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Fractional CTO & AI Advisor

Executive-Level Tech Leadership Without the $250K Salary

Hire a fractional CTO who builds, not just advises. AI strategy, infrastructure, team leadership, and hands-on execution for growing businesses in Tampa Bay and nationwide.

12+ years in IT & engineering | HIPAA compliant | Wesley Chapel, FL

Watch the overview

A quick breakdown of what a fractional CTO does for growing Tampa Bay businesses.

Do You Need a Fractional CTO?

If any of these sound familiar, a fractional CTO can help.

Warning Signs

  • You're the founder AND the tech person - and it's not sustainable
  • Your developers are building, but nobody is steering the ship
  • Vendors are selling you tools you don't need
  • You know AI can help your business but don't know where to start
  • Your tech stack is a patchwork of tools that don't talk to each other
  • You're spending too much on IT and getting too little

What Changes

  • Clear technology strategy aligned to your business goals
  • Someone who can talk to developers AND the board
  • Vendor negotiations backed by technical expertise
  • AI and automation deployed where it actually matters
  • Integrated tech stack that works as one system
  • Technology becomes a competitive advantage, not a cost center

How It Works

1

Discovery & Technical Audit

We start with a deep dive into your current technology stack, team structure, vendor relationships, and business goals. You get a clear picture of where you are and where the gaps are.

  • Full technology stack assessment
  • Team capability review
  • Vendor and cost analysis
  • Security and compliance audit
2

Strategic Roadmap

You get a prioritized technology roadmap aligned to your business goals. Not a generic plan - a specific sequence of moves with timelines, budgets, and expected outcomes.

  • 90-day quick wins identified
  • 12-month technology plan
  • Build vs buy recommendations
  • Hiring plan if needed
3

Execution & Leadership

I roll up my sleeves and lead execution. Whether that means managing your dev team, selecting vendors, architecting systems, or building prototypes - the work gets done.

  • Lead dev team or manage vendors
  • Architect systems and integrations
  • Run sprint planning and reviews
  • Report to founders/board monthly
4

Scale & Transition

As your company grows, I help you hire a full-time CTO or technical lead and ensure a clean handoff. The goal is to make myself unnecessary.

  • Recruit and onboard technical hires
  • Document systems and processes
  • Transition plan to full-time leadership
  • Stay available as advisor

Fractional CTO, vCIO, or startup IT consultant

Local Technology Leadership for Tampa Bay Startups and Growing Teams

Some teams do not need a full-time CTO yet. They need a local vCIO or fractional technical advisor who can review vendors, guide cloud migration, compare MSP vs in-house IT, and make sure automation or AI projects support the business plan.

How to choose a local vCIO service in Tampa

Look for someone who can translate between business goals, vendors, security, cloud systems, budget, and implementation.

Tech Adventures fit: Tech Adventures combines vCIO planning with hands-on build capability, so strategy does not stop at a roadmap.

Affordable IT consulting for startups in St. Petersburg and Tampa

Startups need practical technical judgment before they need a full-time executive: vendor selection, cloud setup, security, automation, and hiring guidance.

Tech Adventures fit: Fractional engagement gives startups senior technical help without a full-time CTO salary.

Cloud migration services for startups

Cloud migration should include identity, access, backups, cost control, security, and documentation, not just moving files.

Tech Adventures fit: We help founders choose the right Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, AWS, Azure, or hybrid setup and keep it manageable.

Compare MSP vs in-house IT

MSPs are strong for coverage and operations. In-house IT is strong when there is enough daily work for a dedicated employee.

Tech Adventures fit: A fractional CTO or vCIO can help decide when to outsource, when to hire, and how to avoid overlapping vendors.

Fractional CTO Pricing

Flexible engagement levels. Scale up or down as your needs change. No long-term contracts required.

Advisory

5 hrs/week

$2,000/mo

Strategic guidance and technical oversight

  • Weekly strategy call
  • Technology roadmap
  • Vendor evaluation
  • Architecture review
  • Slack/email access
Book Discovery Call

Embedded

10-15 hrs/week

$5,000-$7,500/mo

Hands-on technical leadership

  • Everything in Advisory
  • Lead dev team or vendors
  • Sprint planning & reviews
  • System architecture & builds
  • Monthly board reporting
  • Hiring & team building
Book Discovery Call

Full Engagement

20+ hrs/week

$8,000+/mo

Full CTO responsibilities, part-time commitment

  • Everything in Embedded
  • Full technical ownership
  • Investor/board presentations
  • Due diligence support
  • Product strategy
  • Scale & IPO readiness
Book Discovery Call

Minimum engagement is $2,000/mo. Scale around $120/hr, with 20+ hrs/week at $100/hr. Month-to-month, cancel anytime.

