CTO as a Service
CTO as a Service is a full-time equivalent technical leadership model. You get an acting CTO with 80–90% engagement, without long-term employment or equity. Typical pricing is €15,000–25,000 per month.
Quick Answer
CTO as a Service is best for companies in active growth phase: multiple teams, growing codebase, and serious expectations from customers and investors.
Engagement
4–5 days/week, minimum 6 months.
Scope
Full engineering management, architecture, scaling, hiring.
Deliverables
Roadmap, org structure, metrics, board reporting.
Service Comparison: Which CTO Service Do You Need?
| Service | Best For | Time Commitment | Monthly Cost | Minimum Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Audit | Pre-fundraising, CTO transition, scaling preparation | 1-3 weeks (one-time) | €3,000-8,000 | One-time project |
| Fractional CTO | Seed/Series A startups (5-20 people) | 1-2 days/week | €3,000-5,000 | 3 months |
| CTO as a Service | Series A startups (10-50 developers) | 4-5 days/week | €15,000-25,000 | 6 months |
| Tech Due Diligence | VCs, angel investors, M&A transactions | 1-2 weeks (one-time) | €5,000-15,000 | One-time project |
| Architecture Review | Before scaling, performance issues | 1-4 weeks (one-time) | €4,000-10,000 | One-time project |
| Emergency CTO | Crisis situations, immediate needs | Full-time (80-100 hrs/week initially) | €25,000-40,000 | 1 month |
Who Is CTO as a Service For?
Series A/B startups with 10–30 engineers.
Companies where previous CTO left and a replacement is needed quickly.
Organisations that are not ready to commit equity and full-time salary yet.
Businesses entering new markets with higher reliability and compliance requirements.
Scope of Responsibility
Engineering Management
- Define and maintain engineering roadmap and priorities.
- Run or oversee sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
- Set and track engineering KPIs (velocity, lead time, MTTR, etc.).
Architecture & Scaling
- Design or review system architecture for new and existing services.
- Plan and manage scalability and performance improvements.
- Manage technical debt and refactoring roadmap.
Hiring & Team Development
- Define team structure and roles.
- Lead hiring: JD, interviews, offers.
- Oversee onboarding and performance reviews.
- Develop senior engineers into leads.
Stakeholder & Board Communication
- Partner with CEO, Product, and other executives.
- Report regularly to the Board on technology and risks.
- Prepare materials for investor meetings and due diligence.
- Coordinate with external vendors and partners.
Security, Compliance & Reliability
- Drive security posture improvements (access, encryption, processes).
- Support or lead compliance efforts (GDPR, SOC 2, etc.).
- Ensure robust incident management and post-mortem practices.
CTO as a Service: Engagement Process
Phase 1: Discovery & Assessment (2–3 weeks)
- Review current architecture, team, and roadmap.
- Assess key risks, gaps, and opportunities.
- Define initial 90-day plan.
Phase 2: Stabilise & Align (Months 1–3)
- Stabilise critical systems and processes.
- Align roadmap with business goals and budgets.
- Address urgent staffing and leadership gaps.
Phase 3: Scale & Optimise (Months 4+)
- Execute on scaling roadmap and key initiatives.
- Optimise team structure and engineering practices.
- Prepare for future transitions (e.g., full-time CTO hire).
Client Feedback
"CTO as a Service helped us structure the team, ship faster, and pass investor due diligence. It felt like having a full-time CTO from day one."
CEO, B2B SaaS
Series A SaaS Company
"We needed senior leadership quickly after our CTO left. The engagement stabilised the team and gave us time to hire the right permanent leader."
Founder, Fintech
Fintech Scale-Up
What Is Not Included
- Long-term employment relationship (this is a service contract).
- Hands-on coding as primary responsibility.
- Non-technical departments (sales, marketing, finance) management.