ShinySoftTechnologies
Fractional CTO

Senior technical leadership, without the full-time hire

Somebody has to own the architecture, the hiring bar, the build-versus-buy calls and the answer to "how long will it take?" — and in a lot of companies that person does not exist yet. We step into that seat for as many days a month as the business needs, and help you hire the full-time version when it is time.

Fixed-scope entry offersBook a Call

You are probably here because

  • The team is shipping, but nobody can say with confidence whether the architecture will survive the next two years.
  • You are about to hire engineers, buy a platform or raise money, and need a technical opinion you can trust.
  • Estimates keep missing and nobody can explain why.
  • You inherited a system — through an acquisition, a departure or an agency — and need to know what you actually own.

What the role actually covers

Not a title on an org chart — the decisions and the work behind them.

Architecture and technology strategy

Where the boundaries go, what gets rebuilt and what is left alone, written down so the next person inherits the reasoning as well as the result.

Roadmap, cost and build-versus-buy

Sequencing the work so something valuable ships early, and deciding on total cost rather than instinct whether to build, buy or integrate.

Hiring and team

Job specs, interviews, code review and mentoring — the hiring bar set by someone who still writes production code.

The outside questions

Vendors, contracts, security questionnaires and the technical diligence investors and acquirers run. Answered by someone who has sat on both sides of it.

Fixed-scope entry offers

A first step a manager can approve

Every engagement can start with one of these. Each has a name and a scope written down before we start, so the first decision is a small one — and you see how we work before committing to anything larger.

10–20 hours, done within 2 weeks

Architecture & Codebase Review

An outside read of the system and the team that builds it — what is sound, what is risky, and what it will cost to ignore. Also works as technical due diligence before an acquisition or an investment.

What is included

  • Code, architecture and delivery pipeline reviewed hands-on, not from a slide deck
  • Interviews with the people who build and run it
  • Security, hosting and dependency risks flagged
  • Findings ranked by the cost of leaving them alone

You walk away with

A written report and a readout session — the honest state of the system, in language the business side can act on.

Ask about this
3 weeks

Technology Roadmap

Twelve months of technology decisions laid out in order — what to build, buy, retire or hire for — with the cost of each step attached.

What is included

  • Current state and constraints, written down
  • Build, buy or integrate decisions on total cost
  • Sequenced roadmap with phases you can fund one at a time
  • Team shape and hiring plan to deliver it

You walk away with

A roadmap the board, the budget holder and the engineers can all read — and that still makes sense in month nine.

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Ongoing, days per month

Fractional CTO Retainer

A fixed number of senior days every month — architecture decisions, hiring, vendor calls and the questions investors ask — with no full-time salary attached.

What is included

  • A set allowance of days each month, from two upward
  • Architecture and technology decisions, written down
  • Hiring, interviews, code review and mentoring
  • Vendor, contract and investor technical questions

You walk away with

Technical leadership on call, month to month, until you are ready for — and we have helped you hire — a full-time CTO.

Ask about this

Every offer is quoted as a fixed price once we have seen the scope — and a fixed price stays fixed: if it takes us longer, that is our problem, not yours.

Questions buyers ask

How many days a month is a fractional CTO?

Two to four days a month is a typical start, adjusted from there. The retainer is set month to month, so it can grow during a launch or a hiring push and shrink once things settle.

Can you do technical due diligence for an acquisition or investment?

Yes — the Architecture & Codebase Review is the same work. We read the code, talk to the team and report on what the buyer is actually getting, including the risks the pitch deck leaves out.

Will you help us hire a full-time CTO?

Yes, and we would rather you did when the company is ready. We help write the role, interview candidates and hand over properly — a fractional CTO who makes themselves indispensable is doing the job wrong.

Do you only work with .NET teams?

No. Our own engineering is deepest in .NET, but architecture, delivery, hiring and roadmap work apply the same whether your stack is .NET, Java, Node or a mix of all three.

Need a technical opinion you can trust?

Tell us what decision is in front of you. We will tell you whether a review, a roadmap or a retainer fits — or whether you just need a second opinion on one call.

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