Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership without the cost of a full-time CTO. As your outsourced CTO I decide architecture, tools, hiring and priorities with you, and lead your technical team when needed.
Technical leadership for your team
A fractional CTO (or outsourced CTO) is an external technical director who dedicates part of their time to your company instead of joining full-time. They bring senior judgment on architecture, tools, technical hiring and priorities, without the burden of a permanent hire. It works whether you have no technical team yet or you already have one and need an experienced leader to drive it. This is the model often called CTO as a Service.
It's transitional by design: it makes sense when there's a specific technical gap, whether pre-hiring an in-house CTO, launching a product, scaling, steadying a junior team or leading a seasoned team through a key phase. Once that gap closes, the engagement ends.
As your fractional CTO I work embedded in the team: an initial technical due diligence, regular meetings, technical supervision and leadership of your team or vendors, and support with technical hiring.
Why
Why a fractional CTO
A senior in-house CTO costs from €120,000 – €150,000 a year, plus equity and benefits. The fractional model gives you the same judgment without that load: available from week one, with an outside perspective not trapped in the team's day-to-day, and designed as a transitional model for a specific phase, not an open-ended commitment.
Pricing
Pricing
The price for the fractional CTO service is set after the first call, based on involvement (days per week) and duration. Prices are indicative and for example only: they vary case by case. Click "Show price" for the reference figure.
FAQs
Fractional CTO: frequently asked questions
What exactly is a fractional CTO?
An external technical director who dedicates part of their time to your company, usually one or two days a week, instead of joining the payroll. You get senior judgment on architecture, tools and technical hiring without the cost of a full-time hire.
How is it different from hiring a full-time CTO?
An in-house CTO makes sense when the technical load is constant and long-term. The fractional model fits when the need is a specific phase (launching a product, scaling, steadying a team or preparing to hire the permanent CTO) and you want to start in days, not months.
How long does a fractional CTO engagement last?
It's transitional by design. I recommend a minimum of 3 months so the audit and roadmap pay off, and the engagement ends when the technical gap closes. I don't look for open-ended relationships.
What kind of company is it for?
For startups and companies that need senior technical leadership: with no in-house CTO, with a junior technical team that needs senior judgment to drive it, or with a seasoned team that lacks an experienced leader to take it to the next phase. Also companies about to hire a CTO that want to prepare the ground and the hire itself.
Do you replace my team or work with it?
I work with your team, not instead of it. I provide technical leadership, judgment and supervision; the team (in-house or vendors) keeps executing, now with clear priorities and sound architecture decisions. If your team also needs someone to lead it, that is part of the fractional CTO role.
Shall we talk about your case?
Tell me where your company stands technically and where it's stuck. On the first call I'll tell you honestly whether a fractional CTO is a fit and how I'd approach it: scope, involvement and timeline.