Hire a Fractional CTO
A full-time CTO search takes 3–6 months, costs 15–25% of first-year salary in recruiter fees, and roughly 40% of executive hires fail within 18 months. Hiring fractional means a proven CTO starts in 1–2 weeks, on a month-to-month arrangement you can exit if it isn't working.
Hiring a fractional CTO, without the search
941 Consulting lets you hire a fractional CTO directly instead of running an executive search. Romain Eude — 5x CTO, 2x founder, and former CEO of Utelly (acquired by Synamedia) — works with startups and scale-ups across the UK, France, and Benelux. Engagement models run from async advisory at £699/month to two days per week at £9,599/month, starting within 1–2 weeks of a free 30-minute call.
Three Ways to Engage
Pick the level of involvement your stage actually needs. Every plan is month-to-month after an initial 3-month commitment, and every price is published.
Async Advisory
£699/mo
Unlimited async, no fixed days
A senior CTO on tap for architecture reviews, hiring decisions, and vendor negotiations. Slack/email turnaround within one business day.
Best for: Founders who need a sounding board, not a seat at standup
See full plan details →Foundation
£2,499/mo
2 days per month
A monthly working rhythm: strategy sessions, roadmap reviews, and team mentoring, plus async support between sessions.
Best for: Early-stage teams that need direction, not full-time leadership
See full plan details →Momentum & Breakthrough
£4,799–£9,599/mo
1–2 days per week
Embedded technical leadership: Momentum at 1 day/week (£4,799) or Breakthrough at 2 days/week (£9,599). Delivery leadership, board participation, hands-on with the team.
Best for: Scale-ups that need a CTO in the room, without the executive hire
See full plan details →How to Vet Me (or Anyone)
Whether you hire me or someone else, run this checklist. It is the vetting a recruiter charges 15–25% of first-year salary to do — and you can do it yourself in one call.
Real CTO titles, not "CTO-adjacent"
Ask which companies, at what stage, and whether they held the title or advised someone who did. "20 years in tech" is not the same as having owned the technology P&L.
Exits or scale actually achieved
Outcomes, not years. Did their company get acquired? Did the platform they ran scale past the point where yours is struggling? Ask for specifics you can verify.
Reference checks on outcomes
Talk to a founder they worked with. Ask one question: "What changed after they arrived?" If the answer is vague, that tells you everything.
A trial period with a defined deliverable
The first month should produce something concrete - typically a technical audit and a 90-day plan. If it does not work, you have lost a month, not a year.
Red Flags to Walk Away From
No references offered - or references who only worked with them briefly
Promises specific outcomes before running any audit of your systems
Vague about which companies they led and what they actually shipped
Pushes for a long lock-in instead of a month-to-month arrangement
Use this checklist on me first.
Book the call and ask every question on the left. References, exit details, past roles — all on the table.
The Track Record You'd Be Hiring
5x CTO, 2x Founder, 1x CEO
Held the actual titles - owned technology strategy, budgets, and teams across five companies, and founded two.
A Real Exit
Co-founded and led Utelly, a content-discovery platform, through to acquisition by Synamedia.
25+ Years in Technology
From hands-on engineering to board-level strategy, across startups and scale-ups.
Bilingual EN/FR
Native-level English and French. Comfortable with UK boards and French engineering teams alike.
UK, France & Benelux
Based in the Netherlands, working across the UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands - remote-first with on-site days as needed.
Sector Depth
E-commerce, media tech, SaaS, fintech, and AI - the sectors where most fractional demand actually sits.
What Happens After You Book
No pipeline, no panel interviews. Four steps from first call to working engagement.
Free 30-minute discovery call
You describe the situation; I tell you honestly whether fractional is the right fix and which engagement model fits. No pitch deck, no follow-up sequence.
Week 1: technical audit
I review your architecture, codebase health, team structure, and delivery process. You get a written assessment of what is solid and what is on fire.
Week 2: your 90-day plan
A prioritised plan with owners and milestones - what we fix first, what we defer, and what success looks like at day 90.
Ongoing: month-to-month
After the initial 3-month commitment, the engagement runs month-to-month with 30 days notice. You keep it because it works, not because a contract says so.
Hiring a Fractional CTO: FAQ
How quickly can you start?
What does a fractional CTO cost?
What if it doesn't work out?
Do you replace a full-time CTO forever?
How many clients do you take on at once?
Your Candidate Is One Call Away
Skip the 3–6 month search. Book the free 30-minute call, run your vetting checklist on me, and if it fits, we start within 1–2 weeks.
Keep Researching
Pricing in Full
Every plan and day rate published - compare costs vs a full-time CTO
How to Hire a Fractional CTO
The complete hiring guide: process, contracts, and onboarding
Where to Find a Fractional CTO
Marketplaces, networks, and direct hiring compared
Fractional CTO Services
What a fractional CTO actually does week to week