Whether it is about deep-diving into an existing codebase, architecting a new product, assessing your tech team, or helping with hiring - our fractional CTOs are here for you.
From £1,500 a month, 4 to 40 hours, cancel any time.
A senior CTO, part time, with no equity and no long contract
Our CTOs are hands-on in your codebase and your team. What they typically take on:
Fractional CTO is a part-time Chief Technology Officer service where a senior CTO works with your leadership team on architecture, technical strategy, team development, and delivery quality without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire.
A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader who works with you part time, on a monthly retainer. We provide fractional and interim CTOs to established companies between CTOs and to founders building their first product, from our London office, on site across the UK and remotely abroad. From £1,500 a month, 4 to 40 hours.
What we did
Lev worked with LetterFest as an adviser: one-to-one sessions and workshops with the management team, the board and the lead developer. Together they agreed a roadmap and tech stack for adopting AI across the business, and LetterFest’s own team made the change, with people kept in charge of product thinking and requirements.
LetterFest's own marketing ad tool was built by the CEO with Lovable and Claude. It is still in daily use.
An estimated £500K saved this year on development and running costs, including an automation built in-house.
Better margins are going back into marketing.
“Totally transformational. We've done two years of backlog in four months.”
James Reader, CEO, LetterFestOur CTOs are not just high-level strategists. We get deep into the codebase and the working practices of the team. No fluff.
We will actually say if and when we think that you should NOT be relying on us, and suggest the right team member / provider / partner to rely on instead.
A monthly retainer from £1,500, 4 to 40 hours a month, adjusted or cancelled whenever you need. You keep your equity.
Over the years, we have built a network of the strongest tech leaders across the world. People who actually built, hired, scaled, fundraised and exited before. And now they are here to work with you.
The trigger is usually one of these moments. What changes between them is how much of the technical direction you need someone else to own.
Building a first product without a technical co-founder, and tired of being sold to by people who cannot read the code.
What we do
Services involved
Investors are about to look under the bonnet, or a launch or media appearance is about to put real load on the product.
What we do
Services involved
An underperforming team, a growing backlog, or architecture decisions that have outgrown the people making them.
What we do
Services involved
An engineering team with no CTO in place, or a transition that needs interim technical leadership while the business keeps shipping.
What we do
Services involved
A CTO has left, or a new one is stepping up for the first time.
What we do
Services involved
Both start with a free discovery call and a retainer sized to what you need. The difference is how deep in the day-to-day the CTO sits.
Senior judgement on the decisions that matter.
From £1,500 per month
Best for
Teams with someone running engineering day to day, who want a senior second opinion on architecture, hiring and technical direction.
What you get
Hands-on in your codebase and team, and accountable for outcomes over time.
Retainer sized on the discovery call, up to 40 hours a month.
Best for
Founders and companies without senior technical leadership in-house, or in a transition between CTOs.
What you get
Retainers run from 4 to 40 hours a month and can be adjusted at any time. All figures exclude VAT.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
See what our clients have to say.
“Hi, I'm Charlie, co-founder of Pretty Prompt. We did an AI session with Lev to see how we could speed up our development. We wanted to go through things like running agents, setting up Claude Code, writing out cursor rules, and his suggestions were great. They were split between technical and non-technical, and they were practical enough that we could implement them immediately after the session. I think if you're looking to get your development team up to speed with AI, uh, I'd highly recommend Lev.”
Charlie Day
CoFounder & CTO @ PrettyPrompt
Video testimonial from Natalia Pazzaglia, Founder. source
Hi, I'm Natalia Pazzaglia, and I'm the founder of Legacy Compass. Um, I just wanted to spend just a few seconds to say how helpful Lev and Metamindz were, to us. Lev helped me in different stages of the journey, from very early stage to getting to an MVP, and now thinking about the product strategy. I found it extremely pragmatic in the way in which he guided me into the product building, merging strategy with tech development, which I think specifically for non-tech founders like me is something extremely valuable. Moreover, I really appreciated that Lev and Metamindz have a very transparent process in which they tell you all the single steps and milestones that are agreed upon, so you don't risk to actually having a budget that is then completely forget with different expenses that you hadn't agreed before, which might be a big problem for, you know, especially like early-stage founders, which have a very limited budget for tech. So yeah, thank you so much Metamindz and Lev, and I wish that we can continue working together in the future.
Natalia Pazzaglia
Founder, Legacy Compass
“I would highly recommend Lev as a fractional CTO. What truly sets him apart is his rare combination of deep technical expertise and business acumen, coupled with a genuine investment in seeing others succeed. His ability to assess technical challenges and architect solutions while considering the broader business context has been invaluable. One of Lev's standout qualities is how he meets you exactly where you are - whether discussing early-stage challenges or complex architectural decisions, he tailors his guidance to your specific business stage and needs. What's particularly impressive is his commitment to giving honest, practical advice, even when it doesn't directly benefit him - a testament to his integrity and long-term perspective. His talent for translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders is remarkable. In every interaction, Lev brings clarity and strategic direction that helps navigate both immediate technical decisions and long-term architectural planning.” source
Aeva Health
Google review
“Lev has been such a huge help to us throughout our journey of building the Yes Gurl friendship app. His advice has been incredibly valuable, especially when it comes to understanding the technical side of things like app development and working with developers, which can feel quite overwhelming at times. He's also shared so much practical business advice that has given us a lot to think about and apply as we build our app and community. One of the things we've really appreciated is how generous he's been with his time and connections, even introducing us to someone in his network to help us with venue space for our events. We're so grateful for Lev's support and guidance - it's made such a difference in helping us feel confident as we move forward with Yes Gurl.” source
Yes Gurl
Google review
“Lev was able to tailor his service offer to the specific needs we had at the time. His advice was invaluable and provided a good "second pair of eyes" to validate and enhance our proposed approach to our IT development and structure. We look forward to working with Lev again”
Max Pell
Chief Administrative Officer, Fennech
Many startups start with a fractional CTO and hire full time as they scale. This is how the two compare.
