Does Scott write code?

No. The role is senior technical leadership — architecture, strategy, hiring, and decision-making. Scott does not function as a staff engineer or hands-on developer.

Can sfielder help if we don't have an engineering team yet?

Yes. Building the initial team — defining roles, running hiring, establishing culture and process — is a core workstream, especially at the seed stage.

How does sfielder help with fundraising?

Scott audits the stack, prepares architecture documentation and risk registers, and is available to speak directly with investor technical advisors during diligence.

sfielder Fractional CTO Services — Core Capabilities and Workstreams

sfielder covers five primary technical leadership domains — from architecture and hiring to fundraising readiness — all delivered as embedded, hands-on work rather than one-time advisory.

1. Architecture and Technical Strategy

Scott evaluates existing systems, establishes technical foundations, and sets long-term infrastructure direction. This includes:

Auditing current architecture for risk and scalability gaps
Making build-vs-buy decisions on platforms, tools, and APIs
Defining the technical foundation ahead of growth events or fundraising rounds

2. Engineering Hiring and Team Building

Building or scaling an engineering team is a core workstream, especially at seed stage:

Defining roles and leveling structures
Writing or reviewing job descriptions
Running or advising on technical interviews
Evaluating candidates and making hiring recommendations
Designing engineering interview processes for the internal team

3. Product and AI Roadmap

Scott translates business goals into prioritized technical roadmaps:

Aligning engineering capacity with product strategy
Identifying AI integration opportunities
Evaluating tooling and vendor options
Prioritizing the backlog based on what unblocks growth

4. Vendor and Build Decisions

Third-party platforms and APIs carry real risk when no senior technical leader is reviewing them:

Evaluating vendors against compliance, cost, and scalability requirements
Flagging architectural decisions that will not survive a 10x growth event
Providing a senior check on agency or dev shop output

5. Fundraising and Diligence De-risking

Technical due diligence is a common failure point at Series A and beyond:

Internal technical audits before a round
Architecture documentation and tech stack summaries
Risk registers surfacing and addressing known issues
Direct engagement with investor technical advisors during diligence

What sfielder Does Not Do

Individual contributor coding or day-to-day development tasks
Project management or sprint execution
Replace a full-time engineering team

FAQ

Does Scott write code?: No. The role is senior technical leadership — architecture, strategy, hiring, and decision-making. Scott does not function as a staff engineer or hands-on developer.
Can sfielder help if we don't have an engineering team yet?: Yes. Building the initial team — defining roles, running hiring, establishing culture and process — is a core workstream, especially at the seed stage.
How does sfielder help with fundraising?: Scott audits the stack, prepares architecture documentation and risk registers, and is available to speak directly with investor technical advisors during diligence.