Eastside Science Squad · Est. 1998
Senior engineering leadership,
on demand.
Fractional CTO · Technical co-founder · Security · Infrastructure · Compliance
an engineering leader who doesn't just sell ideas, but delivers solutions.
I'm Parris, I've spent twenty-plus years building tech at startups. These days it's Source, an attribution platform for agents. And I have some bandwidth to spare for yours.
Engagements are hands-on. I work in your codebase, with your team.
01 / Who I help
Early-stage is the specialty.
I work with companies on either side of product-market fit. Outside that range, I'm still glad to talk.
Bootstrapped Companies
Technical co-founder judgment, without the equity.
- →Flexible, cost-effective technology
- →Hiring ambitious engineers
- →Fundraising due diligence
- →Small teams, broad responsibilities
Growth-stage Companies
The product works. Now the organization has to.
- →Hiring established engineers
- →Technology that scales with the business
- →Security, compliance, and processes
- →Specialized teams, focused responsibilities
02 / What I do
Four ways to engage.
Focused services, done well. If the problem doesn't fit one of these, I'll say so.
Fractional CTO
Accepting clientsOngoing · 1 day / week · $1,000 / day
You have a capable team. You need experienced technical direction.
- →Deliverables on time, no surprises
- →Priorities driven by business value
- →Visibility that ends the micromanaging
Security & Compliance
Accepting clients3 months, annually · 2 days / week · $1,000 / day
Your team is focused on the product. Someone still has to run the shop.
- →Security policies, pen tests, patches
- →Hiring, reviews, and team development
- →Alerting, reporting, and triage
Architect
At capacity3-6 months · 3 days / week · $1,000 / day
You need something built on a foundation that lasts.
- →Proven technology that won't bite you later
- →Infrastructure that fits your budget
- →Delivery that meets your timelines
Turnaround Specialist
At capacity1 year+ · 5 days / week · $1,000 / day
The codebase, the team, or both need a reset. I've led several. (See the first testimonial.)
- →An honest assessment of what's broken
- →The rebuild-vs-repair call backed by evidence
- →A planned taper as your team takes over
03 / How I work
No surprises, on purpose.
I favor proven technology, automated delivery, and tests that catch problems early. Every engagement is hands-on, in your codebase, in this order:
- 01
Take tickets
I start in your backlog, writing code. You can't steer a team you haven't shipped with.
- 02
Understand the direction
I learn where the business is actually headed, beyond the pitch deck.
- 03
Recommend, then align
I propose changes and build genuine buy-in before anything moves.
- 04
Implement
I ship changes with your team, not around it, so improvements outlast the engagement.
04 / Track record
Twenty-plus years of shipping.
Highlights, not the full resume. Three of these show up again in the testimonials below.
Source
Co-founder · Attribution analytics · Current
Source pulls millions of monthly events from multiple sources for each connected client. Making sure each client can access their data reliably, with ever-changing formulas, and never losing a byte is the challenge. I'm proud of our unique stack that provides a lightning-fast browser experience and a platform that makes it simple for developers to build beautiful dashboards for clients.
millions of events per client per month · disparate data sources · zero data loss
BusinessLoans.com
Head of Engineering · Lead generation
A lead generation company for business loans. Our form made real-time decisions, branching applicants to the right questions based on what we'd already learned about them, routing them to the best-fitting lenders within seconds of submitting. We built experimentation right into the form, allowing conversion rate specialists to easily execute parallel tests, optimizing for the outcomes important to the business.
real-time matching · adaptive form branching · first class experimentation
SnapCap by LendingTree
Engineering lead · Post-acquisition
A small-business lending company acquired by LendingTree. I joined post-acquisition, integrating two vastly different tech stacks and engineering cultures into the new parent company.
two stacks consolidated · two teams aligned · one platform shipped
406 Ventures, Boston
Engineering lead · Portfolio companies
Led engineering at several companies in a Boston venture pool, each building an app for its own niche use case. The teams were always small, young, opinionated, and highly ambitious. We had a lot of fun building.
several products · niche use cases · full-stack ownership
+ approximately 1,000,000 other small projects peppered in between
05 / What clients say
Don't take my word for it.
Real engagements, real outcomes, in their words.Let's be honest, they likely used AI. The sentiment is real.
“Two years, two development teams, and over $1M and Source still hadn't launched. Parris came in, assessed the code honestly, and led a rebuild from the ground up. We shipped in just a fraction of the time and cost.”
“He's the CTO I wish I'd hired first.”
“Our offshore team got us to an MVP, which gave us a solid starting point. But taking it from MVP to a product we could grow on was a different challenge, and that's where Parris came in. Within a month or so the app was stable and reliable, and he put processes in place that gave everyone confidence in what was shipping next. He also cut the cost of running our engineering department significantly, dropping services we didn't need and only hiring when it brought clear value. We came out with a stronger product and a leaner team at the same time.”
“Post-acquisition, Snapcap's integration into its acquirer had stalled across two tech stacks and two engineering cultures. Parris took ownership: he made the call to consolidate onto one platform, aligned both teams behind the plan, and delivered it. He's been my go-to technical advisor ever since. He sees the business problem behind the technical one, and he makes the hard calls.”
06 / Frequently asked questions
FAQ.
Are you actually a squad?
Today it's one person: me. When an engagement needs more hands, I bring in trusted collaborators. The team scales to the problem, never to the invoice.
Why 'Eastside Science Squad'?
A name from high school that stuck. I kept it as a reminder that this work should stay curious.
What does 'science' mean here?
Hypothesis, experiment, measurement, shipping. I treat a codebase as a system that can be reasoned about and improved methodically.
Startup or enterprise?
Startups are the focus: small teams, high stakes, minimal ceremony. I can also work with small, focused teams inside an enterprise.
Where are you based?
Charleston, South Carolina. Local clients get in-person time; everyone else, the video platform of their choice.
How much do you cost?
$1,000 per day, or prorated. Every engagement is scoped and quoted up front — no surprises.
Will you sign an NDA / MSA / SOC2 questionnaire / DPA?
Yes to all four. I'm familiar with procurement, security questionnaires, and vendor onboarding.
Do you work with AI?
Where it's genuinely useful. I'll tell you when AI is the right tool and when a simpler solution serves you better.
What if the codebase is a mess?
Why else would be reading this? If it's not broken I'm going to have trouble fixing it.
07 / Get in touch
Let's talk about
what you're building.
Tell me what you're building, what's blocking you, or who you're trying to hire. I'll reply within a business day with next steps — or an honest referral if I'm not the right fit.
Based in Charleston, South Carolina. In person locally, remote everywhere else.
Prefer email? Use the form, or write to hello@eastsidesciencesquad.com. Or connect on LinkedIn.
08 / Full disclosure
Am I reading LLM output right now?
Yes — but it's a collaboration, not fire-and-forget. The facts and opinions on this site are all mine.
If you'd rather read cringy, artisanally hand-written content, find my blog. I'm not linking to it, but it should be easy enough to find.