Ro Mohandroo, on scaling startups, modern kpis, and the blockers to AI adoption

In this episode of CTO2CTO, Lucas Hendrich talks with Ro Mohandoo, a former CTO, CIO, and CDO turned advisor to startup leaders. They dig into what it really takes to grow a business beyond its first product, including the shift from delivering software to delivering outcomes.

From Cool Tech to Business Impact

“That was a really cool tech project and we learned a lot, but the impact that we had to the business was tremendous. We were able to scale, double the size of the business, double the revenue, and beat our competitors to market. That really shifted my mindset.”

Reference Architecture Ties Tech to Capability

“With the reference architecture, you’re starting with the capability of what the business needs and then plugging in the gaps around the tech.”

AI Isn’t the Starting Point

“Clients were trying to layer on AI on top of the tech that they had… spending millions of dollars and expecting amazing results — which was a hit or miss. The real transformation doesn’t start with AI.”

We’re Still Measuring the Wrong Things

“There is no measure of experience that either the consumer is having or the employees are having… Something as simple as the number of touchpoints in a workflow or a process is really interesting to look at.”

The Myth of Technical = Operational Excellence

“That myth that you also see in startups and scaleups is that technical excellence equals operational excellence. And it does not.”

AI’s Real Power Is in the Background

“The biggest impact for AI is what it does for you quietly — not things that you need to talk about. It just does the work for you.”

Stay tuned for more conversations at the intersection of autonomy, leadership, and engineering culture on CTO2CTO.