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Do you need a fractional CTO?

When a fractional CTO actually earns their fee — and when a build studio is enough.

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Why we wrote this. We ship work like this ourselves — not as a reseller or a marketplace. The timelines, deliverables, and price bands below come from real engagements we've run end-to-end at Smartly Built Ventures Limited (trading as Vibed Ventures).

Who this is for

  • Pre-PMF founders facing the 'need a CTO' question
  • Operators raising a seed and pattern-matching from advisors
  • Anyone confused by the various CTO-as-a-service offers

What you get

  • What a fractional CTO is actually for (decisions, not code)
  • Where a build studio is enough (most pre-PMF cases)
  • Realistic monthly costs ($5k–$15k for fractional, by depth)
  • Hybrid: studio builds, fractional CTO oversees
  • When to convert fractional to full-time

Dig deeper

Frequently asked

  • Can vibed.ventures act as one?

    We do light technical oversight for studios we've built for. Full fractional CTO work — board reports, hiring panels — is outside our scope.

What happens next

  1. Step 1Tell us the problem60 seconds in the /solve box. You don't need a brief.
  2. Step 2Get a tailored reportROI, build plan and a rough price band — emailed to you.
  3. Step 3Book a 25-min callWe talk it through honestly. If it's not for us, we'll say so.
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