How I engage.
You have the idea, I have the tools. As a fractional CTO, I bring experience and approaches that help founders build their idea. And get to market faster. Choose the path that fits your needs. When your v1 is ready, you own the decisions and the code.
DIY in a Community
Join a community of non-tech founders building tech companies. Learn from peers, share experiences, and get access to resources that help you build your idea.
- Community of like-minded founders on the same journey.
- Access to resources, templates, and best practices.
$59/month
Join Launch by LunchFractional Co-Founder
Do you need a fractional co-founder? Someone who gives you founder to founder support as you build your tech company and navigate technical decisions.
- Strategic guidance on technical decisions and architecture.
- Regular check-ins to keep your project moving forward.
$1,800/month
Get A Fractional Co-FounderWe build it for you...
Hands-on work with you to build your idea from concept to v1. We work together to design, develop, and deploy your product using AI and low-code tools.
- End-to-end development from idea to working product.
- Rapid prototyping and iteration to get to market faster.
~$23k for 5 weeks
Schedule LaunchWhat tools do I use?
Every application is unique, and fitting the tech stack to the project and the business need takes experience. I build with AI and low-code tools, building a custom Ai/Low-Code stack for each project. Other Pre-Ai Stack tools.
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Vibe Coding
Rapid prototyping and scaling support of concepts using AI coding services. |
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AI Automation
Scaling vibe and legacy systems with AI automation. |
My Perspective
Startups are all unique, but the pathways, pitfalls and blockers are not. Constant reinvention is a requirement to turn a vision into a reality. Here's how I approach common startup challenges: Learn more.
| Observed | Solution | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Context | Context gets lost in the rush to market. | → | "Context is KING". A fractional CTO bridges the gap when tech challenges impact revenue. |
| Code | Startups default to code: raise funds, hire coders, build everything custom. | → | Tech is a Capital Expenditure! No Code, Glue Code, and Duct-tape solutions break the tech bind. |
| Mental | Founder assumptions block progress to revenue positive. | → | Frameworks break the "this worked so far" trap. Tech debt isn't bad—it's misunderstood. |
Some References
Founder & CEO
"Stephan and I work together frequently, and his collaborative nature is a huge plus. He brings clarity and practical solutions to our tech challenges, breaking down complex technical decisions into actionable steps. His ability to work alongside our team—rather than dictating solutions—has been invaluable. He understands the startup journey and provides guidance that aligns with both our immediate needs and long-term goals."
CEO of Augusta Care
“Stephan has been helping us in figuring out how we should get to SOC2 compliance within a reasonable budget. He's looked at our tech stack and gave us practical recommendations on how it should evolve over time. I'm looking forward to working with him again."
COO of Phoenix Tailings
"Stephan worked with our team as we started to scale up and address security requirements. He assisted in our selection of security frameworks that matched our unique funding, IP, and cyber-security needs. His startup experience provided us with options that matched our stage and immediate concerns. We hope to tap into his experience when our security requirements change."
Solutions Architect at Brytebridge
"We pulled in Stephan to build out our tech stack and API. He executed in record time, provided our front end teams with Just-in-Time API resources as we decided on email providers, payment gateways, hosting and storage options on AWS. He takes a very practical approach to solutions. He gave us both working solutions, as well as best practices for API route testing, JWT token security and a framework that we can hand off to a team to extend. He helped our team go from idea to revenue in 4 weeks. Zero to MVP in record time!"
CEO & Founder of Qase
"Stephan's contribution to Qase has been extraordinary: he found ways to reduce platform spend by 80%, decrease data migration time by 90%, all while improving Qase's resilience and security. Even more incredible is how he achieved this: instead of dictating solutions, he actively coached and mentored our existing staff, helping them to identify and implement new, better approaches. It's also rare to find a CTO equally comfortable in both the boardroom and the trenches. I highly recommend Stephan to any early stage company looking to scale their team and their business. "
TL;DR
If you have read this far, then what you should intuit is that I apply a startup lens to my work. I use the "low effort to high-impact" filter to all decisions, assessments and recommendations. This approach provides founders with the tools to balance their limited resources to get revenue positive. I look for tech solutions that provide practical and stage-relevant solutions.
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