CTO | Executive Coach | Best-Selling Author | Speaker
Bio
Heather Wilde is a technology executive, executive coach, and best-selling author who helps leaders navigate the complexities of scaling startups and building high-performing teams. As the former CTO of ROCeteer and theDifference, she spent years in the trenches of startup growth, transforming technical chaos into operational excellence.
Known as the “Unicorn Whisperer,” Heather specializes in guiding early-stage companies through critical growth phases–helping technical leaders evolve from hands-on coders into strategic executives who can scale. Her coaching combines deep technical expertise with hard-won lessons from building and leading engineering organizations that actually work.
Heather is the author of Birth of a Unicorn (Sunbury Press, 2021), a practical playbook for startup founders that has reached bestseller status in entrepreneurship categories. She regularly speaks at conferences and corporate events on topics ranging from distributed team leadership to the future of work and inclusive engineering cultures.
Her work has been featured in Inc.com, and she has spoken at CodeMash, The Lead Developer, and numerous technology and leadership conferences. When not coaching or writing, Heather advises select startups and invests in the next generation of technical leaders.
Key Credentials
- Former CTO, ROCeteer & theDifference — led technical strategy and engineering teams through multiple growth phases
- Author, Birth of a Unicorn (Sunbury Press, 2021) — bestseller status in entrepreneurship and startup categories
- Executive Coach — specializes in technical leadership development and founder coaching
- Speaker — CodeMash, The Lead Developer, and corporate leadership events
- Media Contributor — columnist in Inc.com on AI, remote work, leadership, and startup culture
Notable Achievements
Publications
- Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps to Success — Heather Wilde (Sunbury Press, 2021)
- Columnist for Inc.com on leadership and technology topics
Speaking Venues
- CodeMash (invited speaker)
- The Lead Developer conference series
- Corporate leadership development programs
- Technology and startup community events
Media Features
- Inc.com columnist covering leadership, remote work, and startup culture
- Featured in startup and technology publications
Ready to Level Up Your Leadership?
Book a coaching consultation — Executive coaching for technical leaders and founders
Invite Heather to speak — Keynotes and workshops on leadership, remote work, and startup growth
Get the book — Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps to Success