| What matters | Metamindz fractional CTO | Full-time CTO hire |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | 4 to 40 hours a month, adjusted or cancelled at any time. | A full-time executive role, with notice periods on both sides. |
| Cost | A monthly retainer from £1,500. | A full-time executive salary and benefits. |
| Equity | None. | Agreed as part of the hire, depending on the role. |
| Experience | Matched from a network of CTOs across the UK, Europe and Israel who have built, hired, scaled, fundraised and exited. | The experience of one person, however good. |
| Getting started | A free discovery call, with an NDA first if you want one. | A recruitment process for a senior executive. |
| Best when | You need senior judgement but not yet a full-time role: validating an MVP, preparing to raise, or overseeing an outsourced or junior team. | Technology is core to daily operations and the engineering team needs leadership every day. |
Get a second opinion on a technical decision, with costs, trade-offs and a practical next step. Free.
Check the technology before you invest, then keep a CTO on the board.
An anonymised, shortened example of what an assessment covers.
Hale House, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT
We work on site anywhere in the UK and have done so for clients in London (central, east, south and north), Leamington Spa, Hertfordshire, Daventry, Brighton and Surrey, among others.
Remote for clients in Europe, the US and the Middle East.
You need a technical leader every day.
Hire a full-time CTO when technology is core to daily operations and the engineering team needs leadership every day. We can help you hire them.
You are in an operational crisis.
A crisis that needs someone present all day, every day is a full-time job. A fractional engagement cannot cover it.
You need someone to write all the code.
A fractional CTO leads, decides and reviews. If you need a team building the product, see our software development team or dedicated developers.
A fractional CTO provides senior technical leadership on a part-time basis. They help with architecture decisions, code reviews, team assessments, hiring technical talent, and strategic technical planning. Unlike consultants who just give advice, our fractional CTOs are hands-on and dive deep into your codebase.
Most clients need between 4 to 40 hours per month, depending on their needs. We'll work with you to determine the right amount during our discovery call. Engagements range from a 4-hour workshop on one specific, measured problem (with follow-ups and async help) to a regular engagement of 20 to 40 hours a month, including re-architecture and fundraising support. You can always adjust the retainer as your needs change.
Absolutely! Our fractional CTOs are experts at working with existing teams. They can assess your current team structure, help with hiring additional members, review code quality, and provide strategic guidance without disrupting your operations.
We're flexible! If you need more time, we can increase your retainer. If you need less, we can reduce it. We'll also be honest if we think you don't need us anymore and suggest alternatives.
We're happy to sign an NDA before our first meeting. You can use your NDA or ours - whatever makes you more comfortable. We take confidentiality seriously.
Our CTOs have experience across a wide range of tech stacks including modern web frameworks, mobile development, cloud infrastructure, and more. During our discovery call, we'll match you with a CTO who has relevant experience with your stack.
A fractional CTO is a senior Chief Technology Officer who works with a company part-time, usually on a monthly retainer, instead of being employed full-time. They provide the same technical leadership as a full-time CTO (architecture decisions, technical strategy, team building, hiring, and delivery oversight), but at a fraction of the cost and commitment. Fractional CTOs are most commonly used by early-stage startups and scaleups that need experienced technical leadership before they are ready to hire a full-time executive.
In the UK, fractional CTO engagements are usually priced as a monthly retainer scaled to the number of hours needed rather than a fixed salary. The cost depends on the seniority of the CTO, the scope of work, and how many hours per month you require. At Metamindz, retainers start from £1,500 a month (excluding VAT), most engagements run between 4 and 40 hours per month, and you can cancel at any time. We agree the retainer size with you on the discovery call so you only pay for what you actually need.
Choose a fractional CTO when you need senior technical leadership but do not yet have enough work, budget, or funding to justify a full-time executive, for example when validating an MVP, preparing for fundraising, or overseeing an outsourced or junior team. Choose a full-time CTO when technology is core to daily operations, the engineering team is large enough to need daily leadership, and the role is a full-time job. Many startups start with a fractional CTO and transition to full-time as they scale.
The most common triggers are: you are a non-technical founder building your first product, you are about to raise funding and need technical due diligence handled, you have an outsourced or junior team that needs senior oversight, or your existing codebase and architecture decisions have outgrown the team making them. A fractional CTO gives you experienced technical judgement at these moments without a full-time hire.
Yes. We work with established companies and enterprises as well as startups and scaleups: interim CTO cover while a company is between CTOs, an independent review of architecture, teams and suppliers, or technical due diligence before an acquisition. Companies we have worked with include Capgemini, Three and Superdrug.
Yes. Our office is at Hale House, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT. We work on site anywhere in the UK when needed, and have done so for clients in London (central, east, south and north), Leamington Spa, Hertfordshire, Daventry, Brighton and Surrey, among others. We work remotely for clients in Europe, the US and the Middle East.
A technical consultant typically delivers advice or a report and then leaves. A fractional CTO takes ongoing ownership of your technology direction. They are hands-on in the codebase and the team, accountable for outcomes over time, and act as a genuine member of your leadership team rather than an external adviser.
Have a project in mind, or simply want to learn more about how we can help? We'd love to hear from you.
All figures exclude VAT.
