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Proven Track Record Delivering Results

50%+

Infrastructure Cost Reduction

60%+

Development Velocity Improvement

$45M+

Technology Budgets Managed

25+ Years

Leading Technology for Fortune 500 & PE Firms

Services

Strategic technology leadership and execution for growth-stage companies and PE-backed firms.

Fractional Technology Leadership

Part-time executive technology leadership (CTO, CIO, VP Technology) providing strategic direction, team management, and hands-on execution without full-time commitment.

Who It's For:
  • Growing companies not ready for full-time CTO
  • PE portfolio companies needing technology leadership
  • Companies needing supplimental leadership during restructuring
  • Startups scaling beyond founder-led technology
Expected Outcomes:
  • Clear technology roadmap aligned with business goals
  • Improved team performance and development velocity
  • Reduced infrastructure and operational costs
  • Board-ready technology reporting and KPIs

Infrastructure Cost Optimization

Reduce cloud, on-premise, and hybrid infrastructure costs through architecture optimization, right-sizing, and operational efficiency.

Who It's For:
  • Companies with high cloud bills
  • PE firms seeking EBITDA improvement in portfolio companies
  • Organizations migrating to or optimizing cloud infrastructure
  • Businesses wanting to optimize hybrid environments
Expected Outcomes:
  • 50%+ reduction in infrastructure costs
  • Improved system performance and reliability
  • Better cost visibility and forecasting
  • Scalable, right-sized architecture

Technology Due Diligence

Pre-acquisition technology assessment for PE firms and growing companies. Evaluate platforms, teams, and integration complexity.

Who It's For:
  • Businesses assessing acquisition targets
  • PE firms evaluating investment opportunities
  • Companies considering technology partnerships
  • Boards requiring independent technology assessment
Deliverables:
  • Technology platform assessment and risks
  • Team capability evaluation
  • Infrastructure and technical debt analysis
  • Integration complexity and cost estimates
  • Technology integration plan (People, Process, Technology)

Team Building & Agile Transformation

Build high-performing engineering teams and implement agile processes to dramatically improve development velocity and quality.

Who It's For:
  • Companies with slow release cycles or missing deliverables
  • Organizations restructuring development teams
  • Companies merging development teams post-acquisition
  • Teams transitioning from waterfall to agile
  • Businesses struggling to capitalize technology development costs
Expected Outcomes:
  • 60%+ improvement in development velocity
  • ~80% technology development cost capitalized
  • Optimized Release cycless
  • Improved code quality and reduced technical debt
  • Higher team satisfaction and retention

Compliance & Audit Support

Implement and maintain compliance frameworks for PCI, GAAP, HIPAA, and SOX. Support financial and security audits.

Who It's For:
  • Companies preparing for SOX compliance
  • E-commerce companies requiring PCI compliance
  • Healthcare technology companies (HIPAA)
  • PE portfolio companies preparing for exit
Expected Outcomes:
  • Successful audit completion
  • Documented compliance frameworks
  • Reduced audit preparation time and cost
  • Improved security posture

AI Integration & Workflow Optimization

Effectively integrate AI into your team and workflow. Evaluate where AI creates real leverage, streamline staffing around it, and adopt the right tools without the hype cycle.

Who It's For:
  • Leaders evaluating where AI fits in their operations
  • Teams feeling pressure to "adopt AI" without a clear plan
  • Companies rebalancing roles and staffing around AI tooling
  • PE portfolio companies targeting productivity gains
Expected Outcomes:
  • Clear, practical AI integration roadmap
  • Workflows redesigned around AI where it adds real value
  • Right-sized team structure and role definitions
  • Measurable productivity and quality improvements

Client Results

PE-Backed E-commerce Company

Post-Acquisition Technology Transformation

Challenge:

Automotive e-commerce company acquired by Bertram Capital needed technology modernization, cloud migration, and acquisition integration (another automotive e-commerce business).

Solution:

Engaged as VP Technology for 12-month transformation. Restructured technology organization, architected cloud migration strategy, enabled multi-brand platform capability, and implemented agile processes.

Results:
  • Successfully migrated to AWS cloud infrastructure
  • Integrated acquisition into platform
  • Improved development velocity through agile transformation
  • Reduced datacenter dependency and operational costs
Engagement Type: Fractional CTO Duration: 12 months PE Sponsor: Bertram Capital
Media Technology Company

Development Process Transformation

Challenge:

Media software company needed to accelerate development velocity, reduce infrastructure costs, and modernize during company rebrand.

