Fractional CTO Services
A fractional CTO gives you senior technology leadership without the cost and commitment of a full-time executive. I help founders and leadership teams set technology strategy, make architecture decisions, lead engineering teams, and stay credible with investors — on flexible, part-time terms scoped to what you actually need.
What Is a Fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is an experienced Chief Technology Officer who works with your company part-time — a few days a week or a few days a month — instead of joining as a full-time hire. You get the same strategic judgement, architectural authority, and engineering leadership a permanent CTO provides, matched to the stage and budget you are at right now.
Senior judgement, part-time
You get a decade of technology leadership applied to your hardest decisions — without carrying a six-figure executive salary before you are ready.
Flexible by design
Engagements scale up before a fundraise or a launch and scale down once the team is steady. You pay for direction, not for a permanent seat.
"Most early-stage companies do not need a full-time CTO. They need senior decisions made well, at the right moments."
— Artem Zaitsev
Hands-on, not just advisory
I review architecture, sit in on critical hires, unblock delivery, and talk to investors — not just send a strategy deck and disappear.
A clean handover
Every engagement is built to make me replaceable: documented decisions, a capable team, and a roadmap your future full-time CTO can inherit.
Engagement Models
Fractional, interim, virtual, advisory — different names for different needs. We pick the model that fits your stage, then adjust it as the company changes.
Fractional CTO
Ongoing part-time leadership — typically a few days a week or month. Best for funded startups and scale-ups that need a steady senior hand on strategy, architecture, and the engineering team.
Interim CTO
Full focus for a fixed window — covering a departure, steering a turnaround, or carrying a company through a fundraise until a permanent hire is in place.
Virtual CTO
Remote-first technology leadership for distributed teams and pre-seed founders who need decisions, vendor oversight, and technical credibility without a local executive.
Technical advisory
Lightweight, low-frequency input — architecture reviews, hiring calibration, due-diligence support — for founders who mostly need a senior sounding board.
What a Fractional CTO Does for You
The mandate covers the full scope of a technology executive — adapted to where leverage is highest for your company this quarter.
Technology strategy & roadmap
Define a multi-quarter technology roadmap aligned with business goals, fundraising milestones, and market positioning — so engineering effort compounds instead of scattering.
Architecture & technical due diligence
Pressure-test system design, scalability, and security before decisions get expensive, and prepare the technical narrative investors expect during diligence.
Engineering leadership & hiring
Set hiring criteria, shape delivery process, mentor senior engineers, and build a team that ships predictably without the founder in every loop.
Investor & board credibility
Translate technology risk and roadmap into language the board and investors trust — turning the tech story into an asset during fundraising.
Fractional CTO Pricing & Cost
Pricing is transparent and scoped to the engagement. The ranges below reflect the European fractional-CTO market so you can budget with realistic numbers before we ever talk.
Hourly & advisory work
Focused advisory and review work across the European market typically runs €90–€180 per hour. Lightweight technical advisory engagements suit founders who mainly need a senior sounding board on specific decisions.
Monthly retainer
Most fractional engagements run on a monthly retainer. In the European market, light involvement — a few days a month — typically falls around €2,000–€6,000, while hands-on leadership with weekly delivery oversight typically runs €6,000–€12,000 and up, depending on scope and intensity.
Fractional vs full-time cost
A full-time CTO in Europe costs roughly €120,000–€200,000+ per year once salary, equity, and overhead are counted. A fractional CTO delivers the same seniority for a fraction of that — you fund judgement and direction, not a permanent headcount, and you can adjust the commitment as the company grows.
Not sure whether you need a fractional CTO?
Start with a free intro call. We will talk through your stage, your team, and the decisions ahead — and you will get an honest answer on whether fractional leadership is the right move.
Book a free intro callFractional CTO Services — FAQ
Straight answers to the questions founders ask most before bringing in a fractional CTO.
Fractional CTO & leadership articles
Practical reads on technology leadership, when to hire it, and how to make it pay off.
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