Fractional CTO · Part-time technology leadership
Senior technology judgment, on your side of the table.
You're signing software contracts, evaluating vendors, and betting the next year of your business on tools you can't fully assess. A fractional CTO gives you sixteen years of enterprise technology leadership, part-time — without the executive salary.
The empty seat problem
Full-size decisions, with no one technical in the room.
Every growing business hits it: a CRM contract on the desk, a vendor pushing a “platform migration,” a developer quote you can't evaluate, a team drowning in copy-pasting between systems that should just talk to each other. The vendor has an engineer on their side of the call. You have a gut feeling. What owners tell us, almost word for word, is: “we needed someone technical on our side.”
That's the seat we fill. Founder Rob Neal spent sixteen years leading technology delivery at JPMorgan Chase — systems serving millions of customers, where a bad release wasn't an inconvenience, it was a headline. The testing framework he built there cut post-release errors by 35%. Summit Labs applies that same judgment at small-business scale: the stakes are yours, and the discipline is the bank's. If you're still weighing whether the role fits your business, start with our plain-English breakdown of what a fractional CTO actually is.
Where a fractional CTO earns it
The decisions we sit on your side for.
Vendor and software decisions
We sit on your side in demos and sales calls, ask the questions vendors hope nobody asks, and read the contract for lock-in before you sign it.
Learn more →Roadmap and build-vs-buy
A twelve-month technology plan in plain English — including when Zapier or Make is enough to make your CRM talk to QuickBooks, and when custom work is actually worth it.
Learn more →Technical hiring help
Whether it's your first developer or an agency you're vetting, we write the role, screen the candidates, and sit in the interviews so you're not hiring on faith.
Learn more →System switches and go-live calls
Moving your POS, CRM, or billing system is the most expensive decision most small businesses make with technology. We make the go/no-go call with you — and stand behind it.
Learn more →
How the engagement works
A month with a fractional CTO.
A typical month is a standing leadership session where we work your decision list — what to automate next, which vendor proposal to take seriously, what the dashboard should actually show you. Between sessions, we join vendor demos and calls when they come up, review quotes and contracts before you sign, and answer the “can you look at this before Friday?” questions that don't deserve a meeting. Delivery is remote-first from Lakeland, FL — serving Tampa Bay and clients nationwide, with on-site time when it's genuinely worth it.
Just as important is what this isn't: we are not outsourced IT support. An IT firm keeps your machines, network, and email running — and you should have one. We don't manage devices or fix printers. We're the senior voice on the business side of the table, including the times your IT firm pitches a project and you want a second opinion with no stake in the answer.
The on-ramp is deliberately simple: a free 30-minute discovery call, where we talk through the decisions in front of you. If a fractional engagement makes sense, we scope the cadence and hours in writing, and you get a written fixed quote within two business days. The number never changes after signing.
Common questions
Hiring a fractional CTO for your small business.
- How many hours a month do we get?
- It's scoped in writing at engagement. On the discovery call we work out what your business actually needs — a standing monthly session plus on-call judgment for most, a heavier cadence when a big decision or system switch is in flight — and the engagement letter states the hours and rhythm plainly. You'll never have to guess what you're entitled to ask.
- Do you replace our IT provider?
- No. An IT firm keeps your computers, network, and email running — it manages devices, resets passwords, and fixes what breaks. That work matters, and we don't do it. A fractional CTO sits on the business side of the table: which systems to buy, what to automate, whether your IT firm's proposal is right for you. Most clients keep their IT provider, and we work alongside them.
- What size business is this for?
- Owner- and operator-led companies, roughly 10–100 people — big enough that technology decisions carry real money, not big enough to justify a full-time technology executive. If you're about to choose a CRM, replace what's bolted onto QuickBooks, hire your first developer, or sign a multi-year software contract, this is built for exactly that moment.
- What does a fractional CTO cost?
- We don't publish prices, because a generic number would mislead you — the honest answer depends on the cadence and decisions your business needs. Here's what we promise instead: the scoping call is free, you'll have a written fixed quote within two business days, and the number never changes after signing. No surprises, no meter running.
Fractional CTO
Stop making six-figure decisions alone.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll talk through the decisions on your desk and give you an honest read — including whether you need a fractional CTO at all.