Senior technology leadership
without the full-time hire.
Architecture and build-vs-buy decisions, engineering leadership and hiring strategy, the technical roadmap that earns board confidence, and the investor-facing story behind it. One principal. Full accountability. No bench rotation.
Schedule a fit callWhen a fractional CTO is the right call
You've outgrown founder-led technology
The CEO or COO is still making architecture calls, and the business has reached a complexity where that's a liability, not a virtue. You need someone whose full-time job is the technology decision — but you can't justify a $400K hire.
A board or investor is asking questions you can't answer
Due diligence is surfacing technical debt. The board wants a technology roadmap. Cyber insurance is asking about your security posture. You need a senior technology voice in the room who can hold those conversations credibly.
You're scaling and the systems are cracking
What worked at 20 people doesn't work at 80. Vendor relationships are unmanaged. The tech stack grew by accretion, not design. Someone needs to impose architecture and governance before the next phase of growth breaks what's already fragile.
You're preparing for a transaction
Pre-exit technology remediation. Post-acquisition integration. M&A diligence from the buy side. The technology narrative needs to be defensible at the table — and the person telling that story needs to have actually built the thing they're presenting.
What the engagement covers
Every fractional CTO engagement is scoped around defined outcomes — not a generic retainer against hours. Typical coverage includes:
Technology strategy & roadmap
Architecture review. Build-vs-buy analysis. Vendor evaluation and selection. A prioritized roadmap tied to business objectives, not technology fashion.
Engineering leadership
Team structure and hiring strategy. Engineering process maturity. Code review cadence and release management. Performance management for technical staff — or evaluation of outsourced development partners.
Board & investor readiness
Technology narrative for the board deck. Due diligence preparation. Investor Q&A rehearsal. The story that turns "we have technical debt" into "we have a credible plan."
Vendor & spend governance
SaaS sprawl audit. Contract review and renegotiation. Vendor consolidation. Most mid-market companies are spending 20–40% more than they need to on technology — and nobody is watching the invoices.
What the engagement does not cover
Cavalier is pure advisory. We do not write code. We do not configure servers, firewalls, or cloud infrastructure. We do not staff help desks. We do not resell software or hardware. We do not take vendor referral fees. We do not compete with the implementation firms we recommend — we work alongside them, holding them accountable on your behalf. If what you need is implementation, an MSP, or staff augmentation, we will tell you on the first call and refer you to firms we trust.
Why Cavalier for CTO leadership
The person who scopes the work leads the work
At bench firms, the partner sells the engagement and someone else delivers. At Cavalier, the principal who earned your trust is the principal on every call, every board meeting, every decision. That's not a promise — it's the model.
CTO + CIO + CISO under one roof
Technology strategy that ignores security is technology strategy done wrong. Every Cavalier CTO engagement carries CISO-grade security fluency by default. When the engagement needs dedicated security leadership, the same principal holds both seats.
Operator, not just advisor
Cavalier's principals have built and operated what they're now advising on — teams across 40 states, regulated infrastructure, board-level reporting. The difference between an advisor who has done the work and one who has read about it shows up in every recommendation.
Questions buyers ask
What does a fractional CTO actually do?
A fractional CTO provides senior technology leadership — architecture decisions, build-vs-buy calls, engineering team oversight, technical roadmap, and the board-facing technology narrative — on a retained basis rather than as a full-time hire. At Cavalier, every engagement is led by a principal who owns the outcome complete.
How is this different from hiring a full-time CTO?
A full-time CTO costs $380K–$420K loaded annually and takes 4–6 months to recruit. A fractional CTO engagement starts within two weeks at a fraction of that cost, with senior judgment from day one. Most companies between 25 and 250 employees need the judgment but cannot justify or afford the full-time seat.
Do you write code or manage engineers directly?
No. Cavalier is pure advisory. We set the technical direction, evaluate architecture, lead vendor selection, and hold teams accountable — but we do not write code, configure infrastructure, or manage sprints. Implementation runs through your team or a vendor we help you select.
Can you also cover CISO or CIO responsibilities?
Yes — Cavalier is one of the few firms where a single principal holds CTO, CIO, and CISO credentials. Many engagements begin with one mandate and expand as the work reveals the need. You pay for one relationship, not three.
What industries do you specialize in?
PE-backed portfolio companies, financial services, healthcare, defense industrial base, and professional services firms. These are regulated, board-governed environments where the technology leader must speak the language of compliance, risk, and fiduciary duty — not just the language of engineering.
What does the first 30 days look like?
A structured diagnostic: current-state technology assessment, security posture review, vendor and spend analysis, team capability mapping, and a prioritized 90-day plan. Outcomes are documented in writing before the engagement begins and reviewed formally at 30 and 60 days.
How much does a fractional CTO engagement cost?
Engagements start at $4,500 per month. Specific fees are determined by the outcomes the engagement is built around and presented as three options in every proposal. Cavalier prices the value of the result, not the hours.
How quickly can you start?
Typically within two weeks of a signed engagement letter. The fit call takes 20 minutes; the proposal follows within five business days.
Industries we serve in the CTO role
Cavalier provides fractional CTO leadership across five verticals where regulated complexity and board governance demand senior technology judgment:
Private Equity Portfolio Companies · Financial Services · Healthcare · Defense Industrial Base · Professional Services