Service
Fractional CTO for Founders & Small Teams
A fractional CTO is an experienced technology leader who works with you part-time instead of as a full-time hire. Lifehouse Development offers fractional CTO partnerships from Grand Rapids, Michigan on a month-to-month retainer: technology strategy, architecture decisions, vendor evaluation, and AI adoption for founders and small teams — with no software to sell you and no referral commissions.
You’re building something real — but every technology decision lands on your desk, and a full-time CTO costs $200,000–$350,000 per year. The Fractional CTO model gives you an experienced technology leader in your corner, at a fraction of the cost, exactly when you need one.
Who It’s For
Built for leaders carrying technology decisions alone
Founders and solopreneurs without a technical co-founder who need someone to pressure-test architecture, vet developers and agencies, and keep the product on a foundation that scales.
CEOs of small, growing teams who are done being the de facto IT department — and want technology decisions made proactively instead of in crisis mode.
Mission-driven organizations that need the same strategic leadership with a partner who understands nonprofit budgets and constraints. See our Fractional CTO for Nonprofits.
What You Get
Strategic technology leadership, on a retainer
- A clear technology direction aligned to your business goals
- Honest, vendor-neutral guidance — we have no products to sell you
- Architecture and build-vs-buy decisions made with experience, not guesswork
- Confident hiring and vendor management — know what good looks like
- Practical AI adoption that saves time instead of adding complexity
- Executive-level thinking without a full-time executive salary
Running a nonprofit or church instead? The same partnership, shaped around boards, grant reporting, and funder compliance, is our fractional CTO for nonprofits.
How It Works
A rhythm, not a ticket queue
A standing monthly session
One scheduled conversation covering what shipped, what is next, and what changed. Architecture calls, build-versus-buy decisions, and hiring plans get made here rather than deferred until they become urgent.
Availability between sessions
A vendor sends a renewal, a customer asks a security question, a contractor proposes a rewrite. You get a straight answer the same day instead of guessing or paying to find out later.
Technical due diligence and hiring
Reviewing an agency’s proposal, interviewing your first engineer, or sanity-checking what an existing contractor has built. Having someone technical in your corner changes those conversations materially.
Build work, scoped separately
If the answer turns out to be software rather than strategy, we scope it at published prices. The retainer is never a channel for quietly billing a build — build work follows the same blueprint-first process and is measured the same way as everything on our work & outcomes page.
Honest Fit
When you don’t need a fractional CTO
If you have one specific decision to make and your systems are otherwise fine, buy a single strategy session rather than a retainer. It is cheaper, it ends, and it answers the question.
If you already have a strong senior engineer who enjoys the architecture and vendor side of the work, you may simply need to give them the mandate rather than hire around them.
And if what you need is someone to manage laptops, accounts, and the network, that is managed IT, not a CTO. We will tell you which one you are looking at in about fifteen minutes, at no cost.
Common Questions
Fractional CTO, answered
What does a fractional CTO do?
A fractional CTO provides the same strategic technology leadership as a full-time CTO — technology strategy, architecture decisions, vendor and hiring guidance, AI adoption, and roadmap planning — on a part-time, retainer basis. You get executive-level judgment without the executive-level payroll.
How much does a fractional CTO cost compared to a full-time hire?
A full-time CTO typically costs $200,000–$350,000+ per year in salary alone, before equity and benefits. A fractional CTO engagement runs a fraction of that on a flexible monthly retainer, scaled to the level of involvement you actually need.
Who is a fractional CTO right for?
Founders and solopreneurs without a technical co-founder, small teams whose CEO is making technology decisions alone, and mission-driven organizations that need experienced technology guidance but don't yet have the volume of work to justify a full-time hire.
Do you only advise, or do you also build?
Both. Some engagements are purely advisory — helping you make better technology decisions and build a roadmap. Others are hands-on, including website modernization, AI integration, and strategic technology projects. We design the engagement around what you need.
Is a Fractional CTO right for you?
The best way to find out is a free 30-minute conversation. No pitch, no pressure — just an honest assessment of where you are and what kind of support would actually help.