Adaptive Media

Fractional CTO Services

A fractional CTO gives your business senior, hands-on technology leadership without the cost of a full-time executive. Adaptive Media provides fractional CTO services to Australian startups and growth-stage companies.

Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast — serving Brisbane and Australia-wide remotely

Adaptive Media provides fractional CTO services for founders and leadership teams who need experienced technology direction but aren't ready for a full-time chief technology officer. Led by founder and CTO Damien King, our fractional CTO engagements bring senior architecture, AI strategy and engineering leadership to your business on a flexible monthly retainer.

What a fractional CTO does for your business

As your fractional CTO we own the technology decisions that are too important to outsource and too senior for a junior team: technology strategy and roadmaps, system architecture, build-versus-buy calls, AI adoption, security and data governance, vendor and agency selection, and the hiring and leadership of your engineering team. You get a trusted technical partner in the room for the decisions that shape your product and your costs.

Who we work with

Our fractional CTO clients are typically Australian startups raising or scaling, established businesses adopting AI for the first time, and founders who have outgrown freelance developers but can't yet justify a full-time CTO salary. We work across South East Queensland in person and with businesses Australia-wide remotely.

  • Technology strategy, roadmaps and architecture reviews
  • AI strategy and responsible AI adoption
  • Engineering team hiring, structure and leadership
  • Technical due diligence for raises and acquisitions
  • Vendor, agency and platform selection

Why Adaptive Media

We are a hands-on team that ships production software and AI systems every week — not just an advisory practice. That means your fractional CTO understands the realities of delivery, can step in on architecture and code when it matters, and connects you to Adaptive Media's full capabilities in AI consulting, automation and app development when you need to build.

Security and governance sit inside that remit too. If ISO 27001 or SOC 2 is on your roadmap, start with our guide to AI compliance automation and ISO 27001 certification.

Frequently Asked Questions

A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader engaged part-time or on a retainer instead of as a full-time hire. You get experienced, hands-on technical leadership for a fraction of the cost and commitment of a full-time executive.

Adaptive Media's fractional CTO engagements are priced as a monthly retainer scaled to your needs — typically a few days a month for advisory through to deeper involvement during a build or fundraise. We scope the right level of engagement in an initial discovery call before quoting.

A fractional CTO makes sense when you need senior technology decisions — architecture, hiring, AI adoption, vendor selection or due diligence — but can't yet justify a full-time CTO salary. It is ideal for startups and growth-stage companies between founding and a full engineering leadership hire.

Yes. Damien King works with clients on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane in person, and with businesses Australia-wide remotely. Engagements combine regular strategy sessions with hands-on involvement in your delivery.

Related services

Need senior technology leadership?

Book a discovery call to scope the right fractional CTO engagement for your business.