What do you actually do?

Four things: I modernize old software nobody wants to maintain anymore, connect systems to each other (ERP, CRM, production, e-commerce, APIs), automate manual processes, and take on the systems your company can no longer keep under control. I don't sell development hours: I take a problem on and bring it to an outcome.

What does it cost to work with you?

The audit costs €1,500, fixed price, with the report in 2-3 days. A scoped job starts at €500. For bigger work I send a written quote within 24 hours. VAT not applicable (Italian flat-rate scheme), one-off, no subscription. Fractional CTO is the only item agreed on a call, because it depends on how much time you need each month. Either way, the price is written down before we start.

You use AI: shouldn't it cost less?

It costs less time, not less value. AI lets me do in days what used to take weeks, and you get that as faster delivery. But I don't sell hours, so there's no pile of hours to discount: the price is measured on the outcome, meaning hours saved, errors avoided, a system that doesn't stop. If you're after the lowest quote, I'll tell you straight away: I'm not the right person.

How quickly will I see real results?

Audit: written report in your hands in 2-3 days. Project rescue: first changes live within 1-2 weeks, completion in 2-4 weeks. Fractional CTO: from the first week you have a written technical roadmap and the first decisions made — you don't wait a month to see what's changing.

Do you only work remote or also in person?

Remote, mostly. I come on-site when it actually matters — kick-off, strategic workshops, on-site audits. Veneto, Lombardia and Emilia covered easily; other regions with travel expenses. No theater of mandatory presence.

What happens if after the audit we decide not to continue?

Nothing bad. The report is yours, take it home — it contains everything another dev or team needs to act. The initial 30-minute call is free, the audit has a fixed price agreed up front. Zero ambiguity, no hidden clauses.

Do you only work with startups or also with SMBs?

Mostly with SMBs: companies with old software to modernize, an ERP to connect to everything else, processes still done by hand, or systems nobody in-house can keep under control anymore. I work with startups too. Company size doesn't matter; what matters is that the outcome has a recognized value.

We already have someone developing for us. Can you work alongside them?

Yes, it happens often. You already have someone writing the software, in-house or external, but nobody setting priorities and checking the work goes in the right direction. That's what I do, without replacing anyone. Direct contact and a weekly call. And if there's a good person on the team, I help them grow until they no longer need me.

What technologies do you work with?

The one you have. The most common job is getting into software someone else built, on any technology, and working out how to fix it. Where I'm fastest: modern websites and web apps, Python, ERPs like Odoo, platforms like PrestaShop and WordPress. If I think a technical choice is costing you, I'll tell you in plain words.

How does invoicing work?

Italian invoice with VAT. Audit and project rescue: 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. Fractional CTO: monthly invoice, renewable quarterly contract (no annual lock-ins). Payment by bank transfer. Clean, invoiced, traceable.

Marco Salatin.Senior developer · Unblocking existing software

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I don't sell development hours. I take systems on and make them work.

The work comes down to four activities. AI is the tool that lets me do them in less time, not the product I sell you: you pay for the outcome. Below are the concrete services, in the order they're usually needed. I do the work myself, every time.

Legacy modernization

Applications nobody wants to maintain anymore, moved onto a current foundation without losing data.

Systems integration

ERP, CRM, production, e-commerce and APIs passing data to each other on their own.

Process automation

No more manual work and data typed in twice, where the numbers add up.

Technical ownership

I take on the systems your company can no longer keep under control, and I answer for them.

If something already exists

The software you already have

An ERP, an online store, a project left half-done, an app built with AI. I work on the code that's there, find where it's stuck and fix it, without rebuilding it from scratch. It's the biggest part of my work.

You don't know what's inside, or if it's any good

Technical audit

Written report in 2-3 days, €1,500 fixed price. It's yours either way, even if we don't work together.

Vendor gone, project stuck or delivered badly

Unblock a project

Analysis, recovery plan and execution. Almost always you don't have to rebuild from scratch.

The ERP works, but everything around it is done by hand

ERP integration

I connect what you already have to e-commerce, CRM, Excel and PDFs, with AI agents where they help. Without changing ERP.

The store needs changes, upgrades or a connection to your ERP

E-commerce development

Real catalogs, B2B price lists, orders and stock in sync. Prices up front, from a single job upwards.

The app works in preview but isn't really online

Apps built with Lovable and similar

Lovable, Bolt, Base44, Replit: domain, login and data, Android and iOS apps, code in a GitHub you own.

If you need something new

Building

When fixing isn't enough anymore, or what you need doesn't exist yet. I build on your process, with code and data you own, and no subscriptions.

The ERP is old and replacing it scares you

Custom ERP

Gradual migration without stopping the company: old and new coexist as long as needed.

Nobody actually uses your CRM

Custom CRM

Built on your process, no per-seat licenses, with code and data you own.

You start from an idea and have no technical lead

Build a product

From architecture to the first production release, with scope cut so you actually get there.

Everyone talks about AI and you can't tell what's real

AI for your company

I automate where the numbers add up and train the team. If it's not for you, I say so in the first call.

You need a senior who writes the code

Freelance developer

Hands-on on the delicate parts: integrations, authentication, payments, performance.

If you need guidance

Technical leadership

You have people writing the code, or you're about to pick them, but nobody who answers for the decisions: architecture, vendors, priorities, risk. It's the role usually called fractional CTO.

You need an ongoing technical lead

CTO on-demand / Fractional CTO

Monthly retainer, decisions and coordination. Often it comes after an audit or a rescue.

You want to see real work before talking

Case studies

Context, problem, mechanism and measured numbers. If a number is missing, the case doesn't get published.

Where I work

Remote-first across Italy, on-site in the Northeast.

My base is Conegliano (TV), Italy. Most of the work happens remotely because it's more efficient; I come on-site for the moments that earn it — kick-offs, audits, workshops. How remote works.

Frequently asked

How to choose.

Why don't you offer the lowest price?

Because I'm an independent professional and I want to stay responsible for your system over time, not deliver and disappear. That only works if the work is paid for the value it creates: hours saved, errors avoided, a system that doesn't stop. The price is written down before we start and I explain it; if you're running a race-to-the-bottom bid, I'm not the right person, and I'll tell you straight away.

I don't know what I need. How do I tell?

Simple rule: if software already exists and it's stuck, start from the first block; if what you need doesn't exist yet, from the second; if you need someone to answer for decisions over time, from the third. If you can't decide, the 30-minute call is exactly for that, free and with no strings.

Can I have more than one?

Yes, and it's common: we fix what's there, then build the missing piece, and whoever decides and whoever writes the code are the same person. Often it starts with an audit or a rescue and continues as a retainer.

Where should I start?

In most cases with the technical audit: €1,500, VAT not applicable (Italian flat-rate scheme), two or three days, and a written report that's yours either way. From there it's clear whether fixing is enough, whether you need to build, or whether you need ongoing guidance, without committing blind. For a scoped job you start with an intervention instead, from €500, with a written quote within 24 hours.

Do you only work in Veneto?

No. I work remote-first across Italy. In the Northeast — Treviso, Conegliano, Vittorio Veneto, Padua, Verona, Venice, Belluno, Pordenone — I also come on-site when presence genuinely matters.

Not sure where to start? I'll tell you.

30 free minutes: tell me what you have and where it got stuck, and I'll tell you whether fixing it is enough, whether you need to build, or whether you need nothing at all. Either way you leave with a clear direction.

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