Engineering Professionals: Insights & Resources

Best Fractional CTOs for SaaS Companies

Ryan Stevens
October 27, 2025
All Insights
Engineering Professionals: Insights & Resources

Best Fractional CTOs for SaaS Companies

Fractional CTO Services for SaaS Companies

In today’s fast-paced SaaS world, cities like San Francisco, Berlin, and Singapore aren’t just tech hubs—they’re ecosystems of innovation. Startups are racing to launch, scale, and capture market share, and the right technical leadership can mean the difference between a successful SaaS platform and a product stuck in perpetual development.

That’s where Fractional CTOs come in. These part-time technical executives bring enterprise-grade experience, cloud expertise, and engineering leadership, all without the full-time expense. For SaaS startups navigating rapid growth, they provide the guidance needed to scale teams, optimize architecture, and deliver reliable products on time.

At Digital Reference, we’ve curated a global list of the best Fractional CTOs for SaaS companies. Our methodology is rigorous:

  • In-depth research: Public portfolios, LinkedIn profiles, and verified achievements.
  • Startup alignment: Proven experience with SaaS product growth and team scaling.
  • Performance evaluation: Measurable impact on infrastructure, team productivity, and product delivery.
  • Global reach: Candidates working across multiple countries, ready to support startups worldwide.

🌟 Featured SaaS-focused Fractional CTOs

🟡 Oshri Cohen

CTO and Founder, RedCorner

🔗 LinkedIn

Oshri Cohen is a SaaS technology strategist known for cloud-native architectures and scalable multi-tenant platforms. He has guided startups in moving from legacy systems to modern cloud infrastructure, implementing automated CI/CD pipelines that speed up deployments and maintain code quality.

Key strengths:
🚜 Scalable SaaS architecture
👷 Engineering team leadership
⚡ Mentoring technical leaders

💡 Notable achievements:
Oshri led a fintech SaaS platform migration to AWS, increasing system reliability by 40% while significantly reducing downtime. He implemented automated CI/CD pipelines that shortened the deployment cycle from weekly to daily. Under his leadership, a 25-engineer team achieved ISO 27001 compliance, ensuring top-notch security standards.

🟡 Mark Zurich

Fractional CTO, FairMeadow

🔗 LinkedIn

Mark Zurich helps SaaS startups scale multi-tenant platforms while ensuring high performance under heavy user load. He specializes in technical roadmaps, performance monitoring, and team growth.

Key strengths:
🚜 SaaS platform architecture
🔌 Cloud optimization
🪫 Mentoring engineering teams

💡 Notable achievements:
Mark designed a multi-region SaaS deployment supporting over 100,000 users and integrated automated monitoring that reduced incident response times by 50%. He helped a B2B SaaS startup secure Series A funding by creating a robust technical roadmap aligned with investor expectations.

🟡 Justin Kirkman

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Justin Kirkman transforms SaaS MVPs into production-ready platforms. His expertise includes scalable web applications, secure architecture, and agile engineering team guidance.

Key strengths:
🚜 SaaS technical strategy
🔌 Database & cloud optimization
🪫 Mentorship

💡 Notable achievements:
Justin migrated an e-commerce SaaS platform from a monolithic architecture to microservices, improving performance by 35%. He built a reusable authentication framework adopted across multiple SaaS products and coached engineering teams to reduce production bugs by 60%, ensuring reliable feature delivery.

🟡 Rob Barrett

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Rob Barrett is an expert in cloud architecture and operational excellence for SaaS startups. He helps companies reduce downtime, accelerate feature delivery, and mentor engineers.

Key strengths:
🚜 Cloud-native architecture
👷 Team leadership
⚡ Strategic mentoring

💡 Notable achievements:
Rob architected a high-performance SaaS analytics platform and implemented automated DevOps pipelines that reduced release errors by 70%. He also advised startups on cloud cost optimization, saving an estimated $100k annually while ensuring scalable growth.

🟡 John Shipp

CTO + Consultant, JohnShipp.com

🔗 LinkedIn

John Shipp aligns product vision with technical execution for SaaS startups. He excels in scalable backend systems, cloud-native solutions, and engineering team mentoring.

Key strengths:
🚜 Product-technology alignment
👷 Scalable engineering operations
🪫 Mentorship

💡 Notable achievements:
John scaled a productivity SaaS platform to 50k active users in just 12 months. He implemented Kubernetes clusters for microservices orchestration and introduced observability tooling that reduced system downtime by 30%.

🟡 Danny Costello

Fractional CTO, KAP Innovation

🔗 LinkedIn

Danny Costello helps startups move from MVPs to enterprise-ready SaaS platforms. He focuses on cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and cross-functional team leadership.

Key strengths:
🚜 Multi-tenant architecture
👷 Team leadership
⚡ Technical mentorship

💡 Notable achievements:
Danny migrated a SaaS project to AWS with 99.9% uptime and implemented automated testing pipelines that dramatically reduced deployment errors. He also guided the startup in scaling to international markets successfully.

