Fractional CTO Services for VC Portfolio Companies
De-Risk Technical Execution. Accelerate Time to Next Round.
I partner with VCs to provide fractional CTO services to portfolio companies at critical technical inflection points. When your Series A company needs to scale engineering but the technical co-founder is overwhelmed, or your pre-Series B company needs technical credibility to support the next valuation, I provide the leadership that unblocks growth.
29 years building software. 16 years in leadership helping teams scale. 7 years at executive levels as Director and CTO.
The Portfolio Company Technical Problem
Your portfolio companies hit predictable inflection points:
Post-Seed to Series A
Product-market fit achieved, but systems weren't built for scale. The engineering team needs to grow from 5 to 20 in the next 12 months. The technical co-founder is brilliant but overwhelmed. Every new hire makes coordination harder, not easier. Velocity is slowing despite adding developers.
Pre-Series B
Business metrics look strong, but investors are questioning technical capability. Security and compliance are blocking enterprise deals. Architecture decisions from the early days are now limiting growth. You need technical credibility that supports the valuation story.
Technical Crisis
Systems failing during critical moments. Customer churn accelerating due to reliability issues. Engineering team morale collapsing. Can't close key deals because prospects don't trust the platform. The board is asking hard questions about technical leadership.
Leadership Transition
The technical co-founder needs to step back or move to a different role — or has already left. The company can't afford a 6-month CTO search or the risk of another bad hire. It needs leadership continuity while determining the permanent solution.
You can't fix these problems from the board room. Telling founders to "hire a CTO" doesn't help when great CTOs won't join companies with technical dysfunction.
How I Help Your Portfolio Companies
Rapid Stabilization (First 90 Days)
I join the leadership team and focus on immediate stability:
- Assess current systems, team capability, and technical debt
- Stop critical failures that are destroying customer trust
- Establish monitoring and metrics that provide visibility
- Implement quick wins that restore team confidence
- Create an honest technical assessment for board reporting
Outcome:Predictable operations. The board has a clear picture of technical reality, not founder optimism.
Scale Preparation (Months 3–6)
Once stable, I evaluate whether your portfolio company is set up appropriately for its stage — or burning unnecessary capital on over-engineered solutions.
The Capital Efficiency Assessment — many Series A companies over-engineer:
- $40K/month cloud infrastructure serving 1,000 users (should cost $2K)
- An eight-person engineering team supporting an MVP (need 2–3 excellent engineers with better tools)
- Custom solutions for everything when existing platforms would work
- Kubernetes complexity for applications that don't need it
This burns runway unnecessarily and creates poor unit economics that hurt Series B positioning. I optimize for capital preservation while maintaining growth velocity.
If Over-Engineered:
Simplify infrastructure, right-size the team, identify no-code/low-code alternatives. Cut burn rate 30–50% while maintaining or improving velocity.
If Right-Sized:
Optimize the current stack, establish clear metrics for when to scale specific components, and create an efficient growth path. Plan migrations before you need them.
If Ready to Scale:
Design distributed systems, build engineering teams, and establish infrastructure for 10x growth — but only for the pieces that actually need it. Keep everything else lean.
Outcome:Extended runway, improved unit economics, and a company positioned to scale engineering without losing velocity. The technical story supports fundraising with capital-efficient execution.
Strategic Positioning (Ongoing)
Throughout the engagement, I focus on improving fundability:
- A technical story that supports the next-round valuation
- Security and compliance that unlock enterprise revenue
- Engineering metrics that demonstrate operational maturity
- Board-ready reporting that builds investor confidence
- Transition planning that doesn't create a leadership vacuum
Outcome:Technical execution becomes a competitive advantage, not an investment risk.
How Partnership Works
You Identify Portfolio Company Needs
You know which companies are facing technical scaling challenges. You see the warning signs in board meetings: missed deadlines, stability issues, difficulty hiring, technical co-founder stress.
You Introduce Me as a Trusted Resource
Your introduction carries weight. Founders trust your judgment. I'm not a cold vendor — I'm your recommended solution.
