Fractional CTO and technical advisor # Technical leadership, without the full-time hire. For teams that need a senior technical leader, not a build. Dathan works as your CTO or advisor on a monthly retainer: architecture calls, hiring, investor questions, and an honest read on the work your developers are doing. [Talk about your current challenges →](/start?source=retainer) [See plans and prices ↓](#plans) Three-time CTO. Senior engineering at Amazon, Netflix, Yahoo, Overstock, Porsche and Northrop Grumman. > “At pre-seed, a full-time CTO is a commitment you can’t responsibly make and can’t afford to get wrong. Dathan gave us a third option: a 3x CTO with three decades of production experience, embedded with our dev team and shaping technical strategy, at the scope and pace a company our size can actually carry. The value isn’t a fraction of a CTO, it’s the senior judgment that usually only arrives much later and at much greater cost.” ## Pick the seat you need filled. Not sure? Start with the advisor. Moving up later is easy. ### Technical advisor Direction without the drama. Architecture, code review, stack and vendor decisions, team direction. Works through a queue of requests: written answers, reviews, decisions. - →You have developers but no senior technical voice - →You need architecture reviews and stack decisions - →You want to know if the work your team is doing is good - →Investors and the board aren't asking yet Steady$3,500/mo 1 request at a time · 48hr average · async [Start Steady](https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ8wQ9X39Kr8D50TE5c408) Active$5,500/mo 1 request at a time · 24hr average · bi-weekly 30-min sync [Start Active](https://buy.stripe.com/fZufZi7OVcWDcTl45Q5c407) Sprint$8,000/mo 2 requests in parallel · priority · bi-weekly sync [Start Sprint](https://buy.stripe.com/aFa3cwedj7Cj3iL31M5c406) ### Fractional CTO An ongoing leadership relationship, not an answering service. Everything in the advisor, plus the work a CTO owns. - →Your CTO left, was never hired, or wasn't strong enough - →You're heading into a fundraise - →Investors or the board are asking technical questions you can't answer alone - →You need technical ownership, not just answers Strategic$9,500/mo Architecture, roadmap, team direction · 1 call a month + async [Start Strategic](https://buy.stripe.com/4gM28s8SZcWDcTl0TE5c405) Executive$14,500/mo Adds investor calls, hiring, due diligence · bi-weekly call [Start Executive](https://buy.stripe.com/8x26oI9X35ub7z131M5c404) PartnerCustom Adds board presence and roadmap ownership · weekly call · two clients max [Let's talk](/start?tier=cto-partner) Pause or cancel anytime, 30-day exit. Annual plans get two months free. For co-founder-level or turnaround work, [Principal](/start?tier=principal) starts with a call. ## What a CTO covers Four lanes, one person. Strategy Technology bets, build-vs-buy, AI direction, the "should we even build this" question. Architecture Stack, infrastructure, data and security decisions, and the migrations that don't take production down. Team and hiring Engineers evaluated, interviews run, a pipeline kept, while you build the permanent team. Investor and board The technical sections of the deck, diligence answers, and board prep from someone who can answer the questions. Not ready for a retainer? The Unlock · from $2,000 One 90-minute session. We name your top constraint and you leave with a one-page plan and a 30-day follow-up. [Book The Unlock →](/start?utm_campaign=accelerator-unlock) The Multiplier · from $30K / 90 days A 90-day intensive: weekly working sessions, reviews of code, hires and decisions, tied to metrics agreed up front. [Talk about The Multiplier →](/start?utm_campaign=accelerator-multiplier) ## Common questions What counts as a "request"? Who does the work? How does pausing work? Is there a minimum commitment? What is Principal? ## Already work with us? Send a question. We respond personally, usually the same business day. Name Email Your question Send question → ## Start with a conversation. Tell us what you're dealing with. We'll say honestly whether a retainer is the right fit. [Talk about your current challenges →](/start?source=retainer) Got a question?