Fractional CTO & Technical Leadership Services for Startups

Expert CTO consulting starting at $5,000/month. Technical audits from $3,000. Architecture reviews, due diligence, and emergency CTO services for US & EU companies.

Schedule Free 30-Min ConsultationView Pricing

Quick Answers

How much does a Fractional CTO cost?

Fractional CTO services cost $5,000-12,000 per month for part-time (1-2 days/week) technical leadership. Minimum 3-month engagement. Full-time equivalent CTO as a Service costs $15,000-25,000/month.

How long does technical due diligence take?

Standard technical due diligence takes 1-2 weeks and costs $5,000-15,000 depending on company stage. Rush DD available in 3-5 days with 50% surcharge.

What's included in a technical audit?

Technical audit includes code review, architecture assessment, security audit, infrastructure evaluation, and 6-12 month roadmap. Takes 1-2 weeks, costs $3,000-8,000.

Do you work with remote companies?

Yes, 80% of our clients are remote-first. We serve startups and scale-ups across the United States and European Union with remote and on-site options.

100+

Projects Completed

15+

Years Experience

$500M+

Client Funding Raised

94%

Client Satisfaction

CTO Consulting Services & Pricing

Transparent pricing for all technical leadership services

🔍

Technical Audit & Strategy

Comprehensive evaluation of technology stack, code quality, infrastructure, and security with actionable 6-12 month roadmap.

  • Code and architecture review
  • Security and compliance audit (GDPR, SOC2)
  • Technology roadmap creation
  • Risk assessment matrix

$3,000-8,000

⏱ 1-3 weeks delivery

Learn More →
👔

Fractional CTO (Part-Time)

Part-time CTO working 1-2 days per week providing strategic technical leadership, team mentoring, and architecture guidance.

  • Strategic technology planning
  • Team leadership and mentoring
  • Board meetings and investor relations
  • Architecture and technical decisions

$5,000-12,000/mo

⏱ 3-month minimum

Learn More →
💼

CTO as a Service (Full-Time)

Full-time equivalent CTO (4-5 days/week) managing entire technical organization, team hiring, and daily engineering operations.

  • Daily technical leadership
  • Complete engineering management
  • Hiring and team development
  • Infrastructure and DevOps oversight

$15,000-25,000/mo

⏱ 6-month minimum

Learn More →
📊

Technical Due Diligence

Independent technical evaluation for investors assessing startups before seed, Series A, or Series B funding decisions.

  • Technology and team assessment
  • Risk identification and quantification
  • Scalability evaluation
  • Investment recommendation report

$5,000-15,000

⏱ 1-2 weeks delivery

Learn More →
🏗️

Architecture & Scalability Review

Expert system architecture evaluation with concrete scalability plan for 10x-100x user growth and performance optimization.

  • Architecture assessment and redesign
  • Database optimization strategy
  • Performance and scalability roadmap
  • Infrastructure cost optimization

$4,000-10,000

⏱ 1-4 weeks delivery

Learn More →
🚨

Emergency CTO

Immediate technical leadership during crisis situations: CTO departure, security breach, system failure, or failed project recovery.

  • 24-48 hour response time
  • Crisis stabilization and recovery
  • Team retention and morale management
  • Transition to permanent leadership

$25,000-40,000/mo

⏱ Immediate start

Learn More →

Service Comparison: Which CTO Service Do You Need?

ServiceBest ForTime CommitmentMonthly CostMinimum Term
Technical AuditPre-fundraising, CTO transition, scaling preparation1-3 weeks (one-time)$3,000-8,000One-time project
Fractional CTOSeed/Series A startups (5-20 people)1-2 days/week$5,000-12,0003 months
CTO as a ServiceSeries A startups (10-50 developers)4-5 days/week$15,000-25,0006 months
Tech Due DiligenceVCs, angel investors, M&A transactions1-2 weeks (one-time)$5,000-15,000One-time project
Architecture ReviewBefore scaling, performance issues1-4 weeks (one-time)$4,000-10,000One-time project
Emergency CTOCrisis situations, immediate needsFull-time (80-100 hrs/week initially)$25,000-40,0001 month

When Do Startups Need a Fractional CTO?

Common technical challenges that require expert CTO leadership

🚀

No Technical Leadership

You have developers but no one to set technology strategy, make architecture decisions, or communicate technical status to investors. Your development team needs strategic direction and your business needs technical credibility.

⚠️

Scaling and Performance Issues

Your application is experiencing slowdowns, outages are increasing, or the system can't handle user growth. You need expert guidance to scale infrastructure and optimize architecture before it becomes a business-critical crisis.

💰

Can't Afford Full-Time CTO

Full-time CTOs cost $150,000-300,000 annually plus 1-5% equity. You need executive-level technical leadership but don't have the budget or aren't ready for equity dilution and long-term executive commitment.

