Senior Technical Leadership, Without the Full-Time Price Tag
Embedded fractional CTO support for startups that need real technical direction now, not after a six-month executive search.
I work inside your Slack, your codebase, and your standups — setting roadmap, hiring the right people, and making sure your architecture and AI strategy hold up as you scale.
Fractional CTO Services: What's Included in Your Engagement
It's for you if
- ✓ You're pre-seed through Series A and can't justify a $200K+ full-time hire yet
- ✓ Your engineers need technical direction, not just more headcount
- ✓ You want AI strategy baked into your architecture, not bolted on later
- ✓ You want to de-risk a full-time CTO search by getting leadership in place now
It's NOT for you if
- ✗ You need someone in the office full-time, every day
- ✗ You want an individual contributor writing your product code day-to-day
- ✗ You're not ready to make roadmap or hiring decisions based on their guidance
Fractional CTO Pricing & Engagement Models
Most popular engagement model
Fractional CTO FAQ: Questions Founders Ask Most
What does a fractional CTO actually do?
Roadmap planning, architecture oversight, hiring guidance, stack evaluation, and monthly strategy sessions — embedded in your Slack and codebase, but not full-time or on the cap table.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
Engagements start at $5,000/month, well below the $200K-$300K base salary plus equity a full-time CTO hire typically requires.
Who should hire a fractional CTO instead of a full-time one?
Pre-seed to Series A startups that need senior technical judgment now but can't justify a $200K+ full-time hire yet, or founders who want to de-risk the full-time search by getting technical leadership in place immediately.
Do you replace my existing engineering team?
No. A fractional CTO works alongside your existing developers or VP of Engineering, setting direction and unblocking decisions rather than doing the day-to-day building.
Not sure fractional is the right fit yet? Read Do You Really Need a Full-Time CTO? or take the decision framework quiz. Need a one-time technical audit instead? See code audits.