Fractional CTO Services: Hire a Part-Time CTO for Your Startup
Senior technology leadership without the £200K+ salary. Fractional CTO services for ambitious European founders who need proven technical strategy—not another consultant reading from a playbook. 25 years. 5x CTO. 1 successful exit.
Is a Fractional CTO Right for You?
You don't need a fractional CTO because it's trendy. You need one because you're facing real decisions that will make or break your company's technical future.
This is for you if:
- You're a non-technical founder building a tech product and need someone who can translate business goals into engineering reality
- You're raising your next round and investors are asking questions about architecture, scalability, and technical debt you can't answer
- Your dev team is growing but you're not sure if they're building the right thing, the right way
- You've been burned before—by offshore teams, by CTOs who talked big but delivered little, by agencies that over-promised
- You need AI/ML expertise but can't justify a full-time ML leader at your stage
- You're planning an exit and need technical due diligence preparation that won't fall apart under scrutiny
This is NOT for you if:
- You need someone to write code full-time (hire a senior developer)
- You want a yes-man who'll rubber-stamp bad decisions
- You're looking for the cheapest option (you get what you pay for)
What Changes When You Hire a Fractional CTO
Stop guessing. Start knowing.
Stop guessing. Start knowing.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Sleepless nights wondering if your tech will scale | Architecture reviewed and roadmap validated by someone who's done it |
| Developers making decisions you don't understand | Clear technical strategy aligned with business goals |
| Board meetings where you dodge technical questions | Confidence to discuss technology with investors and stakeholders |
| Hiring based on CVs and gut feeling | Interview frameworks that identify real talent |
| Tech debt piling up with no plan | Prioritised remediation that balances speed with sustainability |
| AI FOMO with no clear path forward | Practical AI strategy based on your actual data and use case |
What's Included in Fractional CTO Services
Strategic Leadership
- Technology strategy aligned with your business objectives
- Board and investor-ready technical documentation
- Fundraising preparation and technical due diligence support
- Vendor and partnership evaluation
- Build vs. buy decision frameworks
Architecture & Engineering
- System architecture review and recommendations
- Technical debt assessment and prioritisation
- Scalability planning (infrastructure, team, processes)
- Security and compliance guidance (GDPR, SOC2 awareness)
- Cloud infrastructure strategy (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Team Building
- Engineering hiring strategy and interview frameworks
- Team structure and role definition
- Developer onboarding process design
- Performance frameworks and career ladders
- Offshore/nearshore team management
AI & Innovation
- AI/ML opportunity assessment for your business
- Build vs. integrate decision support for AI features
- LLM implementation strategy
- Data strategy and architecture
- Innovation roadmap development
Ongoing Support
- Weekly or bi-weekly strategy calls
- Slack/email access for async questions
- Monthly board-ready technical reports
- Quarterly roadmap reviews
- Ad-hoc crisis support when things break
How Fractional CTO Engagements Work
Simple. Structured. No hidden complexity.
Simple. Structured. No hidden complexity.
Step 1: Discovery Call (Free, 30 minutes)
We discuss your situation, challenges, and goals. No pitch deck. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether we're a fit.
You'll know within 30 minutes if this makes sense.
Step 2: Technical Deep-Dive (Week 1)
If we proceed, I conduct a comprehensive assessment of your current state:
- Codebase and architecture review
- Team capability assessment
- Process and tooling evaluation
- Technical debt inventory
- Risk identification
Deliverable: Technical Assessment Report with prioritised recommendations.
Step 3: Strategy Development (Week 2)
Based on the assessment, we build your technical roadmap:
- 90-day action plan
- Resource and budget recommendations
- Key metrics and milestones
- Risk mitigation strategies
Deliverable: Technical Strategy Document you can share with your board.
Step 4: Ongoing Engagement
Regular involvement based on your chosen plan:
- Strategy calls (weekly or bi-weekly)
- Team mentoring and technical leadership
- Architecture decisions and code reviews
- Hiring support and interview participation
- Investor and board preparation
No long-term lock-in. Month-to-month after initial commitment.
Flexible Engagement Models
Choose the level of involvement that matches your stage and needs.
Foundation
2 days/month
- Technology stack evaluation and optimization recommendations
- Monthly strategic planning session (half-day)
- Monthly implementation review (half-day)
- Technical vendor selection guidance
- Asynchronous email/IM support
- Technology risk assessment
- Documentation of key technical decisions
3 minimum
Get StartedMomentum
1 day/week
- Technology stack evaluation and optimization recommendations
- Monthly strategic planning session (half-day)
- Monthly implementation review (half-day)
- Technical vendor selection guidance
- Technology risk assessment
- Documentation of key technical decisions
- Weekly technical leadership meeting with your team
- Development roadmap creation and management
- Technical hiring guidance and interview support
- Architecture review and technology selection
- Project management oversight for key initiatives
- Asynchronous priority email/IM support with 24-hour response time SLA
- Monthly executive summary reporting
- Code review practices implementation
2 minimum
Get StartedBreakthrough
2 days/week
- Technology stack evaluation and optimization recommendations
- Monthly strategic planning session (half-day)
- Monthly implementation review (half-day)
- Technical vendor selection guidance
- Technology risk assessment
- Documentation of key technical decisions
- Weekly technical leadership meeting with your team
- Development roadmap creation and management
- Technical hiring guidance and interview support
- Architecture review and technology selection
- Project management oversight for key initiatives
- Asynchronous priority email/IM support with 24-hour response time SLA
- Monthly executive summary reporting
- Code review practices implementation
- Twice-weekly presence (on-site or virtual as needed)
- Executive team participation for technology representation
- Deep involvement in technical strategy and execution
- Hands-on project management of critical initiatives
- Technical due diligence for acquisitions or funding
- Phone technical crisis support
- Custom technology solutions design
- Technology team building and mentorship
- Stakeholder and board-level technology presentations
- Proactive technology trend analysis and recommendations
1 minimum
Get StartedNeed something custom? Book a call to discuss project-based arrangements.
Why Founders Trust This Approach
Not a consultant. A practitioner.
Not a consultant. A practitioner.
The difference between advice that works and advice that sounds good is whether the person giving it has actually done it. Not read about it. Not advised on it. Done it.
The track record:
- 25+ years in technology leadership roles
- 5x CTO across startups and scale-ups
- 2x Founder — built companies from zero
- 1x CEO — understand the business side, not just tech
- 1 successful exit — Utelly acquired by Synamedia
- Angel investor & LP — ongoing involvement in the startup ecosystem
- Since 2007 — helping European founders build technology companies
Industries served:
- E-commerce and retail tech
- Media and entertainment
- Fashion technology
- Fintech
- SaaS and B2B platforms
- AI-native startups
Results delivered:
- 300% growth in transaction volume while reducing operational costs 25%
- 28% increase in average order value through recommendation systems
- 40% performance improvement with 50% reduction in maintenance costs
- 3x valuation increase post-technical due diligence
- 20+ hours/week saved through process automation
Learn More About Fractional CTO Services
How to Find a Fractional CTO: A Founder's Complete Guide
You've decided you need a fractional CTO. Now comes the harder question: how do you actually find one who's right for your company?
Read more →Fractional CTO Day Rates in the UK: 2025 Pricing Guide
"How much does a fractional CTO cost?"
Read more →What a Fractional CTO Does in the First 30 Days
You've just hired a fractional CTO. Now what?
Read more →Ready to Talk?
A 30-minute conversation costs nothing. If you're facing technical decisions that keep you up at night, let's discuss whether fractional CTO support makes sense for your situation.
Book Your Free Strategy CallPrefer email? Reach out at [email protected]