Chief Technology Officer / Technical Lead

Location: London preferred. Remote considered, UK working hours required. Engagement: Independent contractor, full-time. Reports to: Founder About bitstarter.ai Bitstarter.ai is an incubator and launch platform for teams building on Bittensor, the largest network for decentralised AI. We work with founders and technical teams from concept through subnet design, launch, growth, and ongoing development. The role We’re hiring a CTO to lead the technical side of the incubator. You’ll evaluate inbound teams, shape subnet architecture, support and where needed build MVPs, and sharpen how we assess technical risk and network value across our portfolio. This is a senior leadership role and external-facing. You’ll work directly with founders, engineers, advisors, protocol leaders, and partners - not heads-down only. You’ll be leading… Technical assessment and incubation Review inbound applications. Evaluate codebases, architecture, ML approach, and founder execution. Build the criteria we use to assess prospective subnet teams. Provide the technical analysis that informs incubation decisions. Subnet design and build Lead or support architecture design for incubated teams. Engineer or oversee MVP development where required. Advise on protocol alignment, incentive design, scalability, and long-term viability. Negotiate stronger technical terms with external partners. Portfolio analytics Build a structured approach to evaluating subnet performance across prospective, active, and portfolio subnets. Use applied data science to assess market fit, network value, and technical strength. Contribute to portfolio reporting and published evaluation criteria. Engineering ownership and leadership Own technical delivery across the incubator. Act as the technical authority on incubator decisions and partner discussions. Upskill the internal team on Bittensor, subnet architecture, and ML evaluation. Represent Bitstarter.ai in technical conversations across the ecosystem. What we’re looking for • Bittensor-native experience • Hands-on subnet building experience • Strong machine learning credentials, ideally with applied production experience • Protocol-level understanding of Bittensor • Applied data science • Strong communicator with technical and non-technical stakeholders • Comfortable in external-facing work: founder calls, partner conversations, technical reviews • Entrepreneurial attitude and ownership mindset • UK-based or able to work UK hours reliably Nice to have • Recognised presence in the Bittensor ecosystem, including governance contributions • Lead engineer experience designing multiple subnets from scratch • Open-source contributions or public technical writing • Experience in venture studio, accelerator, or investment environments • Prior experience working with early-stage AI founders or decentralised infrastructure teams Why this role • Lead the technical direction of an incubator focused on the next generation of ML teams building on Bittensor • Work directly with senior protocol leaders, including our advisors and Bittensor co-founder Jacob Steeves • New teams every quarter - variety of proposals, projects, and architectures across the portfolio • Direct influence on which teams get backed and how subnets are shaped • Build a strong position within the Bittensor ecosystem through partnerships, technical leadership, and ecosystem participation