Fractional CTO Guidance
You don’t need a full-time CTO yet, but you do need senior technology judgment in the room: which architecture to bet on and what to build first. That’s the gap a fractional CTO fills.
I’m Jake, and I’ve been building software for a living since 2006. Many of those years were inside large organizations, where I watched good ideas stall under heavy process and feedback loops that took weeks instead of minutes. I’ve also shipped alongside founders validating an MVP before raising and CTOs scaling past their first 50 engineers. That range is what I bring to a fractional engagement: the big-company view of what derails projects, and the builder’s instinct for actually shipping.
What I do
Strategy and roadmaps. We work out what to build and in what order, tied to the outcome you’re after rather than a list of features.
Architecture and technology decisions. Which stack, which database, which vendors. I default to boring, well-supported choices and push back when something flashier adds risk without earning it.
Team and hiring. Who you need next, how to interview them, and how to set the bar so the team carries the work after I’m gone.
Risk and technical debt. The things that will slow you down in six months if no one names them now.
If you also want the work built, this connects straight to the weekly sprint model: I can advise, then put a senior engineer (often me) on the delivery.
How it works
We meet on a regular cadence. Between sessions I review your code, architecture, and plans, and you get recommendations you can act on. No theater, no slide decks for their own sake. If a decision can be made in 20 minutes, we make it in 20 minutes.
Who it’s for
Founders and small-company leaders who need seasoned technology judgment more often than they need a full-time executive, and who want advice from someone who still writes code.