Remote / Hybrid • PST Timezone

Fractional CTO in Vancouver

Expert technical leadership for Vancouver startups. CTO services in PST timezone. Build, scale, and transform your product without full-time CTO costs.

Why Vancouver Startups Choose Fractional CTO

Vancouver is a unique tech hub known as the world center for gaming (EA, Microsoft Studios, Activision), VR/AR technologies, and film and VFX production. The city is also a gateway to Asian markets and attracts talent with its quality of life and natural beauty.

Vancouver's startup ecosystem is strong in Gaming, VR/AR, Cleantech, Film Tech, and AI/ML. The city offers significant tax incentives for entertainment and tech companies. However, a full-time CTO in Vancouver costs CAD $240K-$360K (~$180K-$270K USD), making the fractional model attractive for early-stage startups.

Challenge

Common Challenges for Vancouver Startups

  • Competition for talent with major gaming studios
  • Need to comply with Canadian regulations (PIPEDA)
  • Optimize for film industry tax credits
  • Scaling VR/AR and gaming projects
  • Building teams for Asian markets
  • Competition for talent with major gaming studios
  • Need to comply with Canadian regulations (PIPEDA)
  • Optimize for film industry tax credits
  • Scaling VR/AR and gaming projects
  • Building teams for Asian markets

How Fractional CTO Solves Them

Access to experienced CTO without Vancouver premiums and salaries ($120K-$200K+ CAD savings annually)
Start immediately — without 3-6 month hiring process
Scale engagement up/down as you progress through funding rounds
Expertise in gaming and VR architecture and optimization
Global best practices for building distributed teams

What I do

Build MVP
Turn your Vancouver startup idea into a working product
  • Tech stack selection for gaming/VR/AR projects
  • Launch in 3-4 months with scalable foundation
  • Architecture for high-performance applications
Scale Product
Grow from seed stage to Series A in Vancouver
  • Handle 10x growth without failures
  • Optimization for gaming and real-time systems
  • Prepare for Canadian and US VC due diligence
AI Transformation
Integrate AI/ML into your startup
  • AI for gaming and creative applications
  • ML systems for VFX and film production
  • Strategy, implementation, and MLOps
Technology Audit
Technical assessment before fundraising
  • Code quality and architecture review
  • Prepare for Canadian VC due diligence
  • Risk map and recommendations
Technical Due Diligence for Investors
For Vancouver investors evaluating startups
  • Comprehensive technical risk assessment
  • Team and product scalability analysis
  • Reports for investment committees
Team Building
Hire your first 5-10 engineers
  • Navigate Vancouver talent market
  • Build teams for gaming/VR/AR projects
  • Implement engineering culture

Pricing

Packages for Vancouver Startups

Contract Length:

Advisor CTO

$3,600per month

6 hours per week, 24 hours per month

For early-stage startups with an MVP or an idea that need oversight and support without full-time involvement.

  • 2 strategic sessions per month (90 minutes each)
  • Technical stack and architecture audit
  • Slack support (48-hour response time)
  • Hiring support: candidate reviews and recommendations

What's included:

  • 6-month technical roadmap
  • Architecture guidelines document

Outcome:A clear plan and recommendations for technology and team development without the overhead of a full-time CTO.

Contract term:1 month

Growth CTO

Most popular

$6,000per month

10 hours per week, 40 hours per month

Post-Seed to Series A startups actively building product and team (3 to 10 engineers).

  • Weekly call with founders (1 hour)
  • Bi-weekly sprint reviews with the team
  • Active hiring involvement: sourcing, interviews, offers, onboarding
  • Product architecture and technical roadmap ownership
  • Emergency availability for critical situations
  • Slack support (24-hour response time)

What's included:

  • Quarterly OKRs for the technical team
  • Hiring playbook for first 5-10 engineers
  • Architecture Decision Records (ADR)

Outcome:A solid technical foundation and team ready for rapid growth and product scaling without chaos.

Contract term:from 3 months

Scale CTO

$12,000per month

≈3 days per week, 80 hours per month

Series A+ startups with 15-20+ engineers preparing for the next funding round.

  • Everything from Growth CTO package
  • Participation in executive meetings and investor discussions
  • Building engineering management team (leads, engineering managers)
  • Due diligence support for fundraising
  • Organizational design: team structure, processes, rituals
  • Technical debt strategy and refactoring roadmap
  • Vendor and partner negotiations (AWS, third-party services, contractors)

What's included:

  • Engineering handbook and team culture code
  • Leveling and compensation framework
  • Engineering metrics dashboards (DORA, velocity, code quality, etc.)
  • Incident management and on-call rotation

Outcome:A mature engineering organization with clear processes, metrics, and a culture of product ownership.

Contract term:from 6 months

How Remote Work Functions for Vancouver Startups

Working hours overlap: 8 hours overlap with PST for live calls, async work via Slack and email for zero-downtime work
Communication rhythm: Weekly strategic call with founders, bi-weekly team sync, daily async communication via Slack
In-person visits: Quarterly visits to Vancouver available for Scale CTO+ packages, participation in board meetings and investor presentations

How it works

1

Week 1: Onboarding and Audit

5 days

Meet the team, review codebase, identify critical issues, create initial roadmap.

2

Month 1: Quick Wins and Foundation

4 weeks

Address critical issues, set up development processes, code reviews, begin architectural improvements.

3

Month 2-3: Scaling and Growth

8 weeks

Implement architectural improvements, optimize performance, hire and mentor team.

Understanding Vancouver Startup Ecosystem

Industries I've Helped
  • Gaming and interactive entertainment
  • VR/AR and Immersive Tech
  • Cleantech and Sustainability
  • Film Tech and VFX
  • AI/ML and computer vision
  • E-commerce for Asian markets
Investor Landscape
  • Yaletown Partners
  • Version One Ventures
  • Vanedge Capital
  • Chrysalix Venture Capital
  • Prepare for technical DD for Canadian and US VCs
Regulatory Environment
  • PIPEDA compliance (Personal Information Protection)
  • BC-specific privacy regulations
  • Film industry tax credits (PSTC, DAVE)
  • SR&ED tax credits optimization

Frequently asked questions

Related services

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Fractional CTO in Vancouver - Anton Golosnichenko - Fractional CTO