Service · Fractional CTO

Fractional CTO.

Senior technical leadership on demand.

Architecture reviews, decision-making, and engineering uplift — without the full-time overhead. Typically 1–2 days a week, 3–6 months minimum, remote-first across EU, UK, and US.

1–2 days / wk3–6 mo minRemote · EU · UK · US

Inside the business

Making your current engineering organisation stronger — architecture, mentorship, roadmap.

and

Looking outward

Due diligence, build-vs-buy, vendor evaluation — the decisions that touch your capital, not just your code.

“Why not just hire a permanent CTO?”

Short answer — when you don’t yet need 5 days a week of CTO. Fractional buys you senior judgement at the points it matters, without the runway-burn of a full hire.

Pre Series-A

Not ready to justify the salary

Full-time CTO burn rate dwarfs a 1–2 day/wk retainer.

Between hires

CTO just left

Interim leadership while you run a proper search — months, not days.

Board-driven

You're being diligenced

Time-boxed technical representation for an investor or acquirer process.

One-off decisions

High-stakes choices

Re-platform, major vendor, build-vs-buy — you want an outside head in the room.

Capabilities

What you get. What you walk away with.

Inside

Making your team stronger

Architecture Review

Deep-dive review of your system. Bottlenecks, single points of failure, modernisation opportunities — with a prioritised plan, not a 60-page PDF.

DeliverableFindings map
Web
API
Monolith
Cache
Shared DB
Queue
Auth
Workers
Blob
Healthy Risk

Engineering Team Uplift

Hands-on coaching, code reviews, and workshops. Level up your seniors, not just your juniors.

DeliverableCapability ladder
L1 · Junior
4→5
L2 · Mid
6→7
L3 · Senior
3→5
L4 · Staff
0→2

Technology Roadmap

Quarterly and annual planning aligned with business strategy, budget, and team capacity.

DeliverableRoadmap
Q1Q2Q3Q4
Platform
Observability
Data mesh
Security
Outside

Helping you evaluate

Technical Due Diligence

Pre-acquisition or pre-investment technical assessment. Codebase, infrastructure, team capability — with findings the board can read.

DeliverableRisk scorecard
Code quality
B+
Infra maturity
C
Security
A-
Key-person risk
D
Scalability
C+

Build vs Buy Analysis

Data-driven evaluation of in-house build vs SaaS vs open-source for critical systems. Includes total cost of ownership and switching-cost modelling.

DeliverableDecision matrix
Build
Buy
Open
TCO
TCO
TCO
Speed
Speed
Speed
Fit
Fit
Fit
Exit
Exit
Exit

Vendor Evaluation

Independent selection and procurement guidance. No kickbacks, no referral fees — the right tool for your actual problem.

DeliverableRFP scorecard
ABC
Fit967
Price795
Support856
Exit679
Engagement

Engagement Blueprint

A clear, phased approach so you always know what to expect — from audit through ongoing partnership.

Weeks 1-2Phase 01

Technical Assessment & Quick Wins

Deep-dive into your architecture, team structure, and engineering processes to identify critical gaps and immediate improvements.

Goal · Map your technical landscape, identify the top 3 risks, and deliver quick wins that demonstrate immediate value.

Deliverables

Architecture Health Assessment
Engineering Process Maturity Scorecard
Quick-Wins Action Plan (5-10 items)

In scope

Codebase and infrastructure review
Team capability assessment
CI/CD and SDLC process audit
Duration

Weeks 1-2

Your time

~2 hours

What we need from you

2-hour kickoff with founders/leadership, plus read access to source control and project management tools.

Engagement Models

Flexible options to match your needs and budget

Fractional CTO

See typical pricing
Typical monthly fee€2,000–€4,500
CadenceMonthly
CommitmentRolling — cancel any time

Ongoing senior technical leadership without the full-time overhead.

  • Architecture reviews
  • Team mentorship
  • Vendor evaluation
  • Strategic technology decisions
Enquire About Fractional CTO

About the engagement shape. All Fractional CTO engagements run as fixed monthly retainers, sold in weekly blocks of senior time (typically 10 hrs / wk). Scope is confirmed in the Discovery Call before any retainer begins. Minimum engagement is 3 months. Remote-first across EU, UK, and US — travel for kick-off and key sessions, async-friendly otherwise. Specific pricing, scope, and scheduling are discussed on a case-by-case basis and confirmed in writing before work starts.

AvatarEnda Kelly

© 2026 Enda Kelly, trading as CloudNua. All rights reserved.

Ireland