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On-Demand CTO Services Tailored to Your Needs

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Types of Technical Leads

Great CTOs start as builders. They master one domain, learn its neighbors, then graduate to people, process, and product outcomes. To hire the right leader, match the role to the problem.

CTO (Chief Technology Officer)

Owns product/tech strategy, roadmap, org design, security, and budget.
Success = business outcomes + team health.

Choose a CTO when vision, roadmap, and org building are unclear.
VP of Engineering

Delivers predictably: hiring, process, velocity, quality.
Success = on‑time, reliable shipping.

Choose a VP of Engineering when you know what to build but can’t ship predictably.
Technical Lead / Staff Engineer

Unblocks complexity, sets patterns, reviews code, mentors.
Success = technical leverage.

Choose a Tech Lead when complex work needs unblocking and standards.
Solution Architect

Systems design + integrations; optimizes cost/performance trade‑offs.
Success = it fits & scales.

Choose a Solution Architect when systems are fragile, costly, or integrating vendors.
Product‑minded Engineer

UX empathy; experiments; iteration.
Success = user adoption & learning.

Choose a Product‑minded Engineer when user feedback and iteration are needed.

Why a Fractional CTO?

Organizations need all of the CTO roles but not full-time. A Fractional CTO provides the expertise you need, when you need it, without the overhead of a full-time hire. Value points:

  • Executive‑level decisions without a full‑time cost.
  • Keep momentum while hiring or de‑risking a pivot.
  • Align product, engineering, security, and spend with growth goals.
  • Ideal for: pre‑CTO startups, due‑diligence prep, 0→1 or 1→N scaling, cost & quality resets.

Great CTOs don’t start as executives—they start as builders. When you hire a CTO, you’re hiring compound judgment across code, cloud, UX, and culture. Fractional lets you access that judgment at the right altitude and cadence for your stage.

What You'll Get with Me

Basecamp Review

Fixed-fee, ~1 week

Get expert feedback to shape your startup idea. Before you set off, let's map the terrain. We'll review your product idea, business model, and launch plans to align with your ultimate destination.

What we'll chart:
  • • Proof of Concept
  • • Micro Convertible Offering (MCO)
  • • Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Trail Guide

Monthly retainer

Expert guidance to navigate technical challenges and opportunities. As you journey, I'll be your guide through the technical wilderness. We'll tackle challenges, seize opportunities, and keep your expedition on course.

Your path will be clear:
  • • Semi-monthly reviews with leadership team
  • • Ad-hoc technical deep dives as needed
  • • Strategic planning for upcoming milestones
  • • Vendor and tool evaluations
  • • Risk assessments and mitigation strategies
Expedition Map

Fixed-Fee, ~2-4 weeks

Create a pre-seed funding plan for your MVP. Before investors back your journey, they need to believe in your map. I'll help you develop a compelling plan that earns early-stage confidence and capital.

Strategic foundation includes:
  • • Narrative Clarity: Define the problem, your insight, and your unique approach
  • • Lean MVP Definition: Clearly show what the first product milestone looks like
  • • Market Readiness Signals: Frame early validation and traction plans
  • • Technical Framing: Describe the product architecture in funder-friendly terms
  • • Pre-Seed Budget & Use of Funds: Outline what capital buys you and where it gets you
  • • Investor Messaging: Package your roadmap to align with investor incentives and risk posture
Summit Roadmap

Fixed-fee, ~4-6 weeks

Develop a technology roadmap to scale and fundraise. Plot the full expedition from MVP to scale. We'll lay out a roadmap that investors and teammates can follow.

Roadmap includes:
  • • Vision for your future platform
  • • Technology stack and architecture
  • • Budget and milestone planning
Guided Ascent

Fractional CTO, monthly retainer

Ongoing strategic guidance and leadership for your tech team.

What you get:
  • • 1–2 days/week: standups, reviews, vendor management
  • • Develop a target state architecture to address security and scaled needs
  • • Board/investor updates, KPIs, and operating cadence:
Key metrics tracked:
  • • Delivery: release frequency, change failure rate, lead time, unplanned work
  • • Quality: escaped defects, error budgets, SLOs
  • • Cost: unit economics (per user/request), cloud waste (% idle)
  • • Security: P0/P1 exposures, vendor risk, audit readiness
  • • Hiring: time‑to‑fill, pass‑through rates, senior IC bar

FAQ

When should we hire a Fractional CTO?

When the stakes of your next 90 days are high—fundraise, launch, pivot, or scale—but a full‑time exec isn’t yet right.

How many hours per week?

Typical is 1–2 days/week, adjusted to your milestones.

Will you be hands‑on?

Yes—where it matters: reviews, key merges, vendor decisions, security gates.

How soon can we start?

Basecamp Reviews open most months; Fractional slots are limited.

Can you help hire a permanent CTO/VP Eng?

Absolutely; we set the bar, design the loop, and hand off smoothly.