Fractional AI CTO

An operator on the hook for whether the AI ships, not an advisor with a deck.

Some teams do not need one more build. They need someone senior who owns the AI direction: which bets to make, how to architect them, what to build versus buy, and accountability for whether it actually ships. I embed with your team a few days a week and stay on the hook for the outcome.

InvestmentFrom $12k/mo

Monthly retainer, scoped to days per week. Six-month minimum. Priced below the multi-company fractional CTOs at the top of the market.

The problem

Advice is cheap. Accountability is the hard part.

Plenty of people will advise you on AI. Far fewer will own the decision and stay accountable when it has to work in production. A fractional AI CTO is the second thing: direction plus architecture plus a person who is measured on whether the system ships and holds up.

Where it hurts
AI strategy that never turns into a shipped systemBuild-versus-buy decisions nobody senior will ownA team that can execute but needs AI architecture directionAdvisors who leave once the slide deck is delivered
What I build

What you get, and how it is built.

The build

Embedded AI product direction, architecture, and accountability.

A few days a week inside your team: the decisions, the architecture, and ownership of whether the AI work ships.

Included
AI product direction and the roadmapArchitecture decisions and model strategyBuild-versus-buy calls, owned end to endCost and evals discipline across the AI workHands-on review of the team's AI builds
How it works

A small number of moves, each one verifiable.

Every stage ships its own deliverables, so you can see progress and correct course before the next one starts.

01

Onboard

I get inside your product, stack, and goals, and we agree what I own and what success looks like.

Context auditScope of ownershipSuccess metrics
02

Set direction

The AI roadmap, the architecture, and the build-versus-buy calls get made and written down.

AI roadmapArchitectureDecisions
03

Embed and ship

A few days a week inside the team, steering the build and reviewing the work until it ships.

Weekly cadenceBuild reviewShipped work
Why me

Direction and the build, in one accountable person.

You get one senior operator who makes the call, designs the system, and is measured on whether it works in production. Not strategy in one person and execution in another.

I do not advise on AI from the outside. I build these systems in my own products first, live with the failure modes, and rebuild the parts that break under real users. The patterns I bring to your build are the ones I have already paid for in mine.

Pricing

One project fee. No surprises.

Monthly retainer, scoped to days per week. Six-month minimum. Priced below the multi-company fractional CTOs at the top of the market.

Embedded
From $12k/ month

About one day a week of AI product direction and review.

Direction + architectureBuild-vs-buy ownershipBuild review
Book a call
Deeper
$20k-$30k/ month

Two to three days a week, embedded in the build.

Hands-on steeringDeeper involvementFaster cadence
Book a call
FAQ

Before you reach out

Next step

Start with a short call. Straight answer either way.

We confirm fit, scope the work, and decide whether to start with the Intensive or go straight to the build.

Newsletter

One letter, every Sunday. Working systems, not hot takes.

Build logs, working systems, and field notes from running a portfolio of AI ventures. Sent weekly, never more.

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