# Fractional CTO: Technical Leadership Without a Full-Time Hire

> Fractional CTO and technical leadership for startups and product teams: roadmap, architecture, hiring and the hard-to-reverse calls, from someone who has held the CTO, CPTO and Head of Engineering roles.

A fractional CTO gives a company senior technical leadership on a part-time basis: the roadmap, the team shape, and the calls that are expensive to get wrong — without the cost of a full-time executive before the company needs one.

## Why this, from me

I have held the role itself — CTO at Lun Startup Studio, Head of Engineering at Rize.gg and CPTO at One Studio — and founded and run 3x1. The decisions a fractional CTO helps with are the ones I have made in those seats: what to build first, who to hire, which architecture to commit to, and when to rebuild.

## When the model fits

- Founders without a technical co-founder who need decisions made well, not just code written.
- Teams whose engineering has grown faster than its structure.
- Companies facing a high-stakes technical decision: a rebuild, a platform change, an AI strategy.

## What it is — and what it is not

- **Not delivery.** A fractional CTO leads and decides; building is a separate engagement — see [custom software](/en/services/custom-software) or [MVP development](/en/services/mvp-development).
- **Not only AI.** AI strategy is one part of the role; for a focused AI engagement see [AI consulting](/en/ai/consulting).
- **Not a report.** The work happens in the team's rhythm: roadmap reviews, architecture decisions, hiring loops.

## What it covers

- Technical roadmap and architecture decisions
- Team structure, roles and hiring
- Vendor, stack and build-versus-buy decisions
- AI strategy: where agents and AI tooling genuinely pay off

Engagements run on a regular cadence with the founders and the engineering lead. [Start a conversation](/en/contact) about fit, or see [software architecture consulting](/en/services/engineering-architecture) for a one-off review.

## FAQ

### How much time does a fractional CTO spend with us?
It is agreed per engagement, usually a fixed number of days or hours a month, with regular fixed sessions.

### Do you hire and manage engineers?
I help define roles, run technical interviews and set up how the team works. Day-to-day management can be part of it where agreed.

### What happens when we need a full-time CTO?
Part of the role is preparing for that: defining the position, helping recruit, and handing over.

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Source: https://fadymondy.com/en/services/fractional-cto