Chief Technology Officer (Founding CTO)

Uptake AI • Full-time • San Francisco Bay Area, US • 6d ago

Company Description

Uptake AI is a stealth-stage startup focused on making clinical AI safe and governable at scale. As hospitals rapidly adopt AI technologies, Uptake bridges the gap between AI vendors and health systems by providing an infrastructure layer that ensures visibility, control, and responsible deployment of AI solutions. With strong relationships with leading health systems, strong advisory board, an experienced CEO with previous exits, and a pre-seed round in progress, Uptake is well-positioned to transform healthcare.

Role Description

We are looking for a full-time Chief Technology Officer (Founding CTO) to join our team. The CTO will lead the company’s technical vision, oversee the development and delivery of cutting-edge software solutions, and design a scalable technology infrastructure. Key responsibilities include managing product development, leading software engineering efforts, defining IT and technology strategy, and collaborating closely with the CEO and be a credible presence in rooms with hospital CIOs, CMIOs, and engineering leaders.

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.

Compensation

This is a sweat equity role until fundraising closes. We are bootstrapped by design and 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.

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years in software engineering, with meaningful leadership experience

• Must have deep familiarity with healthcare IT — EHR integrations (Epic, Oracle), HL7/FHIR, and the realities of hospital infrastructure

• Proven ability to build and ship enterprise software products, not just prototype

• Comfortable owning both technical architecture and product thinking

• Can hold your own in a room with skeptical health system executives (credibility matters here)

• Experience with AI/ML systems in production is a strong plus

• Startup experience — you've operated with ambiguity, limited resources, and high stakes

Interested? If you're frustrated (or worried) about the state of our healthcare system and want to do something about it, we'd love to hear from you! We move quickly and have strong bias for action - tell us what you've built and why this space matters to you and let make this happen.