Fractional CTO for Startups | Ben Howdle, Two-Time Startup CTO

How it works

Tell me the decision

One sentence, a message, or a call.
I reply within one working day

An honest read and which option fits - including if none do.
We agree scope in writing

Scope and start date, agreed before anything begins.

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.

Four ways to work together

A full-time CTO means a six-figure salary, equity, and months of hiring. This is senior engineering leadership without any of that.

Decision Review

Start here

One decision, fixed scope

£950 ($1,200)

5 working days

You walk away with one decision made properly: a written recommendation you can act on straight away.

One decision, fixed scope - the one you're stuck on right now
A written recommendation within 5 working days
One 45-minute call to walk it through

The fee is credited in full against the Diagnostic - if we go deeper, the Decision Review costs nothing.

Best for: Founders who need one call made well, not an engagement.

Engineering Diagnostic

The full picture

£6,000 ($7,500)

3-week engagement

You walk away with a clear-eyed, written read on where you stand technically - and the three decisions that matter most this quarter.

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

If the report doesn't change at least one decision you were about to make, I'll refund it in full.

The full fee is credited against any ongoing engagement - if we continue together, the Diagnostic effectively costs nothing.

Best for: Founders or boards who need an independent technical assessment before committing to a direction.

Fractional CTO

Ongoing strategic engagement

£12,000/mo ($15,000)

3-month minimum

You walk away with senior engineering leadership in your corner every week - decisions made with someone who's held the seat, not guessed at it.

Weekly strategic call
Async access between calls
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

£35,000 ($45,000)

3-month engagement

You walk away with a specific outcome, delivered - scope defined together, execution owned by me, and "done" agreed 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.

Start with one sentence

No deck, no discovery call, no forms with ten fields. Finish this sentence and I'll take it from there.

Rather just message? WhatsApp me - or book the free 30-min call.

Not ready to commit? Start with the book.

If you'd rather see how I think before booking a call, I wrote The First CTO: The Job Nobody Explains. It covers the stuff I got wrong as a two-time startup CTO - hiring, architecture, managing founders, the bit where I became the bottleneck. £12, available direct or on Amazon Kindle and paperback.

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

Common questions

How much of your time do I get?

On the Fractional CTO engagement: a weekly strategic call, async access between calls - two touchpoints a week, with replies inside 48 hours - and a monthly written priorities review. The Decision Review, Diagnostic and Transformation engagements each have a fixed scope, agreed in writing before we start.

Do you write code?

Where it's the fastest route to the outcome, yes - the Transformation engagement is hands-on by design. The Fractional CTO engagement is strategic leadership. If what you actually need is a full-time embedded engineer, I'll tell you that on the first call.

I'm pre-revenue. Can you help?

The ongoing engagements aren't built for pre-revenue - I say so further up the page. Start with the book (£12, it covers the ground I'd walk you through anyway), or a one-off Decision Review if there's a single call you need to get right.

How is this different from hiring a full-time CTO?

A full-time CTO means a six-figure salary, equity, and months of hiring. This is the senior engineering leadership part without any of that. You can start with one decision at £950, and the bigger engagements have a defined scope and endpoint.

Will you sign an NDA?

Yes. Send it over with the form or ahead of the call, and I'll flag anything I can't agree to.

Do you work with companies outside the UK?

Yes - I work with companies worldwide. Prices are shown in both pounds and dollars.

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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