Greg Bates | AI Consulting for Fortune 500 & Startups

About

From code to the C-suite

I'm Greg Bates. Over the last 15+ years I've worked my way from server rooms to strategy tables, and the path wasn't a straight line. The same kid who took apart thrift-store gadgets to figure out how they worked now takes apart industries for his clients.

Food stamps → Patent filings

Section 8 housing → Boardroom presentations

Academic theory → Fortune 100 production

Fortune 500 Labs

Built AI systems at Qualcomm, Cisco, and Coca-Cola. The models I shipped now move billions in global logistics and revenue.

Startup Trenches

Scaled a venture from zero to acquisition by AT&T, proving startups could outmaneuver giants with the right tech.

Cross-Pollination

Worked across hardware, cloud architecture, and ML ops. Not to collect badges, but because real problems rarely sit inside one discipline.

Education

Doctor of Science, Statistics & Data ScienceThe Wharton School
MS, Artificial IntelligenceUC Irvine
BS, Computer ScienceCal State Long Beach

Reverse-engineered my way from Section 8 to the C-Suite. LinkedIn calls it "inspirational." I call it "stubborn."

01

AI that scales beyond slides — POCs don't pay the rent.

02

Tech stacks that respect regulators and rebels — I've navigated FDA and FCC.

03

Teams that bridge ivory towers and street smarts — D.Sc. meets Section 8 hustle.

Services

What I do

Strategy through implementation. Pick the engagement that fits where you are.

Enterprise AI Strategy

AI roadmaps tied to real business outcomes, from choosing the right use cases to proving the ROI.

AI/ML Architecture

Production AI systems: transformer models, RAG pipelines, agentic workflows, and MLOps on AWS, GCP, or Azure.

Fractional CTO

Embedded technical leadership for startups and growth-stage teams. Hiring, process, and engineering culture that scales.

Agentic Systems & GenAI

Agentic architectures and LLM-powered applications built for real enterprise workloads, not demos.

AI Governance & Ethics

Responsible AI that holds up to scrutiny: bias testing, model monitoring, and compliance your legal team can sign off on.

Expert Witness

Technical expert witness for litigation involving AI/ML systems, software disputes, IP, and damages.

Expert Network Advisory

On-demand calls through GLG, AlphaSights, Third Bridge, True North, Coleman, and similar networks.

Due Diligence

Technical due diligence for VC, PE, and acquirers: team, architecture, AI capability, and technical debt.

Mobile & Platform Engineering

iOS and Android apps built to ship and scale — React Native and native builds on Python and Node services, real-time data, and the release discipline to keep them running. From consumer apps to sensor and IoT platforms.

Web / Full-Stack Development

Web products end to end — React and TypeScript front ends on Python and Node back ends, subscription commerce, and the infrastructure to run them reliably at scale.

Tech Stack

The stack

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

HuggingFace

OpenAI

LangChain

Pinecone

Snowflake

AWS

Azure

GCP

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

Kafka

Spark

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Redis

Elasticsearch

Grafana

Prometheus

Airflow

Databricks

React Native

Swift

Kotlin

TypeScript

Next.js

Node.js

GraphQL

Firebase

Stripe

Portfolio

Selected work

AI and engineering work across industries, from Fortune 500 to early-stage startups.

Logistics & Supply Chain

Coca-Cola

Enterprise AI for supply chain optimization, demand forecasting, and AI chatbots using GPT-4 and Transformer models at global scale.

PyTorchSageMakerEKSMLflowHuggingFaceGPT-4

FinTech & Payments

Mastercard — Agentic Pay

Leading the industry's first agentic payments infrastructure using GenAI and RAG across engineering, product, and partner ecosystems.

GenAIRAGLLMsPythonKubernetesAgentic AI

Healthcare AI

Kaiser Permanente

Enterprise-scale predictive monitoring for patient risk reduction. AI model design, governance, and clinical decision support strategy.

Predictive MLPythonFHIRAI GovernanceAWS

Sports & Entertainment

NASCAR

AI-powered fan engagement and real-time race analytics. Predictive models for race strategy and personalized content delivery.

TensorFlowAWSKafkaReal-time MLComputer Vision

Transportation

Kia Fleet Management

AI-driven fleet analytics with predictive maintenance, anomaly detection for vehicle health, and route optimization.

Scikit-learnIoTAWS LambdaTime Series MLPostgreSQL

Healthcare

GE HealthCare

Clinical decision support tools and AI-driven diagnostics improving outcomes across hospital networks.

PythonTensorFlowAWSDICOMML Pipelines

Consumer App · DTC

Ollie

Advised on mobile & web for Ollie's DTC pet-nutrition platform — app-based subscription management, delivery tracking, and personalized pet-health across iOS, Android, and web. A Primary Venture Partners portfolio company.

