Technical leadership that ships.
Fractional CTO for founders who need velocity, not meetings.
20+ years building products. Based in Lisbon, working globally.
Advised founders from
Sound familiar?
Your dev team is stuck and you can't diagnose why.
You're burning cash on contractors who need constant direction.
Technical decisions keep getting punted because nobody owns them.
Investors are asking about your architecture and you're not sure what to say.
These aren't engineering problems. They're leadership gaps.
Not an agency. Not a contractor.
I operate as your technical co-founder—embedded in your context, accountable for outcomes, aligned with your goals. When something breaks, I'm not forwarding tickets to offshore teams. I'm solving the problem.
Diagnostic first
I identify what's actually constraining you before proposing solutions. Often it's not what you initially thought.
I build, not just advise
Strategy is cheap. I write code, review PRs, interview engineers, and unblock your team. Hands on the work.
Ownership over hours
My job is to solve problems, not log time. If I can fix it in 4 hours instead of 40, you win.
Two ways to work together
Fractional CTO
Best for: Seed to Series A founders with 2-15 person teams
For founders scaling from 0→1 or 1→10 who need ongoing technical leadership without a full-time hire.
- Weekly strategy and technical direction
- Architecture decisions and code review
- Hiring support and team building
- Vendor and infrastructure choices
- Board and investor communication
Result: Clear technical direction and momentum within 30 days
Monthly retainer · Typically 2–4 days/week
Discuss Fit →Technical Sprint
Best for: Founders with a defined technical problem requiring immediate, focused expertise
For specific problems that need senior execution: architecture audit, critical build, integration rescue, team assessment.
- Scoped deliverable with defined outcome
- Hands-on implementation, not just a report
- Knowledge transfer to your team
- Post-sprint support included
Result: Tangible deliverable with documentation in 2-8 weeks
Fixed scope · Typically 2–8 weeks
Discuss Fit →Why founders trust me with their tech
"I'm truly impressed with Alex. His entrepreneurial experience enables him to ask deep and relevant questions. Moreover, he quickly translates answers into actionable points. Not many can do this as effectively as he does."
"Our venture studio has always found Alex's tracking sessions to be highly professional. His attentiveness, depth of approach, responsiveness, and solid understanding of the IT sector make him an excellent specialist."
The person behind the work
I'm Alex Pavlov—engineer, six-time founder, and recovering perfectionist. I've spent 20+ years building products, raising funding, hiring teams, and making every technical mistake worth making.
I learned that most "tech problems" are actually decision problems. And most decision problems come from not having someone on your side who can translate between business reality and engineering possibility.
Three years ago I moved to Lisbon and started over. I founded Lisbon Founders Club to build the community I needed. Now I work with founders who want velocity without the chaos.
When I'm not in your codebase: running trails around Sintra, learning Portuguese badly, or co-op gaming with my wife.
Let's figure out if this is the right fit
30 minutes. No slides. I'll ask about your situation, share what I see, and we'll both know if working together makes sense.
Typically respond within 24 hours. If we're not a fit, I'll tell you—and point you somewhere better.
Or book directly: calendly.com/dyn/zoom