--- title: "About Federico Toscano" description: "Federico Toscano is a fractional CTO and startup tech advisor helping non-technical founders turn ideas into scalable products, from MVP to growth." url: https://www.88mph.tech/about/ last_modified: 2026-08-25 --- ## About Federico Toscano A technology and product leader helping early-stage founders build with confidence. Most early-stage founders struggle to turn an idea into a working product without overspending on the wrong tech. That is the problem I solve. I partner with pre-seed to Series A startups as a fractional CTO, providing CTO-level guidance at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. I work alongside non-technical founders to clarify the real problem, define the right MVP, choose the right stack, and build the first engineering team. ### Where I started I studied computer science in Florence and spent my first few years as a freelance web developer. The most useful thing I learned in that period had very little to do with code. When you work for yourself, and you are the only technical person on the job, nobody hands you a specification. You have to work out what the client actually needs, which is usually not what they asked for, and the only way to find out is to talk to them properly. Working out the problem turned out to be harder than working out the technology, and it has mattered more in every year since. I also did not want to become someone who only knew one kind of problem. That is why I deliberately moved between very different domains: European research on radio communication systems, mobile game development, and IoT for construction sites. Those fields share almost no assumptions about what counts as a good solution. Having seen that range, I find it much easier to notice when a familiar answer is being applied to an unfamiliar problem. I eventually came back to web development, this time working in startups. That taught me how to move quickly, how to work in a team, how to cover several roles at once when there is nobody else to cover them, and how to keep asking what the problem actually is while everyone around you is already discussing the solution. That last habit is what I bring to the founders I work with now. ### What I bring - **Problem clarification:** cutting through feature creep to find what actually needs building. - **Data-driven culture:** setting up the metrics and feedback loops that drive smart product decisions. - **Technical leadership:** architecture, hiring, vendor selection, and hands-on guidance. - **Founder coaching:** building your tech literacy so you can ask the right questions and lead with confidence. None of these are about writing more or better code. Most early-stage companies can find people to build. Far fewer can find someone to help them work out what is worth building. A founder came to me once with a handful of technical questions about scaling her product into a SaaS platform. Once we started talking, it became clear that the decision to go that route rested on information she did not actually have. By the end of the session she had chosen a completely different direction for the product, and the technical questions no longer applied. ### How I work I take on a small number of founders at a time, on flexible retainer arrangements of typically one to two days a week. Engagements are ongoing partnerships rather than one-off audits: I stay close enough to the work to set direction, review progress, and be there when the decisions that matter come up. I work remotely from London, with founders across Europe and further afield. Early-stage technical decisions rarely require being in the same room. They require someone being available in the week the decision actually comes up, and that is easier to guarantee from anywhere. I work in English and Italian. Everything starts with a [free 30-minute call](https://www.88mph.tech/call/) to explore fit. If we are a match, I propose a scope. If we are not, you still walk away with a clearer view of your next step. ### Who this suits This works best if you are non-technical, somewhere between pre-seed and Series A, and making decisions you do not feel qualified to judge on your own. Perhaps you have developers or an agency already and no way to tell whether the work coming back is good. Perhaps you have not started building and want to avoid the expensive mistakes before they happen. If you are earlier than that and still working out whether anyone wants what you are building, that is not a reason to stay away. Getting to a clear view of the problem before anyone writes code is part of the work, and it is usually the cheapest part of it. If what you need right now is more hands to build, that is a developer or an agency rather than me. I can still help you choose one, read their quotes before you sign, and judge the work once it starts. One situation calls for care: when you already have a technical leader the team trusts. Bringing in a second senior voice can undermine the first, and that helps nobody. It works well when that person wants it, whether that means someone to mentor them or someone to help them through a particular project or a growing team for a while. That is worth deciding together with them rather than around them. You can read more about [how a fractional CTO engagement works](https://www.88mph.tech/fractional-cto/), including what it costs. ### Where to find me You can find me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hard2hack), where I write about the technical decisions early-stage founders face, and on [GrowthMentor](https://www.growthmentor.com/mentors/federico-toscano), where I mentor founders on technology and product. Start here ### 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. [Book a free 30-min call](https://www.88mph.tech/call/) [Email me instead](mailto:federico@88mph.tech) Not ready to talk yet? [Read how a fractional CTO engagement works](https://www.88mph.tech/fractional-cto/).