🔍

Investor Due Diligence

VCs and angel investors require independent technical assessment before Series A or Series B funding. You need credible third-party evaluation of technology, team capabilities, and scalability to close funding rounds successfully.

🎯

No Technology Roadmap

Development feels chaotic without clear priorities, strategy, or long-term vision. You need a concrete 6-12 month technology roadmap aligned with business goals, realistic timelines, and budget constraints.

🔥

Technical Crisis Situation

Your CTO left suddenly, experienced a major security breach, or a critical project failed. You need immediate expert intervention to stabilize operations, retain team members, and restore stakeholder confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions About CTO Services

What is the difference between a Fractional CTO and a consultant?

A Fractional CTO is an ongoing member of your leadership team with accountability for results and outcomes. They participate in board meetings, manage your technical team, and take ownership of technical decisions. A consultant provides one-time advice or project-based recommendations without ongoing responsibility or implementation accountability.

How quickly can a Fractional CTO start working with my company?

Most Fractional CTO engagements begin within 1-2 weeks after contract signing and NDA execution. Emergency CTO services can start within 24-48 hours for crisis situations requiring immediate technical leadership intervention.

Do you work with remote and distributed development teams?

Yes, approximately 80% of our clients have remote-first or distributed teams across multiple time zones. We have extensive experience managing remote engineering teams and implementing best practices for distributed collaboration, asynchronous communication, and remote technical leadership.

What technologies and tech stacks do you support?

We are technology-agnostic and work with most modern stacks including JavaScript/TypeScript/Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Go, React, Vue, Angular, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and more. Our focus is on business outcomes rather than specific technology preferences.

Can you help us hire a permanent full-time CTO?

Absolutely. We offer technical recruitment services and often support clients in hiring permanent CTOs. About 40% of our Fractional CTO clients transition to hiring full-time CTOs after 6-12 months, and we facilitate smooth transitions including candidate evaluation, interview support, and onboarding assistance.

What's included in a technical due diligence report for investors?

Technical DD includes: Executive Summary with Green/Yellow/Red rating, detailed technical report (30-60 pages) covering technology/architecture/team/infrastructure, risk matrix with probability and impact ratings, code quality metrics, security assessment, scalability evaluation, and investment recommendation with estimated remediation costs.

How much does it cost to scale from 10,000 to 100,000 users?

Costs vary significantly based on architecture and current infrastructure, typically ranging from $10,000-50,000 for infrastructure upgrades plus $20,000-60,000 in development work. Our Architecture & Scalability Review ($4,000-10,000) provides detailed cost projections specific to your system with ROI analysis and phased implementation plan.

Do you sign NDAs and non-compete agreements?

Yes, we sign comprehensive NDAs before any engagement and protect all confidential information. We work with only one company per industry vertical to avoid conflicts of interest. All client relationships are protected by strict confidentiality agreements and secure data handling protocols.

How to Get Started with CTO Consulting

Simple five-step process from initial contact to successful engagement

1

Free 30-Minute Consultation

Schedule a no-obligation call to discuss your technical challenges, team situation, and business goals. We'll determine if our services are the right fit for your needs.

2

Detailed Proposal

Within 48 hours, receive a comprehensive proposal with recommended services, detailed scope, timeline, pricing breakdown, and deliverables specification.

3

Contract & NDA Signing

Review and sign engagement contract and NDA. Set up access to necessary systems including code repositories, documentation, and communication tools.

4

Kickoff & Execution

Kickoff meeting with stakeholders to align expectations. Begin work with regular progress updates, weekly sync calls, and transparent communication throughout engagement.

5

Delivery & Ongoing Support

Receive complete deliverables including reports, presentations, and documentation. Presentation sessions with team and stakeholders plus 30-day email support included.

What Clients Say About Our CTO Services

"Hiring a Fractional CTO was the best decision we made. We got experienced technical leadership at $8,000/month instead of $250,000/year for a full-time CTO. They helped us pass Series A due diligence and raise $5M."

Sarah Mitchell

CEO, Series A SaaS Company (12 employees)

"Their technical due diligence saved us from a bad $10M investment. They found critical security vulnerabilities and scalability issues the startup founders had downplayed. The $8,000 DD fee saved us millions."

David Chen

Partner, Early-Stage Venture Capital Fund

"When our CTO left suddenly, we panicked. Their Emergency CTO service started within 48 hours, stabilized the team, and prevented a mass exodus. Worth every dollar of the $30,000/month investment."

Maria Garcia

Co-founder, HealthTech Startup (Series A, 25 employees)

Get Expert CTO Leadership for Your Startup

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your technical needs and challenges. No obligation, no sales pressure.