Startup CTO
For founders at zero to one, I am the technical co-founder you can rent: I help you decide what to build, then help you build and ship it.
If you are a non-technical founder with an idea, the hardest part is the gap between the idea and something real people can use. That is the gap I live in. I help you scope the smallest version worth building, make the architecture and tooling calls, and actually get it shipped, so you can put it in front of users and investors.
I have done the zero-to-one journey on my own companies, including founding the venture-backed legal-tech company Injuria, so I know where founders waste time and money and where they should not cut corners.
What it covers
- Turning your idea into a scoped, buildable MVP
- Choosing a stack that is fast now and will not trap you later
- Building and shipping the first version, hands-on where it helps
- Setting up the basics done right but lean: hosting, data, auth, analytics
- A realistic plan for cost, timing, and what to cut
- The technical story for your pitch deck and investor questions
- Deciding when to hire your first engineer, and finding them
- Keeping you from over-building before you have real demand
Who it’s for
- Non-technical founders who need a technical co-founder’s judgment
- Early teams pre-product or pre-seed trying to reach a real MVP
- Founders burned by an agency that shipped the wrong thing
What you get
- A scoped MVP definition you and any engineer can build from
- A shipped first version, or a clear plan and team to ship it
- The core setup done right: hosting, data, auth, analytics
- An investor-ready technical narrative
- A hiring plan for your first engineers when the time comes
How it works
- 1
Idea call
We get the idea out of your head and into something we can scope. No technical knowledge needed from you.
- 2
Scope
We cut the idea down to the smallest version that proves the point, and agree what is in and out.
- 3
Build
I build it, or lead the build with a small team, and keep you in the loop in plain language.
- 4
Ship
We get it live and in front of real users so you learn from reality, not guesses.
- 5
Grow
We use what we learn to decide what is next, and when to hire so you are not dependent on me forever.
The zero-to-one mistakes I help you skip
Almost every first-time founder makes the same few expensive mistakes: they build too much before anyone has asked for it, they pick a stack based on a blog post instead of their actual needs, and they confuse a demo with a product. I have made versions of these myself building my own companies, so a lot of the early value is simply knowing which corners are safe to cut and which ones will cost you later.
Shipping the first version is the start, not the finish. Once real users show up, the questions change fast: what to build next belongs in a product roadmap, and when the work outgrows the two of us, we move into ongoing fractional CTO leadership and your first real hires. The goal is never to make you dependent on me, it is to get you to the point where you need me less.
Why work with me
I’m Matt George, a fractional CTO for SMBs and early-stage startups and the founder of the venture-backed legal-tech company Injuria.ai. I have built and shipped real products end to end, from scrappy MVPs to data and AI infrastructure running in production, so the advice here comes from doing the work rather than talking about it. You get a senior technical partner with nothing to sell you, no vendor kickbacks, and a bias toward shipping.
FAQ
I am not technical at all. Can we still work together?
Yes, that is most of who I work with. My job is to handle the technical side and explain the trade-offs in plain English so you stay in control.
Do I have to give up equity?
No. That is the point. You get technical co-founder judgment on a paid basis and keep your cap table intact. If a deeper arrangement ever makes sense we can talk, but it is not required.
How fast can we get to an MVP?
It depends on the idea, but the whole approach is built around shipping a real first version in weeks, not spending a year building the wrong thing.
What happens once we have traction?
We decide together: keep going as is, hire your first engineers, or bring in a full-time CTO. I help you make and execute that call.
Related services
Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership on a part-time retainer, for companies that need a CTO’s judgment but not a full-time one yet.
Product Roadmap
A prioritized, realistic roadmap that turns a long wish-list into a sequence your team can actually ship.
AI & Digital Transformation
Modernizing how your business runs with software, data, and AI, in steps that pay for themselves instead of a risky big-bang project.
Let’s ship it! 🚀
Whether it’s legal tech, an AI platform, fractional CTO leadership, or a problem you just want a second set of eyes on, grab a time that works.
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