2025 - Present - CodeWheel AI
Founder & Fractional AI Architect. Shipping AI SaaS platforms with Next.js + Rails, RAG pipelines with vector DBs + knowledge graphs, and MCP-style agent systems. Every engagement bundles build + security testing.
About
Matt Owens — Fractional AI Architect in the Bay Area
I'm Matt Owens, a Fractional AI Architect with 15 years of production engineering experience, including four as a Staff Software Engineer at Tesla. I started CodeWheel AI because startups and SMBs were overpaying agencies for bloated teams when they really needed one senior engineer to build and secure their AI platform.
As an independent AI consultant, I don't have a sales team and I won't hand you off to junior developers. You work directly with me to architect your RAG pipeline, ship your Next.js app, and run the penetration tests that prove it's safe.
Current focus
- Building AI platforms for seed-Series A startups (Next.js + RAG + security testing in 6-12 week sprints)
- Drupal Next.js modernizations (15 years Drupal + Acquia certifications = migrations that don't break)
- Penetration testing for AI startups (OWASP + prompt injection before investor security diligence)
- 20% discount for first 5 clients (you get production platform + case study; I get portfolio + testimonials)
Location
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, I work with startups and SMBs across Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area, helping them build production-grade AI platforms with a security-first approach.
Available for on-site consulting in SF, Peninsula, South Bay, and East Bay.
Why CTOs hire me
One person who designs, builds, and tests
Architect + builder + security tester in one person—no handoffs.
15 years shipping production systems (Tesla, SaaS, healthcare) with multi-tenant and compliance constraints.
Security-first: RAG/agent guardrails, penetration testing, and observability are included by default.
You get direct access and candid communication, not filtered updates.
15+
Years Production
Engineering
1000+
Production
Deployments
4 years
Staff Engineer
at Tesla
Acquia Certified
Developer + Frontend
14
Years Operating
Servers Connect LLC
Philosophy
How I think about systems
Every system has a natural equilibrium—whether in software engineering or economics—a point where the architecture starts to flow with you instead of against you. I learned this from a lifetime of tinkering until the harmonics settle into tune. It's the same instinct a potter has at the wheel: adjust, rebalance, iterate—until the form holds its own shape.
Systems behave the same way. They don't respond to clever abstractions or wishful thinking. They respond to clarity, constraints, and structure.
My work is finding that equilibrium inside your platform—the moment where you can ship quickly without accumulating hidden debt, AI features behave reliably instead of unpredictably, and security is built in from day one without slowing your velocity.
In practice, that looks like:
- RAG pipelines that retrieve the right information
- Agent workflows that don't collapse under branching
- Vector indexing that behaves predictably at scale
- Web applications that hold their shape under real-world usage
- Security architecture that quietly protects everything underneath
A well-designed system feels like a thriving ecosystem—like it couldn't have been built any other way. That's the alignment I tune for.
Founders bring me in when:
- Their system feels noisy, brittle, or unpredictable
- The architecture is resisting the product
- The AI layer works in theory but fails in practice
- They need someone senior, calm, and focused
- They're done guessing and want the platform to finally click
Timeline
How I got here
2021 - 2025 - Tesla
Staff Software Engineer. Built API endpoints, AI-powered service automation, Composer/Symfony microservices, and agent-based data retrieval for Tesla's global service centers.
2019 - 2021 - Federal health portal contracts
Lead Drupal full-stack roles through Innosoft and Signature Consulting building federal health portals. Built custom Drupal modules, editorial workflows, and USWDS themes while owning security patching, best-practice maintenance, and long-lived platform upgrades for CMS.gov infrastructure.
2014 - 2019 - Full-time engineering + Servers Connect LLC
Full-time software engineering roles at R2Integrated (Senior SWE), WebFirst (Sr. Web Developer), and Directed (Full Stack Developer) focused on Drupal/Node modernization, Jenkins CI, and enterprise reporting. Founded and operated Servers Connect LLC during this period, delivering custom applications for EnergyStar.gov, SAIS-JHU, and enterprise clients. Servers Connect LLC remains active—CodeWheel AI operates as a DBA.
2010 - 2014 - Early engineering
Lead Drupal Architect at The Canton Group, Drupal Developer at SocialToaster, Magento Developer at StoreFront Consulting. Learned how to ship high-volume CMS and commerce systems with strict performance requirements.
Working principles
What to expect when we work together
Honesty over polish
I would rather tell you "I haven't done that yet" than pretend I have. If something is outside my lane, I'll introduce you to someone better suited.
Security isn't an afterthought
Every build includes prompt injection testing, manual code review, and guidance on logging/monitoring. It's cheaper to do it right once.
Direct access
You message me on Slack, email, or text. I keep a shared Notion doc updated each week with decisions, risks, and next steps so you always know what's happening.
Documentation over hype
Instead of forcing daily social posts, I share detailed Notion updates and postmortems. They show how decisions get made and give you artifacts you can share internally.
Value proposition
Why hire a solo consultant instead of an agency?
Solo consultant (me)
- Direct access: You work with me, not a PM filtering messages.
- 15 years experience: Seed through enterprise launches.
- One codebase style: No inconsistencies from handoffs.
- Build + security: I pen test what I build.
- Clear pricing: flexible retainers or scoped engagements decided together.
- Fast decisions: No “let me check with my team.”
Typical agency
- Filtered access: PM relays requirements to devs.
- Mixed experience: Senior PM + junior dev team.
- Multiple styles: Code quality varies per contributor.
- Separate teams: Dev QA security handoffs.
- Opaque pricing: large retainers with surprise scope changes.
- Slow decisions: Internal approvals for everything.
When agencies make sense
Agencies shine when you need a full product team (design, frontend, backend, mobile, QA) working simultaneously for 6+ months.
If you need one senior engineer to architect an AI platform, migrate Drupal, or run investor-ready penetration tests, an agency adds overhead and dilutes execution.
Expertise
Tech stack I ship with
After 15 years and thousands of production deployments—including releasing to Tesla's global service centers every two weeks for four years—these are the tools I trust when timelines and security both matter.
Platform Development
- Next.js 15 (App Router, RSC)
- TypeScript strict mode
- Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
- Postgres (Supabase, Neon)
- Vercel deployment
AI & Data
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini
- LangChain, LangGraph
- pgvector (semantic search)
- Pinecone, Weaviate
- MCP servers for agents
Security & Testing
- OWASP ZAP, Nuclei
- Custom prompt injection suites
- Playwright (E2E)
- Jest (unit tests)
- Threat modeling + audits
Legacy Modernization
- Drupal 7-11 (Acquia certified)
- Ruby on Rails
- WordPress/PHP
- Migration planning & execution
- Side-by-side validation
Observability
- PostHog analytics
- Sentry error tracking
- LangSmith observability
- Custom logging pipelines
- Performance monitoring
Infrastructure
- Docker containers
- GitHub Actions CI/CD
- Vercel/Netlify deployment
- AWS when required
- Infrastructure as code
Want to work together?
Share your architecture, goals, and launch date. I'll respond with candid feedback and a clear next step. If it's a match, great. If not, I'll point you somewhere better suited.