# Don Bora - Chicago Fractional CTO

> Fractional CTO and technology leader with 35+ years in tech. Based in Chicago, working remotely with clients nationwide.

## About

Don Bora is a Fractional CTO and technology executive with over 35 years of experience building software—from AI research labs in the 1990s to modern AI-assisted development. He is a 9x co-founder with 4x Inc. 5000 recognitions.

His career combines 15+ years of enterprise experience at companies like Bank of America, UBS, and Baxter Healthcare with 17 years as an entrepreneur building and scaling his own companies.

## Services

- **Fractional CTO**: Strategic technology leadership for established companies looking to modernize their stack, replatform legacy systems, or launch version 1.0 of a new product
- **AI-Assisted Development**: Help teams adopt AI tools and architectures that accelerate delivery while maintaining code quality
- **Team Building**: Identify, recruit, and build engineering teams that deliver
- **Advisory & Board**: Technical, entrepreneurial, and business mentoring for founders and CEOs

## Current Roles

- Eight Bit Studios: Co-Founder & Principal of Technology (2008-Present)
- MyCheckup Health: Chief Technology Officer
- Tilt 365: Fractional CTO
- 1871: Expert in Residence, PYROS
- The Josephine Collective: Member & Investor

## Key Facts

- Location: Chicago, IL (works remotely with clients nationwide)
- Experience: 35+ years in technology
- Companies founded: 10+
- Inc. 5000 appearances: 4 consecutive years (Eight Bit Studios)
- AI experience: Started in 1992 at Northwestern's Institute for the Learning Sciences
- Delivery acceleration: 10x speed with AI-assisted workflows

## Education

- BS, Computer Science - New Mexico State University
- BA, Foreign Languages & Literatures - New Mexico State University
- Germanic Languages, Literatures & Linguistics - University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

## Contact

- Website: https://chicagofractionalcto.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donbora/
- Company: https://eightbitstudios.com
- Email: don@eightbitstudios.com

## Notable Past Ventures

- WisePatient: Co-Founder & CTO (Acquired by Sharecare)
- MobileMakers: Co-Founder & Chief Instructor (EdTech bootcamp)

## Mentoring & Teaching

Active mentor at Code Platoon, MATTER, 1871, Chicago Connectory, and gener8tor. Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Advocate for women and underrepresented groups in technology.