Executive engineering leadership without the full-time hire. Whether you're preparing for Series A, navigating UK Online Safety Act compliance, or integrating AI, our CTOs provide governance, architecture, and a clear roadmap. Unlike consultants, we're backed by a full delivery team ready to build.
The 2025 mobile landscape is unforgiving. AI integration demands, regulatory compliance, and investor scrutiny have made technical leadership more critical than ever. Yet hiring a full-time CTO often means paying £200k+ for someone spending 80% of their time on work that doesn't require executive-level thinking.
With our Fractional CTO service, you get strategic leadership precisely when you need it: architecture reviews, investor preparation, compliance governance. No paying for idle hours. Our CTOs focus exclusively on high-impact decisions that de-risk your business and accelerate growth.
What sets us apart: we execute, not just advise. Unlike freelance CTOs who hand you a strategy document and a handshake, our Fractional CTOs can activate a full mobile delivery squad (Flutter developers, designers, QA specialists) within 48 hours. Strategy becomes shipped product.
The AI Readiness Gap
Everyone demands AI features, but few understand the infrastructure required. We don't just "bolt on" ChatGPT. We architect secure, on-device AI strategies that protect user privacy, manage cloud costs, and prepare your app for the Agentic AI future. Over 70% of enterprise AI projects fail due to poor data readiness. We ensure you're in the successful 30%.
The Regulatory Minefield
The UK Online Safety Act, PSTI Act, and GDPR have turned compliance into a technical engineering challenge. We implement Privacy by Design architectures, reliable age-assurance systems, and content moderation pipelines that keep you compliant and keep your app in the store. Non-compliance carries fines up to 10% of global revenue. We ensure you never face that risk.
Investment-Ready Technical Due Diligence
Capital markets are tight. VCs conduct rigorous technical audits before deploying capital. We ensure your IP assignments are clean, your Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is audit-ready, and your architecture is defensible. We turn your tech stack from a potential liability into a valuation driver.
If you're asking this question, the answer is probably yes. A Fractional CTO is essential when:
Our Fractional CTOs don't replace your development team. They make your entire technology investment work harder.
One key role of a Fractional CTO is vetting and managing app development agencies. We help you assess technical capabilities, review proposals, and ensure agencies are being realistic about timelines and budgets. If you're working with multiple agencies or considering switching, a Fractional CTO provides technical oversight to protect your investment. Learn more about our agency services or how a Fractional CTO complements agency partnerships.
An actionable four-week plan with clear deliverables and an unbeatable £3,500 price point, credited against your first development sprint.
Total client time commitment: 5-7 hours across 4 weeks
We meet with your key stakeholders to understand your business goals, user needs, and technical constraints. You'll share any existing research, designs, or documentation you have.
Our engineering team assesses the technical feasibility, identifies integration points with your existing systems, and evaluates architecture options.
We determine whether Flutter, native development, or another approach makes the most sense for your specific requirements.
We create clickable prototypes so you can experience your app before it's built. You'll test navigation flows, validate the user experience, and gather feedback from stakeholders.
Alongside this, we prioritise features based on business value and technical complexity, mapping out a phased delivery plan with a detailed cost estimate.
You receive your complete Gameplan pack, plus a presentation walkthrough with Q&A. Your team walks away with everything needed to make a confident decision.
More than consultants: we're a delivery powerhouse. Our Fractional CTOs come with 21+ years of mobile experience and access to designers, developers, and QA specialists ready to turn strategy into shipped products
Production down? Security breach? App store rejection? We provide rapid expert intervention for critical technology issues, diagnosing root causes and implementing fixes to minimise business impact.
Quality talent without overpaying, whether you're hiring your first developer or selecting an offshore team. Expert guidance on recruitment, vendor evaluation, and contract negotiation.
We conduct honest assessments of your existing codebase, identifying technical debt that's slowing you down and creating a prioritized remediation roadmap that balances quick wins with long-term architectural health.
Most clients see 20-40% reduction in cloud bills within the first quarter. We audit your AWS, Azure, or GCP spending, identify waste, right-size resources, and implement cost controls.
We design scalable mobile architectures (native, Flutter, or React Native) with solid DevOps pipelines, automated testing, and feature flagging systems that let you ship fast without breaking production.
Pass due diligence first time with a data room that's investor-ready: clean IP documentation, audit-ready SBOMs, and scalable architecture evidence. We translate tech-speak for the board so your technical story strengthens, not undermines, your raise.
Stay in the app stores and avoid regulatory fines with compliance built into your product from day one. UK Online Safety Act, PSTI Act, GDPR, and OWASP MASVS mobile security standards are covered by our Privacy by Design approach.