Solution:

Engaged as Interim CIO for 18 months. Formalized agile processes, established QA function, migrated infrastructure to cloud, and brought mobile development in-house.

Results:
  • Reduced release cycles from 8 weeks to 2 weeks (75% improvement)
  • Cut infrastructure costs by 60%
  • Improved uptime from 97.4% to 100%
  • Increased profit by 27% through insourcing mobile development
Engagement Type: Interim CIO Duration: 18 months
Fortune 500 E-commerce Platform

Authentication Platform Modernization

Challenge:

One of North America's largest e-commerce companies needed to modernize authentication, reduce fraud, and optimize infrastructure costs while serving millions of customers.

Solution:

Led Customer Platforms pod, Implemented modern authentication (MFA, biometric OAuth/WebAuthn), created dedicated Security & Privacy squad, and decoupled services for better scalability.

Results:
  • Improved first-time login success rate by 30%
  • Reduced account takeover fraud by 75%
  • Cut infrastructure costs by 62%
  • Won FIDO Alliance award for Outstanding WebAuthn Implementation
Company: Wayfair Duration: 4 years
Boutique Digital Services Company

Long-Term Fractional CTO Partnership

Challenge:

Digital services company serving local media broadcasters needed strategic technology leadership to scale product offerings while managing distributed development teams and evolving platform requirements.

Solution:

Engaged as Fractional CTO for 9 years. Led technology strategy, architected scalable hosting platform, created white-label mobile app platform, integrated voice and OTT platforms, and managed onshore/offshore development teams.

Results:
  • Scaled WordPress hosting platform to 700+ radio, TV, and corporate websites
  • Created and deployed 100+ branded mobile apps (iOS/Android) for local broadcast stations
  • Integrated voice platforms (Alexa, Google Assistant) and OTT devices
  • Automated workflows improving release velocity and reducing costs
  • 9-year partnership demonstrating sustained fractional CTO value
Engagement Type: Fractional CTO Duration: 9 years (2015-2024) Company: Vipology

About Conductive Path

Brian Parsons, Founder

Founded by Brian Parsons

Conductive Path was founded in 2012 to help growth-stage companies and PE-backed firms optimize technology operations, build high-performing teams, and align technology strategy with business goals.

Founder Brian Parsons brings 25+ years of executive technology leadership experience from companies including:

  • Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) - VP Technology

    Led technology for 1,200+ radio stations, built and launched iHeartRadio, managed $45M technology budget

  • Triton Media Group (Oaktree Capital) - EVP Technology

    Led technology for PE-backed media services company serving ESPN, ABC Radio, Associated Press, Warner Bros

  • Wayfair - Customer Platforms

    Led authentication, security, and customer platforms. Top 10% manager rating company-wide

  • Vipology - Fractional CTO (9 years, 2015-2024)

    Led technology strategy and product development for digital services company serving local media broadcasters. Architected WordPress hosting platform powering 700+ websites, created white-label mobile app platform with 100+ deployed apps, integrated voice platforms (Alexa, Google Assistant) and OTT devices

  • Multiple PE Engagements - Fractional CTO / Consultant

    Bertram Capital (ECS Tuning), Oaktree Capital (Triton), and other portfolio companies

Additional Credentials:

  • • Open Source Contributor: PHP Core, MySQL, Redis, Arch Linux
  • • Award: Outstanding WebAuthn Implementation (FIDO Alliance, 2022)
  • • Expert Witness: US Congress testimony on Digital Millennium Copyright Act
  • • Board Experience: Multiple PE portfolio companies
  • • Education: University of Cincinnati - Computer Engineering / Business Administration

What People Say

"What sets Brian apart from most technologists is his understanding of how complex systems really affect business performance. It can't be overstated... Brian is someone who understands exactly how your systems influence your work. This makes him even more valuable as a business asset than just a gifted technologist."
Brian Glicklich
Technology Executive
"Brian is a gifted technology leader. But what's unique about him is that his skillset goes far beyond technology. Brian's abilities to plan, lead, collaborate, envision and communicate are exceptional. This is why I think he'd be an amazing CTO for any forward-thinking company. Brian patiently taught me many things during our tenure together and I'd happily work with him again."
Andy Friedman
Technology Leader

Ready to Optimize Your Technology Organization?

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