James Walker PhD

The Journey

My PhD in Machine Learning at Swansea University wasn't just academic - it became the foundation for a company. I took my research into data visualisation and machine learning, and built Curiosity Software around it. No VC funding. No safety net. Just a thesis, a co-founder, and relentless execution.

Over 7 years I grew Curiosity from three co-founders in a room to a company operating across 6 countries, serving enterprise clients across financial services, technology, and consulting. We bootstrapped to £5M revenue, built 250+ enterprise integrations, and proved that deep technical expertise could drive real business outcomes.

That experience taught me everything the PhD didn't: how to make architecture decisions under budget pressure, when to build custom vs. buy off-the-shelf, how to hire and lead engineering teams, and most importantly - what to build first and what can wait until you have real users and revenue.

Now I apply those lessons to every project - fractional CTO engagements, advisory roles, and my own products. I'm not giving anyone yesterday's playbook - I'm in the trenches right now, building with the latest tools and architectures.