Fractional CTO / AI Lead
Senior technical leadership without a full-time hire.
20 hours a week of senior engineering judgment for your team. Architecture decisions, AI roadmap, vendor management, hiring guidance — embedded in your team, not on a Slack channel you forget about.
Senior judgment, fractional cost.
Hiring a full-time CTO is expensive and slow — and most pre-Series A or mid-market companies don't need one full-time. They need someone senior in the room when the architecture decisions get made, when vendors pitch, and when the next two engineers get hired. That's what we are.
What you get
Architecture decisions
What to build, what to buy, what to defer. Stack choices, scaling plans, and the trade-offs your board will ask about.
AI strategy & roadmap
Which AI investments are real, which are hype, and how to sequence the work. Vendor evaluation, build-vs-buy, and eval frameworks.
Hiring & team building
Job specs, interview loops, take-home design, and reference checks. We help you hire engineers who outlast us.
Vendor & contract review
We've seen a lot of bad agency contracts. We'll review yours, flag the risks, and renegotiate if needed.
Code & system review
Quarterly deep reviews of your codebase and infrastructure. Concrete remediation plans, not vibes-based feedback.
Board & investor support
Tech sections of board decks, due diligence support, and post-investment technical planning.
Best for
- →Pre-Series A startups that need senior judgment but can't yet afford a full-time CTO.
- →Mid-market companies adopting AI without an internal AI lead.
- →Founders who need a technical co-founder figure without giving up equity.
- →PE-backed portfolio companies needing technical due diligence and execution.
Pricing
3–6 month engagements (renewable)
Includes ~20 hours/week of senior engineering time, weekly leadership cadence, and async availability. Longer engagements are structured accordingly.
How we work
Embed
First two weeks: meet the team, audit the codebase, review the roadmap. By week three you'll have a written assessment.
Operate
Weekly leadership cadence with founders. Architecture review with engineers. We're in your Slack and your standups.
Hand off
Most engagements end with us hiring our replacement. We help you hire and onboard a full-time CTO when the time is right.
Frequently asked
Will you write code?
Sometimes. Most of the value is leadership and architecture, but if there's a critical piece only a senior can do, we'll do it. We won't compete with your engineers for sprint tickets.
Can you cover for us during a CTO transition?
Yes. We've stepped in as interim CTO during transitions, including during fundraising. We'll keep the ship moving and help you hire the permanent replacement.
Will you sign an NDA?
Always. We're commonly signing NDAs and BAAs before any technical conversation.
What if we already have engineering leadership?
We can work alongside an existing VPE or Director, especially when AI strategy is the gap. We won't undermine your team — we'll amplify them.