Technical Leadership, Software Craftsmanship
Kinetic Codes helps startups and scale-ups build reliable systems and high-performing engineering teams.
About Me
Hello, my name is
Lucas Gray
About Me
With almost 20 years building software products and leading engineering teams, I bring deep technical expertise and practical leadership to complex challenges. I specialize in system architecture, team building, and 0-to-1 scaling.
I work as a player-coach team lead, fractional principal engineer, or technical advisor—embedded with your team for as long as you need.
Based in Madison, WI 🦡
Engagement Examples
A sampling of challenges I've helped teams solve
Engineering Team Scale-up
Nascent telehealth company lacked engineering rigor, needed to balance cleanup from a rushed launch with necessary features
Established ways of working, PR review process, QA, robust asynchronous processing, and software delivery process
Company scaled to 8-figure ARR, 100% engineer retention, and sustained quality at scale
Immersive Digital Experience
Deliver an immersive app blending video transitions, animated backgrounds, and headless CMS—on a tight runway
Built end-to-end with Contentful, Cognito auth, and custom full-screen video transitions with animated color swirl backgrounds
Launched on time, bug-free, with smooth visual polish that delighted users
Marketing Technology
Healthcare company needed accurate conversion tracking while navigating strict privacy and compliance requirements
Implemented server-side tracking infrastructure, bypassing client-side limitations and ensuring HIPAA-compliant data flow
Full-funnel attribution visibility, improved ad spend efficiency, and zero compliance incidents
Writing
Technical deep-dives on engineering, architecture, and team leadership.
Building Recurring Orders With Stripe Subscriptions
Some lessons learned after 3 years of usage
Reducing Unit Test Runtime - 9 Easy Steps
Number 8 won't surprise you
Scaling a Telehealth Startup - One Year Later
Lessons learned, what worked, what blew up
Why Kinetic?
Always in motion. Building systems that anticipate change. Every ounce of energy directed towards the right solve, the first time.
That's the kinetic way.
What People Say
From clients and colleagues
I had the privilege of working with Lucas during the earliest and most critical stages of building our company. As our founding Director of Engineering, he was instrumental in bringing our first product to life—combining technical depth with scrappiness, speed, and an unwavering commitment to getting the job done. He didn't just build a website; he built the foundation that allowed our business to grow.
Beyond his technical leadership, what truly set him apart was the heart he brought to the work. He built and mentored a strong engineering team and served as a thoughtful steward of our culture at a time when it mattered most.
His enthusiasm, resilience, and ability to inspire others helped carry us through the volatility of our early days, and his impact continues to be felt in the company today.
Anne Fulenwider
Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Alloy Women's Health
Let's Talk
Have a challenge? Let's discuss how I can help.