ALEXANDRE CARVALHO
CTPO | AI PRODUCT & ENGINEERING LEADER
> about me
I'm Alexandre Carvalho, a CTPO and AI product & engineering leader based in Lisbon, Portugal. I've spent 20+ years bridging technology and business: building teams, shipping products and scaling them.
Most recently I was Chief Product & Technology Officer at Metaphysic.ai, where I led ML research, ML engineering and product. We were the sole AI VFX provider on Robert Zemeckis' Here, running real-time de-aging on set. Read the full story.
Before that I built engineering at Streetbees through its $12M Series A, built Indie Campers' tech and product team from 0 to 30, took LinkedCare's health-record platform into the US, and founded my own startup. I started out leading the Ruby on Rails team that built Besttables, later acquired by TripAdvisor. I studied Computer Science engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico.
> what I do now
I run Abstract Extraordinary, a senior engineering studio for AI systems that have to work: in production, in public, in real time. We take them from first sketch to shipped product.
I also work directly with founders and leadership teams as an advisor or fractional CTPO on AI product strategy, building and scaling tech and product teams, and turning generative AI from demos into products.
WORK WITH ME →> career
- 2025 – present · Lisbon, Portugal
Founder & CEO, Abstract Extraordinary
Senior engineering studio taking AI systems from first sketch to production: retrieval and reasoning systems, real-time AI, product design and full-stack delivery.
- 2025 – present
Co-Founder, Byteline
- 2020 – 2025 · Lisbon, Portugal
Advisor / Chief Product & Technology Officer, SheerME
- 2021 – 2025 · London, UK
Chief Product & Technology Officer, Metaphysic.ai
Led ML research, ML engineering and product. Metaphysic was the sole AI VFX provider on Robert Zemeckis' Here (Tom Hanks, Robin Wright) and was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023.
CASE STUDY → - 2021 – 2023
Founding Member, Blokssom DAO
- 2018 – 2020 · Lisbon, Portugal
Director of Product & Technology, Indie Campers
Built the in-house technology and product team from 0 to 30 people and the digital platform behind a fleet that grew from 650 to 1,200+ vans in 15 countries.
CASE STUDY → - 2016 – 2018 · London, UK
VP of Engineering (previously Technical Lead), Streetbees
Built the engineering team as the company grew from ~20 to ~75 people across London and Lisbon, through a $5.1M seed and a $12M Series A led by Atomico.
CASE STUDY → - 2013 – 2016 · Lisbon, Portugal
Chief Technology & Product Officer, LinkedCare
Designed the microservices architecture for an electronic and personal health record platform and led its expansion into the US market.
CASE STUDY → - 2011 – 2013
Founder & CEO, Outitude
Raised a €100k seed round in two weeks for an outdoor-activities marketplace.
- 2008 – 2011
Web Developer, Project Manager & Scrum Master, RUPEAL
Helped win and led the team that built Besttables, a real-time restaurant booking platform, from proposal to launch; TripAdvisor acquired it in 2015. Also worked on InvoiceXpress.
CASE STUDY →
> skills
AI
Product
Technology
> faq
Who is Alexandre Carvalho?
Alexandre Carvalho is a Lisbon-based CTPO and AI product & engineering leader with 20+ years building and scaling technology products. He was Chief Product & Technology Officer at Metaphysic.ai, the generative AI company behind the de-aging visual effects in Robert Zemeckis' film Here, and now runs Abstract Extraordinary, a senior engineering studio that takes AI systems from sketch to production.
What did Alexandre Carvalho do at Metaphysic?
From 2021 to 2025 he was Chief Product & Technology Officer at Metaphysic.ai, leading ML research, ML engineering and product. Metaphysic was the sole AI VFX provider on Robert Zemeckis' Here, delivering real-time, on-set face replacement and de-aging for Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, and was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023.
What is Abstract Extraordinary?
Abstract Extraordinary is Alexandre Carvalho's company: a senior engineering studio for AI systems that have to work in production, in public, in real time. It takes AI systems from first sketch to production across applied generative AI, real-time AI, product design and full-stack delivery.
Can I hire Alexandre Carvalho?
Yes. He takes on advisory and fractional CTPO engagements, helps companies build their AI product and engineering teams, and delivers AI systems through Abstract Extraordinary. See alexcarvalho.me/work-with-me or reach him on LinkedIn.
Where is Alexandre Carvalho based?
He is based in Lisbon, Portugal and has led teams in Lisbon and London, working with companies in Europe and the US.
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