# Fractional CxO — Squatch.CC

A real CTO. Not full-time.

Squatch.CC's fractional-CxO practice gives small and mid-stage companies senior engineering and product judgment every month, without hiring a full-time CTO. One person, every week, in the seat that needs filling.

## Who shows up

- **Tom Rankin** — founder of Squatch.CC. 20+ years engineering. Former CTO / VP Engineering at [Hearo Technologies](https://hearolife.com) (2018–2026), where the team shipped remote-support software for IDD providers. USMC veteran. B.S. Computer Science, Missouri State.
- Squatch's bench supplements Tom for specialist tracks (security, mobile, hardware, HIPAA boundary work).

## What it is

A **retainer-first** engagement, governed by a Master Fractional-CxO Agreement and a per-entity Schedule A. Defined recurring scope; clear overflow hourly rate; clear off-ramp.

- No success fees.
- No equity-only deals.
- No "figure it out as we go."

Every engagement starts with one of three tier shapes — [Starter / Standard / Studio](/retainers/index.md) — then a Schedule A is written for the specific situation. Tier shape is harmonized with our sister studio at [eigenhitchens.com](https://eigenhitchens.com/services/).

## Who it's for

1. **Founder-led, pre-CTO** — past the technical-cofounder phase; codebase is bigger than evenings; senior eyes on architecture/hiring/security without committing to a $300k hire.
2. **CEO with a "between CTOs" gap** — last technical lead left; next full-time hire is 6–12 months out; need someone in the seat now, also writing the eventual job spec.
3. **Owner-operator with a portfolio** — multiple entities (clinical practice + product co + 501(c)(3) + brand sites); one fractional CxO across the portfolio, with per-entity Schedule As so the books stay clean.

## Sample scopes (anonymized)

- **Healthcare-adjacent SaaS**: one-year takeover of an existing Django + DRF + React codebase. Auth hardening, HIPAA boundary audit, BAA review, vendor consolidation, hire spec for a permanent technical lead. Retainer covers steady-state; takeover ran as a separate project SOW.
- **Multi-entity owner-operator**: one Master Agreement, four Schedule As (clinical practice, product company, 501(c)(3), brand sites). One monthly status report covers all four tracks.
- **Healthcare-tech operator (not a fractional engagement; operator history)**: eight years as CTO / VP Engineering at Hearo Technologies, building remote-support software deployed across 300+ homes serving people with IDD.
- **Pre-CTO founder**: 8 hours/month advisory + selective hands-on review on auth/payments/data-model changes. Goal: keep the team shipping without the founder being architect-of-last-resort.

## What it isn't

- Not 40 hours a week (Standard tier is ~8 hrs/week).
- Not on-call (24/7 pager rotations are project work).
- Not specialist contracting (Squatch is a leadership role, not a body-shop).
- Not equity-only (cash retainers; partial equity considered for strategic engagements).
- Not a replacement for legal / accounting / clinical advice.

## How to start

- Already know the shape? [Start a retainer](/retainers/index.md).
- Want to talk first? Email **hello@squatch.cc** subject "Fractional CxO intro call."

## Verified vs aspirational

- Tom's Hearo CTO tenure (2018–2026), USMC service, Missouri State degree, Springfield Devs membership, and Middle Outcast podcast: verified, public-record.
- Sample scopes are anonymized shapes of real engagements; specifics intentionally omitted for client confidentiality.
- Tier prices and overflow rates are the current published rates for new engagements (2026); existing engagements operate under their own signed Schedule A.