Fractional CTO for Startups: Technical Leadership Without the Salary

What a Fractional CTO Does for Your Startup

Your startup needs technical leadership, but a full-time CTO costs EUR 150,000-250,000 per year plus equity. At the early stage, that is money better spent on product development and customer acquisition. A fractional CTO gives you the same strategic guidance at a fraction of the cost -- 10-40 hours per month, no long-term commitment.

I help non-technical founders make the right technical decisions from day one: which tech stack to use, how to architect for scale, when to build vs. buy, how to hire and evaluate developers, and how to present your technology to investors. I have seen startups waste EUR 50,000+ rebuilding because they chose the wrong architecture early. My job is to prevent that.

I am Kirill Strelnikov, a senior backend developer and AI engineer based in Barcelona. I have built 15+ production systems including SaaS platforms, AI chatbots, and e-commerce solutions. I work as a fractional CTO for startups that need technical leadership without the overhead of a full-time executive hire.

Fractional CTO Responsibilities

Signs Your Startup Needs a Fractional CTO

• You are a non-technical founder building a technical product. You need someone who can translate your vision into architecture and evaluate developer work.
• Your MVP is built but it does not scale. The codebase needs refactoring, the architecture needs rethinking, and you are not sure where to start.
• You are preparing to raise funding. Investors will ask about your technology, architecture, and technical team. You need credible answers and a CTO figure.
• You are hiring your first developers and need someone to define requirements, interview candidates, and set up engineering processes.
• Your outsourced team is not delivering. You need someone on your side to evaluate their work, hold them accountable, and potentially transition to an in-house team.
• You are making a major technology decision (new platform, rebuild, AI integration) and need expert guidance before committing EUR 50,000+.

How I Work as Your Fractional CTO

• Week 1 -- Technical Audit: I review your current codebase, architecture, infrastructure, and team processes. I deliver a written assessment with prioritized recommendations and a 90-day technical roadmap.
• Weekly cadence: Regular video calls for strategic decisions. Async Slack/Teams for daily questions. Code reviews via GitHub/GitLab. I am available when you need me, not just during scheduled meetings.
• Decision documentation: Every significant technical decision is documented with rationale, alternatives considered, and trade-offs. This becomes your engineering knowledge base and helps onboard future team members.
• Hands-on when needed: For critical features, prototypes, or technical spikes, I write code myself. For larger development work, I coordinate with your team or help you source developers.
• Exit planning: When your startup grows enough for a full-time CTO, I help you hire one, ensure a smooth knowledge transfer, and transition out gracefully.

Technologies I Advise On

My deepest expertise is in Python/Django backends, AI integration, and SaaS architecture. For frontend, mobile, or infrastructure-heavy decisions, I bring in trusted specialists from my network when needed.

Fractional CTO Pricing

Monthly retainer with flexible commitment. Start with one month, continue as long as needed. No equity required, no long-term lock-in.

One-time engagements: Technical audit (EUR 1,500), Tech due diligence for investors (EUR 2,000), Architecture review (EUR 1,000). Contact me for details.

About Kirill Strelnikov

Kirill is a senior AI engineer and SaaS architect based in Barcelona with 15+ production systems delivered. His experience spans AI chatbots, SaaS platforms, e-commerce, blockchain, and business automation. He has built systems that handle thousands of users, automated 70% of customer support for e-commerce companies, and architected multi-tenant platforms from scratch.

Stack: Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Redis, Docker, OpenAI, LangChain, AWS. Registered autonomo in Barcelona. Communication in English, Spanish, and Russian.