Valerie Phoenix
The fractional CTO who's been where you're trying to go.
10+ years in healthcare's most regulated environments. HIPAA. FDA. ISO 42001. SOC 2. Whether you're scaling AI or your whole stack, I've built it.
10+ years in healthcare's most regulated environments. HIPAA. FDA. ISO 42001. SOC 2. Whether you're scaling AI or your whole stack, I've built it.
10+ years in regulated AI · 10K+ community · FDA-cleared AI shipped
Fractional CTO · AI Governance · Startup Advisory
For companies deploying AI in FDA-regulated, HIPAA-governed, or security-first environments. I design the audit trail architecture, model monitoring systems, and governance frameworks that keep your AI compliant in production, not just at launch.
Built on real experience from shipping in FDA regulated companies. Every engagement includes implementation of POF™ and ATS™, proprietary frameworks built from production failure modes, not templates.
Retainer · 3–6 month min · pricing on inquiry
For health tech companies that need a CTO-level operator without a full-time hire. I embed as your technical leadership: owning architecture decisions, shaping the engineering team, leading the roadmap, and prepping you for investor and board scrutiny.
I've shipped in your exact constraints: HIPAA-compliant data pipelines, SOC 2-certified infrastructure, FDA-regulated ML systems, mental health platform compliance, and the operational rigor that healthcare demands.
20–30 hrs/mo · 6-month min · pricing on inquiry
For early-stage health tech, mental health, and regulated AI startups that need senior technical perspective without a full retainer. 2–4 hrs/month. Equity-based, not a cash fee, and not an ask to invest your capital.
Covers AI architecture, regulatory strategy (HIPAA, SOC 2, FDA, ISO 42001), investor technical narrative, and direct access to the Tech by Choice talent pipeline of 10,000+ underrepresented technologists.
0.15–0.25% equity · 12-mo agreement · 2–3 seats
I'm Valerie Phoenix. I'm currently Senior Engineering Manager who's worked in health tech for 6 years, where I built high performing teams that built globally scalable and compliant systems.
That's not background. That's the work. When I help you build a compliant AI system, I'm drawing from real production failure modes, not compliance templates or best practices borrowed from a whitepaper.
Beyond my 9-5: I'm the founder of Tech by Choice (10,000+ underrepresented technologists), Enigma Syndicate (builder collective), and Inkra, an AI-powered platform for nonprofits built to SOC 2, HIPAA, and FDA-adjacent standards.
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Most founders come to the first call with a half-formed problem and leave with clarity on exactly what they need. That's the point of the call
