I own the full build,requirements through operation.
Five years founding CTO of a US fintech. Architect before that in rail, automotive, aviation and research. Carnegie Mellon trained.
- FoundersMVP, compliance, scale
- Investorsdiligence and post-investment support
- Scale-upsdelivery, spend, modernisation
Six layers, one owner
Select a layer
Many fractional leaders own two of these and advise on the rest. I have carried all six as the accountable person.
Engagements
Short and tactical, or long and embedded.
Start anywhere on the spectrum and move. Value first: if a permanent hire is the better answer, you hear it on the first call.
Tactical sprint · 1 to 2 weeks
For
One decision or one blockage: build versus buy, a cloud bill that doubled, a review before a board meeting.
You keep
A written recommendation and a ranked risk list, fixed fee, no retainer attached.
Ask about a sprintDiagnostic and roadmap · 4 to 6 weeks
For
A problem that looks structural, or an investor question you would like to answer with more confidence.
You keep
A diagnosis and a costed roadmap. Doubles as technical due diligence for funds.
Ask about a diagnosticFractional CTO · 1 to 2 days a week
For
The technical seat filled now, including the investor and customer conversations that need a technologist.
You keep
Documented architecture, a working process, and a team that runs without me.
Ask about a retainerDeep embedding · 3+ days a week
For
Founding an engineering function, rebuilding a platform, or recovering a stalled programme.
You keep
A function that exists and a successor who was grown. Defined end, stated exit condition.
Ask about an embeddingRecord
Carnegie Mellon disciplined engineering, applied in six industries.
CMU Master of Software Engineering as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching assistant in DevOps, contributor to a chapter of Software Architecture in Practice, 4th edition. Architecture designed against quality attributes and evaluated before it is built.
| FintechTroutwood, founding CTO | A technical function built from zero: process, architecture, hiring, security, compliance, AI in production. |
| RailSiemens Mobility AI R&D | Computer vision and digital twin prototypes moved into a product line. |
| Automotivevia Expleo Group | Workflow product delivered inside a manufacturer's process, in German and French. |
| AviationAirbus, Single European Sky | A month of manual reporting reduced to half a day. |
| Research infrastructureMax Planck, NOMAD | One documented lifecycle for a fragmented team: uptime stabilised, releases shortened. |
| Industrial PLM and CADIGE+XAO | Long lived codebases and real upgrade paths. |
How I work
Expensive rewrites usually start as requirement problems.
Serverless first, documented, cheap to run. Novelty belongs in the product.
Someone internal grows into the seat I hold.
Generative features shipped to real users, and a clear view of where models pay.
Questions
What people ask before the first call.
What does a fractional CTO actually own?
In my engagements, all six layers of the build: requirements, architecture, infrastructure, implementation, operation, and the team. Many fractional leaders own two of these and advise on the rest. I take the accountable seat — including the investor and customer conversations that need a technologist in the room.
How is this different from hiring a consultancy?
A consultancy sells you a team and leaves with the knowledge. I work as your technical leader, not a vendor: the deliverable is a documented architecture, a working process, and someone internal who grows into the seat I hold. Every engagement has a stated exit condition.
What does an engagement cost, and how long does it run?
Four shapes. A tactical sprint runs one to two weeks on a fixed fee with no retainer attached. A diagnostic and roadmap runs four to six weeks. A fractional CTO retainer is one to two days a week. A deep embedding is three or more days a week. You can start anywhere on that spectrum and move.
Do you work with investors on technical due diligence?
Yes. The diagnostic and roadmap engagement doubles as technical due diligence for funds, and I also do post-investment support for portfolio companies. The output is a diagnosis and a costed roadmap rather than a pass/fail memo.
Where are you based and which time zones do you cover?
Gifhorn, Germany. I work Central European Time with a daily overlap into US hours, which is how I ran engineering for a US fintech from Europe for five years. I work in English, French and Arabic natively, and German professionally.
What industries have you worked in?
Fintech as a founding CTO, rail at Siemens Mobility AI R&D, automotive via Expleo Group, aviation on the Single European Sky programme at Airbus, research infrastructure at Max Planck, and industrial PLM and CAD at IGE+XAO. Domains where correctness is the baseline rather than a feature.
Will you tell me if I should hire a permanent CTO instead?
Yes, on the first call. If a permanent hire is the better answer for where you are, you hear it before there is anything to sign. That is the point of a thirty minute call with no pitch deck.
How do I start?
Book a thirty minute intro call, or write through the form on this page. Either way you get a straight read on your situation and the smallest useful first step. I answer within two working days.
Thirty minutes, no pitch deck.
A straight read on your situation and the smallest useful first step.
Pick a time that suits you. The calendar opens here and sends the invite straight away.
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