Fractional CTO Services
Senior technical leadership on your terms. I partner with founders and CEOs to set technical direction, build engineering teams, and ship products that scale.
What Is a Fractional CTO?
A Fractional CTO is an experienced technology executive who works with your company on a part-time or project basis. You get all the strategic value of a seasoned CTO (technical vision, engineering leadership, architecture decisions, and team development) without the cost and commitment of a full-time hire.
This model is ideal for startups and growth-stage companies that need executive technical leadership but aren't yet at the stage where hiring a permanent CTO makes sense. It's also a practical solution when you're between CTOs and need continuity, or when you simply need an objective senior technical voice to work alongside your existing team.
When to Hire a Fractional CTO
The right time to bring in a Fractional CTO is when technical leadership is the bottleneck to your growth. Here are the most common situations where companies turn to me.
You're a Founder Without a Technical Co-Founder
You have a strong product vision but lack the technical depth to evaluate architecture decisions, hire the right engineers, or hold vendors accountable. A Fractional CTO fills this gap immediately.
Your Engineering Team Lacks Direction
Velocity has slowed, technical debt is mounting, and engineers are shipping without a coherent strategy. A Fractional CTO installs the processes and leadership your team needs to move with confidence.
You're Preparing to Scale
Your product is gaining traction and you need to go from 2 engineers to 15, fast. A Fractional CTO builds the hiring pipeline, team structure, and architecture foundation required for that growth.
You're Fundraising and Need Technical Credibility
Investors scrutinize your technical stack, team, and roadmap. A seasoned Fractional CTO can speak fluently to due diligence questions and help you present a compelling technical narrative.
You're Between CTOs
Your CTO just departed and you need continuity while you search for the right permanent hire. A Fractional CTO stabilizes the team, maintains momentum, and helps you define the role you actually need.
You Need an Objective Technical Perspective
Important decisions (build vs. buy, replatform vs. refactor, insource vs. outsource) require experienced judgment free from internal politics. A Fractional CTO provides that independent perspective.
My Approach
A structured process that delivers results quickly without disrupting your team.
Discovery
We start with a deep-dive into your business goals, current engineering state, team dynamics, and immediate pain points. I interview key stakeholders, audit the codebase and architecture, and map out what's working and what isn't.
Strategy
Based on the discovery, I develop a clear technical roadmap aligned to your business objectives. This includes prioritised initiatives, team structure recommendations, and a realistic timeline for achieving your goals.
Execution
I work alongside your team: attending standups, leading technical reviews, mentoring engineers, and making decisions. I'm embedded enough to have real impact while coaching your team to operate independently.
Optimisation
As the engagement matures, the focus shifts to process refinement, knowledge transfer, and building the internal capabilities your team needs to sustain momentum. I'll help you hire and onboard a permanent CTO when the time is right.
Engagement Models
Every company is different. I work with you to structure an engagement that matches your stage, budget, and goals.
Part-Time Embedded
2–3 days per week working directly with your team. Ideal for companies that need consistent leadership presence without the overhead of a full-time executive. Most clients start here.
Project-Based
Focused engagement with a defined scope and outcome, such as a platform migration, team restructure, or architecture review. A clear deliverable, a clear timeline.
Strategic Advisory
Regular advisory sessions (weekly or bi-weekly) for founders and CEOs who need a trusted technical sounding board. Best suited for companies with an existing engineering lead who needs senior oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Fractional CTO provides executive-level technical leadership on a part-time or project basis. This includes setting technical direction and architecture, leading and mentoring the engineering team, managing the technology roadmap, advising on hiring and vendor decisions, and ensuring engineering efforts are aligned with business goals. The same responsibilities a full-time CTO would own, delivered in a flexible engagement model.
The core responsibilities are the same. The key difference is commitment and cost. A full-time CTO is a permanent executive hire at a significant salary, equity, and overhead. A Fractional CTO works part-time or on a project basis, giving you access to the same level of experience and strategic leadership at a fraction of the cost. Many early-stage and growth-stage companies don't yet need, or can't yet afford, a full-time CTO. A Fractional CTO bridges that gap.
Engagements are priced based on scope, time commitment, and duration. Part-time embedded engagements typically range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars per month, depending on the number of days per week and the complexity of the work. This is substantially less than the total compensation package of a full-time CTO hire, which typically runs into the hundreds of thousands annually. Contact me to discuss your specific situation and get a clear proposal.
Most engagements run between 3 and 12 months. The length depends on your goals: some companies hire a Fractional CTO to stabilise the team during a transition, others to build and embed processes over a longer period. I always structure engagements with a clear outcome in mind, and I'm transparent about when it makes sense to bring in a permanent hire.
Fractional CTO services are most impactful for startups and growth-stage companies with 3 to 60 employees, typically in the seed to Series B range. Companies at this stage have real technical complexity to manage but haven't yet justified a full-time CTO hire. That said, larger organisations sometimes engage a Fractional CTO for specific projects or during a leadership gap.
Yes. Investors conduct thorough technical due diligence and expect founders to speak credibly about architecture, scalability, security, and engineering talent. I can prepare your technical documentation, participate in investor meetings, field technical questions, and help you present a coherent and credible technology story. Having a senior technical leader involved in the fundraising process often increases investor confidence significantly.
Ready to Bring in a Fractional CTO?
Whether you need to establish technical direction, scale your engineering team, or navigate a critical inflection point, I can step in and make an immediate impact. Let's talk about what you're building and how I can help.