You're a non-technical founder
You're making big technology bets, like hiring, vendors and architecture, and you don't have anyone to pressure-test them.
taking on new clients
Senior technical leadership,
without the full-time hire.
I work as a fractional CTO for startups and growing companies. I set the technical strategy, steady the team, and make sure what you're building can carry the business, for a fraction of what a full-time executive costs.
sound familiar?
Most companies don't need a full-time CTO yet. They do need CTO-level judgment.
The team ships, but slowly
Deadlines slip, estimates mean little, and nobody can say clearly why. Your engineers need direction, not more pressure.
An outside agency built your product
You're paying for work you can't evaluate and wondering whether to bring development in-house, and how.
A raise or acquisition is coming
Investors will ask hard technical questions. You want clear answers and a stack that holds up to diligence.
Your CTO just left
You need steady leadership now, plus help defining and hiring the right permanent replacement.
The system is straining
Outages, rising cloud bills, and a codebase everyone is afraid to touch. Growth is exposing the shortcuts.
services
Leadership first. Hands on keyboard when it counts.
Every engagement is shaped around where your company is today. Most clients start with a conversation and an audit, then move into an ongoing fractional role.
fractional_ctocore offering
Fractional CTO
Ongoing technical leadership on a monthly retainer. I sit at the leadership table, own the technical direction, and stay accountable for the outcome.
- Technical strategy and a roadmap tied to business goals
- Engineering team leadership, hiring, and process
- Architecture and build-vs-buy decisions
- Vendor and agency oversight
- Board and investor communication
due_diligence
Technical Due Diligence
A focused assessment before you invest, acquire, raise or rebuild, with a clear, plain-English report on what you have and what it will take.
- Codebase, architecture, and security review
- Team and delivery process assessment
- Risk register with prioritized remediation
tech_assessment
Architecture & Team Audit
A one-time deep dive for companies that feel stuck. I find what is slowing you down and give you a concrete plan to fix it.
- Delivery bottleneck analysis
- Infrastructure and cloud cost review
- 90-day action plan
build
Hands-on Development
When the job calls for it, I still build. MVPs, integrations, automation, and performance work, delivered by someone who thinks about the whole system.
- MVPs and prototypes
- Workflow automation and integrations
- Performance and reliability fixes
how it works
A clear path from "something's off" to a team that runs well.
- week 0
Intro call
A free 30-minute conversation about where you are, what's in the way, and whether fractional leadership is the right fit. If it isn't, I'll tell you.
- weeks 1–4
Assess
I learn the business, the people, the code, and the infrastructure, then deliver a candid written assessment and a prioritized plan.
- months 2–3
Stabilize
We tackle the highest-leverage problems first: delivery process, critical risks, key hires, and runaway costs. You see momentum quickly.
- ongoing
Lead & scale
A steady cadence of leadership, with team 1:1s, roadmap ownership, and exec and board updates, until you are ready for a full-time CTO. Then I help you hire one.
about
An engineer who learned to lead, and still speaks both languages.
I started Narrowstaq to build software for growing businesses. Over time the work changed. Clients came to me less for code and more for judgment: which platform to bet on, how to structure the team, whether the agency was delivering, how to explain the technology to their board.
Now that is the work. I act as the technical leader for companies that need one but aren't ready for, or don't need, a full-time executive. I'm still hands-on enough to read the code and talk shop with your engineers, and senior enough to own the outcome alongside you.
Business first
Technology decisions are business decisions. I explain the trade-offs in plain English so you can make the call.
Candid
You're paying for an honest read. If something's broken, including a plan you're attached to, you'll hear it from me.
Built to hand off
Good leadership leaves the team stronger without me. Documentation, process, and people come before heroics.
faq
Questions people ask first.
What exactly is a fractional CTO?
An experienced technology executive who works with your company part-time, typically a set number of days or hours a month, on a retainer. You get CTO-level strategy, leadership, and accountability without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire.
How much of your time do I get?
It depends on the stage and the need. Most engagements run between one and three days a week, with flexibility for crunch periods. We'll scope it together after the intro call.
Do you work with my existing team or agency?
Yes, that's most of the job. I lead and support your in-house engineers, contractors, or agency partners, and help you decide over time which mix makes sense.
Do you still write code?
When it's the highest-leverage thing to do, yes: prototypes, critical fixes, proofs of concept, and code reviews. But the goal is a team that ships without depending on me.
How long do engagements last?
Assessments run a few weeks. Fractional CTO retainers usually last six months or more, often until the company is ready for a full-time CTO. At that point I help define the role and run the search.
What does it cost?
Pricing depends on scope and time commitment, and is a fraction of a full-time executive's salary, equity, and benefits. Book an intro call and I'll give you a straight number.
next step
Let's talk about where your technology needs to go.
30 minutes, no pitch deck, no obligation. You'll leave with at least one useful idea, whether or not we work together.