Hands-on fractional CTO
that ships.

A fractional CTO is a senior engineering leader who owns your technical direction part-time. In practice I set architecture and the technical roadmap, lead and hire the engineering team, act as the technical counterparty for the board and investors, and stay hands-on in the codebase. It's the same accountability as a full-time CTO — outcomes, not hours — at 1–2 days per week. I work with pre-seed to Series A startups.

Fractional CTOs in the UK typically run from roughly £800–£1,500 per day, or £4k–£12k per month depending on days per week and scope — a fraction of the £150k–£200k+ all-in cost of a full-time CTO. I don't publish a fixed rate because it depends on stage, scope, and hours; the discovery call is free and I quote on the follow-up.

Hire fractional when you need senior technical leadership — architecture, hiring, a technical voice for investors — but can't yet justify or afford a full-time CTO. That's most pre-seed to Series A startups. It's ideal when you have 2–15 engineers (or none yet), a founder who isn't deeply technical, or a raise coming up. Once you're post-Series B and need someone in the building full-time, a fractional CTO is the wrong fit and I'll tell you so.

An advisor gives you a few hours a month of guidance and takes no ownership. A consultant delivers a scoped project and leaves. A fractional CTO is embedded and accountable: I own technical decisions, run the team, write production code, and report to the board — I don't just advise, I build. That ownership is the difference.

I do — every week. Writing production code keeps the strategy honest: every architectural call I make, I'm also accountable for living with as a contributor on the same codebase. I ship in Java, TypeScript, Node, Python, and Solidity, and pair with the team on the hard problems.

Deliberately few. I cap concurrent engagements at 3 so every client gets real attention — not someone splitting their calendar eight ways. There are 2 slots open this quarter. Once they're filled, the next opening is typically 60–90 days out, so if you're weighing a call, book it now rather than later.

I embed with your team 1–2 days per week on a fixed monthly retainer. You get senior technical leadership for a fraction of a full-time CTO's cost — typically £80k–150k saved annually.

Pre-seed to Series A. Usually 2–15 engineers. If you're post-Series B and need someone full-time, I'll tell you on the discovery call.

No. Pricing depends on scope, stage, and hours per week. The discovery call is free and I'll quote on the follow-up.

Remote-first, UK-based. I travel on-site for workshops, kickoffs, board meetings, critical hires, and any other moment where being in the room actually matters. Expenses billed at cost.

You do. Standard work-for-hire terms in every engagement contract — no ambiguity, no IP carve-outs.

30 days either side after the initial 2-week assessment. No long tie-ins.

Yes. 5–7 day turnaround, fixed fee, written report ready for investment committee.

Yes — I've run full pre-seed fundraising with founders from the inside. Contracts (SeedLegals), financial modelling, investor DD, and deal negotiation. Not as a placement agent or introducer: as the technical co-founder-equivalent who owns the workstream alongside you.