Fractional CTO in Cape Town
strategy plus hands-on engineering.
A fractional CTO gives you senior technical judgment without hiring a full-time executive before the business is ready. I help founders make build, buy, architecture, hiring, and delivery decisions, then step in where hands-on engineering is needed.
26
Years in IT
15+
Years building software
CPT
Cape Town based
Direct
Strategy and code
Who hires a fractional CTO
Founders without a technical partner
You need someone who can translate product ideas into architecture, scope, budget, and delivery decisions before you hire the wrong team.
Businesses with a growing platform
The system is now important enough that technical decisions affect revenue, operations, support, and customer trust.
Teams that need senior review
You have developers, but you need technical leadership, architecture review, delivery discipline, and someone who can challenge risky shortcuts.
Projects that need rescuing or stabilising
A fractional CTO can decide whether the current approach is worth saving before more money goes into the wrong build.
Fractional CTO work that stays close to the code
Technical roadmap
Turn business goals into a technical plan: what ships first, what waits, what can be bought, and where custom development is justified.
Architecture and stack decisions
Choose boring, maintainable technology for the problem instead of chasing whatever is fashionable this month.
Developer hiring and review
Help assess developers, agencies, scopes, quotes, code quality, and delivery risk before the business commits.
Hands-on delivery oversight
Review code, unblock decisions, define acceptance criteria, and step into implementation where senior engineering is needed.
You do not need a fractional CTO for every software project
If the work is a simple website, a standard Shopify setup, or a small fixed-scope feature, you probably need a good developer, not a CTO. Fractional CTO support makes sense when technical decisions affect the direction of the business.
How It Works
Map the situation
We clarify the product, team, current stack, risks, budget, and decision pressure.
Choose the operating model
Advisory block, retainer, or project-based leadership depending on what the business actually needs.
Lead the technical work
Roadmap, architecture, review, hiring input, and hands-on engineering where needed.
Typical Engagements
Fractional CTO work is usually structured around the business stage and the amount of technical leadership required.
- Advisory block: a focused strategy or architecture review with clear recommendations.
- Monthly retainer: ongoing technical leadership, review, planning, and founder support.
- Project-based leadership: technical ownership for a defined build, rescue, or launch phase.
Not just advice.
I can review strategy and architecture, but I can also read the code, fix the critical path, and explain the tradeoffs in plain English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a fractional CTO and a consultant?
A consultant usually gives advice around a specific problem. A fractional CTO takes wider technical responsibility: roadmap, architecture, delivery risk, team decisions, and technical tradeoffs.
Will you write code or only advise?
Both, where it makes sense. My value is that the advice comes from someone who can still inspect and build production software.
Do you work outside Cape Town?
Yes. I am based in Cape Town and work remotely with South African and international clients.
When should we hire full-time instead?
When technical leadership is a daily operational need and the company has enough product volume to justify a permanent CTO role.
Need senior technical judgment before you commit?
Tell me what you are building, what is stuck, or what decision you are unsure about. I will give you a clear view of whether fractional CTO support is the right fit.