CTO, Topology · San Francisco

Ibaad Rahman

Systems that think. Teams that thrive.

About

Early in my life, Star Trek taught me that science was the fastest route to the final frontier. Along the way, I spent four years as a computational research physicist, working at the intersection of general relativity, nonlinear dynamics, and applied machine learning. My dissertation focused on calculating the curvature of space to enable more precise navigation — work that is negligible at earthly distances but increasingly essential the further from home we go. The ML-driven navigational software I built on that foundation is now licensed by NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing. I also taught graduate courses at UT and Stanford.

The jump from physics to industry was the best hypothesis I ever tested. The same instinct for modeling complex systems, finding signal in noisy data, and operating in uncertainty turned out to be extraordinarily useful in solving industry problems. I teamed up with a large healthcare chain sitting on a decade of patient data that they barely knew existed. We developed an ML platform that improved appointment fulfillment by 35% and scaled to outside customers, even direct competitors. I grew the team from one person (me) to 50 and eventually sold the solution to a major dental conglomerate.

At Beeline Connect, I tackled a quieter crisis: bikes bought online arrive in pieces, customers struggle to assemble them, and everyone loses — the customer, the manufacturer, and the local bike shop that lost the bike sale. We built software that routed online orders through local shops for assembly and delivery, turning a broken last-mile problem into a lifeline for independent retailers. Beeline was acquired by Accell Group, the world's largest e-bike manufacturer.

Today I'm CTO at Topology, where we build anatomically accurate 3D head models from multimodal imaging. We've scaled to 64+ countries, filed multiple patents, and published peer-reviewed research in computer vision and 3D rendering. The R&D is legitimately frontier work; we're shipping things that haven't been done before, and our bottleneck is GPU hardware, not intellect. Most of all, I'm proud of my team — zero attrition, and a relentless pursuit of boldly going where no one has gone before.

Experience

Topology

Mar 2021 – Present

Chief Technology Officer

San Francisco Bay Area

  • ·Lead development of anatomically accurate, high-resolution 3D head models from multimodal imaging, leveraging statistical shape modeling and advanced computer vision — achieving sub-millimeter precision (≤ 0.1 mm).
  • ·Apply precision modeling techniques to enable fully personalized eyewear, addressing challenges in biological morphology, functional prediction, and anatomical simulation.
  • ·Drive technical and academic innovation in computer vision, ML, and 3D rendering — resulting in publications, patents, and public speaking engagements.
  • ·Architect and deploy scalable AI/ML pipelines for multimodal data generation and inference in cloud and hybrid environments.
  • ·Scale platform to 64+ countries while maintaining compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, BIPA, SOC-2, and other privacy and security standards.
  • ·Grow and lead distributed R&D, Engineering, Product, Design, and QA teams; build a culture of innovation, respect for ideas, and mutual support.

Stack — Python, Swift, PyTorch, AWS, MongoDB, OpenCV, Xcode Cloud, Terraform, Docker, REST APIs

Beeline Connect

Jun 2016 – Mar 2021

CTO (Jun 2020–Mar 2021) · VP Engineering & Product (Jun 2016–Jun 2020)

San Francisco Bay Area

  • ·Directed vision, execution, and delivery of a cloud-based, multi-product SaaS platform integrating 40+ e-retailers (e.g. Amazon) with 2,500+ local retailers across North America and Europe.
  • ·Defined technical strategy for Accell Group's global businesses — AI/ML-driven data strategies, build vs. buy decisions, scalable architecture, and advanced analytics.
  • ·Spearheaded a pivot from franchise model to widely accessible SaaS, generating 1,500%+ revenue growth since January 2019.
  • ·Led the company through its 2018 acquisition by Accell Group, the world's largest e-bike manufacturer — including European expansion strategy, internationalization, and GDPR readiness.
  • ·Drove technical strategy for Accell Group's North American business across five e-commerce sites, legacy systems, and internal/external integrations.
  • ·Upgraded Ruby on Rails v3 to v5, improving overall security and system efficiency.

Stack — Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Linux, JavaScript, AWS, ML Data Strategy

Stanford University

Jun 2014 – Jun 2016

Consulting Faculty / Adjunct Lecturer

Stanford, CA

  • ·Designed and delivered graduate coursework on Computational Cosmology and Quantum Information Theory, emphasizing ML-based analysis and multimodal data generation for research at scale.
  • ·Guided graduate and postdoctoral researchers in grant applications and communicating research to diverse audiences.

Healthcare Analytics

Jun 2015 – May 2016

Director of Engineering & Product

Houston, TX · Remote

  • ·Modeled 10+ years of longitudinal patient and operational data from 15 clinical sites to build ML models supporting hypothesis generation, care optimization, and data-driven platform development.
  • ·Launched billing, CRM, and call center tools that predictively addressed 1M+ customers — raising appointment fulfillment by 35% and call center conversion to 50%.
  • ·Grew a global team from 1 to 50+ to develop and sell a suite of three software products to a large healthcare chain in 2016.
  • ·Built in-house billing management software subsequently sold as SaaS to other healthcare chains, generating $630K in recurring revenues.

Stack — C++, R, Django, Python, PostgreSQL, Java, AWS, Tableau

The University of Texas at Austin

Aug 2011 – Feb 2015

Computational Research Physicist · Weinberg Theory Group

Austin, TX

  • ·Managed eight concurrent research projects end-to-end — full responsibility for staffing, budgeting, and deliverables for the DoD, NSF, and NASA.
  • ·Allocated and managed a $12M research budget: forecasting, capital procurement, expense tracking, and federal regulatory filings.
  • ·Conducted theoretical physics research using ML/AI tools to drive complex analytical mathematics and end-to-end data analysis.
  • ·Received a National Instruments grant to develop navigational software currently licensed by Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, ULA, and Boeing.

Stack — AI/ML, Python, R, SQL, MATLAB

iFLY Indoor Skydiving

Oct 2013 – Jan 2015

Curriculum Developer

Austin, TX

  • ·Created and developed science curriculum for iFLY tunnels worldwide, covering wind tunnel engineering and the physics of free-fall.

Thinkery

Sep 2010 – Aug 2013

Gallery Manager, Science

Austin, TX

  • ·Led formal staff trainings for the presentation, facilitation, and understanding of science in informal education settings.
  • ·Designed and led gallery tours for students in English and Spanish.
  • ·Connected the museum with the local science community through UT research partnerships and the Portal to the Public (PoP) program.
  • ·Promoted inquiry-based STEAM learning through volunteer trainings and conversation-based visitor programming.

The Princeton Review

Aug 2009 – Sep 2011

MCAT Physics Instructor

  • ·Taught Physics for the MCAT, trained new Physics and General Chemistry instructors, and developed exam problems with accompanying solutions.

Education

PhD, Physics — Relativity & Nonlinear Dynamics

The University of Texas at Austin

BS Physics (Honors)  ·  BA Biology (Honors)

The University of Texas at Austin

Let's talk

If you're building something ambitious, exploring a collaboration, or just want to connect — reach out.

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