Own · Fractional CTO
A fractional CTO
who builds.
Some companies don't need a project. They need someone senior to own technology and AI for them: decide what to build, build or direct it, manage the vendors and stay accountable. Part-time, billed through AI Forward.
What it is: AI Forward's fractional CTO service puts Shake Dewan in the CTO or AI-lead seat for a set number of days a month. He owns the technology roadmap, builds or directs the build, manages vendors and contractors, and keeps the company's AI aimed at its bottleneck. Contracts and billing run through AI Forward.
01 / What the role covers
Strategy, with
hands on the build.
- Roadmap
Decide what to build, and what not to
A roadmap ordered by the bottleneck, revisited as models change and the bottleneck moves.
- Build
Build it, or direct who does
Hands-on for the critical pieces; contractors and vendors scoped, managed and reviewed.
- Systems
Own the stack
Accounts, data, security and the decision ledger set up in the company's name, documented.
- Team
Make the team self-sufficient
Working sessions, playbooks and a habitat of shared tools anyone on the team can improve.
02 / Who it suits
Where a fractional
CTO fits.
- 01
Owner-led companies with no technical lead
You know AI matters, and need someone accountable for doing it properly.
- 02
Early-stage startups
Before a full-time CTO hire, or alongside a technical founder who needs senior help on AI.
- 03
Companies with a stalled AI project
A vendor build that didn't land, or pilots that never reached production.
03 / Who sits in the seat
Shake Dewan,
fractional CTO.
Shake has been the technical lead of companies from the inside, not only advised them.
- Co-Founder & CTO of Canadian Funding Partners, an independent company he built AI-first.
- Part-time CTO for a small portfolio of early-stage companies.
- Formerly national lead of Deloitte's Language AI (NLP) Centre of Excellence, and a data scientist at Statistics Canada.
- 30+ AI and automation projects led since founding AI Forward in 2023.
Questions
Straight
answers.
What's the difference between a fractional CTO and an AI consultant?
A consultant advises and leaves. A fractional CTO owns the outcome: the roadmap, the build, the vendors and what happens after launch, for as long as the engagement runs.
How is it billed?
Through AI Forward, for a set number of days a month with a minimum term. The company contracts with AI Forward Inc.
Do you work outside Toronto?
Yes. Most of the work is remote, with companies across Canada; in-person time is easiest in the Toronto area.
Can it turn into a full-time hire?
Often the goal is to get the company to the point where it can hire a full-time technical lead, and to help hire them.
Next step
Need someone
to own it?
Book a 30-minute call about what you'd need from the role.