"InTick is a matchmaker for derivatives trading."
Sarah's description of InTick immediately makes a complex market accessible: if you're a trader needing to execute large positions in futures or options, InTick's network helps you find a match, complete with automated workflows that communicate trades to exchanges within strict time parameters. The stakes are high: one data leak, one mistake, and trust is gone forever.
"Nobody wants to be in the disco on their own. You need everyone fighting to get in."
Building a two-sided marketplace requires perfect timing. Sayrah learned this running a crowdfunding platform for animal nonprofits, where campaigns 40% funded within 24 hours had a high probability of full success. At InTick, the same principle applies: the network only works if all actors—asset managers, hedge funds, banks—are present simultaneously. Early adopters have to arrive together, not sequentially.
"Hire great people so they can tell you what to do."
As a Chief Product and Technology Officer managing both functions, Sarah doesn't claim expertise in architecture, cybersecurity, or front-end design. Instead, she hires VPs who are experts in those areas and focuses on understanding their decision-making process. "You don't care about the answer. You need to know: did you know how to get to the right answer?"
"AI summarizing user interviews doesn't capture the pauses, the facial expressions, what's not said."
Despite being experimental with AI tools across her team, Sarah draws a hard line on user research. Listening to interview recordings while walking the dog, watching facial expressions, hearing tone shifts—these reveal pain points that summaries miss. "I can go head-to-head with a derivatives trading expert now on what users want because I really heard it."
"If you're a CTO without a product person, ask yourself: are we in deep experimentation mode?"
Sarah is writing a handbook for CTOs on managing product organizations—because she keeps seeing them struggle after being told "product isn't working, fix it." Her advice: in early-stage startups during rapid ideation, merging product and tech under one leader makes sense. As you approach scale or if you're deep tech, demerge the roles. VPs of engineering who love their craft might prefer reporting to a CPTO rather than taking on admin-heavy CTO responsibilities.
"For startups, it's unusual to have such a high bar. But we have zero tolerance for data leakage."
Unlike typical early-stage companies where users tolerate bugs, InTick operates in an environment where revealing anything—even accidentally—to the market means instant loss of trust. The technology has to function perfectly from day one. This creates atypical constraints for a startup: long procurement cycles, high compliance bars, and extended onboarding timelines.
"Your career won't go as planned. Say yes to opportunities even if they're not quite what you expect."
Sarah trained as a lawyer, moved to the U.S., fell into technology by accident while working at an animal welfare foundation, founded a crowdfunding platform, became a product coach for enterprise companies, and eventually joined InTick as co-founder. None of it was planned. "Learn to say yes to things. Who knows where it will take you."
Stay tuned for more conversations on product leadership, building in regulated markets, and the skills AI can't replace on CTO2CTO.