EN
LOWER MID-MARKET VERTICAL SAAS & THEIR PE SPONSORS
The Technical Operating Partnerfor AI-Native Software Delivery
We provide technical air cover and operational leverage for deal teams, while installing AI-native engineering systems inside portfolio companies.
JAWHERE WE OPERATE
Built for software companies and the funds that invest in them.
For software companies and startups—whether independent or PE-backed—we lead engineering teams and modernize how they ship production software. For private equity sponsors, we sharpen firm-level deal sourcing, run technical due diligence, and scale AI practices across the portfolio.
FOR PE SPONSORS & DEAL TEAMS
Supporting the GP & Deal Lifecycle
We work inside the firm to sharpen technical deal flow and protect capital before and after the letter of intent (LOI).
Firm-Level Sourcing & AI Workflows
Auditing and upgrading the fund's own sourcing engine, thesis screening, and internal deal-team automation.
Pre- & Post-LOI Technical Diligence
Codebase archaeology, architecture durability audits, verifying target AI claims, and 100-Day Value Creation Plans.
Standing IC Advisory & Deal Triage
Retained principal judgment in the room before capital is deployed.
FOR CEOS, FOUNDERS & CTOS
Software Companies & Startups (Independent or PE-Backed)
Whether founder-led, venture-backed, or PE-owned, we embed directly with vertical SaaS and startup teams to ship faster and cover leadership gaps.
AI-Native SDLC Modernization
Two-week embedded sprints installing structured planning, testing gates, and agentic workflows to unlock +40–50% roadmap velocity.
Technical Air Cover (Interim / Turnaround CTO)
Stepping into leadership departures, stalled roadmaps, or post-close gaps to stabilize delivery and seat permanent leadership.
Architecture Rescue & Legacy Migrations
Untangling runaway AI slop and sprawl, rescuing brittle architectures, and executing legacy platform migrations.
ACROSS THE PORTFOLIO
Portfolio-Wide Rollout & Governance
When a fund backs multiple software companies, we prove the delivery system in one flagship holding and standardize engineering visibility across the portfolio.
Prove → Standardize → Scale
Turn one successful company sprint into a repeatable portfolio-wide AI engineering standard.
Unified GP Engineering Visibility
Consistent reporting on delivery velocity, AI toolchain adoption, and technical risk across holdings—without forcing unnatural metrics onto different stacks.
Institutional Memory Across Deals
One retained technical partner carrying lessons, playbooks, and senior bench talent across every asset.
PROVEN IN PRODUCTION
Real systems shipped. Real baselines measured.
Measured outcomes across embedded modernizations, solo architectural rescues, and rapid full-stack builds.
Roadmap Velocity Gains
Six-to-eight-week funded roadmap deliverables shipped in days across embedded vertical SaaS engagements, measured against pre-sprint baselines.
Solo Legacy Audit & Re-architecture
Audited 1.5M lines of a legacy Salesforce org (608 components) solo and re-architected 85% of the replacement 12-context platform in ~6 months with 4,000+ automated tests.
Complete Website Redesign & 150+ Page Migration
Redesigned and rebuilt ServiceMinder's entire website from scratch in four weeks—migrating, updating, and rewriting 150+ pages of content from their legacy CMS to the new site.
What leaders report back
What happens after the shift
Results from teams that crossed to the other side.
“Jason's influence has been transformative. He rebuilt the way our team thinks and executes—unifying the tech stack, embedding AI across the product, and raising the bar for everyone involved.”
Paul Laursen
Co-Founder, Athletica & HIIT Science
Unified stack · AI embedded across the product
WHY HEAVY CHAIN · BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE
Led by Jason Vertrees, PhD — Institutional capital discipline meets hands-on engineering.
Heavy Chain bridges the gap between the investment committee and the production codebase—combining executive operating experience with active daily building.
INSTITUTIONAL CAPITAL & GOVERNANCE
Former Head of Technology, $1B AUM
Directed technology strategy and systems on the operator side of a $1B AUM investment firm. Deep fluency in fiduciary risk, investment committee dynamics, and capital allocation.
20+ YEARS ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP
Operator, CTO & Team Builder
Two decades leading engineering, product, and go-to-market teams across regulated, data-heavy domains—stepping in to stabilize delivery, mentor leaders, and ship.
ACTIVE PRINCIPAL BUILDER
PhD in Computational Biophysics
Trained in algorithmic modeling and high-performance computing, and still writing production code every day—stress-testing emerging AI workflows in live systems rather than advising from slide decks.
From the blog
What I'm seeing in the shift
Inside Design Studio: Giving Your Terminal a Tasteful Visual Director
How We Built an In-Browser Atelier That Translates Raw Engineering Gut Feedback into World-Class Design
Practical Fun with Personal Agents: Staying on Top of Schoolwork Without Fighting the Portal
Taste vs. Craft: How a Non-Designer Gets Past AI Slop
How Lessons from Real Designers Helped Me Build a Socratic Design Loop for Technical Minds
Start a Conversation
Discuss a Software Company or Portfolio Engagement
Whether you are a software company founder or CTO looking to accelerate delivery and cover leadership gaps, or a private equity sponsor evaluating a deal or portfolio mandate, tell us what you’re tackling.
Response time
Within 1–2 business days
Who it's for
Software company CEOs, founders & CTOs (independent or PE-backed), and private equity managing directors & deal teams.
How to reach us
Direct response from Jason Vertrees, PhD (Technical Operating Partner) within 1 business day under full confidentiality / NDA.