Have a fantastic idea and decided to get it built? You might have extensive experience in what you do, but not so much on the tech side. We've got you covered!
We'll provide you with everything you need in a tech cofounder, from design to build, pulling in resources you may need from our vast Rolodex of experienced design, marketing, and tech professionals. We do it right the first time, something you rarely get from 'development shops.'
Fractional CTO-CPTO, Development & Design Consulting
The First* Step in Realizing Your Dream
(*or next)
A one-stop shop to get your product out the door.
We provide factional product and technical leadership as well as access to professionals and companies to build the app your customers will love!
Powered by experience that helped build the mobile world we live in.
Your Needs Met at any project phase
Services for Any Project
We handle all your tech needs with the same level of enthusiasm and experience
Existing Mobile App
Have an existing app and need to get it on the right track? Need to build and grow?
We can take over product design and development responsibilities from your existing leadership. We can lead your current team or supplement it from our Rolodex of experienced professionals.
We can take over product design and development responsibilities from your existing leadership. We can lead your current team or supplement it from our Rolodex of experienced professionals.
General Design and Development
Are you happy with your product and its growth and need experienced designers and developers to build or modify your Web, back-end, or Mobile app?
Our Rolodex is chock-full of experienced men and women in every part of the design and building process and conversant in every new and emerging technology.
Our Rolodex is chock-full of experienced men and women in every part of the design and building process and conversant in every new and emerging technology.
Choose Your Fraction
Choose the CPTO/CTO/CPO fraction that fits your budget for your growing business. Depending on the days per week you engage us, here are some needs we can help you with, but we're open to any arrangements
ONE DAY/WEEK
- Need new leadership
- Need POC, Prototype and MVP
- Not time-bound
- Lead a team
- Succeed existing leadership
- Have an existing product
2-3 DAYS/WEEKRecommended
- Need new leadership
- Succeed existing leadership
- Need POC, Prototype and MVP
- Have an existing product
- Time-bound
- Lead a team
FULL TIME
- Succeed existing leadership
- Have an existing product
- Not time-bound
- Lead a team
- Need new leadership
- Need POC, Prototype and MVP
AD-HOC
- Need new leadership
- Need POC, Prototype and MVP
- Have an existing product
- Time-bound
- Succeed existing leadership
- Lead a team
If you're new to all this...
What is a Fractional CPTO (or CTO), and why do I need one?
A CPTO is a highly experienced leader who is your Chief Product and Technology Officer. Fractional means you select the amount of time relative to your needs and resources.
A Product Officer puts the customer first and helps you design the product your customers want and need. A Technology Officer architects your product and then directs the design and build. A CPTO combines these two and is responsible for understanding customers and the market and guiding products from conception to production, including all aspects of research, design, prototyping, software development, and delivery. Everything you need to realize your dream.
In short, a CPTO takes both the 'what' and 'how' of your product off your hands so you can focus on growing your business. We serve as your technical cofounder without the need to give away ownership.
We also have a Rolodex of equally experienced design, marketing, and technical professionals and partner companies to bring onto the project, allowing you to have a one-stop shop to get your product out the door..
Steps to an MVP Your CustomersWill Love
There's much more to putting your first app in a store that your customers will love than 'finding a developer.' These are the tried and true steps professionals follow to get a product from concept to market. We'll guide your development through each step when you engage us as a fractional CPTO.
1. Mind Meld
The main job of a CPTO or CTO is to get into your head and completely understand your vision. You iterate on a goal statement until everyone is 100% in sync. A personal rapport with the CPTO or CTO here is critical.
2. Customer Comes First
A 'Product-focused' startup puts the needs of the customer first. Applying Product Management tools allows you to assess your product's viability, value, and usability by researching the landscape and talking to customers.
3. Proof of Concept
(POC)
The product may have technical, operational, or logistic hurdles. A POC assesses the feasibility of the product. It is meant for internal use and will never see the light of day. This step is optional if there is nothing to prove.
4. Prototype and Feedback
A Prototype is a high-fidelity graphic mock-up of your proposed app that responds to some clicks. It has no 'code'. You use this to get feedback from friends, focus groups, and potential customers before taking on the expense of producing it.
5. Architecture and Project Setup
Your full-stack end-to-end system is designed here, from the server to the admin tools and onto the mobile app. Buy-or-build assessments are made. Infrastructure to run the Agile team happens here, too, so your devs can hit the ground running.
6. Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
The MVP is your first actual product. As the name implies, you produce an app with just enough features to prove all your business assumptions.
7. Publish!
With all the previous steps completed you put your app in the app stores. This is your big shot. It needs to look great and operate flawlessly. You only get one first impression and most people ignore what your app does if it has issues.
8. Next Steps: Funding, Growth
Most investors expect a technical cofounder. A Fractional CPTO (or CTO) can fill this role for you without sacrificing considerable equity. A fractional CPTO helps you hire a full-time CPTO when the time is right.
Lean Startup (Book). The Bible for modern startups. Read More
The Top 10 Deliverables of Product Managers. An excellent place to start in exploring what Product people do. Read More
A Lean Alternative to a Business Plan: Documenting Your Product/Market Fit Hypotheses. How to iterate on product/market fit. Read More
What are the Key Components of a Product-Focused Startup? More on a product oriented startup. Read More
Startups need to stop dividing tech and product. Good Article on CPTOs. Read More
The Role of CPTO: A Mythical Beast? Another article about CPTOs. Read More
- Why UX is critical: every $1 invested in UX yields a $2 to $100 return. Spending time up-front saves in the long run. Read more
Why Product Discovery Saves You Millions in Product Development. Following a product methodology will save you thousands in wasted development costs. Read More
A Beginner’s Guide: POC vs Prototype vs MVP. Learn about Proof of Concept, prototypes and Minimal Viable Product. It contains a good chart showing potential savings in choosing the POC/Prototype/MVP route. Read More
- The Importance of Creating a Prototype for Your Startup. A 'who,' 'what,' and 'how' in creating a hi-res, no-code, clickable prototype to get early feedback from customers. Read more
The Rise of Fractional CTOs: Navigating the Benefits, Ideal Scenarios, and Potential Pitfalls. Good article on fractional CTOs. Read More
The Art of Handing Over: A Fractional CTO’s Point of Success. Fractional CPTOs and CTOs are designed to be laid off. Read More
- Mindmeld. If you're curious where the term 'mind meld' came from. Read More
- Roles in Mobile App Development Team: Tips and Structure Comprehensive guide to getting your app out the door. Very detailed Read More
Featured Projects
Our founder helped build the mobile world we live in
Digital Gold Vault
Development , Featured , Mobile , Product , Server , WebView your gold, learn its history, and see its blockchain-backed ownership history.
Verizon Tones
Development , Featured , Mobile , Product , ServerIf you bought a ringtone or ringback tone on a Verizon flip phone, you used my app. I owned it from start to finish. It was the most downloaded app in the world for several years.
R2/D2 Phone
Development , Featured , Mobile , ProductI owned all the special software on the R2/D2 phone. Including such things as the Hoth Binoculars, Hoth Weather widget, and Shake-your-phone to get R2 to come out.
SimplyCalled Customer Support
Development , Featured , Mobile , Product , Server , WebAndroid SDK and a ‘customer service system integration layer’ to allow interactions with customers during and after phone calls.
VCast SongID
Development , Featured , Mobile , Product , ServerVerizon’s version of Shazam to ID songs. It was popular before Shazam.
Inter-Carrier Text Messages
Development , Featured , Mobile , Server , WebIf you text a friend on another carrier today, there’s a 50% chance it went through my software. Many billions a day.
UnixWare 7- Unix 95 Compatibility
Development , Featured , Product , ServerAt Bell Labs et al., responsible for ensuring compatibility between various Unix flavors.
CP/M Porting
Desktop , Development , FeaturedI was the world’s most prolific porter of CP/M to new hardware. It led to an offer from Bill Gates.
Kind Words
These are lovely words from past and present.
Why Choose Us
We want to share your passion for your app by spending time to get to know you and everything about your product. We bring unmatched professionalism and experience in designing, building, and running your product.
Experience
We live and breathe Mobile, having been part of building the mobile world we live in.
Software Design & Development
We bring product and technical leadership to your team and can bring all other resources you need to get your product to market
Have fun
We love what we do and try to have fun with every project (of course, always staying professional)
Get in Touch
Something caught your fancy here? We'd love to hear from you. Better yet, press the 'Book a free consultation' button below to talk.
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