Strategy · Deep dive 06
CTO as a Service
Fractional technical leadership for teams without a full-time CTO. Architecture, hiring, vendor calls, roadmap ownership — the steady hand until you're ready for your own, and often a sparring partner long after.
What it covers
An ongoing engagement — typically 1–3 days per week — where a senior Mashed engineer/architect sits in as the technical lead for your company. We carry the same responsibilities an in-house CTO would, with one difference: we're honest about when you should replace us.
Does this sound familiar?
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You've got a strong CEO but the technical decisions are starting to outrun anyone in the room.
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Engineering is making calls in a vacuum because there's no one to be accountable for them at leadership level.
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You're about to raise, and investors keep asking 'who's the CTO?' — the answer 'we're looking' only works for so long.
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The team is small enough that a full-time CTO is overkill, but big enough that it hurts to not have one.
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A technical hire at CTO level has been open for six months with no right answer in the pipeline.
The customer payoff
What you get
What you feel once it’s running.
A named senior technologist accountable for the technical direction of the business.
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A steady hand in architecture, hiring, and vendor decisions — the calls that quietly compound.
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Investor- and board-level technical credibility while you're still building the team.
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An unbiased voice in roadmap + build-vs-buy debates, with skin in the game.
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A clear exit ramp to a full-time hire — we actively help you find your replacement.
Phases
⏱ Ongoing · 1–3 days / weekHow CTO as a Service actually runs.
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01
Onboard
Two-week immersion: team 1:1s, read the repos, shadow a sprint. We show up with opinions by week three, not week one.
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02
Cadence
Weekly leadership sync, bi-weekly engineering 1:1s, monthly board/investor brief. The scaffolding an in-house CTO would bring, without the full salary.
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03
Ownership
We own the technical roadmap + architecture calls + hiring/vendor decisions. If we say yes to something, we carry the accountability.
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04
Handoff
When the full-time hire arrives, we spend 4–6 weeks on a clean handover. Everything is documented; nothing's in anyone's head.
The hand-off
What you're paying for
What lands in your hands — every artefact, nothing hidden.
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A named technical lead at 1–3 days / week (agreed upfront)
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Monthly written review — state of the engineering org
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Technical roadmap owned + kept current
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Hiring support: JDs, loops, final-round interviews, reference checks
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Board/investor technical communications
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Clean handover to the in-house CTO when you're ready
Before you commit
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Q·01 How long does a typical engagement last?
6–18 months. Long enough to actually bring order; short enough that we're always preparing the company to hire its own CTO."
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Q·02 Do you make individual contributions (code) too?
Minimally. The role is leadership, not individual engineering. If you also need hands on keys, that's a separate engagement."
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Q·03 Can we get the same person through the whole engagement?
Yes — we staff one named senior as the lead, plus a backup for holidays/illness. The face of the role doesn't rotate."
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Q·04 Who actually reports to you?
Depending on the org: the engineering manager, or directly the ICs if there's no EM yet. We're clear about the line on day one."
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Q·05 What happens if you disagree with the CEO?
We say so, with reasoning. CEO has final call on business decisions; we have final call on technical ones within the agreed scope. Disagreements get written down."
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Q·06 Can we convert you to a full-time hire?
Rarely what we do, but we can help you hire the right person — including interviewing candidates, setting the JD, and advising on the offer.
Ready to start
Need a steady hand?
If you're somewhere between 'our CEO makes the tech calls' and 'we have a full-time CTO', we probably fit the gap. Let's talk through what you'd actually need us to own.
Explore CTOaaSThe wider map
Every service page at a glance.
Each link below opens a dedicated page on that specific piece of one of our four service pillars. Jump sideways — different service, same way of working.
Digital Product Strategy
Service overview →- 01 Discovery & Market Fit
- 02 Vision & Positioning
- 03 Roadmap & Prioritisation
- 04 Experience Strategy
- 05 Technology Advisory
- 06 CTO as a Service — you’re here
- 07 COO as a Service