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Fractional CTO

Fractional CTO and technical consulting for startups and small teams

Architecture, code audits, hiring help and AI strategy, a few days a month, for teams without a senior technical lead.

Starting price

From €480/day

The final price depends on scope. You get a fixed quote or a day-rate estimate before any work starts.

Get a quoteSee my work

Who this is for

Many companies need senior technical judgment long before they need a full-time CTO. I work as a fractional CTO and technical consultant for:

  • Non-technical founders who have to choose a stack, an agency or a first developer and want someone on their side of the table
  • Startups with a small team and no senior engineer to review architecture and code
  • Businesses that paid for an app and want an independent view of what they received
  • Product leads deciding where AI belongs in their product and what it will cost to run

What I help with

Architecture and stack decisions. Build or buy, one app or several services, Nuxt or Next.js, Laravel or Node.js, Supabase or a custom back end. I explain the trade-offs in business terms: cost, hiring, speed and risk.

Code audits. I read the code, run it and check security, structure, tests and hosting. You get a written report with each finding ranked by risk. When the app was built quickly with AI tools, this is often the first step of AI prototype to production work. When it is several framework versions behind, the next step is usually a legacy migration.

Hiring. Job descriptions, a take-home task that reflects the real work, technical interviews and a clear recommendation on each candidate.

AI strategy. Where AI features make sense, which provider to use and how to keep costs and quality under control. When it is time to build, I can do the work through AI integration.

Where my judgment comes from

I have spent 15+ years shipping web products, and I still write production code. On WithMaslow.com I took over a codebase from previous developers, rebuilt the API in Laravel 13 on PostgreSQL and added AI-generated insights and an MCP server. On Smiles Casino I worked full-stack on a Next.js player site with payments and identity verification, and I built CautElectrician.ro, a two-sided directory, on Nuxt 4 and Supabase. All three are in my portfolio. Advice from someone who still ships tends to be specific and testable.

How engagements work

Consulting starts from €480 a day; you get a written proposal with the number of days after a short scoping call. A one-off audit or assessment takes a few days. Ongoing advisory is booked as a set number of days per month, which we review together as your needs change. I am based in Romania and work remotely with clients in Malta, across the EU and in the US, and I am comfortable signing an NDA before you share anything.

Tell me about your product and the decision in front of you. Book a scoping call and I will reply within one working day.

How we work

  1. 1

    Intro call

    You explain the business, the product and the decision you are facing. I tell you whether I can help and in what format.

  2. 2

    Assessment

    I review the code, infrastructure and team setup, usually over a few days, and write down what I find.

  3. 3

    Recommendations

    You get a written report and a call to go through it, with clear options and what each one costs in time and money.

  4. 4

    Ongoing advisory

    If it helps, I stay on for a set number of days per month for architecture reviews, hiring, vendor calls and team guidance.

Related work

Frequently asked questions

How much does a fractional CTO cost?

My rate is €480/day. A one-off code audit or technical assessment usually takes a few days, and ongoing advisory is booked as a set number of days per month. You get a written proposal with the number of days before any work starts.

What does a fractional CTO actually do?

A fractional CTO does the senior technical work a company needs without a full-time hire, such as choosing the architecture, reviewing code and vendors, planning the roadmap, hiring developers and making build-or-buy and AI decisions. I do this part time and remotely, alongside your founders and team.

Can you audit code an agency or freelancer built before we pay the final invoice?

Yes. I review the repository, run the app and check security, code quality, tests and whether it matches what was agreed. You get a written report with findings ranked by risk that you can share with the vendor.

Can you help us hire developers?

Yes. I write the job description, design a take-home task that reflects real work, join the technical interviews and give you a written recommendation on each candidate. I can also help onboard the person you hire.

Do we need a fractional CTO or a full-time CTO?

A fractional CTO fits when you need senior technical judgment but not 40 hours a week of it, usually while the product and the team are small. Once you have an engineering team that needs daily leadership, a full-time CTO makes sense, and I can help you hire one.

Can you help us decide how to use AI in our product?

Yes. I look at where AI saves time or adds value for your users, compare providers and running costs, and plan a first feature you can ship and measure. For WithMaslow.com I built AI-generated insights with Laravel AI and Gemini, and an MCP server.

Related services

AI prototype to production

Built it with Lovable, Bolt, v0 or Cursor? I audit, secure, test and refactor it so it survives real users, payments and growth.

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Legacy migrations

Vue 2 to 3, Nuxt 2 to 4, Laravel and PHP upgrades, or WordPress to Nuxt, without freezing your roadmap.

From €3,000Details

AI integration

LLM features that earn their keep, like assistants on your own data, smart search, document processing and automations, built into your existing app.

From €2,400Details

Let's talk about your project

Send me a few lines about what you need. I reply within one working day with questions or a first estimate.

Get a quote