Fractional CTO: outsourced technical leadership for your company
Senior technical leadership without the cost of a full-time CTO. As your outsourced CTO I decide architecture, tools, hiring and priorities with you — at whatever level of involvement your company needs, usually one or two days a week.
Technical leadership for your team
A fractional CTO —or outsourced CTO— is an external technical director who dedicates part of their time to your company instead of joining full-time. They bring senior judgment on architecture, tools, technical hiring and priorities, without the burden of a permanent hire. This is the model often called CTO as a Service.
It's transitional by design: it makes sense when there's a specific technical gap — pre-hiring an in-house CTO, launching a product, scaling, or steadying a junior team. Once that gap closes, the engagement ends.
As your fractional CTO I work embedded in the team: an initial technical due diligence and 90-day roadmap, weekly meetings, technical supervision of your team or vendors, support with technical hiring, and async availability over WhatsApp and email between sessions.
Why
Why a fractional CTO
A senior in-house CTO costs €80,000–150,000 a year in Spain, plus equity and benefits. The fractional model gives you the same judgment without that load: available from week one, with an outside perspective not trapped in the team's day-to-day, and designed as a transitional model for a specific phase — not an open-ended commitment.
Pricing
Pricing
The price for the fractional CTO service is set on the first call, based on involvement (days per week) and duration. The reference is €3,500–7,000/month for 1–2 days a week; from €7,000/month for greater dedication (3+ days a week) and from €10,000/month for large-scale or international projects. The prices shown are indicative and for example only: the final price varies case by case. Click "Show price" for the reference figure.
FAQs
Fractional CTO — frequently asked questions
What exactly is a fractional CTO?
An external technical director who dedicates part of their time to your company, usually one or two days a week, instead of joining the payroll. You get senior judgment on architecture, tools and technical hiring without the cost of a full-time hire.
How is it different from hiring a full-time CTO?
An in-house CTO makes sense when the technical load is constant and long-term. The fractional model fits when the need is a specific phase — launching a product, scaling, steadying a junior team or preparing to hire the permanent CTO — and you want to start in days, not months.
How long does a fractional CTO engagement last?
It's transitional by design. I recommend a minimum of 3 months so the audit and roadmap pay off, and the engagement ends when the technical gap closes. I don't look for open-ended relationships.
What kind of company is it for?
Mostly startups and SMBs with no in-house CTO, or with a junior technical team that needs senior judgment. Also companies about to hire a CTO that want to prepare the ground and the hire itself.
Do you replace my team or work with it?
I work with your team, not instead of it. I provide technical leadership, judgment and supervision; the team — in-house or vendors — keeps executing, now with clear priorities and sound architecture decisions.
Shall we talk about your case?
Tell me where your company stands technically and where it's stuck. On the first call I'll tell you honestly whether a fractional CTO is a fit and how I'd approach it — scope, involvement and timeline.