01 — About Us

The leading advisory for
next-generation systems

We are engineers, architects, and operators who build and deploy mission-critical systems at any scale. From petabyte and exabyte data platforms to embedded devices running in austere, hostile environments, and the claims management system running on your desktop, we deliver solutions that work when failure just isn't an option.

Our team brings decades of advisory and engineering experience across defense, insurance, legal, and manufacturing - building systems for organizations that demand predictable results, unquestioned reliability and seamless usability.

Defense Insurance Legal Manufacturing

02 — Services

Services

Senior, successful, fractional CxO services, on demand for all size firms.

What is a Chief AI Officer and Why Do You Need One? Getting the Most Out of Your Fractional CAIO

ROI-focused, compliance-ready: data, ML, AI, and quantum strategy, governance, roadmaps, and assessments.

How to Build a Data Strategy AI Readiness Assessment and Strategic Roadmapping for Insurance / Reinsurance Companies

Bulletproof real-time data, machine learning, AI, devices, robotics, and quantum computing.

Building Bulletproof Real-time Data, Machine Learning, AI, Devices, Robotics, and Quantum Computing Solutions

Petabyte, exabyte, web, and enterprise scale data, analytics, machine learning, and AI for α, β, proof-of-concept, pilot, and production systems.

Engineering [data] at Impossible Scale

Real-time, high-reliability cloud-based and embedded kernel, and IoT for low-power, austere environments and remote devices.

Operating at the Edge of Possibility

04 — Clients

Clients

Fincantieri

One of the world's largest shipbuilding groups, designing and building cruise ships, naval vessels, and offshore platforms.

defense embedded software embedded firmware

AIG

AIG is a leading global insurance organization. AIG provides insurance solutions that help businesses and individuals in approximately 190 countries.

insurance underwriting machine learning: NLP, image recognition workflow

Voya Financial

Leading provider of retirement plans, investment management, and employee benefits serving millions of Americans.

finance insurance enterprise data mainframe

Valley Bank

Regional bank providing commercial and retail banking services across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

banking MDM data quality data mapping mainframe

SS&C Intralinks

SS&C Intralinks pioneered the virtual data room and is a key technology and services provider to the global banking, dealmaking, alternative investments and capital markets.

pharma big data analytics

Invidi Technologies

Pioneer in addressable advertising technology, enabling targeted TV advertising at scale across cable, satellite, and streaming.

advertising enterprise software

Medici

MEDICI unifies all your fund's data — deals, reports, and investor requests — into one system that gives you accurate answers in seconds.

defi data architecture business strategy

Namakina

Digital agency specializing in customer experience, marketing automation, and digital transformation.

marketing business strategy

Friended

Social platform helping people build meaningful friendships through curated connections and shared interests.

social data science

Additional references available on request.

05 — Team

Team

Really, our Nano Banana doppelgangers aren't too off.

Sal Magnone

Co-founder, Senior Advisor

Sal's LinkedIn reads: "Co-Founder, Engineer, Veteran. I build multinational technology companies and run obstacle courses." That about covers it. He co-founded two successful technology companies, one around machine learning in the insurance space, one around embedded real-time software in defense, and maybe one or two that weren't so successful. When he isn't running obstacle courses, he teaches business and military strategy at the university level and keeps the rest of us from playing with matches near the acetylene.

x-PwC x-Sia Partners x-Gigaspaces x-US Army

Meiling Zhang

Co-founder, Senior Advisor

Mei is the kind of engineer that senior engineers ask for advice. Her workspace is perpetually covered in small parts, some burnt, and smells of solder. She once tried to move us to a hangar because our office lease precluded welding. She co-founded her last two successful companies with Sal. Outside the lab, she's an elite CrossFitter and obstacle course runner. Mei is currently the founder of a stealthy but ridiculously well-funded quantum computing company in the defense space, and our Quantum SME.

x-IBM x-Angry Robot Labs x-lab347

Nicole Tedesco

Robotics SME

Few people know more about designing, building, and deploying robotic and device technology than Nicole. She's been at it most of her career. At ARCA she defined and implemented a "robotics as a service" business model and the enabling technologies behind it. At CalvIO she developed the business and technical model to reduce robotic manufacturing complexity, eliminating 50% of software-related costs and reducing time-to-delivery by 80%. At the legendary Boeing Phantom Works she built things she can't tell us about outside "the cone of silence". Yes, she really wears those glasses.

x-ARCA x-Microsoft x-Boeing Phantom Works

Alex Cone

Mobile Applications SME

Alex is a rocket scientist. No, really, he worked on the Space Shuttle program. That was before he joined Steve Jobs at NeXT (he's very proud of still having two working units) and then followed him back to Apple, where Alex helped build the iTunes Store. He's spoken at international conferences and technology summits on enterprise mobile development and security, considers himself an alpha-geek, and is our mobile SME.

x-NASA x-NeXT x-Apple

Matt Weinstein

High-Performance Computing SME

Despite any 8-bit resemblance, Pitfall Harry was not based on Matt. He was, however, Director of Technology at Activision back in their MechWarrior, Warcraft, and Hexen days. After Activision, Matt moved on to [x+1] (now Rocket Fuel) where he built a media-buying platform at Big Data scale. Then on to Ab Initio, where he dealt with very high-performance, low-latency, distributed systems. If it's fast, reliable, and distributed, he can build it. Does being "x-[x+1]" mean he's just -1?

x-Ab Initio x-Activision x-[x+1]

06 — Principles

Principles

SMEs First

Every project is overseen by an industry subject matter expert whose business is your business.

Engineering Always

We are builders. Every engagement is grounded in hands-on technical expertise and production-grade delivery.

Mission Critical Design

We design for environments where failure has consequences. Reliability, security, and performance are non-negotiable.

Operator Mindset

We build systems we'd run ourselves. Reliability, long-term maintainability and operational clarity guide every decision.

Affordability Built In

We design every solution with lifetime affordability as a key goal and extensibility as a requirement.

No Lock In

Our open data architectures make getting your data out to other systems, to business partners, to regulatory bodies, or ready for migration, easy.

Data. AI.
Quantum.
Delivered.