Fractional CTO services for non-technical founders and small businesses
A fractional CTO is a part-time technical lead for a company that isn't ready for a full-time CTO. At Sylvara Creative, that's co-founder Javier Fernández: he guides architecture, vendor and freelancer choices, code reviews, hiring, the product roadmap and security basics for non-technical founders and small businesses, for a monthly fee.
What's included
Architecture decisions
Stack, hosting and build-versus-buy calls made with you, written down with the reasons.
Vendors and freelancers
Proposals and estimates reviewed, vendors chosen and their work checked.
Code reviews and hiring
Pull requests reviewed, technical interviews run and roles defined.
Roadmap and security basics
A roadmap developers can execute, plus access, backups and secrets in order.
What a fractional CTO does for a non-technical founder
You get someone on your side of the table when technical decisions come up. Javier reviews proposals from agencies and freelancers, checks estimates, picks the architecture and tools, reviews code others write and turns product ideas into a roadmap developers can execute.
He also covers the security basics small companies skip: who has access to which accounts, backups that actually restore, secrets kept out of the code and two-factor authentication on critical services.
Who your fractional CTO is
Javier Fernández is Sylvara Creative's co-founder and full-stack developer, with 5+ years of commercial experience, specialized in Python and Django. He leads the architecture of every project we build. He is a hands-on technical lead, not a former executive of a large engineering department; if that is the profile you need, a different hire fits better.
María Silvestri, our co-founder, project manager and business analyst, can run project management alongside him when you have several vendors or workstreams to coordinate.
Fractional CTO or a full-time CTO?
A fractional CTO fits when you need good technical decisions but not 40 hours a week of them: before building an MVP, while working with outside developers, or after a project went wrong. Once you have several in-house developers shipping every day, you need a full-time technical lead, and we help you hire one.
CTO as a service, whoever builds the product
You don't have to build with us. Javier can oversee your current agency or freelancers. If Sylvara Creative is also a candidate for the build, we say so upfront so you can weigh the advice accordingly.
Fractional CTO pricing
| Service | From | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CTOAbout 20 hours a month of technical leadership: architecture, vendors, hiring and roadmap. | USD 2,500 / month | USD 2,500 - USD 6,000 / month |
Guide prices in US dollars for the US and Canada, before any taxes. The final quote depends on scope and is fixed after the diagnosis. Updated October 31, 2026.
How we work
- 1
Technical review
Product, code, vendors, costs and who has access to what.
- 2
Priorities
A short written plan: what to fix, what to build next, what to stop paying for.
- 3
Monthly rhythm
Regular calls, async reviews and a decision log so nothing depends on memory.
- 4
Handover
When you hire a full-time technical lead, we help hire them and hand everything over.
Technologies
Python, Django, TypeScript, Next.js, React Native, PostgreSQL, Docker, GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
Fractional CTO work starts at USD 2,500 / month, for about 20 hours a month of technical leadership: architecture, vendors, hiring and roadmap.
Do we have to build our product with Sylvara Creative?
No. The fractional CTO role works with whoever builds your product: your agency, your freelancers or your own developers.
Can you help us hire developers?
Yes. We define the role, design a practical technical exercise, join interviews and review candidates' code. If a dedicated developer through staff augmentation fits better, we tell you.
What time zone do you work in?
Argentina (UTC-3), which overlaps US Eastern working hours. Calls are in English or Spanish, over video.
Shall we start with a diagnosis?
A free first call to understand your business and the problem to solve. We work in English and Spanish with companies in the United States, Canada, Spain, Argentina and Uruguay.