CTO-as-a-Service  /  Fractional Technical Leadership

Senior technical leadership, without the $250K salary and equity

Get a 15-year technical architect on your team for a fraction of the cost. Strategy, architecture review, code audits, and team mentoring — the judgment of a full-time CTO, sized to what your stage actually needs.

Estimate Your Cost Savings

What could a fractional CTO save vs. full-time?

A rough, directional estimate — not a quote — comparing typical fractional CTO cost against a full-time hire at your team size.

15 engineers
$260,000
Est. Annual Full-Time CTO Cost (Salary + Equity)
$54,000
Est. Annual Fractional CTO Cost
$206,000
Est. Annual Savings
Cost EfficiencyHigh
Directional estimate only. Full-time CTO cost assumes typical US market salary + equity value for the given team size; fractional cost based on typical hourly engagement rates. Actual costs vary by market, seniority required, and equity structure. Book a call for a scoped proposal.

Why Companies Need This Before They Need a Full-Time CTO

Companies with 5–50 engineers are large enough to need strategic technical leadership but not yet ready for a full-time CTO's salary and equity. A fractional CTO closes that gap — architecture guidance, code reviews, team mentoring, and vendor evaluation, without the full-time overhead. Think of it as your most trusted technical advisor, on retainer rather than on payroll.

AI Search & AEO/GEO Impact

Technology roadmap decisions increasingly need to account for how AI systems will interact with your product — API design for AI agent integration, content architecture for AI search visibility, and infrastructure decisions that anticipate AI-driven traffic patterns. This is now a standard part of our architecture review, not a separate specialization.

Core Capabilities

Fractional CTO Services, End to End

Get a 15-year technical architect on your team for a fraction of the cost. Strategy, code reviews, architecture decisions, and team leadership — without the full-time salary.

01

Technical Strategy

Define your technology roadmap and architecture strategy. We align technical decisions with business objectives, evaluate build vs. buy decisions, and create execution plans your team can deliver.

technical strategytechnology roadmap
02

Architecture Review

Review your current architecture for scalability, security, and performance gaps. We identify technical debt, recommend modernization paths, and design systems that scale with your growth.

architecture reviewtechnical debt
03

Team Leadership

Provide technical leadership to your engineering team. We run code reviews, establish engineering standards, mentor senior developers, and improve code quality and velocity.

engineering leadershipcode review standards
04

Code Audit

Deep audit of your codebase for quality, security, and maintainability. We identify critical vulnerabilities, performance bottlenecks, and refactoring priorities with clear remediation plans.

code auditsecurity vulnerabilities
05

Technology Roadmap

Create a technology roadmap that supports your business growth over 12–36 months. We plan migrations, evaluate new technologies, and ensure your tech stack evolves with your needs.

technology roadmapmigration planning
06

AI-Readiness Architecture

We evaluate whether your infrastructure and content architecture are ready for AI agent integrations and AI-search visibility — a factor increasingly part of technical due diligence and fundraising conversations.

AI readinessAI agent architecture

What We Deliver

What We Provide

The judgment and hands-on execution of a senior technical leader, part-time.

Architecture

Architecture Planning

Design scalable, secure system architectures that support your business growth. We create architecture decision records, design documents, and implementation guides your team can execute.

Quality

Code Review & Standards

Establish code review processes and engineering standards that improve quality and velocity. We review critical code paths, set up linting and CI checks, and train your team.

Vendors

Vendor Evaluation

Evaluate technology vendors, SaaS tools, and outsourcing partners objectively — technical capabilities, security posture, integration complexity, and total cost of ownership.

People

Team Mentoring

Mentor your senior developers and engineering leads with 1:1 coaching, architecture discussions, and help developing the skills to make better technical decisions.

Security

Security Audits

Audit your application security, infrastructure, and data handling practices. We identify vulnerabilities, recommend fixes, and help implement security best practices across your stack.

Selection

Technology Selection

Select the right technologies for your specific needs — frameworks, databases, cloud services, and tools based on your requirements, not hype or personal preference.

Process

How We Deliver

A structured approach to providing technical leadership.

01

Assess

We assess your current technical landscape — architecture, team capabilities, code quality, and technology stack — identifying critical gaps and quick wins.

02

Strategize

We develop a technology strategy aligned with business objectives, creating a prioritized roadmap and establishing the standards your team needs.

03

Implement

We guide implementation of key initiatives — architecture changes, technology migrations, process improvements — working alongside your team with hands-on guidance.

04

Lead

We provide ongoing technical leadership through regular office hours, architecture reviews, and strategy sessions — your trusted technical advisor for critical decisions.

