Fractional CTO, available now
Jason Flatford
If you are responsible for something and there is nobody who can own its technology, I take that seat.
I come in as the technical owner. I make the calls, I do the work, and I am accountable for whether it ships. Remote and scaled to the problem.
Jason led the technical development of the PostSecret Searchable Archive. This complex project required coordinating a small team and technical expertise for six months. He helped us navigate many challenges and completed a complex natural-language searchable database that has received many positive reviews. I would not hesitate to bring Jason back on another PostSecret team endeavor.
Where I have taken the seat
PostSecret
Volunteer technical lead, working directly with founder Frank Warren
- About 14,000 secrets made searchable
- Full-text, semantic and faceted search
- Private until vetted
Melee.gg
Sole early developer and six years as EVP of Product
- Over 2 million lines of code
- Used by teams at Wizards of the Coast, Ravensburger and Star City Games
The offer
When nobody can make the call
The level of involvement is tailored to your needs, ranging from about 15 hours per week to full-time support. Engagement continues until the problem is resolved, because timelines vary, with a three-month minimum for ongoing fractional CTO work.
A stalled project.
It has not moved in months. Everyone has a reason and nobody has a plan.
A decision that is yours to make and impossible to make.
You have the authority. You do not have the basis. The people advising you disagree and you cannot referee it.
A CTO-shaped hole.
Someone left, or there was never anyone, and the work does not stop to wait for a hire.
A vendor you cannot judge.
The system was built by someone else, or you have received a quote to rebuild it. It is often unclear whether the project is progressing poorly or if the proposal simply duplicates your existing system, and this may not become apparent until it is too late.
- The thing actually shipped.
- A written record of what was decided and why, so nobody re-litigates it in six months.
- Someone on your side who can carry it forward.
- A straight account of what is still broken and what it will cost.
The initial step is offered at a fixed price, providing clarity before you commit. Subsequent work is quoted based on the findings from that week.
The diagnostic
$2,500, one week
Or $1,500 for a genuinely small nonprofit. If you do not find value in the week's work, you will not be charged.
A fixed-price build
$15,000 to $50,000
Most projects fall between $15,000 and $50,000. The exact price is determined after the diagnostic, and the $2,500 diagnostic fee is credited toward the build if you proceed.
Fractional CTO
$13,500 per month
Approximately 15 hours per week, with a three-month minimum commitment.
This is not a rewrite. If your system is functioning well and the issue lies elsewhere, I will inform you during the diagnostic phase, not after six weeks of billing.
The evidence
Where I have already done this
Who is taking the seat
I was the sole early developer of Melee.gg, built it into a global esports platform, and ran it for six years as EVP of Product. Today I am Co-Founder and CTO of NILmetrics and volunteer technical lead on the PostSecret archive, working directly with its founder. I also founded Duly, a civic platform that is no longer active.
I do the work myself. Contracting runs through Mythic Works LLC.
Something of yours stuck?
Describe it in a paragraph. I will tell you honestly whether I can help, and if I cannot, I will say who might.