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Erik Larson: CTO, Author, Speaker

Technology team in collaboration
25+ yrs building solutions
7× Chief Technology Officer
8 yrs private-equity advisor
250+ diligence projects
Erik Larson
Erik Larson

I work at the intersection of technology and finance. I've spent my career both inside tech organizations, responsible for whether we release or not, and as that trusted advisor the investors brought in to assess how real is your tech. With a background in education, software, cloud architecture, and tech transformation, I help investors and executives partner to scale and grow.

I've spent my career both inside tech organizations, responsible for whether we release or not, and as that trusted advisor the investors brought in to assess how real is your tech. With a background in education, software, cloud architecture, and tech transformation, I help investors and executives partner to scale and grow.

How can I help?

Same operator. The engagement changes, the judgment doesn’t.

CTO Effective Technology Leader

When the money is in and the technology, and those responsible for it, are under the microscope, I step in. I’ve been CTO seven times, so I know what it feels like inside a company in transition. There are three ways to work together:

  • Fractional. Part-time and ongoing, for a young team that needs shared standards to prove it can scale.
  • Interim. A fixed term through a leadership gap or a transition, hands-on and accountable for releases, team, and roadmap. Every one of those engagements ended with a permanent hire in place.
  • Advisory & diligence. Someone who has already seen how it breaks: technology due diligence before you write the check, an architecture review, a board seat, or a strategy session. 250+ diligence projects have taught me where the risks like to hide.
Speaker / Facilitator Engaging Conferences & Events

Most "scale your business" advice skips the part that actually matters: you can’t scale what isn’t proven and repeatable yet. I bring a ladder that starts at Idea and climbs Prove, Repeat, Scale, and Sustain, built from nearly a decade of assessing scalability for private equity investors across 250+ deals, and adapted for operators, technology teams, and speakers alike.

Audiences leave with more than a framework. They leave with a mirror: a short, honest self-assessment they can run against their own business, team, or practice, and a clear next move instead of a stack of slides.

2026: a breakout workshop and the Author Showcase with Maddie at GSS 2026 in Cairns; the Cigar PEG Las Vegas Mastermind (MGM, May 2026); and the Fry Your Chickens! podcast.

Watch: GSS 2026 workshop: Use Your Genius to Get You Booked · GSS 2026 Author Showcase, with Maddie Larson

↓ Download One-Sheet

Which engagement, when?

From early-stage companies → established and growing

Fractional CTO Interim CTO Advisory & diligence
Company stage Seed to Series A Growth / In transition Established, PE-backed, considering an investment or exit
Commitment Part-time, ongoing Fractional or full-time, fixed term As needed
Call when
  • A few engineers (1–5), no shared standards yet
  • Need consistent patterns to prove viability and scale
  • Leadership gap or post-acquisition
  • You need someone accountable now
  • Technical due diligence or cloud architecture
  • You need an outside read
What you get
  • Strategic oversight
  • Mentorship for the team
  • An operator who ships
  • Owns releases, team, and roadmap
  • An outside read before the check clears

I work with businesses at every stage of growth, and the right engagement depends on your needs.

Reach out and we’ll figure out the right fit together.

The books

Published by Coroin Books.

Memoir · Available now Be Do Give Love

Your Life Story in Four Words. A father–daughter memoir I wrote with my daughter and co-author, Maddie Larson. Four words, four questions: who am I, what am I doing, what difference does it make, and why does it matter.

Published in multiple languages: English and Spanish now, with French on November 1.

Visit bedogivelove.com →
Business fable · December 21, 2026 The Exit Clause

A Leadership Fable About What to Do When Your CTO Leaves. A business fable drawn from my interim CTO work.

Framework · Coming 2027 Scale What?

For authors, business owners, and executives: how to know what to scale, and when. A ladder that starts at Idea and climbs Prove, Repeat, Scale, and Sustain.

Take the free diagnostic →

Common questions

What does an interim CTO actually do?

Steps in as an accountable technology leader during a gap or transition, owning releases, the team, and the roadmap. Not advisory; operational. The job ends when the company has the right permanent leader in place or the transition is stable.

How is an interim CTO different from a fractional CTO?

Interim is a fixed term, typically a leadership gap or post-acquisition; fractional is ongoing, part-time. Either can flex full-time or part-time depending on what the situation needs.

What is technology due diligence?

An independent assessment of a company’s technology, team, and architecture before an investment or acquisition closes. The goal is to surface real risks, including threats to the investment thesis, to scalability, and to profitability, and recommend how to de-risk them.

Who do you typically work with?

Private-equity firms and the portfolio companies they back. On the investor side: diligence, architecture reviews, board advisory. On the operating side: interim CTO engagements guiding a technology organization through transition, which is anything but typical.

What do your talks focus on?

A ladder for scale that starts at Idea and climbs Prove, Repeat, Scale, Sustain. You can’t scale what isn’t proven and repeatable yet. Sessions run hands-on and interactive, and audiences leave with a short self-assessment they can run against their own business, team, or practice, not just a stack of slides.

How do I engage you?

Use the contact form. Include a one-line project title and which hat fits: CTO, Author, or Speaker. I respond to every inquiry personally.

Send me a note