Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership, when you need it
Strategic technical leadership without the full-time overhead. Get architecture decisions, team mentoring, and roadmap planning from experienced technology executives.
No prep required. We'll share a plan within 48 hours.
Ideal For
- Series A-C startups without a full-time CTO
- Companies preparing for due diligence or acquisition
- Engineering teams needing senior technical guidance
- Founders who need to focus on product/sales
- Organizations scaling their engineering function
Not Ideal For
- Very early stage startups (pre-seed) without product-market fit
- Companies looking for hands-on coding (we advise, not implement)
- Organizations needing full-time on-site presence
- Short-term tactical projects (consider our productized services instead)
Expected Outcomes
Measurable results observed in past engagements.
Increase in deployment frequency within first quarter
Reduction in critical production incidents
Improvement in engineering team velocity
Results vary based on baseline maturity, scope, and adoption. These metrics reflect past results and are not a guarantee. Case studies
What's Included
- Weekly 1:1s with engineering leadership and key stakeholders
- Architecture review and technical decision-making
- Engineering roadmap development and prioritization
- Team structure and hiring strategy
- Vendor evaluation and technology selection
- Technical due diligence support
- Board and investor presentation support
- On-call escalation for critical issues
Out of Scope
- Day-to-day engineering management
- Hands-on coding or implementation work
- 24/7 on-call coverage
- HR or people management decisions
- Full-time on-site presence
Need something not listed? We can customize the engagement to your needs.
What You'll Receive
Technical Strategy Document
Comprehensive roadmap with prioritized initiatives and success metrics
Architecture Decision Records
Documented decisions with context, tradeoffs, and rationale
Team Assessment Report
Skills gap analysis and hiring recommendations
Monthly Executive Summary
Progress report for leadership and stakeholders
Runbooks & Playbooks
Operational documentation for key processes
Timeline
Typical engagement: 3-6 months (renewable)
Discovery & Assessment
- Stakeholder interviews and context gathering
- Technical stack and architecture review
- Team structure and capability assessment
- Initial roadmap and priority recommendations
Strategy & Foundation
- Technical strategy development
- Quick wins implementation
- Process improvements
- Hiring pipeline activation
Execution & Iteration
- Roadmap execution support
- Architecture governance
- Team coaching and development
- Stakeholder alignment
Optimization & Transition
- Continuous improvement
- Knowledge transfer
- Transition planning (if hiring full-time CTO)
- Long-term strategic initiatives
What We'll Need From You
Regular meetings with founders, product, and engineering leads
Read access to code, architecture docs, and monitoring tools
Slack/Teams, calendar, project management tools
Previous decisions, incidents, and organizational history
How We Work Together
Engagement Model
Remote with optional on-site visits
Cadence
2-3 days per week of dedicated time
Communication
Slack/email with same-day response; weekly syncs
Pricing
Pricing varies based on company size and scope. Minimum 3-month commitment.
Growth
- 2 days/week dedicated time
- Weekly strategy sessions
- Architecture review
- Email/Slack support
- Monthly executive summary
Scale
- 3 days/week dedicated time
- Bi-weekly strategy sessions
- Full architecture governance
- Priority support
- Team coaching sessions
- Hiring support
Enterprise
- 4+ days/week as needed
- Full executive partnership
- Board-level support
- M&A technical due diligence
- Multi-team coordination
- Custom deliverables
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a fractional CTO and a consultant?
A fractional CTO is an embedded member of your leadership team, not an outside advisor. We take ownership of outcomes, attend your team meetings, and are accountable for results—just like a full-time CTO, but part-time.
How quickly can you start?
Typically within 1-2 weeks of contract signing. We'll begin with an intensive discovery period to get up to speed on your context.
What happens if we want to hire a full-time CTO?
Great! We'll help you define the role, source candidates, and conduct technical interviews. We can also provide transition support to ensure a smooth handoff.
Do you write code?
No—we focus on strategy, architecture, and leadership. If you need implementation help, we can engage our delivery team or recommend trusted partners.
How do you handle confidentiality?
We operate under NDA by default and follow strict confidentiality practices. We've worked with pre-IPO companies and M&A situations requiring high discretion.
Security & Access
All access follows least-privilege principles. We use your SSO/IAM systems, maintain audit logs of our activities, and can work within your existing security policies. NDA signed before any access is granted.
Get Started
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Request an Assessment
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