Solo
A METI Minister's Award–winning B2B SaaS (lumber distribution)
A SaaS that moved ordering off phone, fax and Excel and onto the web. I handled it solo, from requirements to operations.
Fractional CTO / outsourced tech lead No engineers in-house? Your MVP or SaaS, from requirements to running in production.
Requirements, design, implementation, cloud, security, CI/CD and operations: one accountable lead makes the technical calls and does the work. With a single point of contact, nothing gets re-explained across companies. And what gets built stays in your name, repository and cloud alike.
- An NDA can be signed before our first call (your template is fine)
- I reply within two business days
Who this is for
For companies that want one person to own the technology
No engineers, no CTO
You know what you want to build, but not who to ask about the technology, or whether a quote is reasonable.
Agency quotes that don't fit, and too many hand-offs
Sales, a project manager and the developers are different people, and every requirement passes through all of them.
Someone accountable for technical decisions
Tech choices, security and cloud costs, decided by someone who can explain why.
An existing system nobody can touch
The person who built it is gone, and nobody knows what runs where or what is safe to change.
What I cover
From requirements to operations, one lead all the way through
Because the person doesn't change between stages, the reasons behind earlier decisions aren't lost in later ones.
Requirements
We decide together what to build and what not to. Where off-the-shelf SaaS is enough, I'll say so. Captured as a requirements document, screen flows and a data model.
Design
Architecture, APIs and the database, recorded as an architecture diagram and an API spec (OpenAPI).
Implementation
Frontend (TypeScript, React, Next.js) and backend (Python, Go, Node.js).
Cloud
AWS, GCP or Vercel environments, built as code with Terraform.
Security
Authentication and authorization design, input validation and dependency vulnerability scanning, built in from an OWASP Top 10 perspective.
CI/CD
GitHub Actions running automated tests, lint and vulnerability scans, with automatic deployment on merge.
Operations
Monitoring, error alerts and structured logs, then a production check and handover with a runbook.
If you still need someone to make technical calls after launch, we can continue as a monthly technical advisory (on-call standby is not included).
One point of contact. Your code and cloud stay with you, ready to hand over.
So your business doesn't stall if I become unavailable, the repository and cloud are in your name from day one, handover documents come as standard, and the work stays in a state another engineer can pick up.
Repository and cloud in your name from day one
I work with collaborator access; when the engagement ends, you simply remove it.
Handover documents as standard
A README, an architecture diagram, an environment-variable list and a runbook, at no extra cost.
Infrastructure managed as code (IaC)
Defined in Terraform or similar, so another engineer can rebuild the same environment.
Automated tests and CI as standard
The main business flows are covered by automated tests, so other engineers can change the code safely.
On fixed-scope work, defects found within 3 months of acceptance are fixed free of charge (contractual non-conformity liability). An NDA can be signed before our first call, and copyright in the deliverables belongs to you as a rule.
How it runs
From first call to handover
My development process has seven steps; here it is in five.
Free consult & NDA
In a 30-minute online call I learn your problem and constraints (budget, schedule, existing systems) and give a first read on technical feasibility. An NDA can be signed before we talk.
Requirements
If requirements aren't settled, a paid requirements phase pins down screens, APIs and the data model so the estimate is accurate.
Estimate & contract
An estimate (a fixed price for fixed-scope work; an hourly rate with a cap for quasi-mandate), with milestones, the payment schedule and acceptance criteria written into the contract.
Build & demos
Every two weeks you see something working and we revisit priorities together. The code lands in your repository, one pull request at a time.
Acceptance & handover
QA and your acceptance testing, then deployment to production and handover of the runbook and documentation.
Track record
Work I did alone, and work I did as part of a team
Each card says whether it was a solo or a team engagement.
- Team
The reliability layer of a payments platform
As a core engineer on a team of three main developers, I led the design of the payment-reliability layer that prevents double charges. Double charges in production: zero.
- Own product
MemoryHack AI, a study app
Infrastructure is 6,020 lines of Terraform, managing 8 Lambda functions, 2 DynamoDB tables, Cognito, 3 CloudFront distributions, 5 EventBridge schedules, 5 SQS queues and 25 CloudWatch alarms, plus monthly budget alerts at 80% actual and 100% forecast.
Pricing
Indicative pricing
The same rates as the pricing page. The first consult and the estimate are free.
Spot technical consultation
A second opinion before a decision, or going deep on a specific point
¥15,000/ hour ~
Small-start development (PoC / MVP)
Validating an idea, or pinpoint support for an existing team
¥600,000~ (fixed quote)
Project (fixed scope)
When you need clear deliverables shipped dependably
¥1,500,000~ (fixed quote)
Monthly technical advisor
Leveling up an in-house team, or covering a missing CTO
¥100,000/ month ~
All prices exclude tax. Fixed-scope work is a 30% deposit and 70% on delivery, and the deposit can be split. I am registered as a qualified invoice issuer under Japan's invoice system.
Worth reading before you commission work
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a fractional CTO and a technical advisor?
Monthly technical advisory covers decisions and advice: tech selection, design and code reviews, and technical assessment in hiring interviews. A fractional CTO, as this page uses the term, takes on that role plus the hands-on work of design, implementation and cloud setup, with the development part contracted as fixed-scope or quasi-mandate work. If you have people to build, advisory is usually enough; if you don't, include the development.
Which contract types can I choose from?
Fixed-scope (contract for work), quasi-mandate, technical advisory, or spot consultation. Fixed-scope suits a defined scope (a fixed quote); quasi-mandate suits work where much is decided as you go; advisory suits when you only need decisions and advice; spot suits a one-off question (billed by the hour).
What happens if you become unavailable?
I set projects up so they don't depend on me alone. The repository and cloud accounts are created in your name from day one, and I work with collaborator access. A README, an architecture diagram, an environment-variable list and a runbook are standard deliverables at no extra cost; the infrastructure is defined as code in Terraform or similar; and the main business flows are covered by automated tests and CI. So another engineer can rebuild the same environment and carry on changing it.
Can we do this with no engineers of our own?
Yes. I explain technical decisions with the reasons and the options. What you decide is what comes first and what counts as done (the acceptance criteria). You can see progress in working software every two weeks, and the code builds up in your own repository.
Can you work with an existing system, or code another company wrote?
Yes. I review existing code (as spot consultation) and join existing codebases for development. Depending on the state of the code, I'll recommend either a partial fix or a rebuild, comparing the cost and the risk.
Start with 30 minutes on where you are
What you want to build, what's getting in the way, your budget ceiling: it's fine if much of it is undecided. I'll sort out what's technically needed and lay out your options for moving forward.
I reply within two business days, and I don't send sales follow-ups.