Senior technical judgment, on demand.
Architecture, hiring, vendor decisions, technical due diligence. A partner you call before the consequential choice, not after the consequential mistake.
The problem we solve
Most founders need a CTO three years before they can afford one. Most boards need technical oversight on portfolio companies and don't have it. Most CEOs whose CTO is brilliant still want a senior sparring partner for the hardest decisions. We provide exactly that — a senior technical voice on retainer, with skin in the game.
What we cover
- 01Architecture review and major decision support
- 02Engineering hiring: scorecards, interview design, candidate evaluation
- 03Vendor and platform selection
- 04Technical due diligence for fundraising or M&A
- 05Roadmap review and prioritization
- 06Build-vs-buy decisions with cost modelling
- 07Engineering org design for the next stage
- 08Sparring with your CTO or VP Engineering
- 09Crisis support during outages, audits or transitions
What you receive
- Predictable senior availability — usually 1-2 days a week
- Written recommendations on every major decision
- Hiring and onboarding support
- Optional team augmentation when bandwidth is the bottleneck
Areas of expertise
Ideal for
- → Founders without a technical co-founder
- → Pre-Series-A companies needing senior judgment without a $300k hire
- → Boards needing technical oversight on portfolio companies
- → CEOs whose CTO needs a sparring partner for big decisions
- → Companies in transition (post-acquisition, post-CTO-departure)
How an engagement runs
- 01
Onboarding
Two-week immersion: codebase, infrastructure, team, roadmap, current pain. Written initial assessment.
- 02
Cadence
Weekly working sessions, async availability, monthly written summary. We're available when consequential decisions happen.
- 03
Major decisions
We lead the analysis on the choices that compound — hiring, architecture, vendor selection.
- 04
Exit when ready
Engagement is designed to make itself unnecessary. We hand off to your senior hire when the time comes.
How to engage
Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership on retainer, monthly contract.
Project CTO
Time-bound engagement for a specific transition — fundraise, replatform, acquisition.
Board Advisory
Lower-touch retained advisory for boards and investors.
Frequently asked.
01How is this different from a CTO hire?
Cheaper, faster, more senior, less stakes for you. Most fractional CTO relationships either end naturally when you hire a permanent CTO, or continue as advisory once you have one.
02Will you also write code?
Sometimes — for the most consequential or risky parts of the system. Most weeks the highest-leverage work is review, decision and direction, not commits.
Have a problem worth solving well?
Tell us the outcome you want. We'll tell you what it takes — honestly, within a week, in writing.
Start a conversation