React NativeTypeScriptNode.jsGraphQLPostgreSQLStripe

AI Health App

K Health

Advised on the AI-powered primary-care app scaling to ~10M annual visits — a direct-to-consumer mobile experience over AI diagnostic models. A Primary Venture Partners portfolio company.

React NativePythonFastAPIPyTorchPostgreSQLAWS

Marketplace App

Slice

Advised on the mobile ordering platform powering thousands of independent pizzerias — consumer app plus merchant web tools at national scale. A Primary Venture Partners portfolio company.

React NativeTypeScriptNode.jsWebSocketsRedisPostgreSQL

Health · Web Platform

Alma

Advised on web platform architecture for Alma's mental-health network — provider directory and clinician tools spanning 24,000+ providers across all 50 states. A Primary Venture Partners portfolio company.

ReactTypeScriptPythonDjangoPostgreSQLREST

Mobile + IoT

Inspiren

Advised on mobile & platform architecture for AUGi — an AI sensor ecosystem streaming real-time edge data into mobile and web apps for senior care. A Primary Venture Partners portfolio company.

React NativePythonTensorFlowMQTTWebSocketsEdge AI

Real Estate

Propseller

AI-powered property valuation, automated comparable analysis, and market trend forecasting across multiple markets.

Scikit-learnReactNode.jsPostgreSQLRegression Models

Sales Intelligence

6sense

Predictive analytics and intent-based targeting for B2B revenue teams. Account scoring and buyer journey prediction.

TensorFlowSnowflakedbtPredictive AnalyticsMLOps

Retail

Salesfloor

AI-enhanced clienteling platform with recommendation engines and virtual selling tools for personalized retail.

Node.jsReactPythonRecommendation SystemsAWS

Healthcare

TachyHealth

Predictive patient monitoring and early-warning ML models for risk stratification and real-time vitals analysis.

TensorFlowFHIRHL7Time SeriesHIPAA

Cybersecurity

Herd Security

Built the early technology behind Herd Security's AI-powered defense against emerging AI threats — work that helped the team raise their $3M round.

PythonMLNLPAISecurity

Marketing AI

Ability.ai

AI-driven content optimization engine with NLP models for content scoring and audience engagement prediction.

GPT APIsNLPReactMongoDBPython

Marketing AI

SocialPilot

Social media management automation with optimal posting schedules and engagement prediction across platforms.

PythonNLPRedisSocial APIsML Pipelines

Experience

Where I've been

The Coca-Cola Company

VP of Engineering, AI

Mastercard — Agentic Pay

Principal Consultant & Technical Lead

Kaiser Permanente

Executive Advisor — AI Strategy

Trufl Hospitality

Fractional CTO · Acquired by Restaurant365

AMP LLC

CTO · Acquired by AT&T

Cisco

Lead Engineer / Eng Manager · Mobile & desktop calling clients at scale

Qualcomm

Senior Full-Stack Engineer

Alpine Electronics

Full-Stack Engineer · Web & embedded

FAQ

Questions I get asked

What is a fractional CTO?

A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader who runs your engineering and AI strategy part-time — architecture, hiring, and technical direction — without the cost of a full-time executive. I work with a few founders at a time, hands-on, so you get executive-level judgment exactly when the stakes are highest.

When should a company hire a fractional CTO?

When you face real technical decisions — moving AI into production, a build-vs-buy call, scaling infrastructure, or your first technical hire — but don't yet need a full-time CTO. It's the right move when a wrong architecture decision today would cost you a year of runway later.

What is AI technical due diligence?

It's an independent, pre-investment review of whether a company's AI is real, defensible, and buildable — versus a thin wrapper a competitor could rebuild in a weekend. Investors use it to pressure-test the technology and the team before they commit, so the demo doesn't hide the risk.

Why do most AI pilots fail to reach production?

Because the model is the easy part. Pilots stall on the unglamorous work — data pipelines, evaluation, monitoring, cost control, and handling failure gracefully. I've shipped AI at Fortune 100 scale where it had to run every day, and I help teams cross that gap from demo to dependable system.

Do you work as an AI expert witness?

Yes. I serve as a technical expert witness in litigation involving AI and machine-learning systems, software disputes, intellectual property, and damages — translating complex technical questions into clear, defensible testimony for courts and counsel.

Who does Bates Consulting work with?

Founders and growth-stage companies that need production-grade AI, and the venture, private-equity, and family offices that back them. I'm a two-time exited founder and Fortune 100 AI leader who advises across the Primary Venture Partners and Goanna Capital portfolios on AI strategy and diligence.

Contact

Let's talk

Available for consulting engagements, advisory roles, expert network calls, and expert witness work.

Based in Los Angeles, CA · Working globally

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