A Fractional CTO for Business Owners Who Aren't Technical

Senior technical leadership for a few hours a month.

Work with your fractional CTO remotely, from anywhere in Canada or around the world.

Make confident technology decisions instead of guessing.

Your developers answer to someone who can check their work
Every option explained, with the pros and cons spelled out
No full-time salary, no equity given up, no months recruiting

Start the conversation See how Kelly used one

New Idea Machine is a Calgary custom software and AI automation agency serving small business owners worldwide.

A fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO) gives you senior technical leadership for a few hours a month, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

What does a fractional CTO do for a small business?

Translates

When a developer says "we need to refactor the backend," your fractional CTO tells you what that means, what it costs, and whether you actually need it.

Reviews quotes and work

Before you sign a proposal or pay an invoice, someone senior checks whether the price is fair and the work is real.

Builds your roadmap

What to build now, what to build later, what never to build. Sequenced against your budget and your revenue plan.

Oversees your developers

Whether they're ours, yours, or freelancers you found yourself. Someone technical holds them to a standard.

Sits in on the hard calls

Vendor negotiations, technical hires, investor due diligence. You stop nodding along to conversations you can't verify.

When don't you need a fractional CTO?

We'd rather tell you now than bill you monthly for something you don't need.

If you haven't validated your idea yet

You don't need a CTO. You need a prototype and some real customer conversations. Start with our validation guide or the live online bootcamp.

If you just need one project built

You need a development partner, not an executive. That's our app development work, and the strategic advice is included in it.

If you're past $10M and technology is your core product

You're heading toward a full-time CTO, and we'll say so. A fractional arrangement is the bridge, not the destination.

How did Kelly use a fractional expert?

From startup to $10 million

"My first conversation with AL was excellent. He understood right away what I was looking for. His words were: just make it work. And that's really what they do."

Kelly Hall

CEO, Vermillion Power Technologies

Kelly Hall, CEO at Vermillion Power Technologies, reached out because she needed an expert developer who could hit the ground running. We introduced her to one of our lead builders on a fractional basis.

This gave her team high-level industry expertise without the overhead or delay of a full-time hire. By working with us, she also qualified for Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits that cover 33% of the cost.

How much does a fractional CTO cost?

A full-time CTO is a full-time executive salary, plus equity, plus the months it takes to find one. A fractional CTO is a few hours a month, billed as time and materials like everything we do.

You can scale the hours up or down as your needs change, and stop anytime. If your company is Canadian, your project may qualify for government funding like Kelly's did.

Ask us what a few hours a month could take off your plate

What do business owners ask about fractional CTOs?

Do I need a technical cofounder?

Usually not, and giving away half your company to get one is often the most expensive technical decision a business owner makes. What a cofounder provides is technical judgment and someone who cares whether the build is right.

A fractional CTO provides both, for hours a month instead of equity. If your product later demands full-time technical leadership, you can hire it then, with your cap table intact.

Can a fractional CTO oversee developers I already have?

Yes. That's one of the most common arrangements: your team keeps building, and someone senior reviews the work, the architecture, and the invoices. If your current project is in real trouble, start with a complimentary meeting instead; it's the faster diagnosis.

Can I work with a fractional CTO outside Calgary?

Yes. Fractional CTO engagements run remotely, so business owners in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and across Canada work with us the same way Calgary clients do.

How many hours a month do I need?

Most engagements are a few hours a month: enough for a standing check-in, reviews of anything you're about to sign or pay for, and being on call for the moments you need a translator. We'll recommend fewer hours if fewer hours are enough.

What's the difference between this and just hiring you to build my app?

When we build your product, you get the fractional CTO thinking built in: the strategic advice, the pros and cons of each option, and the call on which features you actually need are part of every build, included in your estimate. A standalone fractional CTO engagement is for when someone else is doing the building, your own team, freelancers, or another agency, and you want senior judgment reviewing the work, the architecture, and the invoices.

Someone technical in your corner.

Book your complimentary meeting. Get clarity. Make strategic decisions.

No pitch. No pressure. Just cost-saving advice.

Which of these sounds like you?

Pick the one that fits best.

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