What is Vibe CTO?
Vibe CTO is a fractional technical leadership service for AI-first teams that need architecture, security, code review, and hiring judgment without a full-time CTO hire.
Vibe CTO · fractional technical leadership
CTO-level judgment. No equity.
For AI-first teams past the “just founders” stage — shipping with agents doing the day-to-day work, but not yet ready for a full-time technical executive. Get architecture, security, and hiring judgment on demand instead.
Month-to-month · No equity · Cancel anytime
The trade-off, in numbers
Illustrative U.S. market rates for a seed-to-Series-A team. Final scope and price are set per engagement.
Who this is for
Technical leadership, sized to where you actually are.
Past "just founders"
You have a product live and agents doing real day-to-day work, maybe a couple of engineers — but no one in the room who has shipped and scaled AI infrastructure before.
Raising, or about to
Investors and enterprise buyers ask architecture and security questions your team has not had to answer yet, and a shaky answer costs more than the deal.
Not ready for a full-time exec
A CTO hire is a multi-month search and a slice of the cap table away. You need the judgment now, not the headcount.
What you get
Four concrete deliverables, not vague advice.
Architecture review
A structured pass on what you have built and what is next — vertical agents vs. platform, build-vs-buy calls, where technical debt will actually bite.
Security review
Access control, data handling, and model/vendor risk reviewed before a customer, auditor, or enterprise buyer finds the gap first.
Code review cadence
A recurring pass over what agents and engineers are shipping — not rubber-stamping, catching the calls that need a second set of eyes.
Hiring support
Job specs, technical interview panels, and reference calls for your first engineering hires, so the first person you hire is the right one.
How it runs
A weekly cadence, not an on-call favor.
Every engagement runs on a fixed rhythm so review happens before something ships, not after it breaks.
Where this fits
A second opinion, not a fourth platform layer.
AgentOS, Anchor, and Nyas are Formulate's product stack. Vibe CTO is a separate, human-expertise service — it can help you evaluate or deploy that stack, or any AI-native transformation, but it does not run on it and does not require it.
The platform
NyasAnchorAgentOS
Independent service
Vibe CTO
Human judgment, on demand — works alongside this stack, or without it.
Engagement & pricing
Start with an audit, or go straight to ongoing.
Architecture & security audit
From $6,000
One-time, 2–3 weeks
A fixed-scope starting point before an ongoing engagement, or a standalone review before a raise or enterprise deal.
- Full architecture review
- Security & access-control review
- Written findings + prioritized fix list
- One readout call with your team
Ongoing technical advisory
From $4,500
/month, month-to-month
Continuous CTO-level judgment as you ship — the weekly cadence shown above, plus hiring support when you interview.
- Weekly architecture & security cadence
- Async code review on tagged PRs
- Hiring support & interview panels
- Cancel anytime, no equity
No equity, ever · Scope adjusts as your team grows
Add the judgment. Keep the equity.
A 30-minute call to scope what your team actually needs — architecture, security, code review, hiring, or all four.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers before you start.
Who is Vibe CTO for?
It is designed for founders and small teams past the "just founders" stage — shipping product with agents doing real day-to-day work, but not yet ready for a full-time technical executive.
What areas does the engagement cover?
Architecture review, security review, a recurring code review cadence, and hiring support including job specs and technical interview panels — set on a weekly cadence, not ad hoc.
Does Vibe CTO require equity?
No. Engagements are priced as a fixed-scope audit or a month-to-month retainer, and never require equity.
Is Vibe CTO part of the AgentOS, Anchor, or Nyas platform?
No. Vibe CTO is a separate, human-expertise service, not a layer in Formulate’s product stack. It can help a team evaluate or deploy that platform, or any AI-native transformation, but it is sold and delivered independently.