What does a fractional CTO do?

A fractional CTO provides senior technical leadership on a part-time basis. This includes defining technical architecture, setting engineering standards, leading code reviews, hiring engineers, building the technical roadmap, evaluating vendors, and preparing for investor due diligence — without the $400K salary or 6-month search of a full-time hire.

Fractional CTO vs full-time CTO: which is right for my startup?

If you are pre-Series B or have fewer than 15 engineers, a fractional CTO is almost always the right choice. Full-time CTOs cost $300K–$450K per year in salary alone, plus equity. A fractional CTO delivers the same strategic value at $10K–$15K per month, with no long-term commitment and the ability to pause or cancel anytime.

How many hours per month does a fractional CTO provide?

20–40 dedicated hours per month depending on your needs. This covers weekly syncs, async communication on Slack, architecture reviews, code reviews, hiring interviews, and strategic planning. The engagement scales with your company stage.

How much does a fractional CTO cost?

ThynkQ fractional CTO engagements are $10K–$15K per month. Month-to-month, no long-term contract required. Pause or cancel with 30 days notice.

Do you work with early-stage startups?

Yes. Early-stage startups benefit most from fractional CTO services — they get Fortune 500-caliber technical leadership without the cost of a full-time executive. The engagement is particularly valuable before and during fundraising rounds.

← Services

Fractional CTO

Seniorengineeringleadership.
Withoutthe$400Ksalary.

You need a CTO. Not the equity, not the 6-month search. Architecture, hiring, code quality, and roadmap. Kickoff usually starts within 2 business days, based on capacity.

$10K–$15K/month· 20–40 hrs/mo

Accepting new clients now

Book Fractional CTO scope call →

The math

Same impact. Different cost.

Full-time CTO hire

$0K+

per year + equity + benefits

3–6 months to hire

Equity + benefits required

Full-time commitment

Long-term contract required

ThynkQ Fractional CTO

$10K–$15K

per month · cancel anytime

Kickoff usually starts within 2 business days

No equity. No benefits.

20–40 hrs/month, not 160

Cancel anytime. Month-to-month.

Track record

In production. At scale.

Engineers led at Sanofi

0K+

Monthly AI interactions at Wizz Air

Days from scope to launch

Scope of work

Everything a CTO does. Minus the overhead.

Technical Architecture

Design the system before development starts. Stack selection, data modeling, infrastructure planning. Built to grow without a rewrite.

Engineering Hiring

Write job specs, screen candidates, and run technical interviews. You hire engineers who can actually ship. Not just LeetCode-passers.

Code Review & QA

Review every PR for security issues, performance regressions, and architectural drift. Nothing ships that shouldn't.

Technical Roadmap

Translate business goals into engineering milestones. Every sprint moves the business forward, not just keeping engineers occupied.

Vendor Evaluation

Evaluate tools, APIs, and vendors before you're locked in. Buy vs. build decisions based on your actual constraints, not trend reports.

Investor Communication

Prepare due diligence answers. Help VCs understand what you built. Give them the technical confidence to write the check.

Engagement flow

How we work together.

Kickoff

Full review of your product, codebase, team structure, and 90-day goals.

Architecture Review

Audit what exists. Identify technical debt, security risks, and the fastest path to your next milestone.

Execution

Weekly syncs, PR reviews, hiring support, and real-time technical decisions via Slack.

Roadmap

Quarterly engineering roadmap aligned to business milestones. Engineers always know what to build next, and why it matters.

Ongoing

Continuous strategic guidance. Available on Slack for async questions. No waiting for the next scheduled call.

Get the experience without the hire.

Led a 65-person engineering team at Sanofi. Automated 700K+ monthly AI interactions at Wizz Air. Shipped a full MVP in 21 days. That level of execution, without the full-time hire. Book a call.

Book a free call →See the work →

Get engineering insights

1-2 emails a month on AI engineering, shipping fast, and building products that work.

← Services

Fractional CTO

Seniorengineeringleadership.
Withoutthe$400Ksalary.

You need a CTO. Not the equity, not the 6-month search. Architecture, hiring, code quality, and roadmap. Kickoff usually starts within 2 business days, based on capacity.

$10K–$15K/month· 20–40 hrs/mo

Accepting new clients now

Book Fractional CTO scope call →

The math

Same impact. Different cost.

Full-time CTO hire

$0K+

per year + equity + benefits

3–6 months to hire

Equity + benefits required

Full-time commitment

Long-term contract required

ThynkQ Fractional CTO

$10K–$15K

per month · cancel anytime

Kickoff usually starts within 2 business days

No equity. No benefits.

20–40 hrs/month, not 160

Cancel anytime. Month-to-month.

Track record

In production. At scale.

Engineers led at Sanofi

0K+

Monthly AI interactions at Wizz Air

Days from scope to launch

Scope of work

Everything a CTO does. Minus the overhead.

Technical Architecture

Design the system before development starts. Stack selection, data modeling, infrastructure planning. Built to grow without a rewrite.

Engineering Hiring

Write job specs, screen candidates, and run technical interviews. You hire engineers who can actually ship. Not just LeetCode-passers.

Code Review & QA

Review every PR for security issues, performance regressions, and architectural drift. Nothing ships that shouldn't.

Technical Roadmap

Translate business goals into engineering milestones. Every sprint moves the business forward, not just keeping engineers occupied.

Vendor Evaluation

Evaluate tools, APIs, and vendors before you're locked in. Buy vs. build decisions based on your actual constraints, not trend reports.

Investor Communication

Prepare due diligence answers. Help VCs understand what you built. Give them the technical confidence to write the check.

Engagement flow

How we work together.

Kickoff

Full review of your product, codebase, team structure, and 90-day goals.

Architecture Review

Audit what exists. Identify technical debt, security risks, and the fastest path to your next milestone.

Execution

Weekly syncs, PR reviews, hiring support, and real-time technical decisions via Slack.

Roadmap

Quarterly engineering roadmap aligned to business milestones. Engineers always know what to build next, and why it matters.

Ongoing

Continuous strategic guidance. Available on Slack for async questions. No waiting for the next scheduled call.

Get the experience without the hire.

Led a 65-person engineering team at Sanofi. Automated 700K+ monthly AI interactions at Wizz Air. Shipped a full MVP in 21 days. That level of execution, without the full-time hire. Book a call.

Book a free call →See the work →

Get engineering insights

1-2 emails a month on AI engineering, shipping fast, and building products that work.

Seniorengineeringleadership.Withoutthe$400Ksalary.

Same impact. Different cost.

In production. At scale.

Everything a CTO does. Minus the overhead.

Technical Architecture

Engineering Hiring

Code Review & QA

Technical Roadmap

Vendor Evaluation

Investor Communication

How we work together.

Kickoff

Architecture Review

Execution

Roadmap

Ongoing

Get the experience without the hire.

Seniorengineeringleadership.Withoutthe$400Ksalary.

Same impact. Different cost.

In production. At scale.

Everything a CTO does. Minus the overhead.

Technical Architecture

Engineering Hiring

Code Review & QA

Technical Roadmap

Vendor Evaluation

Investor Communication

How we work together.

Kickoff

Architecture Review

Execution

Roadmap

Ongoing

Get the experience without the hire.

Seniorengineeringleadership.
Withoutthe$400Ksalary.

Seniorengineeringleadership.
Withoutthe$400Ksalary.