Who this is for
Founders making their first technical hires and architecture decisions
You have revenue or funding but no technical co-founder. You're making bets on stack, team, and product direction - and one wrong call costs 6 months.
First-time CTOs who need someone in the seat who's been in the seat
You got the title but not the playbook. You're managing engineers, managing up to the founder, and trying to ship - all at once.
Series A–C companies in technical leadership transitions
Your CTO has left, you're scaling fast, or you're preparing for fundraise or acquisition and need senior engineering leadership now - not in 3 months when a full-time hire starts.
Three ways to work together
Engineering Diagnostic
The starting point
3-week engagement
A clear-eyed read on where you stand technically - and the three decisions that matter most right now.
- Written report covering technical risks, team gaps, and prioritised recommendations
- Identification of the 3 most consequential decisions for the next quarter
- Codebase and architecture review
- Two readout calls to walk through findings and answer questions
Best for: Founders or boards who need an independent technical assessment before committing to a direction.
Fractional CTO
Most PopularOngoing strategic engagement
3-month minimum
Senior engineering leadership without the full-time hire - for founders who need someone in their corner every week.
- Weekly strategic call
- Async access - capped at 2 touchpoints per week, 48-hour response
- Monthly written priorities review
- Architecture decisions, hiring input, team structure, founder communication strategy
Best for: Founders who need senior engineering leadership without a full-time hire.
Transformation Engagement
Fixed-scope, defined outcome
3-month engagement
A specific outcome, delivered. We define the scope together, I own the execution, and we agree on what "done" looks like upfront.
- Defined deliverables and endpoint agreed before we start
- Hands-on engineering leadership for the duration
- Regular progress reviews with stakeholders
- Examples: ship v1 of a product, rebuild engineering org, prepare for technical due diligence
Best for: Teams with a specific outcome they need shipped in 3 months.
"Ben was an exceptional CTO and a true partner in the chaos of startup life. At WorkMade, we took on massive projects with ambitious timelines, and Ben had the rare ability to turn an idea from concept yesterday to a working build in production today. He knew exactly where to focus our energy for the biggest impact, operated with incredible agility, and made thoughtful trade-offs without ever compromising quality and security. Without needing to be asked. Beyond his technical skill, Ben was an incredible teammate and communicator. He knew how to adapt his style to whoever he was working with (whether it was breaking things down for a non-technical teammate or deep-diving with an engineer) so everyone felt aligned and heard. Working with Ben felt like having both a strategic visionary and a hands-on builder in one. Any founder/team would be lucky to have him in their corner."
"The API we built together was still the foundation they built new products on, years after I'd left."
Is this right for you?
This is for you if
- ✓ You're making architecture or hiring decisions with no senior technical voice in the room
- ✓ You need someone who's been CTO at an early-stage startup - not a consultant reading from a playbook
- ✓ You want candid advice and clear deliverables, not open-ended retainers
Not for you if
- ✗ You're looking for validation, not honesty
- ✗ You're pre-idea or pre-revenue
- ✗ You need a full-time embedded engineer, not strategic leadership
Next step
Book a free 30-minute working session
Not sure which fits? I'll give you my honest read on what you actually need. No obligation, no pitch - worst case you get a useful conversation.
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