Technical Direction
Architecture and stack decisions aligned with business goals and execution constraints.
Fractional CTO
Senior part-time technical direction: we decide architecture, stack and priorities, lead whoever builds and answer for delivery. Without hiring a full-time CTO.
- AWS
- Node.js
Core Capabilities
The foundations we use to build digital solutions that stay scalable and high-performing.
Team Enablement
Coaching and delivery structure to increase team autonomy, speed, and ownership.
Delivery Governance
Rituals and metrics to monitor priorities, progress, and execution risk.
What a Fractional CTO is, and when it pays off
A Fractional CTO is a senior technical director who works for your company part-time, on an agreed and ongoing commitment. They decide the architecture, choose the stack, lead whoever builds and answer for delivery: the same responsibilities as an in-house CTO, on a fraction of the time and without a hire.
Direction, not opinions
We make the calls on architecture, stack and priorities, and we own them. We don't hand over a document with three options: we choose, and we stay until the choice produces measurable effects.
The team grows, it doesn't depend
We define the roles to fill, assess candidates and work alongside the developers already there. The goal is stated up front: a Fractional CTO who becomes indispensable has failed the mandate.
It scales, and it can end
An in-house CTO is a fixed annual cost and a months-long search. A fractional engagement is sized on the quarter and closes with notice, without dismantling a structure you just built.
When a Fractional CTO helps, and when it doesn't
The deciding factor isn't company size: it's how many technical decisions are open, and who currently owns them.
It helps when
- You have a product in production and nobody in-house deciding on architecture.
- You're about to hire your first developers and have no way to assess them.
- An outside vendor runs all your software and you can't verify what they deliver.
- The product has grown and the early choices have started to cost you.
- You're facing technical due diligence and need someone who can hold that conversation.
It doesn't when
- You need someone to write code: that's a developer, and it costs less.
- You already have an in-house CTO who decides and has the time to do it.
- You have one narrow question: that's a few hours of consulting, not an ongoing mandate.
- You want to hand technology off and stop thinking about it: technical direction only works if someone in-house stays involved.
What a Fractional CTO costs
Behind this question there's almost always another one: is it cheaper than hiring. The comparison starts from the numbers of the alternative.
In Italy a CTO with five to ten years of experience reaches €100,000 gross per year, and those with more than ten exceed it. On top of gross pay come social contributions and severance accrual, bringing the cost to the company to around €135,000-140,000 a year, before bonuses, tooling and equity. Then there's time: hiring for a technical leadership role takes months, and if the person is wrong you pay for it twice.
A fractional engagement is paid through a monthly retainer sized on the agreed hours. We don't publish a rate because the number depends on how open the technical front is: a company still choosing its stack and one with five developers to coordinate have different needs. We set it case by case, on a call, before starting.
Fractional CTO, in-house CTO, consultant or software house
Four different ways to source technical capability. None is best in the abstract: what changes is responsibility, timing and duration.
| Fractional CTO | In-house CTO | Project consultant | Software house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership of decisions | Ongoing | Ongoing | Recommends, doesn't decide | Within the assigned scope |
| Cost | Monthly retainer | From €135,000 a year | Per day or per project | Per quote |
| Time to start | Weeks | Months of hiring | Days | Weeks |
| Typical duration | 3-12 months, reviewable | Permanent | End of mandate | End of project |
| Knowledge of your context | Grows month over month | Highest | Limited to the mandate | Limited to the project |
| Right when | The technical front is open but doesn't justify a hire | Technology is the product and daily presence is needed | There's one narrow question to answer | Scope is defined and you need execution capacity |
How we work, month by month
- Week 1
Assessment
We read the code, talk to whoever builds it, map the open decisions and the risks. You end up with a written picture of the technical state, and it stays yours even if the engagement ends there.
- Weeks 2-4
Priorities
We define architecture, stack and the order of work. Every choice comes with a written rationale and an estimated cost, so a non-technical reader can argue with it.
- From month two
Execution
Weekly sprints with the team. We take part in the daily calls, review code, unblock what's stuck. Technical direction shows up here, not in documents.
- Every month
Review
We look at what changed and adjust the commitment: more hours when the front widens, fewer when the team holds on its own. It's also the moment when it can end.
Where we work
We're remote-first, based in Milan. We work with companies in Lombardy and across Italy, meeting on site when a decision calls for it. Technical direction doesn't need daily proximity: it needs continuity, and a direct line to whoever decides.