Stabilize Architecture
Align platform structure with current load, delivery reality, and regulatory exposure so the system can keep moving as the company grows.
Architecture, delivery, execution
Mediabrief is now known as ScaleMeridian.
When engineering, AI, or data systems start straining under growth, ScaleMeridian helps healthtech teams restore execution and scale safely.
ScaleMeridian works with healthtech teams as systems move from early product into real-world use - where architecture, AI, and data workflows begin to strain, regulated growth raises the stakes, and engineering execution is not always keeping up with the needs of the business. The work is hands-on, senior, and built to restore momentum without creating new risk.
Built for high-stakes engineering moments
We usually get pulled in when delivery slows, architecture and data systems start straining, AI initiatives introduce complexity, or engineering teams are not operating at the level the business requires.
Start with a short note. We’ll look at the situation, get back to you, and schedule a conversation from there.
Experience spanning teams and platforms including
What we do
We work directly with CTOs and engineering leaders when systems and teams stop scaling cleanly. The goal is stronger execution, not more advice.
Restore Delivery Speed
Remove systemic drag, tighten technical ownership, and rebuild predictable execution across teams.
Support High-Stakes Milestones
Handle the engineering side of diligence, enterprise onboarding, audit pressure, and leadership transitions without derailing product momentum.
Implement AI Safely
Help healthcare teams introduce AI into real workflows without bypassing controls around PHI, access, review, logging, and operational ownership.
This work begins hands-on. It transitions into durable execution through a small, senior engineering team embedded long-term within your organization.
How we work
Not an agency model.
Not staff augmentation.
Not report-only advisory.
We function as internal senior operators.
- •We work inside your delivery systems.
- •We stay close to the meetings and decisions that actually shape delivery.
- •We own architectural and execution decisions alongside leadership.
- •We embed across US-EU time zones for continuous execution.
- •We stay long enough to create structural stability, not temporary fixes.
- •Our objective is durable execution and scalable systems, not dependency.
Reviews
What clients and leaders say
These reviews speak to how the work feels in practice: integrated with the team, steady under pressure, and accountable for real delivery.
Sebastian and team were a blessing when we discovered them. He brings a team of highly skilled developers, architects, and data science specialists that have excellent communication skills, translate design into reliable code, and go the extra mile when you need them. They integrate into your team and function just like an FTE, virtually attending regular meetings in your agile development lifecycle.
I had the opportunity to work closely with Sebastian while developing and scaling the 2nd.MD platform, and he proved to be a dependable and thoughtful partner throughout that journey. He brought a strong balance of execution and strategic thinking, helping us move quickly without cutting corners. The collaboration felt aligned and intentional, built on trust rather than transactions.
Seth Siegler
Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product Management at ShowingSuite
Worked together 2012-2013
Sebastian and the team at ScaleMeridian (formerly Mediabrief) were amazing, long term partners to us during my time working as the CTO of Showing Suite. They consistently shipped quality, dependable software and worked alongside our team to solve problems and made careful, considered recommendations along the way. It was a true partnership and not just a typical dev shop sort of feeling.
Common triggers
Signals that execution is starting to strain
Velocity drops after hiring
Headcount increases, output does not. Coordination friction and ownership gaps start showing up in delivery.
Architecture strain in production
Incidents, brittle change paths, and performance ceilings start absorbing leadership attention.
Compliance and diligence pressure
HIPAA expansion, enterprise onboarding, security review, or investor diligence becomes a blocker to momentum.
AI work reaches production before safeguards are in place
New workflows start touching live systems or sensitive data before access controls, logging, review paths, and clear ownership are in place.
Case studies
Work across healthtech scaling and delivery stabilization
A selection of engagements that reflect the embedded model: senior leadership plus hands-on execution, with continuity through inflection points.
2nd.MD to Accolade ($460M exit)
Acted as the execution interface between executive leadership and engineering teams, translating technical direction into scalable architecture and predictable delivery as the organization grew in a regulated environment. Helped scale the technical organization from under 10 to roughly 60 and supported integrations with major US payers.
- •Scaled org and delivery model through rapid growth
- •Evolved platform architecture under increasing compliance and operational complexity
- •Supported acquisition by Accolade at ~ $460M valuation
Huddle Up Care
Embedded to lead engineering execution and platform architecture during rapid growth and organizational change. Partnered with leadership to set direction, then operated as senior technical leader to maintain continuity across architecture, delivery, and execution.
- •Scaled engineering team to 20+ engineers in under 6 months
- •Executed transition plan from legacy monolith to modern services architecture
- •Established infrastructure-as-code and delivery pipelines and operationalized agile practices
ShowingSuite through acquisitions to Zillow
Served as senior technical owner of the ShowingSuite platform from independent product through acquisitions by ShowingTime and Zillow. Led an embedded team responsible for day-to-day development and long-term operational continuity.
- •Maintained architecture ownership across three ownership phases
- •Kept delivery stable through acquisitions and integration periods
- •Supported controlled product sunset with minimal disruption
Leadership
Founder & Principal
Sebastian Cristea
Sebastian is an engineering operator who works alongside healthtech CTOs when growth begins to strain architecture, delivery systems, and technical judgment.
For more than two decades, he has led platform architecture and execution inside regulated, high-trust environments. His work spans early product through multi-year scale, enterprise onboarding, audit scrutiny, and acquisition transition. He is most often brought in at inflection points, when delivery slows despite team growth, when regulatory scope expands, when AI initiatives begin moving faster than safeguards, or when architectural shortcuts begin to surface under real-world usage.
Sebastian engages hands-on at the architectural and execution layer, aligning technical direction with operational reality. That includes helping teams introduce AI into healthcare settings carefully, without bypassing core engineering, security, and audit discipline. He remains directly involved during stabilization and structural resets, then scales execution through a small, senior engineering pod embedded long-term within the client organization.
Embedded Engineering Pod
Execution scales through a small, senior engineering pod model.
•Senior-level individual contributors
•Long-tenured and continuity-oriented
•Embedded into planning, reviews, and execution
•Structured for overlap across US-EU time zones
•Built for multi-quarter continuity without knowledge decay
•Optimized for ownership, stability, and context retention
Contact
Tell us where things are starting to strain.
Share a few lines about the company, the team, and where things are getting stuck. We’ll review it, get back to you, and schedule a conversation from there.
No sales pitch, just an honest evaluation for potential partnership.