Do I need a fractional CTO?
Most founders ask this question after one of three things happens: a technology decision stalls because nobody has authority to make it, a prospect or investor asks a technical question they could not answer, or something breaks and they realize nobody fully understands the system.
You probably need a fractional CTO if more than one of these is true:
- Your best engineer made the early technical decisions and now nobody else understands what was built or why
- Technology spending is rising but you cannot connect it to outcomes
- A significant vendor, platform, or architecture decision is approaching and ownership is unclear
- You are preparing for a funding event, acquisition, or due diligence and the technology narrative is not ready
- You have been meaning to address something structural for months and nothing has changed
What a fractional CTO actually does
A fractional CTO holds decision authority over technology on a part-time basis. That means owning the governance structure, translating technical reality into language your board and investors understand, and removing the decisions that are currently stalled.
It is not advisory. The work produces decisions, not recommendations.
What it is not
A fractional CTO is not a project manager, a recruiter, or a substitute for a development team. The work is executive: strategy, ownership, and accountability. Execution is a separate scope.
How to evaluate fit
The right starting point is a 30-minute conversation. Bring the one technology decision that is keeping you up at night. If there is a fit, that becomes clear in the first call.