A fractional CTO who cares whether it sells.
A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader who works with you for part of the week, instead of full time. It suits founders and small businesses whose software now matters to revenue, but who don't need a full-time CTO yet. I work from £1,000 a day, usually one to three days a week, with a three month minimum.
- Price
- From £1,000 a day
- Time
- 1 to 3 days a week
- Minimum term
- Three months
Roadmaps tied to revenue, not features.
Some people call it CTO as a service, a virtual CTO or an outsourced CTO. Whatever the name, the job is the same: technology decisions that grow the business, seen through to the end.
- Technology and product strategy
- What to build, what to buy and what to leave alone, judged by what it will earn or save.
- The roadmap
- A plan ordered by revenue and risk, so the team works on what moves the business first.
- Architecture decisions
- Choices that keep running costs low and leave room to grow, without building for scale you don't have yet.
- Hiring and managing developers or agencies
- Writing the briefs, checking the work and making sure you get what you pay for.
- Security and compliance
- The controls and evidence bigger customers ask for, sized for a small company.
- Board and investor conversations
- Explaining the technology plainly, and answering the hard questions before they are asked.
- Budgets
- Where the money goes, what it buys and when it pays back.
Who a fractional CTO suits
A non-technical founder with an agency or freelancers
You're paying people to build, but it's hard to judge the work, the quotes or the estimates. I sit on your side of the table.
A small business whose software now runs the operation
What started as a tool now holds up the whole business. It needs someone senior to keep it secure, affordable and moving.
A growing company preparing for investment or enterprise customers
Investors and big buyers will look hard at the technology. I get it ready for that scrutiny, and I can be in the room when it happens.
How it works
A retainer of one to three days a week, set up so you get decisions, not just advice.
We agree the days that suit your team.
One day a week
Strategy, the roadmap and the big decisions. Your developers or agency do the build, and I check it stays on track.
Two days a week
Room to manage the people building it as well: reviews, hiring, supplier conversations and the security work.
Three days a week
Close to having a CTO in the team. Useful in a busy stretch, such as preparing for investment, landing a big customer or a rebuild.
Step 1: The first month
I learn the business before the technology: customers, numbers, team and suppliers. Then I review the product and the code, and we agree the priorities. By the end of the month you have a roadmap you can act on.
Step 2: Month to month
We work through the roadmap. I make or recommend the technical decisions, manage the people building, and report progress in plain English.
Step 3: How it ends
Often by helping you hire a full-time CTO, once the business can justify one. I help write the role, interview the candidates and hand over properly.
What a fractional CTO costs
From £1,000 a day
On a retainer of one to three days a week, with a three month minimum term.
- Commitment
- 1 to 3 days a week
- Minimum term
- Three months
All prices exclude VAT.
The work behind it
Two outcomes from about seven years building and leading technology at a cybersecurity SaaS company.
Questions people ask
Do I need a CTO yet?
If technology decisions are now costing you money, slowing sales or worrying investors, probably yes. If you're still testing whether anyone wants the product, a short, focused piece of work may suit you better, such as an Innovation Build. The intro call is there to work out which.
Does a CTO need to be technical?
Yes. A CTO has to judge the work, the people and the trade-offs, and that takes real technical depth. The best CTOs also understand the commercial side: what sells, what it costs and what investors will ask. That combination is what I bring.
I'm a non-technical founder. Where do I start?
Start with the problem you are solving and who pays for it, not the technology. Then get someone senior to look at what you have, or what you are about to build, before you spend more. That might be a Product Review, or a day or two a week of my time.
Fractional CTO or a technical co-founder?
A co-founder takes equity and commits full time, for years. A fractional CTO is paid in cash, starts quickly and leaves when the job is done. If you've found the right co-founder, that's hard to beat. If you haven't, a fractional CTO gets you moving and helps you recognise the right person when you meet them.
How is this different from a dev agency?
An agency is paid to build. I'm paid to decide what's worth building and make sure it's built well, whoever builds it. I can work alongside your agency, on your side of the table.
Looking for a fractional CTO?
Book a 30 minute intro call. It's a fit check: is this something I can help with, and is a fractional CTO the right door for you?