Former LA Clippers and UTA CTO Charles Sims, known as The Hurricane CTO, joins Joe Pardavila to share how chaos, pressure, and persistence led to the creation of his Hurricane Methodology—a framework designed to help startups move from idea to execution.Drawing from decades of experience in both corporate tech and venture investing, Charles explains how founders can close the gap between capability and performance, avoid tech sprawl, and build modular systems that scale. He also reveals how AI and empathy are reshaping what it means to lead in the modern startup world.If you’re a founder, investor, or operator tired of analysis paralysis, this episode will help you reframe how you think about progress, execution, and value creation.
💡 What You’ll Learn
• How high-pressure environments shaped the Hurricane Methodology
• The difference between technical excellence and practical execution
• How to identify and close the “human execution gap”
• Why modular systems thinking keeps startups nimble and scalable
• How AI helps bridge communication gaps between founders, teams, and investors⏱️
Episode Highlights
[00:02:00] Charles recounts his time at the LA Clippers, where quick thinking during tech crises earned him the nickname “The Hurricane.”
[00:05:00] From CTO to Investor Lessons from technical firefighting that now guide his approach to evaluating and scaling startups.
[00:08:00] What Traditional Due Diligence Misses - Why numbers only tell half the story—and how people, processes, and purpose drive true startup value.
[00:10:00] The danger of overpromising and underdelivering, and how agile execution keeps teams focused.
[00:12:00] Binary Troubleshooting & Systems - Thinking How founders can use structured questioning and modular design to find clarity in complex problems.
[00:15:00] Tech Stack Sprawl - Charles breaks down the mess of overlapping tools and offers a plan for simplifying how teams communicate.
[00:18:00] Build, Buy, or Configure - Why configuration beats customization and how to make smarter decisions about your tools and systems.
[00:20:00] Inside SkaFld Studio - How SkaFld Studio helps startups get operational fast with frameworks that drive execution and alignment.
[00:25:00] Real-World Case Study - A client story showing how productizing services and standardizing systems can unlock exponential growth.
[00:31:00] Pragmatism Over Perfection - Why simplicity and adaptability often outperform “technical excellence.”
[00:33:00] AI’s Role in the Hurricane Methodology - How artificial intelligence bridges communication gaps and amplifies human problem-solving.
• Website:
skafldstudio.com• Email:
charles@skafldstudio.com• LinkedIn:
Charles Sims
