Kate Chapman
I’m Kate Chapman. I help organizations build the right systems by asking the questions they aren’t asking, about people, technology, product, and governance together. I’ve spent twenty years doing this across open source, crowdsourcing, humanitarian response, knowledge systems, and supply chains.
How I help
For 15–100-person mission-driven orgs where technology enables the mission but isn’t the mission. I bring the product strategy, AI strategy, architecture, team building, and vendor evaluation you need, without the cost or commitment of a full-time CTO.
For orgs that have a CTO but need a senior operator for a gnarly problem cutting across teams: a framework decision, platform architecture, engineering enablement, or AI adoption. I facilitate the decisions and drive them to closure.
Evaluating vendor proposals. Shaping an RFP. Knowing when you’re being oversold. Navigating a vendor switch. Sometimes you just need someone who has been a CTO, sat on boards, and shipped products, asking the right questions alongside you.
You built the product. Now you’re hiring, managing a board, talking to funders, and wondering when you stopped writing code. I help founders navigate the shift from builder to leader without losing what makes them good.
I believe in the power of open collaboration to create digital commons. I explore the leverage points that create change in complex systems, keeping the humans at the forefront, with empathy and with humor.
Untangling Systems
When I find a pattern worth sharing, I write about it. Engineering leadership, governance & community, and AI & developer enablement.