🟡 Ben Leung

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Ben Leung emphasizes code quality, system reliability, and scalable architecture. He mentors engineering teams to adopt best practices in SaaS development.

Key strengths:
🚜 System design & scalability
🔌 Cloud integration
🪫 Mentorship

💡 Notable achievements:
Ben built a SaaS platform supporting over 1 million monthly users and introduced code review processes that cut production bugs by 50%. He also led workshops on microservices design to improve team efficiency.

🟡 Michael Brown

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Michael Brown helps high-growth SaaS startups optimize cloud infrastructure, security, and backend scalability.

Key strengths:
🚜 SaaS architecture
🔌 Cloud security & compliance
🪫 Mentorship

💡 Notable achievements:
Michael designed a multi-region deployment platform and implemented cloud cost optimization strategies that reduced expenses by 30%. He also mentored a CTO-in-training to successfully lead a 20-person engineering team.

🟡 Ben Sears

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Ben Sears focuses on scaling SaaS platforms from MVP to production-ready systems, emphasizing automation and engineering culture.

Key strengths:
🚜 Architecture & scalability
👷 Team culture
⚡ Automation

💡 Notable achievements:
Ben implemented automated deployment pipelines, reducing release times by 50%. He optimized a SaaS platform for over 500k users and guided startups through Series A technical due diligence.

🟡 Rob Morgan

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Rob Morgan guides SaaS startups from MVP to enterprise-grade platforms, focusing on cloud architecture, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Key strengths:
🚜 Scalable architecture
👷 Engineering team mentoring
⚡ Strategic advisory

💡 Notable achievements:
Rob designed a SaaS CRM platform supporting 100k concurrent users and automated testing pipelines, reducing production bugs by 65%. He also scaled a marketing SaaS platform to international markets efficiently.

🟡 David Perdue

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

David Perdue ensures technical efficiency and scalability for SaaS startups, mentoring teams in cloud, DevOps, and Agile methodologies.

Key strengths:
🚜 Architecture & scalability
👷 Team leadership
⚡ Mentorship

💡 Notable achievements:
David scaled a healthcare SaaS platform to over 250k active users and improved uptime to 99.98%. He also mentored multiple startup CTOs, helping them lead engineering teams effectively.

🟡 Tony Sheehan

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Tony Sheehan focuses on cloud-native SaaS architecture and scaling teams, helping startups align technical execution with business goals.

Key strengths:
🚜 Cloud architecture
👷 Agile leadership
⚡ Technical roadmap

💡 Notable achievements:
Tony implemented Kubernetes for faster deployment cycles, reducing downtime by 40%. He also scaled an analytics SaaS platform to support international clients.

🟡 Thomas Hulsmans

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Thomas Hulsmans optimizes SaaS product delivery and cloud infrastructure, emphasizing performance tuning and cost efficiency.

Key strengths:
🚜 System design
🔌 Cloud cost optimization
👷 Team mentoring

💡 Notable achievements:
Thomas optimized cloud architecture for a fintech SaaS platform, cutting costs by 30% while mentoring a 15-person engineering team to reduce bug rates by 50%. He introduced microservices to improve scalability.

🟡 Rustam Aliyev

CTO + Founder, ByteCraft

🔗 LinkedIn

Rustam Aliyev delivers innovative SaaS engineering solutions, from secure multi-tenant platforms to high-performance microservices.

Key strengths:
🚜 SaaS architecture
👷 Team scaling
⚡ Process automation

💡 Notable achievements:
Rustam built a SaaS marketplace supporting over 500k users and implemented CI/CD pipelines that reduced release times by 50%. He also helped the startup achieve ISO compliance for SaaS security.

🟡 Arthur (Menachem) Stavnitser

Fractional CTO, Independent Consultant

🔗 LinkedIn

Arthur Stavnitser excels at scalable SaaS solutions, cloud optimization, and team mentorship, bridging technical execution and business strategy.

Key strengths:
🚜 SaaS scalability
👷 Team building
⚡ Strategic advisory

💡 Notable achievements:
Arthur scaled an HR SaaS platform from 10k to 150k users, implemented observability tooling to reduce downtime, and guided the startup through Series A technical due diligence.

Final Thoughts

Fractional CTOs are game-changers for SaaS startups. They provide scalable architecture, mentorship, and strategic guidance without the full-time cost. By leveraging Digital Reference, startups gain access to curated, verified, and global technical leaders who can transform products, teams, and business outcomes.

Learn more; check these out:
🌱 Best Fractional CTOs in Sydney
🌱 Best AI & Machine Learning Consulting Services in Australia
🌱 Best Fractional Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Services in Canada

At Digital Reference, we connect startups with verified, high-performing SaaS CTOs. These professionals help accelerate growth, optimize engineering operations, and mentor teams for long-term success.

Subscribe to our newsletter

We'd love to have you follow our journey, learn about to new features and functionality, and get access to talent ecosystem news.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Related posts

Explore Digital Reference to discover what leading professionals in your field are working on and uncover the humans behind the work.