# Fractional CTO

Concept · [Talent and hiring](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/talent)

Also called: fractional chief technology officer, part-time CTO, virtual CTO, vCTO, CTO as a service, outsourced CTO

A part-time [chief technology officer](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cto). They set the technical direction, choose the tools and the people who build the product, and review the work, without joining full time. Common before a startup can hire a [technical co-founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-co-founder) or a full-time CTO.

**For example:** A [non-technical founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-co-founder) pays a fractional CTO a [monthly retainer](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/retainer) to pick a development shop, review its code each week and explain the trade-offs before each decision.

## Connects to (8)

- [CTO](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cto): Chief technology officer.
- [Fractional executive](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fractional-executive): An experienced leader who works for several companies at once, each for part of the week, usually for a monthly fee.
- [Technical co-founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-co-founder): A founding partner who can build the product themselves and who makes the technology decisions.
- [Technical advisor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-advisor): An experienced engineer or technology leader who gives a startup occasional advice on technical choices, such as what to build on and whom…
- [Technical debt](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-debt): Shortcuts taken while building software that save time now but make later changes slower and riskier until someone cleans them up.
- [Technical due diligence](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-due-diligence): A review of a company's technology by an outside expert before an investment or an acquisition: how the product is built, its security…
- [Fractional head of product](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fractional-product-leader): A part-time product leader.
- [Staff augmentation](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/staff-augmentation): Adding outside contractors to your own team, usually through a firm, while you keep directing the work.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/fractional-cto