Startup Technology Advisory
We help founders build the first version of their product, plan the technology behind it, and get senior engineering leadership without hiring a full time CTO.
Most startups do not fail because the code was bad. They fail because the wrong thing got built, in the wrong order, for more money than it needed to cost. Our startup practice exists to prevent that. We work with founders from the first whiteboard sketch through to a live product with paying users, and we stay involved as the technical decisions get harder.
- Non technical founders with a clear business idea and no technical co-founder
- Pre seed and seed stage teams who need a working product to raise their next round
- Funded startups under pressure to ship a first version quickly and correctly
- Growing companies whose product was built fast, and is now slow and expensive to change
- Founders who have been quoted wildly different prices by three different agencies and cannot tell which one is right
Who this is for?
MVP Development
An MVP is the smallest version of your product that real users can genuinely use. It is not a mockup, a slide deck, or a clickable prototype. It is a live product that does one important job properly.
The purpose of an MVP is to learn. You put it in front of real users, watch what they actually do, and let that evidence decide what gets built next. Founders who skip this step usually spend twelve months building features nobody asked for.
What we do:
- Scope definition. We work out the single core problem your product solves, and cut everything that is not that.
- Product design. User flows and interface design, so the product is usable by people who have never seen it before.
- Build and launch. Full stack development, hosting setup, and deployment to a live environment.
- Measurement. Analytics and event tracking configured from day one, so you can see how the product is really being used.
What you receive: a working product, full ownership of the source code, deployment on infrastructure you control, and documentation your next developer can read.
Technical Strategy & Roadmapping
A technical roadmap is a written plan covering what gets built, in what sequence, on what technology, and what it will cost to run.
This is the document that turns a good idea into something a team can actually execute. It is also what investors, boards, and prospective technical hires will ask to see. Without it, every new feature request becomes a negotiation and every cost estimate becomes a guess.
What a roadmap engagement covers:
- Technology selection. Which languages, frameworks, and platforms fit your product, your budget, and the developers you will realistically be able to hire.
- Architecture planning. How the system is structured, so it can grow with your user base instead of being rebuilt at year two.
- Build versus buy decisions. Which parts you should build yourself and which are cheaper and safer to license.
- Cost modelling. Realistic development and hosting costs, mapped against your runway.
- Sequencing. A phased delivery plan showing what ships first, second, and third, and the reasoning behind that order.
- Risk register. The technical and commercial risks that could derail delivery, written down before they surprise you.
You end the engagement with a roadmap document, an architecture diagram, and a cost estimate you can put in front of an investor.
Fractional CTO Support
A fractional CTO is an experienced technology leader who works with your company part time, on a retained basis.
You get senior judgement on the decisions that matter without the salary, equity, and recruitment risk of a full-time executive hire. For most early-stage companies this is the difference between making good technical decisions and making expensive ones.
Where a fractional CTO earns their fee:
- Hiring. Writing job specs, screening developers, and running technical interviews, so you are not assessing engineers you have no way to assess.
- Code and vendor oversight. Reviewing the quality of work delivered by your team or your outsourced partner, and telling you plainly whether it is good.
- Translation. Turning your business goals into technical requirements, and turning technical constraints into language you can act on.
- Security and compliance. Data protection, access control, and the readiness work required by enterprise customers.
- Investor and board support. Answering the technology questions that come up in due diligence and fundraising conversations.
Engagement models
There are three ways to work with us, and most founders use more than one.
Fixed scope project
Best suited to MVP development and roadmapping. Defined deliverables, an agreed timeline, and a fixed cost. You know exactly what you are paying before any work begins.
Retained advisory
Best suited to fractional CTO support. A set number of days per month with a named senior lead who stays with your business as it grows.
Dedicated team
Best suited to ongoing product work after the MVP. Billed monthly per developer, with no fixed end date and no minimum headcount.
A common path looks like this. A fixed scope MVP, then a fractional CTO to guide the next phase, then a dedicated team to deliver the roadmap. You are not locked into any one model and can move between them as your stage changes.
Why founders choose 6DegreesIT?
Nearly 20 years of delivery experience
Working with startups and established businesses since 2006
500+ development projects
Completed across web, mobile, and cloud
98% on time delivery
Across our project portfolio
In house design, development, and QA
So you are not managing three separate vendors
Full code ownership
Always, with no lock in to proprietary platforms
Offshore delivery capability
For teams that need to extend runway without cutting scope
Ready to Build the Right Thing First?
Book a discovery call with our team. We will spend 30 minutes on your idea, your stage, and what should realistically happen next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an MVP, in plain English?
An MVP is the simplest working version of your product that real customers can use. It solves one core problem properly rather than solving ten problems badly. Its job is to give you evidence about what to build next.
How long does MVP development take?
Timelines depend on scope, but most MVPs are scoped to launch in a defined, fixed window agreed at proposal stage.
Do I need to be technical to work with you?
No. Most of our startup clients are non-technical founders. We explain decisions in business terms and give you enough context to make the call yourself.
What is the difference between a fractional CTO and hiring developers?
Developers build what they are asked to build. A fractional CTO decides what should be built, selects the technology, and judges whether the work being delivered is good. Many startups need the second before they need the first.
Who owns the code you write?
You do. Full source code ownership transfers to you, with no licensing restrictions or platform lock in.
Can you take over a product another agency built?
Yes. We audit the existing codebase, document what is there, and give you an honest assessment of whether to continue with it or rebuild.
Do you work with startups outside India?
Yes. We work with founders internationally and structure engagements around your time zone and reporting preferences.