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Fractional CTOs in St. Louis Making Things Happen in 2025
St. Louis Interim Chief Technology Officers to Know
St. Louis has always been a city that builds—from its industrial roots to its growing presence in biotech, healthcare innovation, geospatial tech, and fintech. Today, the St. Louis, MO–IL metro is steadily earning its place on the national startup map. But with great ambition comes a real need: access to experienced technology leadership without the full-time price tag or commitment.
That’s where fractional CTOs come in.
A fractional CTO is a part-time or interim technology executive who steps in to help companies grow their product, guide engineering, and scale smartly—without rushing into a full-time hire. They’re especially valuable in founder-led or PE-backed environments where velocity matters and technical risk needs to be mitigated fast.
At Digital Reference, we’ve begun building a curated list of fractional CTOs operating in the St. Louis region—leaders with hands-on credibility and strong reputations for getting things done.
How We Curate These CTOs
Every professional included in this list meets our core vetting criteria:
✅ Based in or actively serving the St. Louis, MO–IL metro area
✅ Clearly positioned as a fractional, interim, or embedded CTO
✅ Strong public profile (LinkedIn, personal site, or firm page)
✅ Known for operational experience and real outcomes—not just theory
✅ Aligned with Digital Reference values: execution, clarity, and trust
This list will expand as we continue to identify strong regional operators.
St. Louis Fractional CTOs to Know
Tony Sousan
About: Tony is a seasoned startup technologist and founder of Sousan Group, where he acts as a trusted fractional CTO for early-stage ventures. With deep expertise in platform design, dev team structuring, and investor alignment, Tony helps tech-forward companies move from roadmap to reality with confidence.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Deep experience guiding pre-seed to Series A startups
- Focus on aligning technical architecture with investor-ready strategy
- Combines mentorship with hands-on execution planning
Benjamin V.
About: Benjamin is co-founder and technical architect at Lit AI, with a specialization in scaling machine learning workflows and AI infrastructure. As a fractional CTO, he advises growth-stage and enterprise clients on deploying explainable AI and aligning data strategies with core product goals.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Brings deep AI/ML engineering fluency to product strategy
- Emphasizes model transparency and operational reliability
- Experienced in enterprise AI adoption and governance
Adam Brakhane
About: Adam is the founder and technical lead at Gateway, where he helps fintech and B2B startups architect scalable platforms. His background in full-stack development, coupled with startup ops experience, makes him a go-to resource for building product roadmaps that deliver both speed and stability.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Specializes in fintech and infrastructure-heavy products
- Strong product intuition paired with robust system design skills
- Delivers clarity across both tech planning and team operations
Rich Epstein
LinkedIn | Castlewood by MyLance
About: Rich is a veteran software architect and CTO at Castlewood, the CTO consultancy arm of MyLance. He specializes in legacy modernization, agile transformation, and dev team enablement, bringing clarity and structure to engineering orgs looking to level up.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Excellent at cleaning up technical debt and legacy bloat
- Prioritizes mentorship and team scalability
- Brings operational calm to chaotic or growing orgs
Michael K. Green
About: Michael is a security-first fractional CTO and certified CISO with CXO Cyber. He supports companies in regulated or sensitive industries with strategic tech oversight, helping embed cybersecurity, compliance, and operational resilience into product builds and scaling plans.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Blends CTO and CISO experience for end-to-end trust and security
- Adept at building compliant infrastructure for scaling businesses
- Especially valuable in healthcare, fintech, and enterprise SaaS
Krish Gopalakrishnan
About: Krish is a fractional CTO who brings strong technical strategy and systems thinking to product-led SaaS businesses. With experience spanning cloud architecture, startup mentoring, and data engineering, he enables St. Louis teams to scale confidently without overengineering.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Strong background in data and distributed systems
- Skilled at aligning technical decisions with founder goals
- Combines engineering depth with high-level business fluency
Matthew Coble
About: Matthew is an operator-turned-CTO who now serves as a fractional tech lead to fast-growing teams. With a sharp focus on engineering process, team culture, and platform performance, he helps organizations refine both their codebases and their leadership workflows.
Why they stand out as a Fractional CTO:
- Combines technical leadership with real-world operational experience
- Emphasizes team growth and performance management
- Helps streamline workflows across engineering and product
Are you a St. Louis-based fractional CTO or know someone who should be featured? Let us know hello@digitalreference.co.
Why St. Louis Companies Are Hiring Fractional CTOs
The St. Louis innovation scene is full of startups making meaningful bets—whether in medtech, AI, logistics, or edtech. But many aren’t ready for a full-time CTO or don’t have time to wait for the “perfect” hire. Fractional CTOs are becoming the go-to choice when:
- 🚧 MVPs need to evolve into real platforms
- 🧱 Tech debt from agencies or freelancers needs cleaning up
- 🧠 Non-technical founders need strategic guidance
- 📈 Fundraising, diligence, or M&A events require tech validation
- 🔧 Engineering teams need mentorship or restructuring
In all these cases, fractional leaders offer immediate value—delivering clarity and progress when it matters most.
What Makes These CTOs Stand Out
The professionals we’ve highlighted here bring:
✅ Deep cross-functional experience (product, ops, systems)
✅ A calm, collaborative presence in high-stakes environments
✅ The ability to quickly assess and improve technical health
✅ Founder fluency—communicating clearly and driving results
✅ Repeat engagements, strong references, and peer trust
They’re not just fixing code—they’re helping companies move forward.
Digital Reference Resources to Explore
📘 How to Hire a Fractional Executive
A practical guide for founders and operators navigating interim leadership.
📍 The Importance of Professional References
Explore why third-party credibility is more critical than ever in today’s trust-driven hiring market.
📍 Find Local Fractional CTOs & Chief Technology Officers Near Me
Explore why third-party credibility is more critical than ever in today’s trust-driven hiring market.
📘 Collecting Professional References: The Dos and Don’ts
References are often the make-or-break element of your next opportunity. Yet many professionals still treat the reference process as an afterthought or, worse, scramble to collect them last minute.
📗 The Talent Ecosystem: Why Fractional Operators Are Reshaping the C-Suite
Explore the structural shifts behind the rise of fractional leadership and what it means for your next hire.
Final Word: St. Louis Innovation Deserves Leadership That Matches Its Momentum
Whether you're building B2B software, launching a healthtech platform, or scaling after your first funding round, the next chapter of growth often starts with one question: Do we have the right tech leadership in place?
Fractional CTOs like Greg Crook and Ryan Pride are answering that question every day—by embedding into real teams, guiding real systems, and delivering real outcomes. They’re not part-time leaders. They’re right-time leaders for the modern growth journey.
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If you’re scaling something important, don’t wait for the “perfect” hire.
Bring in someone who can lead now.
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