Sustainable systems for things that last

I take a small number of fractional engagements each year, focused on founders building things that are meant to last. If that sounds like you, here are the three shapes that work best.

Three engagement shapes

Architecture review — 1 to 2 weeks

A single, focused look at your stack, your team, and your roadmap. I read the code, talk to two or three people, and deliver a written review with concrete recommendations. Best when you’re about to make a big decision — rearchitecting, a new hire, a build-vs-buy call, a runway conversation with investors.

90-day fractional CTO — about 10 hours a week

Ongoing, deeper engagement. Weekly with the founder, participation in key architectural decisions, ongoing mentorship of your senior ICs. Best when you need senior technical judgment but a full-time CTO is not the right shape for where you are — pre-seed through early Series A.

Advisor — quarterly or on-call

A standing, light-touch relationship. Monthly call, async review of big decisions, introductions to people in my network when useful. Best after your team is self-sufficient but you want a senior second opinion on hand.

Who I’m best for

  • Stage: pre-seed to early Series A. Conversations earlier and later happen — I just want to be clear about where I fit most easily.
  • Team: one to fifteen engineers. I prefer teams small enough that I can get my head around all of the code.
  • Horizon: you think about your business and your craft on a five-to-ten-year timescale, not a twelve-month one.
  • Values: your work cares about durability — carbon, energy, long-lived code, or simply not burning the team out. This filter matters to me more than any of the others.

How it works

  1. Send me an email describing what you’re building and the decision you’re trying to make.
  2. We have a call, 30 to 60 minutes. No pitch deck needed; I want to understand the problem.
  3. If we’re a fit, I send a proposal: scope, deliverables, cadence, and rate. I bill weekly, not hourly. Rates on inquiry.
  4. If we’re not a fit, I’ll say so clearly. I may have someone to recommend.

Not a fit if

  • You need a heads-down contractor to ship features. I’m the wrong cost for that.
  • The work is pure sprint — crunch-to-ship on a short timeline. My cadence is weekly, not daily.
  • You’re hiring a CTO because a VC told you to. Let’s talk about whether a fractional is what you actually need.
  • The business depends on shipping code you know is unethical, or the plan is growth-at-any-cost without a durability story.

Next step

Email ivan@ivanstorck.com with a paragraph about what you’re building and the decision in front of you. I read every message and reply within a week.