Serious about growth. Lighthearted by nature.
I've been making mobile apps since 2009 and 3D experiences in Unity since 2012. Somewhere along the way I helped publish 50+ of them — games, marketplaces, social platforms, and a stock market that trades influencers instead of companies.
I'm a developer who's genuinely good across the stack, but I excel at the front-end and design — the part where craft becomes something you can feel. I've sat in the CEO, creative director, and marketing director chairs, and the advisor's seat beside founders and investors — which is why I can step into more than one of them for you.
I take myself and my own growth seriously — but I lead with humor, and there's little I enjoy more than making someone smile. Whatever you're building, I start from the same question: how can I help?
Off the clock, I'm an Eagle Scout — still wired to be prepared and to leave things better than I found them — and I love to cook, ideally for a full table.
Today I'm building Critically, Reffo & Pelagora— and I'm open to leading the next chapter with you, as a fractional CXO, advisor, co-founder, consultant, or FTE.
Hiring? The solutions engineering pitch, a case study, and my résumé.
Four ways to put me to work.
Pick the shape that fits where you are. Not sure which? That's a conversation — start anywhere.
Fractional CXO — CEO, CMO, or CTO
Drop me into the seat you're missing. I've run product, creative, and marketing, and I'm full-stack technical — so I can own the function, set the bar, and ship, without you hiring three executives.
Advisor
A steady outside brain for founders, teams, and investors. I've advised startups, investment firms, and AI companies — I'll help you see around the next corner and call what's real.
Co-Founder
If it's the right idea and the right people, I go all in. I founded and led Reffo and Pelagora from zero — I know how to turn a 2am idea into something people actually use.
Consultant
A focused engagement with a clear finish line — a launch, a redesign, an AI rollout, a gnarly build. You bring the problem, I bring the range to close it.
Cross-functional by default — which is why one hire can cover three seats.
Strategy & advising
SpecialtyWhere I shine. I've advised startups, investment firms, and technical AI companies — the zero-to-one judgment a founder or board actually leans on.
Creative & marketing direction
Years as a creative director and a marketing director — the CMO chair, basically. Brand, story, and launch, not just the build.
Front-end & design
Interfaces, design systems, motion, and the obsessive last 10% that makes a product feel good to touch.
Full-stack engineering
Comfortable in the backend too — APIs, data, infrastructure. The technical seat, owned end to end.
Things I'm building, in motion.
Clips from recent projects — vertical or wide, whatever the moment called for.
Platforms, games, fintech, and a few quiet ones.
A slice of 50+ published apps — most designed, built, and led end to end. The throughline: take the idea seriously, the ego not so much.
Bitcoin tools
Calculators and explainers for paired trades around Bitcoin, making intimidating instruments finally make sense.
Countless private builds
Dozens of apps for people and companies that will never have a public URL. Quietly, some of my best work lives here.
The software other people ship.
Most of my client work is white-labeled through agencies and studios, so the client never sees my name. Here's some of what it looked like. Click any project for the full story.
Also designed for, built for, or pitched alongside
From the people I've worked with.
“He's the kind of leader you want in your corner when the stakes are high. Doug builds trust quickly, follows through on what he says, and brings a calm, practical approach to solving tough problems.”
“One of the better strategic thinkers I know, especially because he does not rush to the shiny idea or easy answer. He works hard to understand the real problem space first.”
“A bit of a unicorn: both technical and creative, both sharply intelligent and deeply human. Doug is a sounding board for me and an advisor and I value his contributions.”
“He often went above-and-beyond to generate concepts and prototype solutions to help explain abstract concepts.”
“Doug also cares about the team surrounding him and provides strong support, encouragement, and opportunity for those around him to grow.”
“Unlike a lot of people who come up with "ideas" Doug sees them through to completion.”
Helping people and teams actually excel with AI.
I build AI-native products and advise AI companies for a living — agents, tooling, the works. But the part I love most is helping other people get fluent: turning "AI is overwhelming" into "AI is the best teammate I've got."
Founders & individuals
I'll set up the workflows, agents, and tooling that quietly multiply your output — and teach you to drive them, so you're empowered, not dependent.
Product & engineering teams
I help teams weave AI into the product and the process — design-led, actually shipped, and free of the hype that ages badly.
Companies & investors
I advise on AI strategy and separate what's real from what's noise — where the leverage actually is, and what's safe to ignore.
Wondering where AI actually fits — and who should own it? That's the kind of thing I get hired for.
How can I help?
Need a leader, an advisor, a co-founder, or an extra pair of hands? Tell me what you're working on — I'd genuinely love to help.