Fractional CTO
Fractional CTO services for startups and scale-ups
No technical co-founder? A board asking questions you can’t answer yet? That’s the gap a fractional CTO fills. We sit on your side of the table, making the technology calls, keeping vendors honest, and giving founders and boards a straight answer, a day or two a week.
What’s included
- Technology strategy and a roadmap that matches the business plan
- Architecture decisions you won’t need to unwind in two years
- Hiring, structuring, and mentoring engineering teams
- Vendor and agency wrangling: scoping, pricing, accountability
- Board and investor comfort: clear reporting, honest risk
How it works
01
Audit
Understand the business, the stack, and the risks that actually matter.
02
Roadmap
A technology plan and priorities that match the business plan, not a wish list.
03
In the room
Ongoing: the calls, the hiring, the vendor reviews, and board-ready reporting.
Who it’s for
- Founders without a technical co-founder who need senior technology decisions
- Scale-ups whose board or investors want clarity on the tech
- Companies between CTOs, or not yet ready for a full-time hire
- Teams choosing or managing an external build and wanting it kept honest
FAQ
- What is a fractional CTO?
- A fractional CTO is an experienced technology leader who works with you part-time, typically a day or two a week, making the senior technology decisions a full-time CTO would, without the full-time cost or equity.
- How much does a fractional CTO cost?
- Engagements are scoped to the work, usually a day or two a week. We agree scope, price, and timeline up front in a short proposal, with no long lock-in. Book a call for a quote.
- When does a startup need a fractional CTO?
- When the technology decisions are outpacing the experience in the room: raising money, choosing an architecture, hiring engineers, or being asked board questions you can’t yet answer with confidence.
- How is this different from a full-time CTO or an agency?
- You get CTO-level decisions without a full-time salary, and an advocate on your side of the table when working with agencies and vendors, rather than another party selling you a build.