The 7 Types of CTOs in Technology Leadership
Understanding the leadership you have and the leadership you need
The CTO role is not one size fits all. It evolves as your company grows, leadership shifts, and strategic demands change. From the visionary Founder CTO through Startup, Scaleup and Fractional roles, each stage brings its own kind of leadership.
At Become CTO, we help organisations assess where they are today and identify where they must go next. Using our Technology Function Maturity Framework, we map those leadership profiles to five growth stages. This helps boards, executives, and technology leaders see not just what type they are but what type they need.
Below are The 7 Types of CTOs. These represent distinct leadership profiles your organisation might recognise. They are a starting point for understanding how leadership evolves as your business matures.
The key question is this: what stage are you really at, and what type of leadership do you need next?
Start with clarity.
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Then scroll down to explore the seven types and see how they align with your current maturity stage.
Founder CTO: Leading from Day One
The Founder CTO is a technologist transitioning into leadership while building a product from scratch in the idea/pre seed stage. Their role is to turn an idea into reality by developing the MVP and ensuring it aligns with the broader business vision. This CTO is often the architect of the initial product and sets the stage for future scalability.
Startup CTO: The First Dedicated Technology Leader
The Startup CTO steps in during the seed stage as the first full time technical leader. With the product already in development, this CTO leads the technical strategy, scales the product, and builds the initial engineering team. Their role is about driving technical execution while aligning it with evolving business goals.
Scaleup CTO: Driving 10x Growth
The Scaleup CTO takes charge when the startup has achieved product market fit and is scaling aggressively. Their role focuses on building scalable infrastructure, managing larger teams, and ensuring the product can handle increased demand while maintaining quality and performance. This CTO is no longer hands on but leads strategic technical growth.
Fractional CTO: Part Time Strategic Leadership
The Fractional CTO provides high level technical expertise to multiple companies on a part time or consulting basis. Often engaged by startups or growing businesses that need strategic technology guidance but cannot afford or don't require a full time CTO. They bring in critical expertise to shape the technology roadmap without the overhead of a full time role.
Shepherd CTO: Nurturing Stability and Security
The Shepherd CTO is a guardian of stability, security, and operational excellence. They are most valuable when a company's technology infrastructure is in place but needs careful management and continuous improvement. They ensure that systems are reliable and secure, and that the team is supported and nurtured.
Maverick CTO: Championing Innovation and Disruption
The Maverick CTO is a risk taker and innovator, unafraid to challenge the status quo and drive bold technological changes. They thrive in fast moving, competitive environments where staying ahead requires cutting edge solutions and disruptive thinking. This CTO focuses on pushing boundaries and embracing new technologies to keep the company at the forefront.
Alchemist CTO: Transforming Chaos into Order
The Alchemist CTO specialises in turning fragmented, chaotic systems into streamlined, high performing operations. They are ideal for companies going through mergers, acquisitions, or major transitions, where integrating disparate technologies and teams is critical. This CTO's role is to bring structure and efficiency to complex environments.
Which archetype are you really?
Seven archetypes. Nice. But here’s the thing, most people lie to themselves. They think they’re the Maverick, but they’re acting like the Shepherd. Until you own where you’re at, you can’t grow.
If you don’t get honest about where you’re at, you can’t get where you want to go.
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