Should I bring on a full-time CTO?
- Kjell Moens
- Apr 14
- 1 min read
Updated: May 5
I get this question a lot from early-stage founders: “Should I bring on a full-time CTO?”
My answer? Probably not yet.
If you're pre-Series A, still figuring out your product, or working with a small team, you likely don’t need a permanent exec-level tech leader. What you do need is guidance—a technical partner who can help with architecture decisions, hiring, prioritization, and long-term planning.
That’s where a fractional CTO comes in.
Instead of committing to a high-salary full-time hire, you get senior leadership on a flexible basis. Someone who can step into strategy sessions, review technical plans, align your roadmap with the business, and set up your devs for success—without adding to your fixed burn.
Later, when your company is bigger and your technical challenges are more complex and cross-functional, a full-time CTO might make sense. But rushing that hire early can be expensive, risky, and unnecessary.
Think of a fractional CTO as your technical co-pilot—helping you steer the ship until it’s time to scale up the crew.
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