European Fractional CTO for US Startups
US rates for senior CTOs have gone vertical — Europe has the same seniority at 40-50% less, plus a workday that ends as yours begins.
Hiring a CTO in Europe as a US-based startup
941 Consulting provides fractional CTO services to US startups from Europe, led by Romain Eude — a 5x CTO with 25+ years in technology who co-founded and exited Utelly (acquired by Synamedia). US senior fractional CTOs typically charge $2,000-$3,500 per day; the equivalent European seniority runs €1,200-€1,800. Add a timezone offset that turns your nights into productive review cycles, and hiring a European fractional CTO stops being a compromise and starts being an arbitrage. Engagements start from £699/month, with a free 30-minute strategy call.
How the Timezone Actually Works
CET is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Time and 9 hours ahead of Pacific. That sounds like a problem until you look at the shape of the day: my afternoon is your morning, which gives us a 3-5 hour daily overlap with ET for standups, pairing sessions, and decisions that need a conversation.
Everything else runs async-first. Pull requests, architecture documents, and technical decisions land in my morning — the middle of your night — and come back reviewed before your team logs on.
The practical effect: your startup makes progress overnight. Your engineers ship at 6 PM ET, and detailed review notes and unblocked decisions are waiting at 9 AM. For West Coast teams, the async loop matters more than live overlap — and it gets a 9-hour head start.
A Working Day Across the Atlantic
9:00 AM CET — 3:00 AM ET
Deep work: reviewing the code and documents your team shipped yesterday
2:00 PM CET — 8:00 AM ET
Overlap window opens: standups, pairing, and live decisions
6:00 PM CET — 12:00 PM ET
Handoff: written reviews and decisions in your inbox by lunch
Your evening — my tomorrow
Your team ships; feedback is waiting when they log on
What the Arbitrage Looks Like in Numbers
Same seniority, different market. Rates below are typical for senior fractional CTOs on each side of the Atlantic.
| Engagement | US Senior Fractional CTO | European Equivalent (941) |
|---|---|---|
| Day rate | $2,000 - $3,500 | €1,200 - €1,800 (~$1,300 - $2,000) |
| Async advisory / month | $2,500 - $4,000 | £699 — Async plan |
| ~2 days/month | $4,000 - $7,000 | £2,499 — Foundation plan |
| ~1 day/week | $8,000 - $14,000 | £4,799 — Momentum plan |
| ~2 days/week | $16,000 - $28,000 | £9,599 — Breakthrough plan |
Plans are priced identically in GBP and EUR; USD invoicing available. Full details on the pricing page.
A European CTO Is Also Your EU Expansion Plan
If Europe is anywhere on your roadmap, the cost saving is only half the value. Your fractional CTO is already on the ground.
GDPR Compliance
Practical GDPR guidance built into your architecture from day one — consent flows, data mapping, and processor agreements, not an audit panic later.
EU Entity Setup Guidance
Where and how to establish a European presence, and what your technical operations need before you do.
Hiring European Engineers
Direct access to the French, Dutch, and UK talent pools — senior engineers at rates well below US equivalents, vetted by someone who has hired there for 25 years.
Data Residency
EU data residency architecture: where your data must live, which cloud regions to use, and how to serve EU customers without forking your stack.
Working with 941 from the US
I'm Romain Eude — a 5x CTO with 25+ years in technology. I co-founded Utelly, a content discovery platform, and led it through to acquisition by Synamedia. I'm bilingual in English and French, and I've spent my career working with distributed, international teams.
Working across the Atlantic only works if the operational friction is zero. That means contracts and invoicing in USD, EUR, or GBP, US-style communication — direct, deadline-driven, documented in writing — and no surprises on either side.
You don't have to take my word for it: I can share references from US-facing engagements so you can hear what the overlap, the async loop, and the output actually feel like from your side of the ocean.
What US Clients Get
USD / EUR / GBP Contracts
Invoice in the currency your accounting prefers
US-Style Communication
Direct, deadline-driven, and documented in writing
References on Request
From US-facing engagements, before you commit
Proven Exit Experience
Utelly co-founder — acquired by Synamedia
Bilingual EN / FR
Useful the day your roadmap touches Europe
FAQ for US Startups
Do you work US hours?
How do payments and contracts work?
Is the quality really equivalent to a US fractional CTO?
Can you help us launch in Europe?
What does it cost compared to a US fractional CTO?
Run the Numbers on a Call
30 minutes, your afternoon or my afternoon — we'll compare what you're paying (or quoted) in the US against what the same seniority costs from Europe.
Related Resources
Fractional CTO Europe
Technology leadership across European markets
Pricing & Plans
Transparent monthly plans in GBP and EUR
Fractional CTO Services
Everything a fractional CTO engagement covers
Fractional CTO Rates in Europe
A detailed breakdown of European CTO rates