Fractional CTO
The technical voice investors trust.
You can tell the story of your business and defend the numbers. When the conversation turns to the technology, you need someone in the room who makes it make sense to the people writing the check, and who leads the team that builds it long after the round closes.
You can sell the business. The technology is where it stalls.
Founders raising capital are usually strong on vision, market, and money. Then an investor asks how the technology actually works, whether it scales, what happens if a key engineer leaves, or how real the product is under the demo. The room goes quiet. Strong companies lose rounds here, not because the technology is weak, but because no one could make it land for the person across the table.
What I do when the stakes are technical
Clear explanations are not a presentation skill. They come from understanding a system so well that the hard parts become simple. I go deep enough into your technology, and into your business, that I can explain either one back to the room better than they expected. That is when an investor stops nodding politely and starts believing it.
Explain your technology in plain terms
I learn how your system actually works, including the parts your team argues about, then explain it so an investor gets it. You can't simplify what you don't fully understand, so I do the understanding first.
Hold up under due diligence
When a fund sends in technical diligence, I make sure your architecture, your code, and your roadmap stand up to the questions, with no surprises you did not see coming.
Prepare you before the meeting
We rehearse the hard questions so you and your team walk in ready instead of guessing.
Translate both directions
Investor concerns reach your engineers as clear priorities. Your technology reaches investors as confidence.
"When we began working together, he knew nothing about our business and we knew nothing about how to communicate what we needed to design a system from the ground up. Aaron listened patiently and over time we learned the language of one another's industry, though I must admit he became far more fluent in mine than I in his."
Lori Chavez
Partner
Philip Newcomer
Web App Developer
"Aaron is one of those people who is not just technically sharp, but also a great communicator, able to explain complex concepts in a way that's easily understandable."
Ron Gustinella
Software Developer
"Aaron's technical expertise is top-tier, and his teaching and speaking skills continue to impress."
Beyond the raise: technical leadership that holds
A round is a moment. The technology has to keep working after the money lands and the market gets bigger. That is the rest of the job.
Lead the team
I raise the bar with your engineers through architecture guidance, code review, hiring, and honest feedback.
Own the architecture
Build versus buy, which stack, when to rebuild and when to leave it alone. I make these calls with you and explain the reasoning.
Plan for what is next
Roadmaps tied to where the business is going, not just the backlog in front of you.
Solve the right problems
The most expensive mistake is a team shipping fast in the wrong direction. I keep the work pointed at what moves the company.
Investors back people, not slide decks
A funding decision runs on trust. Investors read the people as closely as the plan. I am calm in the room, plain-spoken, and not interested in overselling or feeding an ego. What I say about your technology holds up, because I have spent twenty years building and leading the teams behind it.
Building and leading technical teams. The pattern recognition that comes from experience.
Developed across three companies. Hired, managed, mentored, and promoted.
"As a team lead, Aaron brought structure and calm to fast-moving projects. He kept conversations focused and inclusive, helped unblock teams quickly, and created space for junior engineers to take ownership. I always felt both supported and challenged in the best way."
Cameron Rice
Web Engineer
Jacob Arriola
Principal Software Engineer
"Aaron was a constant source of support, always patient and intentional in how he taught concepts like clean code, debugging, and systems thinking. He approaches challenges with calm confidence."
Kaitlyn Hennessy
Senior Software Engineer
"Aaron has outstanding interpersonal communication skills and leads by example. His experience is immediately evident, and his curiosity and adaptability set him apart."
How we work together
Some engagements are short and intensive: a specific raise, a diligence sprint, a board presentation that has to go right. Others are long term, embedded technical leadership across multiple rounds and the scale-up that follows. We scope it to what you are actually facing.
Is this you?
A good fit
- + You're raising a round and the technology has to convince investors, not just the pitch deck.
- + Technical due diligence is coming and you want to walk in ready, not just survive it.
- + You have engineers but no one senior enough to tell you if they're building the right thing.
- + Your company is entering the US market and what worked at home won't survive the scale or the scrutiny here.
- + You want technical leadership for the decisions that matter, without putting another executive salary on the books.
Not a fit
- − You want an empty suit. A name to show investors that never gets into the details. I only attach my name to work I stand behind.
- − You'd rather I tell investors whatever closes the round. I won't oversell your technology or put my reputation behind a story I don't believe.
- − You think the biggest title or the loudest voice in the room should win by default. I care about the right answer, not whose idea it was.
- − You've already made the call and you just want agreement. I'll tell you what I actually think, even when it isn't what you want to hear.
- − You need a full-time CTO in the building every day. That's a real role with its own seat. I'll say so plainly and help you find the right person for it.
Let's talk before the next conversation that matters.
Tell me what you are walking into. A raise, a diligence process, a team that needs direction. We will work out whether I am the right person in your corner.
Book a call