// fractional cto retainer
Senior Engineering Leadership Without the Full-Time Overhead
Series A–C companies need CTO-level thinking but can't justify a $400K–$600K full-time hire. I provide hands-on architectural guidance, direct team mentorship, and board-level technical communication on a retainer that scales with what you actually need.
// is this for me?
You're the right fit if…
Your technical co-founder is maxed out and engineering decisions are slipping
You're 3–6 months from a fundraising round and need technical due diligence prep
Your first CTO just departed and you have a gap to bridge
The engineering team is making architectural decisions that will be expensive to unwind
Investors have asked about your technical leadership and you don't have a good answer
Best fit stage: Series A through Series C, 5–50 engineers. Strongest match in AI/ML, SaaS, IoT, and developer-facing products. Deep domain specialties (biotech, finance) are not a fit.
// what you get
What's Included
2–4 days/month of direct engagement: architecture reviews, team leadership sessions, investor/board technical preparation
On-call technical judgment: async, same-day response on critical architecture and hiring decisions
Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) documenting key choices and rationale for future engineering leads
Engineering team structure and hiring plan input — including interview participation for senior roles
Technical due diligence documentation for fundraising rounds
Direct access to Kaigents for AI agent team evaluation and deployment when relevant to your product
// what's not included
Full-time availability — this is a fractional role with a maximum of 2 active retainer clients
People management of the engineering team (advisory and guidance only, not line management)
Product roadmap ownership — that remains with the CEO and CPO
Implementation work — unless scoped separately as an MVP Build engagement
// how it works
The Engagement Model
01
Fit Conversation
A 30-minute no-cost call to assess whether the engagement makes sense for both sides. No deck. No sales process.
02
Technical Due Diligence
A one-session deep dive ($2,500 fixed) that produces a written assessment of the engineering state, top three risks, and a proposed retainer scope.
03
Retainer Engagement
3-month minimum commitment at the agreed scope and fee. Month-to-month after that. You can scale up, scale down, or transition to a full-time hire at any time.
// pricing
Fractional CTO Retainer
$6,000–$10,000/ month
3-month minimum · then month-to-month
+ $2,500 one-time technical due diligence session (required before retainer)
Capacity: maximum 2 active retainer clients simultaneously
Ready to talk about the engineering state?
The first conversation is 30 minutes and costs nothing. If it's not a fit, you'll know immediately — and I'll tell you why.