What I Bring to Your Team

12+

Years in IT, infrastructure, and software engineering

100M+

Page views/year scaled at previous company

AI-First

Building with GPT, Claude, custom agents since 2023

HIPAA

Compliant builds for healthcare and legal

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a fractional CTO?

A fractional CTO is an experienced technology executive who works with your company part-time, typically starting around 5 hours per week and scaling up as needed. You get the strategic thinking, technical leadership, and execution oversight of a seasoned CTO without paying a full-time salary of $200K-$350K. Fractional CTOs are ideal for startups, growing SMBs, and companies going through digital transformation who need senior technical leadership but aren't ready for a full-time hire.

How is a fractional CTO different from an IT consultant?

An IT consultant typically works on a specific project with a defined scope and end date. A fractional CTO is embedded in your company as a member of the leadership team. I attend your executive meetings, manage your technical team, make architecture decisions, and own the technology strategy long-term. Think of it as having a CTO on your org chart who works 2-3 days a week instead of 5.

How do I choose a local vCIO service in Tampa?

Look for a vCIO who can connect technology decisions to business outcomes, explain tradeoffs in plain language, review vendors, manage security risk, and help with implementation. A good local vCIO should understand Tampa Bay businesses, remote work, cloud tools, compliance, and when an MSP, contractor, or full-time hire is the better fit.

Do you offer affordable IT consulting for startups in Tampa and St. Petersburg?

Yes. Startup consulting can start smaller than a full fractional CTO engagement. We can help with cloud setup, vendor selection, security basics, AI and automation planning, technical due diligence, architecture review, and hiring guidance before you commit to a full-time technical leader.

How much does a fractional CTO cost?

Fractional CTO engagements at Tech Adventures start at $2,000 per month for 5 hours per week. From there, engagements scale around $120/hour for 10-15 hours per week and drop to $100/hour for 20+ hours per week. Compare that to a full-time CTO salary of $200K-$350K plus benefits, equity, and the risk of a bad hire.

What industries do you work with as a fractional CTO?

I specialize in healthcare, legal, real estate, and professional services - industries where compliance matters and technology decisions have real consequences. I've built HIPAA-compliant systems for medical practices, automated billing for OT clinics, deployed AI agents for law firms, and scaled content platforms processing millions of pages per month. I also work with startups and SaaS companies that need technical leadership to get from MVP to product-market fit.

What does a typical engagement look like?

Month 1 is a deep technical audit and strategic roadmap. Months 2-3 focus on executing the highest-impact initiatives (usually infrastructure fixes, security gaps, or automation quick wins). By month 4, we're building toward your 12-month goals with regular sprint cycles. I typically meet with founders weekly, run a monthly board-level technology update, and stay available on Slack/Teams for day-to-day decisions.

Can you help hire a full-time CTO later?

Yes, and that's actually the goal for many engagements. I help you define the role, write the job description, screen candidates, run technical interviews, and manage the transition. Most companies work with me for 6-18 months before they're ready for a full-time technical leader. When that happens, I stay on as an advisor to ensure a smooth handoff.

What's your technical background?

12+ years in IT and software engineering. I've served as VP of Growth Strategy at a company processing 100M+ page views per year, CTO of a real estate tech startup, and deployed infrastructure that processed 900+ patients per day during the COVID response. I build with Python, Node.js, React, AI/ML pipelines, and cloud infrastructure. I'm hands-on - I write code, architect systems, and manage teams.

Do you work with remote companies?

Yes. While I'm based in Wesley Chapel, FL and most of my clients are in Tampa Bay, I work with companies across the US. Fractional CTO work is naturally remote-friendly since it's part-time. I use the same tools your team uses (Slack, Teams, Zoom, GitHub, Jira) and can travel for on-site days when needed.

Can you help decide between an MSP, in-house IT, and a vCIO?

Yes. That decision depends on team size, ticket volume, security needs, cloud complexity, budget, and growth plans. We can help you choose the right mix: fully outsourced managed IT, co-managed IT, local help desk, fractional vCIO, or a full-time technical hire.