Fractional CTO
A fractional CTO for AI — the senior technical call, without the full-time hire
Part-time, senior technology leadership for founders and SMBs who need to decide what to build with AI — and then actually ship it. I've spent two decades building and shipping software and now run production agentic systems on Google and Claude.
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is an experienced chief technology officer who works with your company part-time — a few days a month, or a set number of hours a week — instead of as a full-time executive. You get senior technical judgment on architecture, hiring, vendor choices and roadmap, scaled to what you actually need and can afford.
It's the right fit when the technology decisions are too important to guess at, but the company doesn't yet justify a full-time CTO salary. Common triggers: a founding team without a deeply technical voice, a build-vs-buy decision with real money on the line, or an AI initiative that needs to move from demo to production.
Why a fractional CTO for AI specifically
A general fractional CTO can keep your engineering healthy. An AI-focused one can also tell you the truth about the thing everyone is being sold right now: whether an agent, a model, or a workflow actually fits your problem — or whether you're about to spend six months building a demo that never survives contact with production.
That's the work I do. I build and ship multi-agent systems on two platforms I can run deeply — Google (Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform + ADK) and Claude (Agent SDK, Code) — plus the connective tissue around them: Model Context Protocol (MCP), Agent2Agent (A2A), identity, governance and observability. The honest answer is sometimes “AI doesn't help here yet”, and I'll tell you that too.
How to hire one — three honest models
Concrete scope and pricing follow a short Discovery conversation, not before. We start by checking whether the work is even worth doing.
Discovery & Strategy
typically 2–4 weeks
We map the problem, the realistic AI options, and what it would take to ship. You leave with a decision and a plan — even if the plan is “not yet”.
Build & Deploy
typically 8–16 weeks
Hands-on technical leadership to take an agentic system from prototype to production: architecture, the build, the governance and observability around it.
Ongoing Advisory
typically 3–12 months
A recurring few days a month: roadmap, hiring, vendor and architecture calls, and a senior technical voice your team can escalate to.
Who you'd be working with
I'm Matteo Gazzurelli — two decades building and shipping software, now working as a fractional CTO and agentic-AI consultant from Brescia, Italy, with international teams, fully remote. My company, MaGa Srl, is a Google Partner, and I organize GDG Brescia (the local Google Developer Group).
That mix matters for this role: deep enough on Google and Claude to build the thing, senior enough across two decades of shipping software to tell you when not to. No team to upsell you into — just the technical call, made honestly.
Common questions
What does a fractional CTO actually do?
Senior technical leadership, part-time: architecture and build-vs-buy decisions, technology roadmap, engineering hiring, vendor selection, and being the experienced voice in the room when a high-stakes technical call has to be made. For an AI-focused engagement, that includes deciding whether and how to use agents and models in production.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
It depends on the model and intensity — a few days a month of advisory is very different from leading a build. That’s why I scope and price after a short Discovery conversation rather than quoting a number up front. The goal is to pay for the judgment you need, not a full-time executive salary you don’t.
When should I hire a fractional CTO instead of a full-time one?
When the technology decisions are too important to guess at, but the company doesn’t yet justify (or can’t yet attract) a full-time CTO. Early-stage startups, SMBs digitizing, and teams facing a specific AI initiative are the typical fit. As you scale, a fractional CTO can also help you hire and onboard your first full-time one.
What makes a fractional CTO for AI different?
Beyond general engineering leadership, an AI-focused fractional CTO can give you an honest read on whether an agent, model, or plain workflow fits your problem — and can build it if it does. In my case that means production agentic systems on Google (Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform + ADK) and Claude (Agent SDK), with MCP and A2A where they help.
Do you work remotely with international teams?
Yes — remote-first. I’m based in Brescia, Italy and work remotely with US and international teams across time zones, with occasional on-site time when an engagement calls for it.
Let's talk about your case
Pick a time and we'll figure out, honestly, whether a fractional CTO — and AI — fit what you're building.
Last updated: June 2026