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Technical leadership for non-technical founders

The technology partner your startup needs, before you can hire a CTO.

I help early-stage founders turn an idea into a product they can trust: deciding what to build, choosing the right tech, and making the calls you should not have to make alone.

Book a free 30-min call See how I help
  • Fractional CTO guidance
  • Pre-seed to Series A
  • Remote, from London
Sound familiar?

You can feel the risk, but you can't see inside the black box

When you are not technical, the hardest part is not the code. It is knowing whether the right things are being built, well, by the right people.

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You are approving contracts and invoices you have no way to evaluate.

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Your dev team or agency is behind, and you cannot tell why.

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You do not actually know whether your developers are any good.

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You are not sure what to build first, or what to leave for later.

You do not need to become technical. You need someone you trust to make technology decisions with you.

How I help

One partner, across the whole early-stage journey

From the first idea to a scaling product, I give you the technical judgment a founding team is usually missing.

01

From idea to MVP

You have a vision but no technical co-founder. I help you turn it into a clear, buildable MVP: what to build first, what to leave out, and how to get to a working product without wasting months or budget.

02

Post-MVP tech strategy

You have something live and need it to scale. I guide the calls that matter after MVP: architecture, product priorities, analytics, and hiring, so growth does not break what you have built.

03

Fractional CTO guidance

CTO-level leadership without a full-time hire. I own the technology decisions alongside you: stack, vendors, roadmap, and team, on a flexible retainer that fits an early-stage budget.

04

Founder tech coaching

You do not need to become an engineer. I build your tech literacy so you can ask the right questions, evaluate the answers, and lead your developers with confidence instead of guesswork.

How it works

A working partnership, not a one-off report

Simple to start, easy to adjust as you grow. Most founders begin light and scale up as the product takes shape.

1

A free 30-minute call

We talk through where you are and the decisions in front of you. You leave with a clearer next step, whether or not we work together.

2

A scope that fits your stage

I propose a flexible retainer, usually one to two days a week, matched to what you actually need right now. No bloated contracts.

3

An ongoing partner

I stay close to the work: setting direction, reviewing progress, and being there when the important calls come up. You are never deciding alone.

The short version

So, what is a fractional CTO?

It is the term for what I do: an experienced technology leader who works with you part-time instead of joining full-time. You get the judgment of a CTO on the decisions that matter, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

  • Part-time, ongoing. Typically one to two days a week, not a temporary project.
  • Strategic and hands-on. Architecture, hiring, vendors, and roadmap, plus real involvement in the work.
  • Built for early stage. CTO-level thinking at a pre-seed to Series A budget.
  • On your side. The technical co-founder you never had, without giving away equity.
Federico Toscano
Who you would be working with

I am Federico Toscano, a technology and product leader who partners with early-stage founders as a fractional CTO.

I have built and led product and engineering across SaaS, marketplace, and consumer companies.

What I care about is helping founders make good technology decisions early, when those decisions are cheapest to get right and most expensive to get wrong. That means clarifying the real problem, defining the right MVP, choosing a stack you will not regret, and building a data-driven culture from day one.

More about how I work →

Questions

What founders usually ask

What exactly is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is an experienced technology leader who works with you part-time, typically one to two days a week, instead of joining full-time. You get senior CTO-level judgment on architecture, hiring, and product decisions for a fraction of the cost and commitment of a full-time executive. It is the right fit for startups that need the thinking of a CTO before they can justify the salary of one.
I already have developers or an agency. Why would I need you?
Developers and agencies build what they are told to build. The hard part is deciding what to build, whether the work is any good, and whether the technical direction serves the business. If you are non-technical, that judgment is exactly what is missing. I sit on your side of the table: reviewing the work, setting the direction, and making sure you are not paying for the wrong thing.
I am not technical at all. Can you still help me?
That is who I work with most. You do not need to learn to code. You need someone you trust to make technology decisions with you and translate them into plain language. I bridge the gap between your business vision and what actually gets built.
How much does it cost?
Engagements run on a flexible monthly retainer scaled to how much support you need, usually one to two days a week. That is a small fraction of a full-time CTO salary. We agree scope on the intro call so there are no surprises, and you can adjust as your needs change.
How do we start?
With a free 30-minute call. We talk through where you are, what you are trying to build, and the decisions in front of you. If it makes sense to work together, I propose a scope and we begin. If it does not, you still leave the call with a clearer view of your next steps.
Do you work remotely?
Yes. I work with founders across Europe and beyond, remotely, and I am based in London. Early-stage work does not require being in the same room, it requires being available when the decisions come up.
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Let's find out what your product actually needs

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll talk through where you are, what to build next, and whether working together makes sense. No pressure, no jargon.

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