What is a fractional CTO?

A fractional CTO is an experienced technology executive who works with a company part-time — typically 1–2 days per week — rather than as a full-time hire. They own technical direction, architecture decisions, engineering team leadership, and investor-level technical communication. Fractional CTOs are most common at pre-seed to Series A companies that need senior technical leadership but are not yet ready for the full-time cost and commitment of a permanent CTO hire.

What are typical fractional CTO rates?

Fractional CTO rates typically range from $5,000 to $15,000 per month for a 1–2 day per week engagement, depending on the scope, geography, and the consultant's specialisation. Hourly rates for fractional CTOs usually fall between $200 and $500. Mudassir Khan's fractional CTO engagements start at $6,000/month for the steady-state weekly retainer, with an optional 2-week technical audit at $5,000–$12,000 to start.

Where can I find fractional CTO services?

Fractional CTO services are available through specialist networks (Toptal, Expert360), startup communities (YC alumni networks, Founder Slack groups), and direct outreach to independent consultants. For AI and Web3 technical leadership specifically, Mudassir Khan offers fractional CTO services to seed and Series A teams globally, with particular depth in agentic AI architecture, blockchain compliance systems, and Next.js product infrastructure.

What is the difference between a fractional CTO and a technical advisor?

A technical advisor provides guidance and feedback — typically 2–4 hours per month. A fractional CTO takes ownership of technical delivery — they are in your sprint planning, making architecture calls, unblocking engineers, and accountable for shipping. I operate as a fractional CTO, not just an advisor.

How many hours per week does a fractional CTO engagement involve?

My standard fractional engagement is 1–2 days (8–16 hours) per week. This is enough to maintain meaningful context, attend key meetings, and drive real decisions — without the overhead of a full-time hire. For critical build phases, I can scale up temporarily.

At what stage do companies typically hire a fractional CTO?

Most of my fractional clients are at pre-seed to Series A — they have validated the product with early users, have some engineering capacity, but need technical leadership to scale the team and make architectural decisions that will hold up to investor due diligence and the next 18 months of growth.

What if we already have an engineering team?

This is the ideal situation. I embed with your existing team as the technical lead — reviewing their work, unblocking architectural questions, introducing better processes, and raising the overall quality bar. I am not replacing your engineers; I am amplifying them.

Service

Fractional CTO

I am Mudassir Khan. I work as a fractional CTO for seed-to-Series-A teams who need senior engineering leadership but are not yet ready for a full-time hire. That means I own the technical direction, help you hire and evaluate engineers, and make sure your architecture can support the product vision you sold to your investors.

What you walk away with

✓Technical roadmap aligned to business milestones and investor expectations
✓Architecture review and documentation of current and target state
✓Engineering hiring — job specs, interview process, candidate evaluation
✓Sprint planning and delivery oversight — cadence, velocity, and quality
✓Investor and board-level technical communication support
✓Vendor and partner technical evaluation

Engagement model

Technical Audit

Onboarding

2 weeks. Deep dive into your current codebase, architecture, team, and technical debt. Delivered as a written report with a prioritised action plan.

Weekly Engagement

Steady State

1–2 days per week. Sprint planning, architecture decisions, team unblocking, hiring, and stakeholder communication. Monthly retainer.

Crunch Sprints

Milestone

As needed. Intensive periods around fundraising, major releases, or team scaling events. Priced separately or rolled into the retainer.

Handoff to Full-Time CTO

Transition

When the time is right, I help you define the full-time CTO profile, run the search, and transition ownership over 4–8 weeks.

Free tools

Free tools for fractional cto

AI Agent ROI Calculator

Use this when a technical leadership decision depends on whether automation pays back.

Frequently asked questions

What is a fractional CTO?: A fractional CTO is an experienced technology executive who works with a company part-time — typically 1–2 days per week — rather than as a full-time hire. They own technical direction, architecture decisions, engineering team leadership, and investor-level technical communication. Fractional CTOs are most common at pre-seed to Series A companies that need senior technical leadership but are not yet ready for the full-time cost and commitment of a permanent CTO hire.
What are typical fractional CTO rates?: Fractional CTO rates typically range from $5,000 to $15,000 per month for a 1–2 day per week engagement, depending on the scope, geography, and the consultant's specialisation. Hourly rates for fractional CTOs usually fall between $200 and $500. Mudassir Khan's fractional CTO engagements start at $6,000/month for the steady-state weekly retainer, with an optional 2-week technical audit at $5,000–$12,000 to start.
Where can I find fractional CTO services?: Fractional CTO services are available through specialist networks (Toptal, Expert360), startup communities (YC alumni networks, Founder Slack groups), and direct outreach to independent consultants. For AI and Web3 technical leadership specifically, Mudassir Khan offers fractional CTO services to seed and Series A teams globally, with particular depth in agentic AI architecture, blockchain compliance systems, and Next.js product infrastructure.
What is the difference between a fractional CTO and a technical advisor?: A technical advisor provides guidance and feedback — typically 2–4 hours per month. A fractional CTO takes ownership of technical delivery — they are in your sprint planning, making architecture calls, unblocking engineers, and accountable for shipping. I operate as a fractional CTO, not just an advisor.
How many hours per week does a fractional CTO engagement involve?: My standard fractional engagement is 1–2 days (8–16 hours) per week. This is enough to maintain meaningful context, attend key meetings, and drive real decisions — without the overhead of a full-time hire. For critical build phases, I can scale up temporarily.
At what stage do companies typically hire a fractional CTO?: Most of my fractional clients are at pre-seed to Series A — they have validated the product with early users, have some engineering capacity, but need technical leadership to scale the team and make architectural decisions that will hold up to investor due diligence and the next 18 months of growth.
What if we already have an engineering team?: This is the ideal situation. I embed with your existing team as the technical lead — reviewing their work, unblocking architectural questions, introducing better processes, and raising the overall quality bar. I am not replacing your engineers; I am amplifying them.

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