Senior technical leadership on demand
Fractional CTO Services
Get CTO-level guidance without the full-time cost. We help with architecture decisions, engineering team building, investor-ready tech due diligence, AI/ML strategy, and vendor management. Ideal for startups between seed and Series B.
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How We Approach Fractional CTO
A senior CTO in a major tech hub commands INR 1–2 crore per year in salary alone. For most startups between seed and Series B, that budget does not exist, but the need for technical leadership does. A fractional CTO gives you 80% of the value at 20% of the cost: strategic guidance, architecture decisions, team leadership, and investor credibility, without the full-time salary.
We are not consultants who hand over a slide deck and leave. As your fractional CTO, we attend your leadership meetings, review your engineering team's work, make architecture decisions alongside your team, and represent the technical function to your board and investors. We are accountable for outcomes, not just advice.
Who is this for
Startups with a non-technical CEO who needs experienced technical leadership. Companies where the founding engineer has outgrown the CTO role and needs strategic support. Funded startups that need to build out an engineering organisation. Startups approaching a fundraise and needing investor-ready technical credibility.
How We Work
Onboarding & Assessment
In the first two weeks, we conduct a full technical assessment: codebase health, infrastructure, team capability, processes, and roadmap. We present findings and an action plan to the founding team.
Weekly Cadence
We establish a weekly rhythm: engineering team standups (as needed), a weekly leadership sync with the founders, and an async channel for day-to-day decisions. We are reachable, not periodic.
Architecture & Technology Decisions
We own all significant technical decisions: stack choices, vendor selection, build vs buy, scaling strategy. Every decision is documented with context and trade-offs for the team to learn from.
Team Building & Hiring
We define the engineering team structure for your current stage, write job descriptions, run technical interviews, and help onboard new engineers. We also work directly with your existing team on code quality, practices, and culture.
Investor & Board Liaison
We prepare and present the technical sections of board decks, respond to investor technical questions, and lead the engineering portion of due diligence. Investors get a credible technical leader to talk to, not just a founder who codes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is an experienced technical executive who works with your company part-time, typically 1–3 days per week, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. They handle strategic technical decisions, team leadership, and investor and board technical conversations, while your existing engineers handle execution.
When should a startup hire a fractional CTO?
The clearest signals are: (1) you are making technical decisions without enough confidence, (2) you are about to hire your first engineering team and do not know how to structure it, (3) you have a fundraise coming up and need technical credibility, or (4) your engineering team is shipping slowly and you do not know why.
How is a fractional CTO different from a tech consultant?
A consultant gives advice and leaves. A fractional CTO takes responsibility: they are in your leadership meetings, accountable to your board, build relationships with your team, and make decisions. The engagement is ongoing and embedded, not episodic.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
Our fractional CTO engagements are structured as a monthly retainer, typically starting at INR 2–4 lakh per month depending on time commitment and scope. This compares to a full-time senior CTO cost of INR 10–20 lakh per month including equity, salary, and benefits.
Can a fractional CTO help with fundraising?
Yes, this is one of the highest-value contributions a fractional CTO makes. We prepare the technical sections of pitch decks, respond to investor technical due diligence, and present credibly to technical investors and partners.
What happens when we are ready to hire a full-time CTO?
We help you hire the right full-time CTO by defining the role requirements and running the technical evaluation. We then run a structured handoff: introducing the new CTO to the team, transferring institutional knowledge, and staying available for 30 days to ensure a smooth transition.
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