Flagship offer

6-Week Fractional CTO Sprint

Build the first commercializable piece.

A six-week senior technical ownership sprint for founders and teams that need to turn an idea, workflow, or AI/software opportunity into a demoable, commercializable piece, with the technical path and sales story to keep moving.

This is not advisory-only. Prototype acts as your technical owner for prototype shaping, architecture and build decisions, risk checks, and enough build to prove the path, plus the demo and commercial validation story you need to sell, test, or fund the next step.

Investment
Contact for pricing
Duration
6 weeks
Capacity
~60 hours

Contact for pricing after intake or a Software Planning Sprint. Planning Sprint credits toward this engagement are confirmed in the proposal.

Book a software strategy call

How the work is sequenced

Validate the build in a Planning Sprint. Build the first commercializable piece here. Move into a production-grade Build Sprint or a Retainer when the path is proven. View all services for trusted AI, brand website, and funding-readiness offerings.

Step 1 · Start here

Software Planning Sprint

Before you buy code, validate the build

Investment
$1k–$3k
Duration
2–4 weeks

A paid discovery sprint where Prototype acts as your technical owner and turns the idea into a proposal-ready build brief.

Explore the Planning Sprint
Step 2 · Flagship

6-Week Fractional CTO Sprint

Build the first commercializable piece

Investment
Contact for pricing
Duration
6 weeks · ~60 hours

Senior technical ownership to shape, build, and validate the first commercializable prototype, eval toy, workflow, or product slice, with a sell/validate path.

Book a software strategy call
Step 3 · Production build

6-Week Build Sprint

Ship the production-grade software slice

Investment
Contact for pricing
Duration
6 weeks · 10–15 hrs/week

Implementation-heavy delivery when scope is approved and you need a production-grade MVP foundation, integration, portal, or workflow.

Explore the Build Sprint

Most teams: Planning Sprint → Fractional CTO Sprint → Build Sprint or Retainer. Planning Sprint credits toward the next engagement are confirmed in the proposal.

Who the Fractional CTO Sprint is for

This is a fit when you need a senior technical owner to build the first commercializable piece you can demo, sell, or validate before a larger build. That includes the first commercializable AI-supported workflow, assistant, eval toy, or prototype, and testing whether it can support sales, operations, or delivery.

Ideal fit

  • Founders with a software idea that needs a commercializable first piece
  • Teams trying to validate an AI or software workflow, including a first commercializable assistant, eval toy, or prototype
  • Businesses that need a demoable prototype before selling, funding, or a larger build
  • Teams with a promising idea but no technical owner

Strong signals

  • You need senior architecture and product judgment plus enough build to prove the path
  • You want something you can demo, sell, or put in front of users within a focused six-week scope
  • You are ready to test commercial validation after the six weeks

May not be fit

  • You already have production-ready scope and need a larger build. Build Sprint may be the fit
  • You need a full MVP in six weeks
  • You need ongoing CTO support without a defined outcome. Consider the Retainer
  • You are not ready to sell, test, or validate the prototype after the sprint

Proof of work shipped

Curationist.org

Large-scale data + architecture

Led architecture and delivery for a cultural data platform, normalizing millions of records across multiple institutions into a searchable public product.

Read case note

Bevel OS

Modern SaaS + fractional CTO

Built SaaS workflow infrastructure with authentication, invite systems, client/staff portals, and multi-tenant product architecture.

Read case note

Ingenio Legal Tech

Complex domain + ACL/RBAC

Implemented relationship-based ACL/RBAC and onboarding workflows for a legal-tech MVP.

Read case note

What you leave with

  • First commercializable prototype, eval toy, workflow, or product slice
  • Build notes and technical decisions
  • Risk and assumption log
  • Basic architecture and implementation path
  • Demo and sales narrative
  • Commercial validation path
  • Next Build Sprint or Retainer recommendation
  • Handoff notes

This sprint is scoped for validation and the first commercializable piece you can demo, sell, or validate, with a clear recommendation for a Build Sprint, Retainer, or expanded scope when you are ready.

Outcomes you can act on

  • A demoable piece you can sell, show, or validate with real users
  • A senior-reviewed technical path for what comes next
  • A commercial story that supports funding, sales, or deeper build
  • A clear recommendation: Build Sprint, Retainer, reduced scope, or pause

How the Fractional CTO Sprint works

Six weeks of senior technical ownership (approximately 60 hours) with regular demos so you see the commercializable piece take shape.

  1. Define the commercial slice

    Lock what must be demoable, sellable, or validatable in six weeks.

  2. Shape & build

    Senior ownership on architecture, prototype shaping, and enough build to prove feasibility with working software you can show.

  3. Validate & narrate

    Pressure-test assumptions, refine the demo, and build the sales or funding narrative around what you can show.

  4. Recommend next

    Hand off with a Build Sprint scope, Retainer path, reduced scope, or pause, based on what the six weeks proved.

Build the first commercializable piece

Book a software strategy call to discuss your idea, the first piece to validate, and whether the 6-Week Fractional CTO Sprint is the right next step. No brief yet? Start with a Planning Sprint.

Book a software strategy call View case studies