FindRE
As fractional CTO for a real-estate investment company, I moved the team off a patchwork of tools and built FindRE, the CRM they now run acquisitions in.
Fractional CTO
A fractional CTO who still writes the code
Abdur Rehman is a fractional CTO and AI engineer for startups and small companies that need senior technical leadership without a full-time hire. He sets the technical direction, makes the build-or-buy calls and builds the critical parts himself. As fractional CTO for a real-estate investment company, he replaced their tool stack with FindRE, a custom AI-powered CRM.
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This is for you if
- You are a non-technical founder making technical decisions you cannot fully judge.
- You rely on contractors or an agency, and nobody on your side owns the architecture.
- You need a senior engineer’s judgment some of the time, not a full-time executive.
- AI is becoming central to your product, and you need someone who has shipped it.
What you get
Technical direction you can defend
Architecture, stack and build-or-buy decisions written down in plain language, so you can explain them to investors, partners and your team.
Hands on the critical parts
I build the pieces that carry the most risk myself: the data model, payments, permissions and the AI features.
Someone on your side of the table
I review vendor proposals, contractor work and estimates, and tell you plainly what is sound and what is not.
A system you own
Code in your repository, infrastructure on your accounts, and documentation good enough that you never depend on one person.
What does a fractional CTO do?
A fractional CTO provides senior technical leadership part-time. They set the technical direction, make the architecture and vendor decisions, keep delivery on track and make sure the company owns what it builds, without the cost of a full-time executive.
For an early-stage company, the useful version also builds. Strategy documents do not ship products.
When should you hire a fractional CTO?
When technical decisions have become business decisions and nobody on your team can own them: before a major build, when you are choosing between vendors, when a product built by contractors needs to grow up, or when investors start asking technical questions.
If you need someone leading a team of engineers every day, you need a full-time CTO or an engineering manager instead.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
It depends on the hours and the seniority. Google’s AI summary for this question currently quotes US fractional CTOs at roughly $9,000 to $22,000 a month. I agree the scope and the fee up front, sized to what the company needs.
What does a fractional CTO engagement look like?
It takes one of three shapes, and companies often move between them as they grow.
- Advisory: a standing weekly call, plus reviews of plans, proposals and hires. For a founder who needs a second opinion they can trust.
- Part-time: regular days each week, including hands-on work on the parts that carry the most risk. The usual shape for a company building its first real product.
- Embedded: leading delivery most of the week for a fixed period, such as a launch, a rebuild or a technical due-diligence round.
What are the risks of hiring a fractional CTO?
There are three, and each has a plain answer. Divided attention: agree fixed days and a response time for urgent questions. Advice with no delivery: choose someone who still writes code. Knowledge that leaves with the person: keep the code in your repository, the infrastructure on your accounts and the decisions written down.
I work that way by default, so the company owns everything whether I am there or not.
Fractional CTO, agency or full-time hire?
They solve different problems.
- A full-time CTO makes sense when you have an engineering team to lead every day.
- An agency makes sense when you have a well-defined build and someone in-house to manage it.
- A fractional CTO makes sense when you need senior judgment and hands-on building, but not forty hours a week of it.
Fractional, interim or part-time CTO: what is the difference?
The same responsibility, arranged three ways. An interim CTO is full-time for a fixed period, usually to cover a gap or lead a transition. A part-time CTO gives one company a fixed number of days each week. A fractional CTO holds the role for a few companies at once, with each engagement sized to what that company needs.
I work fractionally, in one of the three shapes above, and the shape can change as the company grows.
Where I’ve done this
I went in looking for a developer and came out feeling like I’d found someone I could genuinely rely on and even see as a future co-founder, not just someone to build with, but someone you could build a company with.
How a project goes
Get the lay of the land
Your systems, vendors, costs and risks, and what the business needs from technology next.
Set the direction
A short written plan: what to build, what to buy, what to fix, and in what order.
Build the critical parts
I write the code that carries the most risk, and review the rest.
Make it yours
Documentation and handover, so the system and the knowledge stay with your company.
Questions people ask
Straight answers. If yours is not here, ask me.
Ask me directlyI read and answer every message.What is the difference between a CTO and a fractional CTO?
The responsibility is the same: someone owns the technology decisions and answers for them. The difference is time. A full-time CTO leads an engineering team every day. A fractional CTO gives a company that ownership for part of the week.
Do you work with non-technical founders?
Yes, often. I explain decisions in plain language, so you always know what is being built and why.
Do you also build, or only advise?
Both. I set the direction and I write code. For an early-stage company, the two should not be separated.
Can you lead AI for our company?
Yes. If AI is central to your product or operations, I can own that area: choosing models and vendors, designing the agents and automations, and keeping cost and risk under control.
How much of your time do we get?
It varies by company and stage. We agree a scope up front and adjust it as the company’s needs change.
How do you find a fractional CTO?
Start with founders you trust. Then look for people whose work you can open: live products, detailed case studies and plain writing about how they make decisions. Agree a short paid engagement before a long one.
Do I own the code?
Yes. The code lives in your repository and runs on your accounts. You own the code, the accounts and the data, so you are never locked in to me.
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Need someone to own the technical decisions?
Tell me where the company is and what is stuck. I’ll tell you whether a fractional CTO is what you need.
You’ll talk to me directly.On the call and in every message.
Or email hello@abdurrehman.dev