We conduct AI readiness assessments and architect intelligent features that add genuine value, from on-device ML models to Agentic AI workflows. Your AI investment delivers ROI, not just buzzwords.
We mentor and upskill your in-house or offshore development teams, establishing engineering best practices, code review processes, and CI/CD pipelines that accelerate delivery while maintaining quality.
Technology decisions that shape your company's future deserve accountability, not just advice. From tech stack selection to vendor management, every strategy is aligned with your business goals and investor expectations.
The funding market is tight. VCs conduct rigorous technical audits before investing. A weak tech stack or messy codebase can kill deals or slash valuations. We ensure your technology tells a compelling story.
Our due diligence preparation includes:
We offer this as a fixed-fee "Due Diligence Pre-Check" (£8,000-£15,000) so you find and fix red flags before investors do. Clients typically see improved term sheets and faster closes.
Over 70% of enterprise AI projects fail. Usually not because the AI technology isn't good enough, but because the company's data infrastructure can't support it. An AI Readiness Audit prevents you from wasting six months and £100k discovering this the hard way.
Our audit evaluates:
Delivered as a 2-week fixed-fee engagement (£5,000-£10,000), you get a clear roadmap: what's viable, what's not, and what you need to do first. It's the most cost-effective way to avoid expensive AI failures.
The UK Online Safety Act (OSA) imposes strict duties on user-to-user services: essentially any mobile app where users can interact or share content. Non-compliance risks fines up to 10% of global revenue.
We help with:
The OSA is a technical engineering challenge, not just a legal checkbox. We architect compliant systems that satisfy regulators while maintaining user experience.
CTO-as-a-Service (CTOaaS) typically describes a broader package: strategic leadership plus operational support from a team. It might include IT infrastructure management, DevOps, security operations, and development oversight. Essentially outsourcing your entire technology function.
Fractional CTO focuses specifically on executive-level strategic guidance: architecture decisions, vendor management, board communication, compliance governance. It doesn't necessarily include hands-on operational delivery.
What makes Foresight Mobile different: We bridge these models. Our Fractional CTOs provide pure strategic leadership, but when strategy needs execution, they can activate our full delivery squad (Flutter developers, designers, QA specialists, product managers). Most freelance Fractional CTOs hand you a roadmap and leave you to find developers. We hand you a roadmap and say "the team starts Monday."
This CTO + Squad model eliminates the 3-6 month lag between strategy and execution. You get the strategic vision of a CTO coupled with the execution power of a mobile-specialist agency.
Early-stage companies rarely have 40 hours of CTO-level strategic work per week. They might have 5 hours of high-stakes decisions (architecture design, investor pitches, vendor selection) and 35 hours of execution work. Hiring a full-time CTO for £200k+ often means paying executive rates for non-executive tasks.
The value density argument: Our Fractional CTOs focus exclusively on decisions that require senior expertise—architecture reviews, compliance strategy, due diligence preparation, AI roadmapping. We're not writing code that junior developers could handle or sitting in meetings that don't require CTO input.
The cross-pollination benefit: Because our CTOs work across multiple clients, they bring fresh perspectives and battle-tested solutions from diverse industries. A full-time CTO sees only your problems; a Fractional CTO brings solutions they've proven elsewhere.
The scaling flexibility: As your needs grow, you can increase engagement hours without the awkwardness of performance managing an underperforming executive or the cost of severance if it doesn't work out.
Interim CTO: Full-time temporary coverage during a transition, typically 3-6 months while you're hiring a permanent CTO or during a leadership gap. Higher commitment (40 hours/week), higher cost, finite engagement.
Fractional CTO: Ongoing part-time strategic leadership designed to be sustainable long-term. You get CTO-level guidance (5-15 hours/week) precisely when you need it, without paying for idle time. Ideal for startups that need strategic oversight but don't yet justify a full-time executive salary.
Which do you need?
We provide both. Many clients start with a Fractional engagement and increase to Interim during critical growth phases.
Yes, and it's often more effective. Remote working eliminates commute time, meaning you get more strategic thinking per pound spent. We work with clients across the UK and internationally using Slack, Teams, Zoom, and async video tools like Loom.
Our remote CTOs conduct virtual architecture reviews, lead distributed team standups, and participate in board meetings. All without the overhead of office space or travel expenses. For clients who prefer occasional face-to-face sessions, we offer hybrid arrangements with periodic on-site days for workshops, team-building, or investor meetings.
The key to effective remote CTO leadership is clear documentation, structured communication rhythms, and the right tooling. We bring established processes that make remote collaboration smooth and effective.
