Stephen Thomas

Business-minded technology leader with 20+ years of experience spanning founder, CEO, and CTO roles. Now works as a Fractional CTO and Technology Strategy Advisor across a portfolio of clients. Comfortable shifting between boardroom strategy and hands-on technical problem-solving.

Serves as a steering committee member and executive advisor to CEOs, COOs, and Boards on technology roadmaps, vendor selection, and digital transformation. Also assesses technology stacks, infrastructure, and security posture at the operational level. Brings direct experience leading technology due diligence for M&A and investment scenarios.

Coaches and mentors emerging technology leaders, including internal CTOs and Directors of Technology transitioning into expanded roles. Integrates practical AI and automation initiatives that drive measurable efficiency, not AI for its own sake. Founded and scaled Pathlore Software from inception to a $60+ million exit, giving a founder's perspective on the growth, fundraising, and governance pressures technology leaders navigate daily.

Fractional CTO - CTO Clarity, LLC

(2020-01)

• Serve as steering committee member and executive advisor to CEOs, COOs, and Boards across a portfolio of clients, aligning technology investment with business strategy and growth objectives.
• Develop and refine technology roadmaps for venture-backed and enterprise clients, translating business goals into execution plans that support scaling, fundraising, and exits.
• Assess and optimize client technology stacks, development practices, cloud infrastructure, and security posture, including cybersecurity and compliance initiatives (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2).
• Lead technology due diligence for M&A, investment, and partnership scenarios, preparing clients for investor and acquirer technical audits.
• Integrate practical AI and automation initiatives — including LLM integration, RAG pipelines, and agentic workflows — that drive measurable efficiency gains, and advise clients on responsible AI policy and governance.
• Coach and mentor emerging technology leaders, including internal CTOs and Directors of Technology transitioning into expanded roles, and support hiring, team structure, and culture development.
• Scaled technical teams from 3 to 250+ engineers across venture-backed and enterprise engagements, building hiring frameworks and org structures suited to each client's growth stage.

Blockchain Consultant - Dacoco GmbH

(2020-12 - 2021-09)

• Advised Dacoco (Alien Worlds, world's largest blockchain game) on scaling operations and mitigating smart contract and regulatory risk as daily active users surged to 8 million.
• Technologies: token design, metaverse gaming, DAOs, asset tokenization, regulatory compliance, DeFi.

CTO and Co-founder - 108dlt, Inc.

(2017-11 - 2020-01)

• Partnered with clients to deliver end-to-end blockchain solutions, including tokenized cryptocurrency strategies, blockchain selection, governance frameworks, and regulatory compliance.
• Educated clients and provided ongoing support for blockchain adoption.
• Technologies: EOS blockchain, smart contracts (C++), AWS, MongoDB, JavaScript, Node.js, React.js, microservices.

CTO - Wirefree Corp.

(2006-06 - 2017-01)

• Led IoT software development for wireless sensor networks and custom IoT solutions across manufacturing, industrial, and medical markets.
• Built commercial applications and sensor device management platforms, driving over $1 million in revenue from proof-of-concept projects.
• Expanded business internationally, serving clients in Canada, China, and Indonesia.

CEO & Founder - Pathlore Software, Inc.

(1995-11 - 2005-10)

• Grew an eLearning software company from inception to over $30 million in revenue.
• Raised $30 million in venture capital and led four acquisitions, culminating in the sale of the company for over $60 million.
• Built a 250+ person team, opened 8 offices globally, and developed a software product generating over $100 million in revenue.

MS - Computer Science - American University Washington, D.C.

BA - Government - The College of William & Mary Williamsburg, VA