The Geek Whisperer's Associates - Dr Matthew Pontefract

Indicative Experience

As CTO of Glasses Direct, the UK's largest online prescription eyewear retailer, re-architected the platform, hired a new engineering team and managed a full platform migration with near-zero downtime — leaving the business with a system able to handle orders of magnitude more traffic with faster, more reliable feature deployment.
Conducted technology due diligence for Kester Capital, Bowmark, Northedge and other PE firms, specialising in follow-on DD to assess team dynamics and capability against growth plans ahead of scaling or exit.
Served as Non-Executive Director for Technology at Phoebus Software for seven years (2012–2019), providing independent board-level technology oversight across the full investment period.
Sector adviser to Spring Ventures since 2013, supporting origination, opportunity evaluation and value creation in the IT services sector.
Fractional CTO at Our Carbon (2023–2026), helping the business build the technology platform to measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions for enterprise clients.
Technology adviser to Acting Office (2025–present), supporting the executive team as the business scales significantly.
Earlier career spans software development in investment and retail banking, and a stint at Moving Picture Company in the film industry, before taking CTO posts at Glasses Direct and onefinestay.

Specific Expertise

Career Highlights:

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