The question isn't whether you need CTO-level guidance. It's whether you need 40 hours of it per week. In 2026, you need a CTO when:
You're spending money without confidence. Are your developers building the right thing? Is your cloud bill appropriate? Is your architecture scalable? Without expert oversight, you're gambling with your runway.
Investors are asking technical questions. VCs conduct rigorous technical due diligence. A CTO ensures your IP is clean, your SBOM is audit-ready, and your architecture tells a compelling story.
Compliance is becoming complex. The UK Online Safety Act, GDPR, PSTI Act: these aren't just legal requirements. They're technical engineering challenges requiring architectural decisions.
You want to integrate AI meaningfully. Everyone's adding "AI features," but 70% of AI projects fail due to poor data readiness. A CTO separates viable AI opportunities from expensive dead ends.
Most startups don't need a full-time CTO. They need 5-10 hours per week of strategic guidance. That's exactly what we provide.
A modern CTO's role has evolved from "best coder in the room" to "architect of business value." In 2026, daily responsibilities include:
Strategic: Evaluating build vs. buy decisions for AI/ML features; aligning technology roadmaps with business objectives; preparing technical narratives for investors; managing technology budgets and FinOps.
Governance: Ensuring compliance with UK Online Safety Act, GDPR, and PSTI requirements; overseeing security practices (OWASP MASVS); managing vendor relationships and contracts.
Technical: Leading architecture reviews; overseeing DevOps and CI/CD pipelines; mentoring engineering teams; making technology stack decisions (Native vs. Flutter vs. React Native).
Leadership: Translating technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders; facilitating board communication; driving engineering culture and hiring standards.
Our Fractional CTOs focus exclusively on these high-impact activities. The strategic decisions that shape your company's future. Not writing code that junior developers could handle.
Our Fractional CTOs range from £95 to £300 per hour depending on experience and specialisation. Like a good accountant, a good CTO saves more than they cost through optimised cloud spending, avoided technical debt, and strategic decision-making that prevents costly pivots.
Typical engagement levels:
We also offer fixed-fee gateway products: AI Readiness Audits, Technical Due Diligence Pre-Checks, and Compliance Health Checks. Ideal for companies wanting to evaluate our expertise before committing to ongoing engagement.
Your business needs strategic technical direction. Hiring a full-time CTO costs £120,000 to £180,000 a year before benefits, takes months to recruit, and ties you to one person's judgement.
A Fractional CTO engagement gives you architecture decisions made, teams guided, and technology strategy aligned to your commercial goals — on a monthly retainer that scales with your stage. From pre-seed MVP planning to Series B compliance architecture, you choose the level of involvement that matches your current challenge.
We begin with a structured audit of your technical landscape: codebase health, architecture decisions, team capability, security posture, and any compliance obligations under GDPR or OWASP MASVS. This typically takes one to two weeks. The output is a written assessment that identifies the highest-priority risks and the quickest wins, giving both of us a shared baseline before strategy work begins.
We translate your business objectives into a concrete technical plan: which platforms to prioritise, when to build versus buy, how to sequence infrastructure investments, and what your tech stack needs to look like at Series A or beyond. If you're preparing for a funding round, we produce investor data room documentation. If you're scaling, we design the CI/CD and cloud architecture to support growth without runaway costs.
We work directly with your development team: running architecture reviews, defining engineering standards, improving sprint cadence, and unblocking decisions that sit above the team's authority to make. If you need to build faster than your current team allows, Foresight Mobile's Flutter developers, QA specialists, and product managers can be activated within 48 hours.
After the initial engagement, most clients move to an ongoing advisory retainer. This gives you a senior technical voice available for architecture decisions, vendor evaluations, board questions, and due diligence preparation, without the cost or rigidity of a full-time hire. Retainers start at £2,500 per month for two to five days. Engagements flex up or down as your needs change.
Your app, your way. Here's how we make it happen.
Fixed price agreed upfront, with regular progress calls and live demos so you always know where your project stands.
From first build to App Store submission and beyond, we offer App Care retainers from £675/month so your app keeps pace with your business. We're with you all the way.
Real users from your target audience test your app throughout development, not just at the end. Their feedback shapes decisions before they become expensive to undo — so you launch with confidence rather than hope.
You know your business. We know how to build apps that succeed. The two together is where good products come from.
Our founder has been building mobile products since 2003, and our core team has been together since Foresight launched in 2017.
We're based in Manchester with offices in London and Birmingham, and believe face-to-face time makes better products. Drop in whenever you like.
