Fractional CTO
A fractional CTO brings the technical leadership of a senior CTO into a startup, part-time and without the cost of a full-time hire. Here is what this role actually does, when it makes sense to bring one in, and how an engagement with me works.
What a fractional CTO is
A fractional CTO is a Chief Technology Officer who works part-time, not full-time and not as an employee. The decisions are the same ones a full-time CTO would make (stack, architecture, technical roadmap, first hires), but with a milestone-based mandate and a commitment of a few days a week, inside the team, not as an outside-only advisor.
What it does (and does not do)
What it does: sets the stack and architecture, writes the technical roadmap, leads the first tech hires, does code review, sits in on investor due diligence calls. What it does not do: it does not replace a development team, it is not a full-time coder, and it is not a project manager tracking every single ticket. The value is in the decisions that otherwise fall through the gap between a non-technical founder and a team executing without direction.
When you need a fractional CTO
You need one when a non-technical founder has to make technical decisions they cannot evaluate alone, when a development team executes well but lacks architectural direction, or when you are preparing for a raise and need someone who can answer a technical due diligence. It is not yet the right moment if the product does not exist and the priority is validating an idea with no-code tools: that moment comes one step later.
How it works: time and contract
The model I use is simple: a day and a half a week inside the team, written milestones every 30 days, an initial 3-month contract with monthly renewal after. A fixed monthly fee, not billed hours: you pay for decisions and direction, not time spent at the keyboard. A typical engagement lasts between 4 and 8 months; when the team can walk on its own, I step out.
Fractional CTO, in-house CTO or technical cofounder
A full-time in-house CTO makes sense once the product and team are large enough to absorb a dedicated role, with the fixed cost that comes with it. A technical cofounder brings equity and a permanent commitment, but it is a decision you make once, and it changes the cap table. A fractional CTO sits in between: senior technical leadership, part-time commitment, no dilution, and the ability to scale up or stop the engagement as needs change.
Fractional CTO in Italy, remote
I work remotely with startups in Italy and beyond: calls, written milestones and presence in the team's channels (Slack, Linear) matter more than a physical office. I work with a few startups at a time, by choice: the quality of the work depends on not spreading thin across too many engagements at once.
Frequently asked questions
What does a fractional CTO do?
Leads a startup's technical decisions part-time: stack, architecture, roadmap, first hires, code review, presence in technical due diligence. Not a full-time coder, but the person deciding where the technology goes and why.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
The model is a fixed monthly fee, not hourly: it depends on the agreed workload, typically a day and a half a week. Initial 3-month contract with monthly renewal, discussed on a no-commitment call.
Fractional CTO or in-house CTO?
It depends on the stage. A fractional CTO makes sense when you need senior technical leadership without the cost and time of a full-time hire; an in-house CTO makes sense once the team is already large enough to justify a dedicated full-time role.
How many startups do you work with at a time?
Few, by choice. I'd rather say no than be a half-time consultant spread across too many projects.
Do you only work with Italian startups?
No, I work remotely: the fit depends on the project, not the location.
Do you still write code?
Yes, when it is needed to unblock something or to make architectural decisions hands-on, but it is not the main activity: the value of a fractional CTO is in the decisions, not the hours of code.