You don't need a full-time CTO.You need senior judgment.
Technology, product and AI create competitive advantage when the right decisions are made at the right time. Northbound puts 20 years of executive experience next to the founder — without the cost, complexity or commitment of hiring a full-time executive.
- Digital operations led
- $3B+
- Users impacted
- 8M+
- Leadership guided
- +80
- Strategic decisions
- 20 years
Tech leadership at
The problem is rarely technology.
Most growth problems are born from bad decisions. Picking the wrong architecture. Picking the wrong vendor. Prioritizing the wrong product. Investing in AI without return. Hiring too early. Hiring too late. Technology is usually not the problem. Judgment is.
Less hype.
More decision.
Less tooling.
More direction.
Less vendor.
More clarity.
Experience built in real operations.
For nearly two decades, Rafael Torres led technology, product, data and digital platforms at some of Brazil's largest retail and digital commerce operations.
He worked at companies such as Buscapé, Polishop, C&A, Lojas Renner, Salesforce, Grupo Boticário and Grupo Azzas (Reserva, Farm, Animale, Hering and other brands).
Along the way:
- Led structures with more than 78 professionals split across 10 squads.
- Took Reserva's app from 8% to 52% of digital sales — making it the brand's main online channel.
- At Lojas Renner, helped build the mobile operation that surpassed e-commerce and reached 65% of digital revenue.
- Built Customer Data Platforms, leveraged enterprise CRMs, shipped more than 18 retail apps, and created AI-powered tools and automations to reduce costs.
- Reduced +35% of operational CAPEX and OPEX cost, renegotiating contracts and rationalizing systems through AI agents.
- Deployed AI-powered recommendation engines that generated more than 6.5 million orders at iFood.
Today he sits next to founders, C-levels and executives who need to decide on technology, product and AI with confidence, without carrying the cost of a full-time technology executive.
- 20 years in the field
- 10+ enterprise companies
- Billion-real digital operations
- Cross-functional teams
- 12 mobile apps in production
- AI applied to real businesses
Founders, CEOs and leaders who've worked with Rafael.
"Rafa served as a true mentor to me in my product career. He managed to unite areas that previously worked in silos, strengthening the integration between product, UX and engineering."
"Rafa combines technical depth, product vision and customer experience focus."
"The insights Rafa brought completely changed the way we measure success. A professional who combines leadership, strategic vision and execution."
"He always demonstrated motivation, execution capability and commitment to quality. One of the people who most helped raise the level of the team's deliveries."
"He always sought the best solution for the business without losing focus on user experience. Fast, responsible and with a strong sense of leadership."
"Demonstrated commitment to results, collaboration and excellence in deliveries. He was a great partner."
"An exceptional leader! From the very first moment he helped a lot in the evolution of Digital Products and Business Strategy. He is an inspiration to me!"
"A high-impact executive with a rare ability to align stakeholders, connect dots between silos and translate complexity into action."
"Rafa combines strategic vision, technical depth and people-centered leadership. Has a rare ability to connect dots between silos and translate complexity into action."
"Loved it!! I really needed to evolve in some technology things and Rafa came at the right time. Rafa was incredible!!"
"Rafa served as a true mentor to me in my product career. He managed to unite areas that previously worked in silos, strengthening the integration between product, UX and engineering."
"Rafa combines technical depth, product vision and customer experience focus."
"The insights Rafa brought completely changed the way we measure success. A professional who combines leadership, strategic vision and execution."
"He always demonstrated motivation, execution capability and commitment to quality. One of the people who most helped raise the level of the team's deliveries."
"He always sought the best solution for the business without losing focus on user experience. Fast, responsible and with a strong sense of leadership."
"Demonstrated commitment to results, collaboration and excellence in deliveries. He was a great partner."
"An exceptional leader! From the very first moment he helped a lot in the evolution of Digital Products and Business Strategy. He is an inspiration to me!"
"A high-impact executive with a rare ability to align stakeholders, connect dots between silos and translate complexity into action."
"Rafa combines strategic vision, technical depth and people-centered leadership. Has a rare ability to connect dots between silos and translate complexity into action."
"Loved it!! I really needed to evolve in some technology things and Rafa came at the right time. Rafa was incredible!!"
The decisions that cost the most.
Not a service catalog. The points where a wrong decision compromises months of operation — and where senior judgment lowers the cost of the mistake.
Architecture
When to rebuild. When not to rebuild.
AI
Where there is ROI. Where there is distraction.
Product
What ships now. What waits.
Vendors
Who to hire. Who to avoid.
Teams
When to scale. When to wait.
Investments
Where to put energy, money and focus.
Continuous access to senior technology leadership.
You're not paying for meetings. You're paying for executive repertoire built in real operations, applied to reduce risk, accelerate decisions and avoid technology costs that usually only show up months later.
Hiring an experienced CTO costs between $8k and $18k per month. Northbound offers on-demand executive access for a fraction of that investment.
Compass
Punctual direction to unblock isolated decisions.
- 1 monthly 90-min executive session
- Direct access to the founder via email
- Async response within 48 business hours
- Prioritization of the decisions that matter that month
- Applied repertoire: technology, product and AI
North
Recurring cadence of someone deciding alongside you.
- 2 biweekly 90-min executive sessions
- Priority availability via WhatsApp
- Async response within 24 business hours
- Support on critical decisions mid-month
- Participation in 1 executive meeting/month with your team
- Technical review of key vendors and hires
- Quarterly roadmap for technology, product and AI
Strategic
Dedicated board advisor for operations at a decisive moment.
- Weekly executive sessions + on-demand presence
- Seat as technology board advisor
- Dedicated availability via direct channel (same-day response)
- Real-time presence on critical decisions (M&A, fundraising, stack changes)
- Participation in executive and board meetings
- CAPEX and OPEX orchestration for technology (budget, vendors, headcount)
- Continuous sparring with C-level on thesis, product and AI
- Support on executive hiring (CTO, VP Eng, Head of Product/Data)
- Monthly executive report for founder and investors
Every plan starts with an in-person strategic diagnosis*.
*For clients in the São Paulo metro area. Other locations subject to evaluation.
90-minute session. A deep working session to discuss your technology challenges. You walk away with practical direction and clear next steps. No employment commitment.
To understand your context and evaluate whether Northbound can help.
Where Northbound fits.
Growing operation without a stack that scales
Replace spreadsheets and fragile integrations with a stack that holds multi-unit.
Scaling delivery without becoming a chaotic factory
Standards, internal platform and packaged offer — margin grows back.
Roadmap, architecture and AI in the product
Release cadence, architecture decisions and where to embed AI with ROI.
Entering AI without an endless pilot project
AI roadmap from diagnosis to deployment, with governance.
Platform, data and performance under control
Unit cost, conversion and stability during peak campaigns.
Do you know exactly which decision is limiting your company's growth today?
Share a bit of context.