Fractional CTO for early-stage startups
A fractional CTO is a senior engineering leader who works part-time — typically 1–2 days a week — with a company that isn't ready for a full-time CTO. They own architecture, code review, technical hiring, and the roadmap, giving startups senior judgment without a full-time salary.
What a fractional CTO actually does
I act as the senior technical voice your team doesn't have yet: I set the architecture, review the code that ships, sit in on hiring, and keep the roadmap honest about what's realistic. The point isn't to write every line — it's to make sure the lines your team writes add up to a product that scales instead of one you have to rebuild in a year. You get the calls a full-time CTO would make, on the days you actually need them.
Who it's for
Founders who are technical enough to be dangerous but need a sounding board; non-technical founders who need someone accountable for engineering; and teams of two or three engineers with no senior in the room. It's also the right fit when you're raising and investors want to see a credible technical lead, or when you're scaling faster than your stack and processes can handle.
How the engagement works
Retainers run on a monthly basis with a three-month minimum, so there's time to actually move the needle. We start with a short call and a written scope, work in visible weekly cycles, and you own every decision, document, and commit as it lands. No lock-in — the engagement pauses or ends at agreed checkpoints, and your team is stronger for it, not dependent on me.
What you get
- Architecture decisions and technical roadmap you can defend to investors
- Code review and engineering standards that raise the whole team
- Hands-on help hiring and onboarding senior engineers
- A senior technical contact in EU working hours (UTC+1)
- Everything documented and owned by you — no lock-in
Fractional CTO — questions
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is a senior engineering leader who works part-time — usually 1–2 days a week — with a company that isn't ready for a full-time CTO. They own architecture, code review, hiring, and the technical roadmap, giving startups senior judgment without a full-time salary.
Fractional CTO vs full-time CTO vs agency — which do I need?
A fractional CTO is an embedded, part-time monthly retainer for pre- and early-product teams that need senior judgment now. A full-time CTO is a permanent salaried hire for funded teams scaling fast. An agency delivers a discrete, well-specified build and then leaves. Most early startups need the first.
When do you need a fractional CTO?
When you're about to build and don't want to build it wrong; when you've shipped something that's breaking; when there's no senior engineer in the room; when you're raising and need technical credibility; or when you're scaling faster than your stack and team can handle.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
The fractional-CTO role is a monthly retainer; builds and audits are quoted as fixed-scope projects. Pricing depends on days per week and scope, so you get a concrete number on the intro call rather than a guessed figure here — no surprises later.
Related work
Let's talk about your fractional cto.
A 30-minute intro call, a written scope, and a concrete number — no surprises. I reply within 48 hours.