If you’re building a product in a complex industry—pharma, finance, or anything heavily regulated—you probably already know the challenges. You’ve validated the need, you’ve spoken to potential users, and you might even have a working prototype. But without someone on the technical side, moving forward gets difficult.
Most investors and partners will, sooner or later, ask about the technical leadership. And if that person isn’t in place, it becomes harder to create trust around the product’s future.
But bringing in a full-time CTO is expensive. And finding someone who’s ready to join as a co-founder without pay is almost impossible. That’s the situation many early-stage founders face.
There is, however, a more practical approach.
At etfx.ch, the founding team had a strong vision and deep experience in their field. They had already identified a clear problem and market opportunity. What they didn’t yet have was a technical lead who could take responsibility for development, security, and infrastructure—or help communicate the tech side of the business clearly to stakeholders.
We stepped in with a fractional CTO setup. This wasn’t done for free—it’s a service we offer, structured to match early-stage companies that don’t have the budget for a full-time CTO. The arrangement allowed etfx.ch to move forward with planning, development, and compliance preparation while keeping costs predictable and manageable.
It also gave them time to decide if they wanted to bring in a full-time co-founder later. In the meantime, they had technical leadership in place and a clear development process to build from.
One of the most common suggestions is to “just offer equity” instead of salary. In reality, that only works under very specific conditions. The person joining would need to already be financially secure, or have no immediate expenses, or see unusually strong traction in the product. That’s not the case for most early-stage startups.
Offering equity can make sense—but only if the rest of the offer is structured clearly. That means being upfront about what stage you’re at, what’s already been done, and where you need help. Most experienced technical professionals aren’t interested in vague promises. They want to know what they’re committing to, and whether it’s something worth building.
It’s also important not to over-promise what the equity represents. If there’s still significant product risk or a long way to go before revenue, then say that. That kind of honesty builds trust in a way that pitching a future valuation won’t.
Instead of trying to hire a full-time co-founder from day one, there’s value in bridging the gap. A fractional CTO can step in to help with key tasks such as:
This structure gives you real support and lets you keep momentum without committing too early to a full-time hire or giving away a large part of your company under pressure.
In many cases, this approach helps clarify whether a full-time technical co-founder is actually needed—or if the business can keep growing under a different model.
If you’re in a place where you need technical leadership but can’t afford a full-time hire, consider starting with structured, limited-scope CTO support. It’s not free, but it’s predictable and designed to match early-stage needs.
You’ll be able to continue development, present a more complete picture to investors or partners, and avoid making rushed hiring decisions just to tick a box.
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Building without a tech co-founder is possible—but only if the structure around it is solid. Start with the right support and grow from there. Contact [email protected] for more info.
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We help companies with their technology, providing CTO-services and Product Management. Trusted for our CTO-services, we work with both startups and established businesses in the Nordics, Switzerland and US.
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