Chief Technology Officer (Founding CTO)
Role summary
Uptake AI is seeking a founding CTO to build the operational intelligence layer for hospital AI, ensuring AI is safe, governed, and deployable at scale. This executive role requires 10+ years of software engineering experience with significant leadership, deep familiarity with healthcare IT (EHR, HL7/FHIR), and a proven ability to ship enterprise software. The CTO will own technical architecture and product thinking, working closely with the CEO and a small team to develop a trusted platform for health systems. Experience with AI/ML in production and startup environments is a plus. This is a sweat equity role until funding, with a focus on solving a critical problem in healthcare AI adoption.
Uptake AI is building the operational intelligence layer for hospital AI; the infrastructure that makes AI safe, governed, and deployable at scale. Today, 80% of health systems have no formal way to govern AI, and with the rapid proliferation of clinical AI tools, this problem is only going to get worse. We're the infrastructure layer that fixes this, before it becomes a patient safety crisis!
The Role
We're looking for a technical executive who wants to build something meaningful from the ground up. This isn't a hired-gun CTO role — you'll shape the product, own the architecture, and be a credible presence in rooms with hospital CIOs, CMIOs, and engineering leads. You'll work closely with the CEO and a small team to go from MVP to a platform that health systems trust and rely on. We operate with the mentality that constraints are a feature, not a bug. Small team, big problem, limited resources, and we'll win with what we have. If that energizes you, we'll get along well.
What We're Looking For
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10+ years in software engineering, with meaningful leadership experience
• Must have
deep familiarity with healthcare IT
: EHR integrations (Epic, Cerner), HL7/FHIR, and the realities of hospital infrastructure
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Proven ability to build and ship enterprise software products, not just prototype
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Comfortable owning both technical architecture and product thinking
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Can hold your own in a room with skeptical health system executives — credibility matters here
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Experience with AI/ML systems in production is a strong plus
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Startup experience — you've operated with ambiguity, limited resources, and high stakes
What You Get
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A problem worth solving - healthcare AI adoption is broken, and we have a credible path to fix it. You must be passionate about this problem space.
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Meaningful equity — this is a real partnership, not a token grant
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Competitive salary once pre-seed closes (target Q2-3 2026)
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Full ownership of the technical roadmap from day one
Compensation
This is a sweat equity role until fundraising closes — we're looking for someone energized by that, not deterred by it. Post-funding, compensation will be competitive and commensurate with the contribution you've made.