Engagement model
CTO advisory for teams
about to bet the budget.
Get a senior crypto and payments engineer beside your leadership. We review the architecture, the licence scope and the plan. Then we write down what to build, what to drop and what to fix first. You keep every document.
- EU-based engineers
- MiCA-ready architecture
- GDPR-compliant delivery
- Client-owned output
Signals
When advisory beats hiring
Five moments where a few senior weeks change the outcome. If none of these fit, say so on the call. We will point you at the right service instead.
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You are about to commit a big build budget
The plan looks fine on a slide. Nobody senior has stress-tested it against a real ledger, a real audit or a real load curve. One review is cheaper than one rebuild.
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The licence scope keeps moving
MiCA and PSD2 wording changes what you must store and prove. We map each rule to a system, so the build stops guessing.
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You need to hire, not just ship
Job specs, interview loops and a first-90-days plan for crypto engineers. We help you pick people you can keep.
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A vendor decision is blocking the roadmap
Custody, KYC, market data, card rails. We score the shortlist against your scope and write down the trade-offs.
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Delivery has quietly stalled
Releases slip and nobody can say why. We look at the branch flow, the test gates and the on-call load, then fix the bottleneck.
Scope
Six areas we look at
Crypto depth and regulated delivery in one head. That mix is rare, and it is the whole point of this engagement.
Need the rules mapped in code? That work sits with our compliance engineering practice.
- 01 Findings ranked by risk
Architecture review
We read the code and the diagrams. You get a written view of what holds, what breaks and what to do first.
- 02 Rule-to-system matrix
Compliance mapping
Each rule becomes a system change with an owner. Your advisers get technical evidence they can actually use.
- 03 Hardening backlog
Security posture
Key handling, signing paths, access control and secrets. We check the blast radius of every admin action.
- 04 Costed delivery plan
Roadmap and cost
We size the work in teams and weeks. Then we cut the plan into a launchable first slice.
- 05 Hiring plan and specs
Team and hiring
Org shape, seniority mix and interview design. We sit in on loops when you want a second read.
- 06 Scored shortlist
Vendor selection
We write the scoring sheet with you. No referral fees, no favourite supplier, no lock-in.
Cadence
How a month actually runs
No vague retainer. The rhythm is fixed, and every block has an output you can read.
| Block | When | Who joins | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick-off | Week 1 | Founders, lead engineers | Scope, access, risk list |
| Deep review | Weeks 1–2 | Advisor plus your leads | Written findings |
| Working session | Weekly, 90 min | Product and engineering | Decisions logged |
| Written note | Monthly | Board and investors | Progress and risk update |
| Ad-hoc calls | On request | Whoever is blocked | Same-day unblock |
Arc
From first call to hand-off
Four steps, each with an exit. You can stop after any one of them and still hold something useful.
- 01
Scoping call
45 minutes, free
You describe the product and the deadline. We say plainly whether advisory is the right spend.
- 02
Review sprint
2–3 weeks
Code, docs and interviews. It ends with a written plan you own and can hand to anyone.
- 03
Standing advisory
Monthly, rolling
A named senior advisor on a weekly slot. Cancel with 30 days' notice.
- 04
Hand-off or build
Your call
Your team runs the plan. Or we staff it with our own engineers.
Prefer a fixed price and a dated plan? Look at a fixed-scope product build. Advisory pairs well with our exchange work and payment gateway engineering.
Questions
Asked on most first calls
Short answers here. The rest we cover live.
Is this a fractional CTO role?
It is close, with one difference. Our advisor sits on a delivery team, so advice comes with people who can build it.
Who do we actually get?
A senior engineer with shipped crypto and payments systems behind them. You meet them on the scoping call before you sign.
Do you sign an NDA first?
Yes. We sign yours or send ours. Repository access is read-only until you decide otherwise.
Can advisory turn into a build?
Often. Many clients move to a dedicated team once the plan is agreed. There is no obligation to do so.
What if you find the plan is sound?
We say so and stop. A short report that confirms your thinking is a good outcome, not a failed one.
Bring us the decision you are stuck on
Send the scope, the deadline and the open question. We reply with a view, not a pitch deck. The first call costs nothing.