Fractional CTO · Dubai, UAE
A fractional CTO in Dubai for founders who can't hire one yet.
I own your technical direction — architecture, stack, and your first hires — on a weekly cadence, in your timezone and in the room when it matters, so you can raise, sell, and build with a technical partner in your corner.
01 · Why early technical decisions cost so much
- 01
Every early technical decision compounds. The stack, the architecture, the first hire — get them wrong and you pay for it for years.
- 02
Hiring engineers when you can't evaluate engineers is a coin flip with your runway.
- 03
Investors and customers ask technical questions, and "I'll check with the team" isn't the answer you want to give.
02 · What a fractional CTO owns
Weekly strategy
A standing weekly session to set technical direction, plus decision support between them when something can't wait.
Architecture & stack ownership
I make — and own — the calls that compound: architecture, stack, build-vs-buy, and the trade-offs behind each.
Your first engineering hires
Sourcing, technical evaluation, and onboarding for the engineers you'll build the company on.
The technical voice in the room
For investors, due diligence, and customers — a credible CTO answer when it counts.
03 · How the engagement runs
- Cadence
- Up to 2 days a week + decision support
- Term
- 6-month engagements, renewable
- Scope
- Leadership, architecture, hiring
LEAD is leadership only — I don't write your production code. When you need the thing actually built, that's BUILD.
04 · Fractional CTO pricing
AED 15,000–30,000 / month
Priced by cadence — up to two days a week — on six-month, renewable terms. No equity, and no executive package to unwind when you hire a full-time CTO.
| Fractional CTO | Full-time CTO | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | AED 15,000–30,000 / month | A full executive salary, plus visa and benefits | Billed per project |
| Equity | None | Usually part of the package early on | None |
| Commitment | Six-month terms, renewable | A long-term hire | Per statement of work |
| Owns technical direction | Yes — until you hire | Yes | No — builds what's specified |
| Best for | Pre-seed to seed, before a full-time CTO makes sense | A team and roadmap that need a full-time leader | A defined build with clear specs |
05 · Why me
As senior technical lead at ALPHA10X, I led the platform team — owning team dynamics and performance at scale, not just shipping features.
Most recently I was tech lead at Arias Tech Solutions, setting technical direction across the stack.
06 · Is it a fit?
Best when
- You're a non-technical (or time-poor) founder who needs a CTO's judgment, not a full-time CTO's salary
- You're pre-first-engineering-hire and every early decision compounds
Not a fit if
- You need someone writing production code day-to-day — that's BUILD
- You already have senior technical leadership in place
07 · FAQ
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is an experienced technical leader who owns your technology function part-time. You get a CTO's judgment on architecture, stack, and hiring without a full-time executive salary or equity package.
How much does a fractional CTO cost in the UAE?
My LEAD engagements run AED 15,000–30,000 a month, priced by cadence — up to two days a week. Unlike a full-time CTO, there's no executive salary, equity or long-term commitment, and the engagement ends when you're ready to hire one.
Are you based in Dubai?
Yes. I'm based in Dubai and work on Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4), so we share a full working day rather than a two-hour overlap. Weekly sessions can happen in person across Dubai and Abu Dhabi when that's more useful than a call, and I'm in the room for investor and customer meetings when a technical voice is needed.
Which UAE founders is this for?
Pre-seed and seed founders building from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the wider UAE — including teams going through the region's accelerator and free-zone programmes — who are making their first weighty technical decisions and first engineering hires before a full-time CTO makes sense.
Can you help us hire engineers in the UAE?
Yes. Hiring here means weighing local candidates against remote and relocation options, each with different cost, visa, and retention trade-offs. I source, run the technical evaluation, and onboard — so your first engineering hires are a decision you can defend rather than a coin flip with your runway.
How is this different from a consultant or advisor?
An advisor gives input to a team that already has direction. As your fractional CTO I am the direction — I own the technical decisions and their outcomes, on a standing weekly cadence, until you're ready to hire full-time.
How are you engaged?
Six-month engagements, renewable, at a cadence of up to two days a week with decision support in between. I take a limited number of these at a time so each founder gets real attention.
Do you write production code?
Not in a LEAD engagement — that's leadership, architecture, and hiring. When you need software actually built end-to-end, that's a separate BUILD engagement.
What stage is this for?
Pre-seed to seed founders making their first weighty technical decisions and first engineering hires, who need a technical partner before a full-time CTO makes sense.
Need a technical partner in your corner?
I take a limited number of LEAD engagements at a time.