Technical Advisory
Some decisions are too important to make without experienced technical input — but not frequent enough to justify a full-time executive.
We provide senior technical guidance on a fractional basis: strategy, architecture, due diligence, and the kind of honest assessment that’s hard to get from people who report to you.
Services
Fractional CTO
Technical leadership for organizations that need strategic direction without the cost of a full-time executive.
We help with:
- Technical strategy — aligning technology decisions with business objectives
- Build vs. buy decisions — honest assessment of when to invest internally
- Team structure — hiring plans, org design, role definitions
- Vendor evaluation — cutting through sales pitches to assess real fit
- Board communication — translating technical reality for non-technical stakeholders
Typical engagement: 10-20 hours per month, ongoing.
Technical Due Diligence
For investors, acquirers, and boards evaluating technology companies or assets.
We assess:
- Code quality — architecture, maintainability, technical debt
- Team capability — depth, structure, key-person risk
- Scalability — what breaks at 10x current load
- Security posture — vulnerabilities, compliance gaps, exposure
- IP and licensing — ownership clarity, open source obligations
- Rebuild cost — what it would actually take to replace this
Deliverable: Executive summary for decision-makers, plus detailed technical appendix.
Typical engagement: 1-3 weeks, fixed scope.
Architecture Reviews
Deep assessment of existing systems to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
We examine:
- System design — does the architecture match the problem?
- Performance — bottlenecks, scaling limits, resource efficiency
- Reliability — failure modes, monitoring gaps, incident response readiness
- Security — authentication, authorization, data protection
- Maintainability — can someone else understand and modify this?
Deliverable: Findings report with prioritized recommendations.
Typical engagement: 2-4 weeks.
Who We Work With
Startups
Technical founders who need a sounding board. Non-technical founders who need someone to translate. Growing teams that have outpaced their original architecture.
Private Equity
Firms conducting technology diligence on acquisition targets. Portfolio companies needing technical leadership during transitions.
Boards and Executives
Independent technical assessment when internal perspectives aren’t enough. Translation layer between engineering and leadership.
Growing Companies
Organizations hitting inflection points: scaling challenges, platform migrations, security requirements, compliance mandates.
What You Get
Objectivity. We don’t have internal politics to navigate or vendor relationships to protect. Our only agenda is giving you accurate information.
Practicality. Recommendations you can actually implement, not theoretical best practices disconnected from your constraints.
Clarity. Technical findings translated into business terms. Executives shouldn’t need to decode jargon to make decisions.
Discretion. Confidentiality is standard. We’re accustomed to handling sensitive assessments.
Engagement Terms
| Engagement | Duration | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CTO | Monthly retainer | Based on hours/month |
| Due diligence | 1-3 weeks | Fixed scope |
| Architecture review | 2-4 weeks | Fixed scope |
| Strategy workshop | 1-2 days | Day rate |
No long-term contracts required. If the engagement isn’t delivering value, you can stop.
Start a Conversation
Tell us what you’re evaluating or where you need guidance. We’ll be direct about whether we can help.
Or reach out directly: [email protected]