The role and who it’s for
What is a fractional CTO?
A CTO who works with several companies instead of one. You get a CTO’s experience at the level of involvement you need: from a sounding board for your decisions to someone who leads all of your technology. You can scale it up or down as your company changes. Working with several companies also means I’ve already seen many of the challenges you’re about to face.
Do you work with solo founders and early-stage startups?
Yes. You can start small, with a single package such as a Launch Readiness Review or Product Planning, or with the Advisor tier of ongoing support, and add more as the company grows. What matters is that you know your market and your customers; I bring the product and tech experience for the rest.
Do you work with established companies too?
Yes. I work with growth-stage startups, established smaller companies, and autonomous units inside larger organizations. The Scale page shows how I help a working product hold up as customers, data, and the team grow. I don’t particularly enjoy working in large corporations with several layers of approval and lots of red tape.
Working with your team
Do you write code yourself?
Not as your developer. I discuss with your developers what needs to happen and why, to make sure they understand it. They own the code; I review it where it matters. I do write small things that help my own work, such as small scripts and checks, and in urgent cases I sometimes step in directly. If you don’t have developers yet, I help you find them.
Do you have your own development team?
No. I don’t sell development, so nothing makes me favor a technology or a vendor, or propose more work than your product needs. When you need developers or an agency, I’m happy to introduce people I’ve had good experiences with, and I take no referral fees.
Can you work with our existing developers or agency?
Yes. Depending on the involvement you choose, I review their plans and proposals, give them clear direction and review what they deliver, or lead the whole team on your behalf. If you’re not sure whether the team is the problem or the solution, a Dev Team & Vendor Health Check gives you a candid picture first.
Where are you based, and which time zones do you cover?
I’m based in Milan and work remotely with clients in North America, Europe, and Asia. For the US East Coast I can cover your whole working day, for the West Coast your morning, and for East Asia from your midday into the evening. With Australia or New Zealand, one of us takes an early or late call, which I’m happy to do. We can have regular calls at fixed times each week, and arrange additional sessions as they come up.
Can you work with us on site?
Yes, when it helps and my schedule allows. I work remotely by default, but I can travel to your offices, for example to spend a week planning with your team. A small engagement can even run entirely on site; in longer ones, most of the work stays remote. We agree on travel case by case. If you need someone in your office every day, a full-time hire fits better, and I can help you find them.
Getting started and terms
Should I start with a package or ongoing support?
A package fits when there’s one clear goal: finding out whether your product is ready to launch or why your team is stuck, planning what to build, or hiring the right people. Ongoing support fits when the decisions keep coming. A package is also a good way to get to know each other: half the fee of a Launch or Scale Readiness Review, a Dev Team & Vendor Health Check, or Product Planning counts toward ongoing support that starts within two months.
How do we start, and do you sign an NDA?
With a free discovery call: you tell me where things stand, and we work out whether a package, ongoing support, or something you can do yourself fits. If we go ahead, you get a fixed quote within two working days. And yes, I’m happy to sign your NDA before you share anything confidential.
How does payment work?
Packages are invoiced half up front and half on delivery; larger or custom engagements can be split into milestones. Ongoing support is invoiced at the start of each month. After the three-month minimum, it continues until you choose to end it, with a month’s notice. You can change the tier or my responsibilities as your needs change. Prices are in euros, and I can also invoice in US dollars, British pounds, Singapore dollars, or other currencies on request.
Do you work for equity?
Usually not. Equity would put me on your cap table, which you may not want if our work together ends one day. If you’d like to include equity alongside a fee, we can talk about it, but it doesn’t replace the fee.
Let’s talk about your product
Whether you’re building something new or growing what you have, tell me where things stand. The first call is free, and you leave with a clear next step.