I Engage as Fractional CTO
Discovery (Week 1): I meet with the founder and team and review systems, aligning on problems, success metrics, timeline, and engagement model. Execution: I work alongside the team as a scalable monthly engagement — in leadership meetings, making architecture decisions, mentoring engineers, and establishing processes, flexing intensity to what each phase needs. Transition: a clean exit when objectives are achieved.
You Get Credit for Solving the Problem
Founders tell other founders. You solved a critical problem they couldn't solve alone. Your reputation as a value-add investor strengthens, and I earn repeat referrals from VCs who've seen me deliver.
Partnership Models
Portfolio Retainer
For VCs with 10–20 portfolio companies where several will need technical support:
- Monthly retainer provides priority access for your portfolio
- Quick technical assessments (1–2 hours) for any portfolio company
- Discounted engagement rates for full fractional CTO projects
- Quarterly portfolio technical health reviews
Project Referrals
For specific portfolio company situations:
- You identify the need and make the introduction
- I provide a proposal for a defined scope and timeline
- Engagement priced directly with the portfolio company
- Regular progress updates to you and the founder
- You maintain the primary relationship; I deliver technical outcomes
Technical Due Diligence
Pre-investment or bridge-round decisions:
- Comprehensive technical assessment in 2–3 weeks (starting at $7,500)
- Evaluate team capability, architecture decisions, and technical debt
- Assess realistic timelines for technical milestones vs. founder projections
- Identify risks that would impact valuation or fundability
- Board-ready report with a clear investment recommendation
What I Don't Do
- I don't compete with you for equity or board seats. I'm fractional leadership focused on defined outcomes.
- I don't recruit founders or key employees away from your portfolio. I'm here to strengthen your companies, not raid them.
- I don't create dependencies that extend engagements unnecessarily. Every engagement starts with exit criteria.
- I don't bad-mouth previous technical decisions. I assess reality honestly and focus on the path forward, not blame.
What I Do
- Make you look smart for bringing me in. Results validate your judgment.
- Document progress for your board reporting. Clear visibility into improvements and remaining risks.
- Help founders become better technical leaders. I develop technical co-founders, not replace them.
- Build teams and systems that outlast my engagement. The company is stronger after I leave.
- Return companies in position to raise the next round. Technical execution supports the growth story.
What I Bring to VC Partnerships
Deep Understanding of Startup Economics
I'm not an enterprise consultant applying Fortune 500 processes to companies with 18 months of runway. I know the difference between technical debt that matters and technical debt that doesn't. I optimize for growth velocity, not perfect architecture.
Capital Efficiency Focus
Most fractional CTOs push complexity: bigger infrastructure, larger teams, custom solutions. I optimize for extending runway while reaching revenue faster. Sometimes the best answer is no-code platforms and 2 engineers, not Kubernetes and 10.
Proven Outcomes from 28+ Years
Prevented loss of a $24M multi-year contract. Reduced development time 70% (6 months/5 engineers → 2 months/1 engineer). Turned $4–5M annual losses into profitability on $24M revenue. Scaled teams from 4 to 20+. Designed algorithms saving $10M+ annually.
Honest Technical Assessment
Founders are optimistic about timelines. I provide an honest assessment of what's actually possible given the current team and architecture — truth you can use for decisions, not hopeful projections.
Clean Exit Built In
I'm not trying to become the permanent CTO or positioning for equity or board seats. The engagement ends when objectives are achieved, with a clean transition to permanent leadership or a scaled technical co-founder.
Protecting Your Reputation
When you introduce me to portfolio companies, I treat it as an extension of your credibility. I'm professional, deliver what I promise, and make you look good for bringing me in.
Starting a Conversation
I'm building partnerships with VCs who want technical resources available for their portfolio companies. If you have companies facing technical scaling challenges, or you want technical due diligence capability for investment decisions, let's talk. I'm taking on select engagements now while establishing longer-term VC partnerships — early partners help shape how I serve this market.
- 30-minute intro call: understand your portfolio needs and how I might help
- Portfolio assessment: a high-level technical health review of specific companies you're concerned about
- Pilot engagement: work with one portfolio company to demonstrate value before a broader partnership
No lengthy contracts or commitments required to start. We both need to see if this works.