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An operator's firm.

Red Tomatoes Enterprises was founded in 2011 on a simple observation: the advice deep-tech founders needed most was the kind that only comes from having run the function yourself — and that advice was hard to buy in small quantities. We have run the firm continuously since.

The firm

Small by design. Hands-on by principle.

We take on a handful of clients at a time, in sectors where we have operated: Physical AI and robotics, edge inference and AI silicon, automotive, high-speed networking, and the platforms that connect them. Every engagement is led by an executive who has built and run the organizations we advise on, and who still reads the code and the term sheet.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we work with teams across the US, Europe, and Asia — and have for most of our careers.

Candor

You will get our actual opinion, in writing, with the reasoning attached. If we think the plan won't work, we say so before we take the engagement.

Ownership

We don't hand over a deck and leave. Where it helps, we stay to run the function, sit in the customer meeting, or hire your leader — and then we get out of the way.

Product over theory

Every recommendation is tested against one question: will a customer adopt this in production, and pay for it? Everything else is commentary.

Principals

Operators, not analysts.

Red Tomatoes is led by executives who have run engineering and product organizations at the point where hard technology meets a paying customer.

Our principals have led software for automotive and high-speed networking silicon through an IPO and an acquisition; shipped eight SoC families for broadband, voice, and media; built the software organization of a Physical AI startup from zero; and written code on one of the industry's most successful carrier access platforms. Between them they have built and run R&D organizations from ten people to hundreds, across three continents, and advised founders and boards on productization, market entry, and technical diligence.

The bench holds advanced degrees in robotics, AI, and strategy, ISO 26262 functional-safety and ASPICE assessor certifications, and U.S. patents in networking, time-sensitive systems, and distributed media.

Physical AI, robotics & autonomy
Edge inference & AI silicon
Automotive networking & SDV
High-speed networking SoCs
Cloud-connected platforms
Space: orbital compute, robotics, ground segment
Board & investor advisory
ISO 26262 · ASPICE · CSPO/CSM

Network

One principal, many practitioners.

When an engagement needs more hands — functional safety assessors, silicon architects, ML engineers, automotive sales veterans — we bring in people we have shipped with. You get a small, senior team assembled for your problem, not a bench we need to keep busy.

Functional safety

Certified ISO 26262 and ASPICE practitioners for readiness and assessment.

Silicon & embedded

SoC architects, firmware and driver leads, bring-up specialists.

Sensing & ML

Sensor fusion, model deployment, and data-pipeline engineers.

Go-to-market

Automotive, enterprise, and platform business-development veterans.