Fractional CTO
A fractional CTO who owns the technical decisions. Part-time, hands-on, accountable.
For founders and SaaS teams with a product in motion. I set the technical direction, make the architecture calls and lead your developers or development team Monthly as a service, or on demand.
- Monthly or on demand
- Start within days
- EU and US hours
Also as Product Lead and AI Architect, or as a fixed-price SaaS & AI product launch.
Where you are
Sound familiar? This is when a fractional CTO pays off.
- A SaaS platform with a development team already building it, and nobody owning the architecture.
- A founder without a technical cofounder, before or after the first launch.
- An app built on a no-code tool or with AI that now has to run on code you own.
- A development partner delivering work you cannot judge on your own.
What I own
Technology strategy
The platform roadmap, and what to build, buy or leave out.
Architecture
Data model, integrations, security and hosting, decided and written down.
Team and development partners
Hiring, code review standards and the working rhythm of your developers.
Code and releases
I read the code and review every technical decision before it reaches users.
AI in the product
Where AI pays off, and the evals and cost limits that keep it predictable.
Reporting
Status and risks in plain words, for founders, investors and the board.
Who you work with
Fractional CTO and product lead, Vienna
I have been CTO or interim CTO of an M&A platform, an AI analytics platform, a regional air travel startup and a venture studio, and I founded an enterprise SaaS company.
“Kristian is certainly one of the top picks in his field.”
Architecture is a business decision. I make it with you, and answer for it.
- 25 years
- In software architecture and product, in Europe and North America.
- 50+
- Product launches across startups and enterprises.
- 5.0★★★★★
- Upwork rating, Top Rated Plus, more than $500K earned.
How it starts
- 1
A call
Your product, your team and what is blocking the next release.
- 2
Codebase and architecture review
I read the code, the architecture and the delivery process, and write down what to change first.
- 3
I stay on as your CTO
The roadmap goes into the backlog, and I lead the team week by week.
Pricing
A steady lead, or help when you need it. Monthly as a service, or on demand.
Pick the weekly hours that fit, as a monthly service you can change or cancel any month. For a defined piece of work, take me on demand.
Advisor
As a service$2,600/ month
4 h per week
A weekly session on architecture and priorities, and every major technical decision reviewed before it is made.
Book a callLead
As a service$5,200/ month
8 h per week
I lead your developers: planning, code and architecture reviews, and a written status every week.
Book a callEmbedded
As a service$10,400/ month
16 h per week
Two days a week inside your team: hands-on in the code, hiring and the technical roadmap.
Book a callOn demand
On demandLet's talk
Hourly contract
A technical due diligence, an architecture review or a short burst of leadership, billed by the hour.
Talk it through- Monthly, cancel any month
- Hours logged and visible
- Written decisions
- EU and US hours
One person, three roles
One person. The roles a product needs.
Product, technology and AI decisions sit with one person, so they never contradict each other. Most engagements combine two of the roles, or deliver one of the outcomes.
SaaS & AI product launch
Agentic frame included
A SaaS or AI MVP launched for paying customers, at a fixed price, in weeks.
Enterprise AI agents
Every decision has an owner
Multi-agent workflows across your business, with human review where it matters.
AI agent evaluation
Right problem, solved right
AI agents that solve the right problem, proven with evals end to end.
Fractional CTO
This page · Technical direction you can trust
Technical direction, architecture calls and your development team, owned part-time.
Product Lead
What to build, and why
What gets built and in which order, turned into specs your team can ship.
AI Architect
AI that holds in production
AI features and agents that hold in production, with evals and permissions.
Industries
See it in your industry. Where a CTO decides first depends on your field.
Each page shows how the role works in that industry.
- Software and SaaS companies
- Digital and marketing agencies
- Healthcare and HealthTech
- FinTech, financial services and M&A
- Real estate and PropTech
- Education and EdTech
- B2B e-commerce and wholesale
- Media and digital content
- Insurance and InsurTech
- Life sciences and regulated software
- Restaurants and hospitality
- Mobility, travel and aviation
- Government and public sector
Questions
FAQ
How is it priced?
As a monthly service at 4, 8 or 16 hours a week, or on demand on an hourly contract. You see the hours as they are logged.
Do you write code yourself?
Yes, where senior hands are needed. Most of the build runs on your team and AI agents with Claude Code, under my review.
Can you also lead the product side?
Yes. Product lead and AI architect are often part of the same engagement, so product and technical decisions stay with one person.
Where are you based?
Vienna, working with teams in Europe and North America in overlapping hours.
Get in touch
Start with a call.
We go through your product and your team, and agree which role you need first.
Services: SaaS & AI product launchEnterprise AI agentsAI agent evaluationFractional CTOProduct LeadAI Architect