Tools We Use

React / Next.jsNode.js / TypeScriptPythonPostgreSQLAWS / GCPKubernetes

Pricing

Fixed price. No hourly surprises.

Light Touch

10 hrs/mo
Ad-hoc guidance
  • Monthly strategy session
  • Async architecture reviews
  • Vendor evaluation support
  • Slack access for questions
Get a Quote

Standard

20 hrs/mo
Weekly involvement
  • Weekly strategy & code review
  • Ongoing architecture guidance
  • Team mentoring sessions
  • Technology roadmap ownership
Book CTO Call

Scaling Team

30-40 hrs/mo
Migrations & critical periods
  • Everything in Standard
  • Hands-on migration support
  • Fundraising technical diligence prep
  • Priority availability
Get a Quote

Verified Results

Real engagements, real outcomes

Every number below is from a documented client engagement. Full breakdowns are on our case studies page.

Fintech · Architecture Rebuild

Koya DocuTracker

An AI-driven fintech platform for digitising trading and financing agreements across a $500 trillion market. We rebuilt onboarding, simplified navigation, and increased institutional investor retention.

Live
Production
Onboarding
Rebuilt
Read Full Case Study →
Web Development · Architecture

Dot2Dot Malaysia

A creative agency with a strong portfolio but weak online visibility. We rebuilt their site architecture and search presence to turn project showcases into inbound leads.

Live
Production
Architecture
Rebuilt
Read Full Case Study →
E-Catering · Scalable Architecture

Relfood

Premium IRCTC e-catering platform. Station-specific landing pages, cuisine content hubs, and performance optimisation across 5,000+ trains.

Live
Production
5,000+
Trains Covered
Read Full Case Study →

What Clients Say

Direct feedback from engagements

Full write-ups and verified metrics live on our case studies page — a few highlights below.

★★★★★

"We were about to make a costly platform migration decision. One architecture review session saved us months of rework."

Client NameSeries B Startup — replace with verified quote
★★★★★

"Having someone senior review PRs weekly changed our whole team's code quality within a quarter."

Client NameGrowth-Stage SaaS — replace with verified quote
★★★★★

"They talked us out of a vendor everyone else recommended, and were right — it would have locked us in badly."

Client NameFintech — replace with verified quote

Placeholder quotes shown above — pull verified testimonials from mrooi.com/case-studies once accessible, and swap in before publishing.

Common Questions

FAQ

What is a fractional CTO?+
A fractional CTO is a senior technical leader who works with your company part-time — typically 10–20 hours per month. You get the strategic thinking and experience of a full-time CTO without the $250K+ annual salary and equity: architecture guidance, code reviews, team mentoring, vendor evaluation, and technology strategy.
Part-TimeSenior Level
How many hours per month do I need?+
Most clients start with 20 hours per month — enough for weekly strategy sessions, code reviews, and ad-hoc guidance. Some scale down to 10 for lighter engagement; companies going through major migrations may need 30–40 during critical periods.
10-20 HoursFlexible
How is this different from a technical consultant?+
Consultants deliver reports and leave. A fractional CTO becomes part of your team — we attend standups, review PRs, mentor developers, and provide ongoing technical leadership, invested in your long-term success, not just billable hours.
Team MemberLong-Term
What size companies benefit most from a fractional CTO?+
Companies with 5–50 engineers benefit most — large enough to need strategic technical leadership, but not yet ready for a full-time CTO. This typically means Series A–B startups and growing mid-market companies, especially those preparing for fundraising or major launches.
5-50 EngineersSeries A-B
What technologies do you specialize in?+
Deep expertise in modern web technologies — React, Next.js, Node.js, TypeScript, Python, PostgreSQL, AWS, GCP, and Kubernetes — plus legacy systems and enterprise architectures. We evaluate technology objectively, recommending what's right for your context, not a fixed stack.
Modern Web StackObjective Evaluation
Does technical strategy now include AI-readiness?+
Yes — increasingly this is a standard part of architecture review, not an add-on. We evaluate API design for AI agent integrations, content structure for AI-search visibility, and infrastructure decisions that anticipate AI-driven traffic and usage patterns.
AI-Ready Architecture
Can a fractional CTO help with fundraising technical diligence?+
Yes. We help prepare architecture documentation, code quality assessments, and scalability narratives that hold up under investor technical due diligence — a common reason companies bring us on before a raise.
Fundraising SupportTechnical Diligence

Ready?

Get senior technical leadership

Get senior technical leadership without the full-time cost. Architecture, code reviews, team mentoring, and technology strategy — starting at 20 hours per month.