Marc Gaddis, Creator Tech LLC
I take early-stage hardware products from concept to a working prototype, covering electronics, PCB layout, firmware, FPGA and NVIDIA Jetson edge AI, as a hands-on engineer, a tech lead, or the lead of a small team. I spent 20+ years in aerospace and defense electronics, most recently as a Director of Engineering, and left to get back to building. I use AI every day to move faster without giving up quality, and I can help your team do the same.
20+ yearsin aerospace and defense electronics, from flight test to turbine controls
$28M programdelivered on baseline schedule and budget, with teams of up to 20 engineers
Previously atBoeing, Northrop Grumman, Woodward and Thales Defense & Security
Pick the role your product needs right now. Most engagements start small and grow once you've seen the work.
I do the design work myself: schematic capture, PCB layout including high-speed LVDS, MIPI and SERDES, embedded C firmware for microcontrollers, FPGA design, NVIDIA Jetson and DeepStream, and the bring-up and debugging that turn a board into a working prototype.
A phased program from idea through architecture, a working prototype and a manufacturing handoff. I lead the work and a small team of specialists, and you decide at each gate whether to continue.
I fill the engineering leadership role until you can hire one: architecture, vendor and part decisions, the plan and schedule, and a technical story that holds up with investors and customers.
I help hardware teams put AI to work the way I do: AI-assisted design review with human sign-off, faster software with tools like Claude Code, and workflows that speed things up without lowering the bar.
A second opinion before you commit: design risk reviews of schematic, netlist, BOM and power tree, and technical due diligence for investors in hardware and edge AI companies.
Edge AI startup
As co-founder and CTO of DomeSense, I designed a dual-compute vision platform around an NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX carrier board and managed PoE switch boards. I did the schematic, layout, assembly, bring-up and test myself in three to four months, then implemented an NVIDIA DeepStream video pipeline on it.
Defense electronics
I laid out an 8-layer head-worn board for an augmented reality system, routing LVDS, MIPI and SERDES interfaces. In the same role I captured schematics, designed PCBs and brought up prototype boards for soldier-systems programs.
Aerospace controls
I did the schematic capture and FPGA design, led the FPGA development, and led a team of hardware, software and mechanical engineers through engine testing that won the contract from GE.
1
You tell me what you're building and where you're stuck. We work out whether you need an engineer, a lead, a program or a second opinion. No cost.
2
We begin with one defined problem at a fixed fee, such as a two-week sprint, an architecture phase or a design risk snapshot, so you can judge the work before committing to more.
3
Larger work runs in phases with their own scope and fee. You see progress at every gate and decide whether to continue.
Design risk snapshot, $4,500
Three business days, one board. You get a ranked ten-item risk register with severity, likelihood and specific fixes, plus a 60-minute review call with your team.
Request a snapshot20-minute call, no cost
Tell me what you want to build. I'll tell you how I'd approach it and what a sensible first step would cost, scoped to your stage and funding.
Book a callMG
Marc Gaddis
Elmhurst, Illinois
I've never fit neatly into one box. Over my career I've worked as an RF, avionics, electronics, software and systems engineer, and as a program manager, product line manager and engineering director. That range wasn't a plan. It came from curiosity: whenever a problem crossed a discipline line, I followed it.
Earlier this year I left my role as Director of Engineering at Thales to get back to building. I'm co-founder and CTO of DomeSense, and through Creator Tech I take on a small number of outside projects. I also left to make AI a real working partner. It lets one experienced engineer move at the speed of a team without cutting corners.
When a program needs more hands, I bring in specialists I've worked with and lead them, so you still have one accountable person.
Tell me what you're building. I reply within one business day.
