JC Grubbs is the founder and CEO of Made in Tandem, the Chicago technology consultancy he started in 2011 as DevMynd Software and later rebranded, built around senior engineers who both scope and ship the work (Made in Tandem).
From classical piano to software
He got to software the long way around, trading classical piano for a code editor and teaching himself to build the systems he wanted to work on. He founded the firm in Chicago’s Wicker Park at the height of the city’s startup boom because he was frustrated that engineering teams were handed consultants who had never shipped anything real (about page).
Crain’s Chicago listed him among its Tech 50 in 2012, and later recognized him as a notable LGBTQ+ executive in 2018 and 2019 for diversity work inside the firm and in the wider community. In 2015 the company, then called Tandem, ranked No. 481 on the Inc. 5000 (Forbes Technology Council).
Building Made in Tandem
In 2016 Motorola Solutions made a strategic investment that helped the firm expand capabilities and markets. He remains a hands-on CEO who still ships as a Conductor, the firm’s name for senior engineer-architects who own outcomes end to end (Forbes Technology Council; about page).
Under him the firm rebuilt around AI-amplified delivery while keeping an intentionally small senior team. He sits on panels on design thinking, innovation, and technology strategy, and is a Forbes Technology Council member (Forbes Technology Council). Our Made in Tandem review covers the firm.