CTO as a Service
Fractional CTO services for founders. Architecture direction, technology strategy, and engineering roadmaps with senior judgment at a fraction of full-time cost.
Every non-technical founder eventually faces a decision they cannot evaluate.
The agency says the rebuild will take six months. The developer says it will take two weeks. Your gut says both are wrong, and your gut is right, but right is not a plan.
Senior technical judgment, on demand
A full-time CTO costs well into six figures before equity, and most early-stage companies cannot keep that person busy five days a week. But the moments that need a CTO arrive constantly: the stack choice, the agency proposal, the scaling scare, the hire that looks great on paper.
Fractional CTO services put that judgment in the room when it matters, at a cost that matches actual usage. Architecture direction, vendor evaluation, hiring support, and roadmap ownership from someone who has built the systems you are betting the company on.
What you get
Architecture direction.
Stack choices, system design, and build-versus-buy decisions made with reasoning you can defend to investors.
Vendor and proposal review.
Agency quotes, developer estimates, and SaaS contracts evaluated line by line before you sign.
Engineering roadmap.
A sequenced plan connecting business milestones to technical work, so product and code stop drifting apart.
Hiring support.
Job definitions, technical interviews, and take-home evaluations that filter for real competence.
Due diligence readiness.
Documentation, architecture diagrams, and metrics prepared before investors ask.
Ongoing oversight.
Code review standards and delivery checkpoints whether the building happens in-house or outsourced.
How the engagement runs
Technical audit.
Current systems, team, debts, and risks assessed in the first weeks. You get a written state-of-the-stack report.
Strategy set.
Architecture decisions and the twelve-month roadmap locked with your business goals.
Execution oversight.
Regular reviews of what gets built, by whom, against what standard.
Scale the role down.
As your own technical leadership matures, the engagement tapers deliberately.
Full-time versus fractional
| Full-time CTO | Fractional CTO | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | $150K+ plus equity | Fraction of one salary |
| Utilization | Often underused early | Paid only when needed |
| Time to start | Months of recruiting | Days |
| Experience level | Whatever you can afford | Senior by definition |
| Commitment risk | Expensive mis-hire | Adjustable monthly |
The most expensive technical decision is the one nobody qualified was in the room for.
Who this is for
Non-technical founders leading technical companies. Startups between agency handover and first engineering hire. Teams preparing for a funding round where the tech will be examined. Businesses whose previous CTO left and left questions behind.
Start with clarity
TELL US WHAT YOU ARE BUILDING
Bring the decision keeping you up at night. The first conversation gives you a senior technical opinion on it, and a clear picture of what ongoing advisory would look like.
Pricing
[ PRICING ]
Scope decides price, not hours. Every engagement is estimated after architecture, before heavy build begins.
Launch Site
$900 - $2,500A site whose job is conversion. For launches, campaigns, and offers that need to exist this month.
- Responsive on every device
- Custom motion & interactions
- SEO markup & meta
- Contact form integration
- 1 revision round
Product Build
$5,000 - $15,000SaaS platforms, AI systems, and internal tools. Auth, database design, APIs, admin workflows. Built once.
- React / Next.js + Node.js backend
- Authentication & authorization
- Database design & integration
- REST / GraphQL API
- Admin dashboard
- AI-augmented workflows
- 2 revision rounds
Enterprise / Custom
$15,000+Complex systems, migrations, audits, and partnerships. Architecture that survives your roadmap.
- Custom system architecture
- Microservices & containerization
- Legacy codebase audit & refactor
- CI/CD pipeline setup
- Performance optimization
- Dedicated Slack channel
- Priority support & maintenance
Ongoing Maintenance
$400 - $1,800/moSomeone who knows your codebase watches its vital signs every month.
- Bug fixes & hotfixes
- Performance monitoring
- Security patches & updates
- Content updates
- Up to 20 hours/month
- 48-hour response time
Ranges are typical, not fixed. Your number is confirmed in writing before the build starts.
Questions, answered.
[ FAQ ]
Direct answers for founders and teams evaluating Huzaifa Web Studio as their technical partner.
A senior technology leader who provides part-time executive guidance instead of joining full time. You get architecture decisions, vendor evaluation, hiring support, and roadmap planning at a fraction of a full-time CTO salary, which typically starts well into six figures.
When technical decisions are blocking progress and nobody in the company has the experience to make them confidently. Common triggers: choosing a stack, evaluating agency proposals, planning scale, or preparing for due diligence.
An agency builds what you specify. A fractional CTO decides what should be built, reviews what others build, and owns the technical strategy across all vendors and hires. Many clients use both.
Typically four to ten hours weekly depending on stage. Early product decisions concentrate the hours; later engagements shift to reviews and advisory calls.
Yes. Technical due diligence preparation, architecture documentation, and direct participation in investor technical discussions are standard parts of the engagement.