When Your Startup Needs a Fractional CTO (And When It Doesn't)
A decision guide for non-technical founders considering fractional CTO services
Author: Taylor Cox
• Published: 1/15/2024
• fractional cto startups technical leadership
Introduction
As a non-technical founder, you’re faced with countless technical decisions. Should you hire a full-time CTO? Can you get by with freelancers? Or is a fractional CTO the right fit?
When You Need a Fractional CTO
You’re in the building phase, hiring developers, and need someone to:
- Review vendor proposals and prevent overpaying
- Audit code quality and architecture decisions
- Translate business needs into technical requirements
- Make build vs. buy decisions
When You Don’t
A fractional CTO isn’t right if you:
- Need someone to write code daily
- Want 24/7 Slack availability
- Have a team of 1-2 people (you might need a senior dev instead)
- Are pre-revenue with no technical budget
The Bottom Line
A fractional CTO is insurance against getting ripped off. If you’re spending $10K+ on development, you need someone watching your back.