial, technology, finance and product.
10×
Faster build velocity
vs traditional software projects — modern AI-native delivery.
4 wks
Diagnosis to live capability
from first conversation to a working AI-enabled workflow in your business.
09 — Hard truth
AI doesn't fail. Adoption does.
Most AI initiatives fail long before the technology does.
Why?
- no executive sponsorship
- unclear business outcomes
- poor project scope
- no internal champion
- weak adoption
- bad change management
- innovation theatre
CXO Studio solves both the technology challenge and the human adoption challenge.
10 — Delivery philosophy
We build capability
Not dependency
We don't build black-box systems and disappear.
We build with teams, train teams, and help businesses become AI-native operators themselves.
The job isn't done when the system ships. It's done when the business can run it without us.
10 — Scalable by design
Scalable by design
Small senior operator core. Elastic specialist delivery bench.
A lean founder-led operating model supported by flexible specialist talent, allowing CXO Studio to scale delivery without becoming a bloated agency.
11 — Commercial model
Commercial model
Engagement
AI Transformation Audit
$5K–15K
Strategic diagnostic and transformation opportunity mapping.
Core offer
Build Sprint
$15K–100K+
Rapid transformation builds and operating layer creation.
Engagement
AI Operating Partner
$5K–25K+/month
Ongoing strategic advisory, optimisation, enablement and transformation support.
Performance-linked upside may be used where commercial outcomes are measurable.
11a — What clients actually get
What's inside each engagement
Tangible deliverables, not retainers for retainers' sake. Every engagement ships something the business can use the day after we leave the room.
01 · Audit
AI Transformation Audit
A board-ready transformation map. We diagnose where value is leaking and pinpoint the highest-ROI moves.
- Range
- $5K–15K
- Duration
- 2–4 weeks
What's included
- Executive interviews and operational walkthroughs
- Systems, data and workflow audit
- Quantified opportunity register with effort vs. impact scoring
- 12-month transformation roadmap with sequencing
- Build vs. buy vs. integrate recommendations
- Boardroom-ready presentation and exec readout
Example work
- Mapping a $40M business unit's quote-to-cash flow and identifying 30% margin leakage
- Diagnosing why a CRM rollout failed and resequencing it around adoption, not features
02 · Build
Build Sprint
Production-grade operating layers shipped fast. AI-native systems built around how the business actually runs.
- Range
- $15K–100K+
- Duration
- 4–12 weeks
What's included
- Custom dashboards, internal tools and operating layers
- Workflow automation and system integrations
- AI copilots embedded in real workflows (sales, ops, finance, support)
- Data pipelines and reporting infrastructure
- Hand-off documentation, training and enablement
- Optional ongoing maintenance and iteration
Example work
- Real-time revenue intelligence layer pulling CRM, billing and product usage into one view
- AI proposal copilot that drafts quotes from CRM data, cutting turnaround from days to minutes
- Internal knowledge copilot trained on company docs, used daily by the support team
03 · Partner
AI Operating Partner
Embedded senior capability. Part fractional CXO, part build team, part adoption coach — without the headcount.
- Range
- $5K–25K+/month
- Duration
- Rolling 6–12 month engagement
What's included
- Standing senior advisor relationship with leadership team
- Quarterly transformation planning and prioritisation
- Continuous build, optimisation and integration capacity
- Adoption support, training and change management
- Access to the specialist bench (engineers, analytics, UI/UX, offshore)
- Monthly executive reporting on outcomes and ROI
Example work
- Weekly working session with the CEO/COO to remove the next operating bottleneck
- Standing build capacity to ship one meaningful operating improvement per month
- Acting as the AI sponsor leadership doesn't have internally yet
Engagements are stackable. Most clients enter through an Audit, run a Build Sprint on the highest-ROI opportunity, and convert into an Operating Partner relationship.
Next step
Tell us what you're trying to fix — we'll show you how we'd approach it.
12 — How to engage
Three ways to work with us
Find the right fit →Sprint
Diagnose & ship.
A focused engagement to identify the highest-leverage opportunity and ship a working AI-enabled capability in weeks, not quarters.
Best for teams who need momentum and proof.
Operating Partner
Embedded firepower.
Senior operators embedded into your business — driving execution across growth, product, technology or operations alongside your team.
Best for businesses scaling through transformation.
Advisory
Strategic on-call.
Ongoing executive guidance for founders and leadership teams navigating AI strategy, commercial growth and operational change.
Best for leaders who want senior thinking on tap.
16 — The bet
We are building the operating partner for the AI era
Not another consultancy.
Not another dev shop.
A high-leverage transformation business built by experienced operators who understand growth, systems and execution.
This is the beginning
Let's talk
Tell us the problem you're trying to fix.
A short conversation is usually enough to know if we can help — and how.