--- title: "Fractional CTO and technical consulting for startups and small teams | Liviu.dev" description: "Hire a fractional CTO for architecture decisions, code audits, developer hiring and AI strategy, without a full-time CTO salary. From €480/day." canonical_url: "https://liviu.dev/services/fractional-cto-consulting" locale: en meta: "og:description": "Hire a fractional CTO for architecture decisions, code audits, developer hiring and AI strategy, without a full-time CTO salary. From €480/day." "og:image": "https://liviu.dev/_og/d/c_Default%2Ctitle_Fractional%2BCTO%2Band%2Btechnical%2Bconsulting%2Bfor%2Bstartups%2Band%2Bsmall%2Bteams%2Cdescription_~SGlyZSBhIGZyYWN0aW9uYWwgQ1RPIGZvciBhcmNoaXRlY3R1cmUgZGVjaXNpb25zLCBjb2RlIGF1ZGl0cywgZGV2ZWxvcGVyIGhpcmluZyBhbmQgQUkgc3RyYXRlZ3ksIHdpdGhvdXQgYSBmdWxsLXRpbWUgQ1RPIHNhbGFyeS4gRnJvbSDigqw0ODAvZGF5Lg%2Ceyebrow_~TGl2aXUuZGV2IMK3IEZyYWN0aW9uYWwgQ1RPICYgY29uc3VsdGluZw%2Cprice_~RnJvbSDigqw0ODAvZGF5%2Cp_Ii9zZXJ2aWNlcy9mcmFjdGlvbmFsLWN0by1jb25zdWx0aW5nIg.png" "og:image:height": "600" "og:image:type": image/png "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "Fractional CTO and technical consulting for startups and small teams" "twitter:image": "https://liviu.dev/_og/d/c_Default%2Ctitle_Fractional%2BCTO%2Band%2Btechnical%2Bconsulting%2Bfor%2Bstartups%2Band%2Bsmall%2Bteams%2Cdescription_~SGlyZSBhIGZyYWN0aW9uYWwgQ1RPIGZvciBhcmNoaXRlY3R1cmUgZGVjaXNpb25zLCBjb2RlIGF1ZGl0cywgZGV2ZWxvcGVyIGhpcmluZyBhbmQgQUkgc3RyYXRlZ3ksIHdpdGhvdXQgYSBmdWxsLXRpbWUgQ1RPIHNhbGFyeS4gRnJvbSDigqw0ODAvZGF5Lg%2Ceyebrow_~TGl2aXUuZGV2IMK3IEZyYWN0aW9uYWwgQ1RPICYgY29uc3VsdGluZw%2Cprice_~RnJvbSDigqw0ODAvZGF5%2Cp_Ii9zZXJ2aWNlcy9mcmFjdGlvbmFsLWN0by1jb25zdWx0aW5nIg.png" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://liviu.dev/llms.txt) # 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 quote](https://liviu.dev/hire-me?service=fractional-cto-consulting) [See my work](https://liviu.dev/portfolio) ## 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](https://liviu.dev/services/ai-prototype-to-production) work. When it is several framework versions behind, the next step is usually a [legacy migration](https://liviu.dev/services/legacy-migrations). **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](https://liviu.dev/services/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](https://liviu.dev/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](https://liviu.dev/hire-me?service=fractional-cto-consulting) 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** - [![LakeBooking logo, booking platform built by Liviu Zachin](https://liviu.dev/img/portfolio/lakebooking-com-light.svg)

**LakeBooking**

Booking platform for fishing lakes across Romania, with a lake directory, live availability, online bookings and a dashboard for lake owners. Lead developer.](https://lakebooking.com) - [![With Maslow logo, personality assessment platform built by Liviu Zachin](https://liviu.dev/img/portfolio/withmaslow-com-light.svg)

**With Maslow**

Enneagram, Big Five and 16 Personalities assessments with friends-and-family perspectives, teams, AI insights and an MCP server. Took over the codebase in 2024 and rebuilt the API in Laravel.](https://withmaslow.com) ## **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.**Audit from €960****Details **](https://liviu.dev/services/ai-prototype-to-production) [

**Legacy migrations**

Vue 2 to 3, Nuxt 2 to 4, Laravel and PHP upgrades, or WordPress to Nuxt, without freezing your roadmap.**From €3,000****Details **](https://liviu.dev/services/legacy-migrations) [

**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 €2,400****Details **](https://liviu.dev/services/ai-integration) ## **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. 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