TECH QBD SPOTLIGHT

TL;DR: Tech QbD offers fractional technology executives (CTO-level strategy and coaching) to ambitious organizations, enabling them to scale faster without a full-time hire.

Chicago House × Tech QbD

You’ve seen Tech QbD across our jerseys, but who are they? Here’s the 60-second version (and keep reading below for a full Q&A):

Why Tech QbD sponsors Chicago House

QbD is Quality by Design. It enables innovation while maintaining trust and sets a framework where everyone is integral to delivering quality. Chicago House has a big vision. Putting Tech QbD on our jerseys acts as a reminder that we only win when we all contribute with intentionality to the club’s success. With QbD, our House stands strong.

What Tech QbD does

Tech QbD helps companies grow and innovate with confidence through fractional technology leadership. 

· Creating alignment between engineering and business goals

· Optimizing software performance, adaptability, and reliability for scale

· Guiding AI strategy, implementation, and governance

· Building tech teams and processes to improve productivity and transparency

· Preparing for investor/customer due diligence

· Coaching and advising Boards, CEOs, CTOs, and functional leaders

Meet the founder

Dr. Jonathan Graham is Manchester-born and Chicago-adopted. He shares with House a love for soccer and electronic music, and is a technologist who can guide strategy with the board while also diving deep with engineers.

Ready to chat?

· Book a 20-minute intro with Jonathan → https://calendly.com/techqbd/up-the-house

· Prefer email? Reach Jonathan at jonathan@techqbd.com

· Meet at the Chicago House game on Sunday, October 12th.

Want to learn more?

· Continue reading for our full Q&A with Jonathan below.

· Visit Tech QbD at https://www.techqbd.com/

Up the House!

P.S. If you know anyone who might benefit from partnering with Tech QbD, please forward this email. It helps the club and sparks good conversations.

Q&A with Tech QbD founder, Jonathan Graham

You’ve seen Tech QbD emblazoned on the front of our jerseys. But what does Tech QbD actually do, and why are they backing Chicago House? We sat down with founder Jonathan Graham to learn more.

Q: A lot of people are asking about Tech QbD, but first, tell us about yourself. We’re not hearing a Midwest accent…

A: Ha, no. I’m originally from the UK and grew up near “The Theatre of Dreams.” I fell for Chicago on my first trip to the city, watching the Hancock’s shadow stretch over a frozen Lake Michigan during what felt like an impossibly cold February.

Q: Manchester’s got a serious soccer pedigree. Or I guess we should say football!

A: It does. Soccer is the city’s heartbeat, and local rivalry certainly helps to keep things interesting. Chicago can absolutely support another top-tier club, and that spot is House’s for the taking. And speaking of House, House Music has been massive for both cities.

Q: House Music was born in Chicago. It’s in our name!

A: Exactly. And through venues like The Haçienda and artists like New Order and 808 State, Manchester took its own spin on House music and found its place on the global music map. I actually never would have lived in Chicago without electronic music.

Q: How so?

A: I used to perform by live-coding music, which is creating and manipulating synths and samples in real-time with software. Bringing music and football together in Chicago? Irresistible.

Q: So…what does Tech QbD do?

A: We help organizations scale by augmenting their leadership team with a technology executive who’s fluent in both business and engineering. In a fractional, advisory, or coaching capacity, we build alignment, momentum, and trust.

Some common engagements include:

· Creating engineering alignment, productivity, and transparency

· Guiding AI strategy, implementation, and governance

· Improving product performance, adaptability, and reliability for scale

· Preparing for due diligence with the teams, processes, and documents that investors expect in place

· Coaching leaders across the organization

Q: Do you only coach tech leaders?

A: Not at all. Coaching often becomes a big part of any engagement because challenges cut across functions. I love working with different executives, whether as an advisor, coach, or often as a mix of both. I’m naturally curious, happy to challenge assumptions, and enjoy helping teams get unstuck.

Q: Why sponsor Chicago House?

A: I served on the House Advisory Board and saw the potential for the club to scale its impact both on and off the pitch. The leadership’s commitment to using sport for social good really resonated. That intentionality and alignment are core to QbD, or Quality by Design, so I was proud to put Tech QbD on the jersey.

Q: Can you talk more about QbD?

A: Quality means meeting or exceeding your customer’s needs, which requires sustained innovation over time. By Design means using an intentional approach of processes and guardrails across the organization to ensure delivery of that quality. Putting it together, Quality by Design, or QbD, is an approach that enables innovation and rapid iteration across an organization while maintaining the delivery of value. It puts quality at the center of everyone’s job.

Q: What does QbD look like for Chicago House?

A: Quality is performing both on and off the field. It is creating inclusive, exciting experiences where our values are lived openly. It inspires our youth and connects our communities. It is being able to feel proud to be part of our City and our House. We get there by design: alignment around goals, healthy constraints, and a structure for sustainable growth that doesn’t lose who we are.

“Every time you see Tech QbD on our jersey, remember you are integral to the club’s success. With QbD, our House stands strong.”

Q: Who is Tech QbD best for?

A: We typically partner with organizations of roughly 25–500 people that need experienced tech leadership, especially when they are navigating growth, AI adoption, product scaling, or an investment event. 

It may be an investor or Board member that reaches out to Tech QbD for help, or it could come from the CEO or existing tech leader. There are many ways we could get started, and the best first step is to get in touch and initiate the conversation.

Q: How can people get in touch?

A: Book a 20-minute intro call to get things started → https://calendly.com/techqbd/up-the-house. Prefer email? Reach me at jonathan@techqbd.com