About the role

Refounding CTO 1.0->4.0

The Opportunity
Found the technology for a fintech platform transforming SME capital access across ANZ. Build the AI-powered credit engine and data platform that enables real-time assessment and autonomous decision-making at scale.  This is not a typical start-up, this is a 1.0 business that has been acquired and is being revolutionised in AI/ML tech.  There is no tech right now.  This will be the engine that not reinvents this business but will change the whole industry.

• You've built sophisticated data and/or AI platforms from the ground up
• Deep AI/ML experience & led1→10 growth in fintech or payments
• Comfortable coding today, scaling teams tomorrow

Why This Business
Traditional SME lending takes weeks using decades-old models. This platform will assess and approve decision-making in minutes using real-time data and AI. The founding team brings serious credibility - senior leaders from major banks, experienced finance lawyers, and proven entrepreneurs. This isn't a concept. An existing business acquisition provides immediate operations, live customers, and historical data to train models from day one. You'll build in a live environment with real capital deployed.
The goal: within 3-4 years, autonomous lending decisions on a nine-figure book. Systems that continuously analyze multiple internal and external data sources - Xero, banking, payroll, weather, FX, commodities, macro indicators - making credit decisions faster and smarter than any traditional lender.

The Technical Challenge
Architect the core platform from first principles. Create an engine that processes multiple real-time data streams, learns from every decision, and autonomously assesses risk and credit worthiness empirically. Build the integration layer connecting external APIs and scaling to dozens more. Create the API-first platform that embeds lending into tools SMEs already use. Meet APRA and RBNZ requirements while architecting for 99.9%+ uptime and sub-second response times. Every transaction traceable, auditable, compliant.

What You'll Build
Initially hands-on - writing code, making architectural decisions, proving the concept. As the platform scales, evolve into a technology executive leading engineers. Work directly with founders and board. Voice in commercial strategy and product direction, not just technology. This is about building a company. Path: Refounding CTO shipping code → technical leader building the team → technology executive scaling the platform. Take the business from concept to production platform managing $100M+ in loans with largely autonomous operations.

What Success Looks Like
Production platform processing real loans within 12 months. AI models outperforming traditional credit scoring. Engineering systems that are reliable, compliant, and continuously learning. Technology that's a genuine competitive moat, not a cost center.

Who You Are
You thrive on building new platforms and leading teams and understand cloud-native, event-driven architectures processing millions of transactions.  You are building deep AI/ML experience and desire to build data platforms processing real-time sources. Comfortable with regulatory complexity or equivalent frameworks you love the idea of building a founding team mentality: energized by building from zero, genuine ownership, balance of technical depth and commercial acumen. The opportunity to apply modern AI to an industry processing $50B+ annually in SME lending across ANZ, still stuck with 1990s technology and credit models is here.

Join now. This is not a typical start-up, this is a business that has been acquired and is being reinvented in AI/ML tech.  Given this the remuneration reflects this and is more market rate for an AI exec with a generous equity package.

If this is the challenge you've been waiting for, reach out for a confidential discussion.