The Leadership Gap
You've built something. It's working. Now you need to make it real—production infrastructure, security, scalability. But a full-time CTO is expensive and takes months to hire.
The Options
Option 1: Hire a Full-Time CTO
- Best for: Post-Series A with significant capital to deploy
- Timeline: 3-6 months to hire, 3 months to ramp
- Cost: High base salary + equity
Option 2: Fractional CTO
- Best for: Seed to Series A, need expertise without overhead
- Timeline: Days to weeks
- Cost: Monthly retainer for senior guidance
Option 3: Technical Partner (Like Us)
- Best for: Building your first product or major features
- Timeline: Start in days
- Cost: Fixed project fee (Launch Track) or custom scope (Funded Track)
When Fractional Works Best
- You need senior judgment, not just execution
- Your product is evolving rapidly
- You can't justify (or find) a senior full-time hire
- You need to ship in weeks, not quarters
When to Consider a Build Partner
If you don't just need advice—you need someone to actually build it—a technical partnership often makes more sense than fractional hours:
- Fixed price, clear deliverables
- Working product in 14 days
- No managing developers
- We take responsibility for the outcome
Our Funded Track is designed specifically for startups that have raised capital and need both strategic guidance and execution.
When Fractional Doesn't Work
- You need full-time hands on keyboards
- The technology is deeply specialized
- You've raised enough to attract top full-time talent
- Company culture requires a dedicated leader
The Practical Test
Ask: "What do I need in the next 6 months?"
If it's building a first version, getting to market, shipping an MVP—a build partnership makes sense.
If it's building a 20-person engineering org—hire full-time.
Related Reading
For a detailed cost breakdown of fractional vs full-time CTO options—including our Growth and Scale retainer tiers—read Fractional CTO vs Full-Time CTO: What Funded Startups Actually Need.
You don't have to figure this out alone. We step in as your CTO—handling the technical side, making the hard decisions, and building what matters. Book a call to find the right fit.