Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership, part time.
A fractional CTO is an experienced technology leader who works with your company part-time on a monthly retainer. They own the technical direction: architecture, roadmap, vendors, security, and a steady hand on your developers. You get the judgment of a CTO without the full-time salary.
What a fractional CTO does
The same job a full-time CTO does, on fewer hours.
Architecture
What gets built on what, and why. Chosen so you can still change your mind in two years.
Roadmap
What to build now, what to wait on, and what to skip. Tied to the business, not to what is fun.
Vendors and tools
Which platforms to buy, which to build, and what to do when a vendor lets you down.
Security
Access, backups, and the questions a customer or auditor will ask before you can answer them.
Your developers
Code review, priorities, hiring input, and decisions made fast enough that nobody sits waiting.
Fractional CTO, agency, or full-time hire
Different jobs. Picking the wrong one is expensive in both directions.
Fractional CTO
You need senior judgment and leadership, but not a full week of it. Best when you have developers, or a vendor, and nobody to steer them.
Agency
You know what you want built and need a team to build it. Best for a defined project. Less suited to deciding what the project should be.
Full-time hire
The technical work fills every week and will keep doing so. Best once the company can carry a full-time executive salary.
What Brian brings
Brian Foster co-founded Raven Studios in 2008 and leads it today. He has built software for more than 25 years and has worked hands-on with AI for the last five.
That means you are not hiring a strategist who last wrote code a decade ago. He still builds, ships, and runs production systems, including Raven’s own products, MeetBobbie and Reserved For Her. He knows what a decision costs a year from now because he has had to live in the result.
Related work
Move-N
Platform engineering and technical leadership for a senior living software company, including Azure backup protection for 77 production databases with 15-minute log backups.
Joisu
Fractional CTO for The Feel Good Engine, a clinician-led wellness platform: architecture, delivery pipeline, security, and the clinician portal.
Pricing
A monthly retainer, quoted after a call.
We talk through what you need, how many hours a month that takes, and whether a fractional CTO is the right fit at all. If it is not, we will say so.
Fractional CTO questions
What does a fractional CTO do?
A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader you hire part-time. They set the technical direction, make architecture and vendor calls, review security, guide your developers, and translate between the technical team and the people running the business.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
It is a monthly retainer, quoted after a call. The price depends on how many hours a month you need and how hands-on you want us to be. We would rather scope it with you than publish a number that fits nobody.
Fractional CTO, agency, or full-time hire?
Hire an agency when you know what you want built and need hands to build it. Hire full time when the technical work is large enough to fill every week. Bring in a fractional CTO when you need senior judgment and a steady hand on the team, but not 40 hours a week of it.
Can you work with the developers I already have?
Yes, that is the most common setup. We review how your team builds and ships, help set priorities, and unblock decisions. We do not replace a team that is working.
Do you write code, or only advise?
Both, depending on what you need. Brian Foster has built software for 25 years and still writes it. Some clients want advice only. Others want a technical leader who also ships.
Need a technical lead you can call?
Start with a call. We will tell you plainly whether a fractional CTO is what you need.