Scenarios Our Clients Face

• The CTO left two weeks after close. The portco CEO is now managing the engineering org directly, on top of everything else, and the deal's 100-day plan is running without a technology lead.
• The board approved a $3M platform investment but there's no senior technologist inside the portco to govern the vendor selection and implementation.
• The company needs a CISO to complete SOC 2 Type II certification and get to compliance, but can't justify a $300K+ hire for an 18-month window.
• The GP mandate is to modernize and the portco CEO is a domain expert, not a technologist — the gap is real and the timeline is the hold period.
• The engineering org has a VP of Engineering who's excellent at delivery but has never operated at PE scale or navigated a board-level technology conversation.

What It Is

Embedded senior technology leadership accountable for EBITDA outcomes — not deliverables. A fractional CTO, CISO, CAIO, or CDO operates as a true executive inside the portco: owning the technology strategy, running the technology org, reporting to the board, and executing the investment thesis.

Roles Available

Fractional CTO — Technology strategy, engineering org leadership, roadmap accountability, M&A integration execution, board reporting.

Fractional CISO — Security program ownership, SOC 2 / HIPAA / CMMC compliance execution, vendor security governance, incident response, board advisory.

Fractional CAIO — AI strategy and deployment, use case governance, AI program P&L, LP narrative for AI.

Fractional CDO — Data platform strategy, data governance, analytics program leadership, FP&A infrastructure.

When to Engage

• Post-close leadership gap: CTO departed or does not exist
• Major platform or architecture decision requiring senior judgment
• M&A integration requiring executive technology leadership
• PE mandate to modernize and the portco CEO cannot drive it alone
• Transformation underway and current engineering leadership lacks PE experience
• Compliance certification (SOC 2, HIPAA, CMMC) requiring CISO-level ownership

Operating Rhythm

A fractional engagement operates like a real executive — not a consultant on retainer. Board-level reporting, quarterly strategy reviews, monthly operating reviews, weekly team standups at appropriate depth. The engagement is scoped to what the hold period requires.

Deliverables (Ongoing)

• Engineering org structure and hiring plan
• Technology roadmap (hold period, updated monthly)
• Technical debt prioritization as CapEx exposure
• Monthly board-ready technology update
• Vendor rationalization tracker
• Quarterly strategic review
• Compliance artifact tracking (SOC 2, HIPAA, CMMC as applicable)

Engagement Tiers

Interim (Full-time, 3–6 months): Post-close sprint, leadership gap, or M&A integration window requiring dedicated executive presence.

Fractional (Part-time, 12–24 months): Sustained hold-period leadership, typically 2–3 days per week, scoped to what the operating plan requires.

Typical pattern: 3-month post-close sprint at Interim → 12-month Fractional retainer.

Proof Point

CISO and VP Engineering simultaneously, across engineering, QA, cloud ops, SRE, IT, security, and customer support. 120 people. Org-wide SOC 2 Type II across every function. Multiple transactions executed. Vista Equity and Bain Capital portfolio experience.

What Comes Next

Ongoing: Technology strategy → M&A integration leadership → Exit readiness → Board advisory → Sell-side technology diligence (Exit track).