Senior Technical Leadership, Without the Full-Time Overhead.
MBA in Economics + 16 years of hands-on engineering = decisions that compound. I step in as your Fractional CTO (a part-time Chief Technology Officer). I own architecture, support your engineering team, and help you make the technical decisions that determine whether your startup scales or stalls.
Who this is for
The Fractional CTO engagement is designed for a specific kind of founder.
Pre-seed through Series A
Need strategic technical guidance without the overhead of a full-time hire. A fractional CTO gives you senior leadership at a fraction of the cost.
Non-technical founder
Making important architectural decisions without confidence. Get a trusted technical partner who can translate complexity into clear business decisions.
Technical founder stretched thin
You're coding, hiring, and setting strategy all at once. You need a senior peer to share the technical leadership load.
Just closed a round
Need to move fast without building the wrong foundation. A fractional CTO helps you invest your new capital wisely.
Why Fractional CTO
What makes this engagement different from a typical advisor or contractor.
16 Years of Hands-On Engineering
250+ projects shipped across SaaS, AI, real-time systems, and marketplaces. Not just advisory — I've been in the code.
Embedded in the Work
Pre-seed through Series B — not just advisory, actively in the code. Architecture decisions, hiring, and engineering team integration.
Hiring & Team Building
Structured hiring process, offer negotiation, onboarding frameworks. I've helped startups build engineering teams from zero.
No Long-Term Contracts
Monthly engagement, cancel anytime, no sunk-cost lock-in. You stay because it's working, not because you're locked in.
What I do
The high-leverage activities that drive the most value for early-stage startups.
Architecture & Technical Strategy
Review codebase, evaluate major decisions, define technical roadmap aligned to business goals.
Engineering Team Leadership
Senior technical voice your team escalates to. Unblock engineers, set quality standards, and create clarity around priorities.
Hiring & Team Building
Design hiring process, review technical assessments, interview candidates, advise on offer structure.
Investor & Board Readiness
Technical due diligence documentation, answer investor questions about architecture, scalability, and security.
Codebase & Architecture Audit
Review existing systems for risks, debt, and scaling blockers with a prioritized action plan.
Technical Roadmap Ownership
Translate business goals into an engineering roadmap with clear milestones and trade-offs documented.
Engagement models
Month-to-month, cancel anytime. No long-term contracts.
CTO Advisory
$4,500/moStrategic guidance for early-stage startups.
Includes
- Weekly 60-min strategy call
- Async Q&A via Slack
- Architecture reviews on-demand
- Hiring guidance & interview support
- Investor readiness prep
Fractional CTO
$8,500/moHands-on technical leadership for seed to Series A.
Includes
- Everything in Advisory
- Engineering team integration
- Code reviews & PR feedback
- Sprint planning participation
- Technical hiring process ownership
Month-to-month billing. Cancel anytime. No long-term commitment required.
14-day money-back guarantee.
Not happy in the first 2 weeks? Full refund. Cancel anytime after.
How does a Fractional CTO compare?
See how fractional CTO engagement stacks up against full-time executive hires.
| Factor | Fractional CTO | Full-time CTO | VP Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $4,500–$8,500 | $25,000–$40,000+ | $18,000–$30,000+ |
| Time to start | 1–2 weeks | 3–6 months | 2–4 months |
| Commitment | Month-to-month | Permanent / equity | Permanent |
| Strategic focus | High | High | Medium |
| Hands-on coding | Optional | Rarely | No |
| Best for | Funded startups / growing SMBs | Series B+ scale | Large eng. teams |
How an engagement works
What happens from the first call through ongoing engagement.
Week 0 — Free 30-min strategy call to understand your business, stack, and goals. No sales pitch.
Weeks 1–2 — Technical audit of your codebase, architecture, team structure, and roadmap. Written report with prioritized findings.
Month 1+ — Weekly alignment calls, architecture reviews on-demand, engineering hiring support, async access via Slack.
When Ready — If you want a full-time CTO, I help define the role, run the hiring process, and onboard them.
Legal & IP protection
Your IP, your code, your decisions. Always.
NDAs Available
All engagements covered by mutual NDA on request.
Your IP, Always
All work product, documentation, and architectural decisions remain 100% yours.
Work-for-Hire
Every deliverable is owned by your company, not licensed.
Data Handling
No production data access required. Architecture review conducted on documentation and code only.
Who this is NOT for
I'd rather tell you upfront than waste your time and money.
Need Production Engineers
If you need full-time engineers writing features, see Custom Web Applications.
Series B+ with Full-Time Needs
Large engineering teams needing a board-level CTO with equity incentives.
VP Engineering Role
If you need someone to manage a large existing engineering org.
Technical Co-Founder
If you need a co-founder with equity stake, not an advisory engagement.
Your questions answered
Common questions about the Fractional CTO engagement.
- How is this different from a technical advisor?
- Advisors give occasional opinions. This is an active engagement — weekly calls, async access, involvement in hiring, architecture reviews, and engineering team integration.
- How does the engagement work in practice?
- Both tiers focus on high-leverage activities — architecture, hiring, strategy — not production coding. The scope scales with the tier: Advisory provides strategic guidance, while Fractional CTO includes hands-on team integration and deeper involvement.
- Can I upgrade from Advisory to Fractional CTO?
- Yes. Most clients start with Advisory, then upgrade once the engagement rhythm is established.
- What if I need someone to write code, not just review it?
- The Fractional CTO service is for technical leadership, not production engineering. If you need a senior engineer building features, the Custom Web Applications service is the right fit.
- Do you work with companies outside the US?
- Yes. Current and past clients are in the US, UK, EU, and Latin America. Engagements are async-first with weekly video calls.
- What happens at the end of the engagement?
- You keep all documentation, architecture decisions, and frameworks. If you are ready for a full-time CTO, I help you hire and onboard them.
- Can a fractional CTO really replace a full-time one?
- At pre-seed to Series A: yes, for most companies. A great fractional CTO delivers 80% of the strategic value at 20% of the cost. When you reach Series B+ with 5+ engineers and complex systems, you will need full-time. Until then, fractional is almost always the smarter move.
- What engagement models are available?
- There are two options: CTO Advisory ($4,500/mo) for strategic guidance, and Fractional CTO ($8,500/mo) for hands-on leadership including engineering team integration. Both are month-to-month with no long-term contracts.
- What is the minimum commitment?
- There is no minimum commitment. Both engagement models are month-to-month. You can cancel anytime with no penalties or lock-in.
- How long does it take to ramp up?
- Typically 1–2 weeks. The first week is a technical audit of your codebase, architecture, and team structure. By week two you have a written findings report and the regular engagement rhythm begins.
- How does a Fractional CTO work alongside my existing team?
- A Fractional CTO complements your engineers — not replaces them. I act as the senior technical voice your team escalates to, unblock developers, set quality standards, and handle strategic decisions so your engineers can focus on execution.
Further reading
When Should a Startup Hire a CTO?
A deep-dive into the right time to hire technical leadership — and the alternatives when you are not ready.
Read articleCustom Web Applications
If you need ongoing engineering execution in addition to leadership, see my application development service.
Read articleAI Automation Solutions
If your primary need is AI tooling and automation, this service may be a better fit.
Read articleGet a quote in 60s
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