Build a software product, from idea to production.
I help companies without in-house technical skills design and build a software product without wasting time and budget.
On your side, between you, developers and vendors · Italy & remote
Is your project already stuck? If an agency isn't delivering or your existing software has stalled, this isn't the right page.
Go to project rescueWhat an external CTO for building a product is.
An external CTO for building a software product is the technical figure who, on behalf of the company, decides architecture, MVP and vendors before budget is spent, and coordinates whoever builds the product all the way to production.
The value isn't writing as much code as possible: it's making the right decisions at the right time, when changing them is cheap. I stand on the company's side, in the middle between business, developers and vendors, and protect the technical choices before they become money spent badly.
Who this service is built for.
- Traditional companies that want to launch a SaaS and move into software, but have no in-house tech department.
- SMBs digitizing an internal process who want to turn it into a real product, not yet another Excel sheet.
- Companies that want an advanced customer portal — private area, automations, integrations — done right the first time.
- Companies entering a new market with a digital product that can't afford foundational mistakes.
- Early-stage startups with business founders but no CTO, who need to start on the right foot.
What I do, in three phases.
From idea to plan
- Technical validation of the idea: is it feasible, at what risk and at what real cost.
- Choosing the right architecture for where you want to go, not just to get started.
- Defining the MVP: what you truly need to validate, what can wait.
- Selecting a software house or developers, with written criteria and not on a hunch.
- Supervising the kick-off, so the first steps don't turn into debt you rebuild later.
While it's being built
- Ongoing technical guidance for whoever writes the code.
- Code review and quality standards.
- Roadmap and priority management.
- Architectural decisions as the product grows.
Once it's live
- Product evolution based on what users actually say.
- Scalability: handling growth without rewriting everything.
- Next technical steps aligned to business goals.
Already have a project underway or existing code? We usually start from a technical audit to decide what to keep and what to rebuild, before adding more.
Why not an agency alone, and why not a CTO right now.
Why not an agency alone
An agency executes well, but has a structural interest: selling you hours. Without a technical head on your side, no one checks that those hours actually serve the product.
Why not hire a CTO now
A full-time CTO costs €80-150k a year plus equity, and makes sense only when the technical volume justifies it. Before then it's a huge fixed cost for discontinuous work.
What I do instead
I'm the technical head on your side, at a fraction: I decide what to build and how, coordinate whoever builds it and protect the budget. You stay in charge of the business.
In practice it's the same logic as a fractional CTO, applied to those who still have to create a product: a technical head at a fraction, on your side, when every decision weighs on the budget.
I've done it: as a founder, not just a consultant.
I know what it means to take a product from an idea to production, because I did it as a founder — not just as an external consultant. Three times, in three different roles.
Alma Robotics
I built a robotics company from scratch: hardware and software product together, from research to production.
Lumi Industries
3D printing: a product taken from prototype to market, with all the technical decisions it required.
LifeVault
Zero-knowledge web app, in production today: architecture, security and release done first-hand.
Key features.
- One single technical head from idea to production, with no hand-offs lost along the way.
- Architecture decisions made before spending, not after getting them wrong.
- Selection and supervision of software houses and developers, with you and not against you.
- An MVP cut to the essentials, to validate fast and spend as little as possible.
- Roadmap, code review and priorities managed while it's being built.
- No lock-in: the goal is to make your team autonomous, not to keep you dependent.
The questions I get most often.
I have no technical skills: how do we work together?
We talk in business language. I translate technical decisions into understandable choices, with pros, cons and costs. You don't need to understand the code: you need to understand the consequences, and that's on me.
Do you build it yourself or coordinate a software house?
It depends on the project. I can write the MVP code myself when it makes sense, or select and coordinate a software house or freelance developers. Either way the technical decisions stay on your side, not the vendor's.
How long does an MVP take?
A well-defined MVP is typically a matter of weeks, not months. Scope decides the timeline: my job is to cut everything that isn't needed to validate the idea, so you launch sooner and spend less.
What happens after launch?
The product needs to evolve: scalability, new features, next steps. I stay with you as long as needed and then make your team autonomous. If instead the project is already stuck, there's a dedicated unblock software project path.
What's the difference between you and an agency?
An agency executes and has an interest in selling you hours. I'm your independent technical reference: I decide what to build and how, control who builds it and protect your budget. It's the same logic as a fractional CTO, applied to those who still have to create a product.
Let's talk about your product.
30 free minutes to figure out whether your idea is ready to be built, and how to do it without wasting time and budget. If it isn't the moment, I tell you.
Reply within 24 hours · Italy & remote