The problem
What this solves.
- You need a CTO-level leader but can't justify (or find) a full-time hire.
- Your engineering team needs senior architecture guidance.
- You're raising funding and need technical due diligence support.
- Technology decisions are being made by people who don't have the full picture.
- Your technical stack is growing but nobody's steering the ship.
- Startups that need a CTO but can't hire one full-time
- Companies with engineering teams that need senior architecture guidance
- Ventures preparing for funding rounds that need technical due diligence
- Businesses making technology decisions without technical leadership
What we build
Concrete systems, not slideware.
- Technical strategy and architecture review
- Engineering team leadership and mentoring
- Technology roadmap and decision-making
- Technical due diligence for funding and M&A
- AI strategy and implementation oversight
- Code quality, testing, and deployment practices
- Hiring support for senior technical roles
- Board-ready technical reporting
Integrations
Systems we connect to.
We integrate with your existing stack. No rip-and-replace.
- Your entire technical stack
- Cloud infrastructure and DevOps
- AI/ML platforms and models
- Database architecture and data systems
- Security and compliance frameworks
- Third-party vendor evaluation
The process
How the build actually happens.
- 01
Assess
We review your existing architecture, team, processes, and roadmap. Two to four weeks of intensive assessment.
- 02
Align
A clear technical strategy aligned with your business goals. Prioritized roadmap with realistic timelines.
- 03
Lead
Embedded as your CTO: architecture decisions, team leadership, vendor evaluation, and AI strategy.
- 04
Execute
Hands-on engineering leadership. We don't just advise — we build alongside your team.
- 05
Scale
Hiring support, process improvement, and technology maturation as your company grows.
Pricing
Transparent, starting at a clear number.
You won't need to guess our pricing. Every engagement starts at a published number, scoped to your problem.
A flat monthly retainer, or structured as revenue share or an equity kicker for earlier-stage ventures — a vendor optimizes for the invoice, a partner optimizes for the outcome. Pricing depends on time commitment, scope, and whether the engagement includes hands-on engineering. Enterprise and custom arrangements available.
- CTO-grade decisions without the CTO-grade hire cost
- Architecture that scales with your business, not against it
- Engineering team led by someone who's built production AI systems
- Technical due diligence that gives investors confidence
- Technology roadmap aligned with business goals and market reality
Why Sitio Labs
Builders, not vendors.
- We run a venture studio — technical leadership is what we do, every day
- 6 AI products in production — we know what "production-grade" means
- Design and engineering under one roof — we understand the full picture
- Real AI expertise: not just architecture, but hands-on AI implementation
- Built in India. Built for the world. The same studio that ships products for us ships products for you.
Fair warning
Who this isn't for.
- You need code written to a spec you've already decided — that's a contractor, not a CTO.
- You want someone full-time and exclusive from day one; this is an embedded partnership, not an employee.
- You can't commit to a 6-month minimum — architecture decisions need runway to prove out, not a one-month trial.
- You haven't raised or committed any capital yet and need a co-founder to build the first version — that's Venture Build, not CTO Partnership.
Questions/ 07
Honest answers.
Write to us with what you are working on. You will hear back within 24 hours.
Start a conversationWe embed as your CTO, not your consultant. We make decisions, lead the team, and take responsibility for the technology. Consulting ends with a report; CTO Partnership ends with a working system.
Yes. That's the advantage of a studio: we can architect the system AND build it alongside your team. No handoffs between strategy and execution.
We prepare you for investor technical due diligence: architecture review, security audit, IP assessment, and a clear technical narrative. We've been through this ourselves.
Typically 20–40 hours per month, depending on your stage and needs. We can scale up during critical periods (fundraising, launches) and down during steady state.
Yes. Often the fastest win is giving an existing team clear architecture and honest priorities. We lead, mentor, and fill gaps — we don't demand a rebuild to justify ourselves.
Either, depending on your stage. Earlier-stage ventures often structure it as a retainer plus an equity kicker or revenue share; later-stage, funded companies more often run a flat monthly retainer. We scope it to what's fair for where you are.
We review fit honestly at the end of the minimum term, and either side can choose not to continue. We hand over clean documentation and a working system either way — nothing is held hostage.
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