Fractional CTO Services
I build and scale engineering teams and technology foundations for founders and the investors behind them, at whichever point they need it.
First Technology Hire
Support for founders making their first technology appointment. I help you set the right technical foundations and make the right hiring decision before either one costs you, bringing judgement most founders have never had reason to build themselves.
I hired Gwyn to setup and run the development team … If I am ever again in the position to hire a head of development, I would hire Gwyn again in a heartbeat.
Turnaround
Brought in when technology has already gone wrong. I work out what's actually broken, stop the immediate risk, and rebuild the decision-making that should have been there from the start, including the leadership and culture gaps that usually sit underneath the technical ones.
Took an early-stage team with little structure or delivery discipline and gave it the standards, accountability and culture to ship faster and support commercial growth.
Scaling Technology and Teams
Support through the stretch between an early-stage team and one built to scale. I help you get the technical foundations, team structure and culture right together, and make the difficult calls on when and how to evolve the engineering function before growth forces the decision for you.
Scaled engineering to around 25 people across three countries through expansion into a new market, with delivery measured on DORA.
Gwyn created an excellent technology team based on modern values and principles such as empowerment and purpose which meant his team bonded and worked together incredibly well to achieve some very tricky timescales.
Independent Technology Assessment
A fixed-fee, two-week independent assessment answering three questions in writing. Where technology is creating value. Where it's creating risk. What should happen in the next 90 days. Five stakeholder interviews, a written report, a live readout. Two weeks, fixed. £4,925, fixed.
Exit Readiness
Working with founders in the 18 to 24 months before an exit so technology reads as an asset in diligence rather than a risk a buyer discounts for. Drawn from direct experience answering buy-side technology questions as the sole technology counterpart in a premium exit.
Faced the buyer's due diligence auditors as sole technology counterpart. The result was a premium exit.
Board-level technology leadership, without the permanent hire.
A fractional CTO gives you senior technology leadership on a part-time retained basis. You get the judgement, the accountability and a seat at the board table. You do not carry the cost of a full-time executive.
It works best before the first CTO hire, during a period of scaling, before an exit and after an acquisition. Those are the moments when a business needs a technology leader and cannot yet justify, or cannot yet find, a permanent one.
In my last executive role, at a PE-backed pharmaceutical logistics business, I was the sole technology executive reporting to the CEO, with ownership across digital product, technology, data, change, cybersecurity and IT operations. That role was structurally equivalent to an interim CTO remit. I work the same way in a part-time shape.
How it starts
An honest assessment of the estate, the team and the decisions waiting. A short written view for the CEO or board. Then a rhythm that suits the business.
Live example
Spark Intel, a City of London fintech. Fractional counsel to the CTO and CEO covering data infrastructure, engineering governance and delivery lifecycle maturity as the business scaled rapidly.
In their words
… a forward thinking IT function that prioritises security while still enabling business advancement to drive customer value. … I would highly recommend Gwyn for any CTO or technical leadership role.
Frequently asked
- Will you replace my CTO?
- No. If you have one, I work alongside them. The Spark Intel engagement is counsel to the CTO and CEO.
- Do you work with more than one client?
- Yes, up to capacity.
- What is the difference between fractional and interim?
- Fractional is part-time and retained. Interim is full-time or close to it, for a defined period. The interim page explains when that is the right shape.
Start with the problem, not a job title.
Tell me what is happening, what is coming and what nobody in the business can currently answer.