Fractional CTO for founders across Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire and London
Technical leadership for the decision in front of you.
A Camberley-based Fractional CTO helping startups and growing businesses turn ambitious ideas into software that works, and scales.
01 · Where I come in
If any of this sounds familiar, let's talk.
Founders rarely need a job title. They need a specific problem solved that nobody in the business can confidently own.
You have the idea, but no technical co-founder.
Someone needs to turn the vision into a plan, pick the stack and ship a first version without burning the budget.
An agency is building your product, and you can't tell if it's going well.
Demos look fine, but you have no independent view of quality, cost or timeline.
Investors are asking technical questions you can't answer yet.
Architecture, scale, hiring plans, due diligence. The raise needs a credible technical story.
The team keeps growing. Delivery doesn't.
More engineers, same output. Releases slip and nobody owns how the team works.
Your platform is getting expensive and fragile.
Cloud bills climb, incidents repeat and every feature takes longer. A rebuild keeps coming up.
You know AI belongs in the product, but not where.
You need a practical view of what's worth building, what it costs and how to ship it safely.
How it starts
Three steps. The first is free.
02 · Working together
How we can work together.
Sized to the problem, not a day rate. Most start with a Technical Review.
Technical Review
An independent look at your product, code, team and roadmap. Clear recommendations you keep, whatever you do next.
- Software architecture and technical strategy review
- Engineering team and delivery assessment
- Technical due diligence for investors and acquisitions
- A prioritised 90-day plan
Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership without a full-time hire. Direction, team leadership, and a technical voice for investors and the board.
- Technical strategy and product roadmap
- Engineering team leadership and mentoring
- Scaling engineering teams and delivery processes
- Investor and board representation
Build Partner
Hands-on help taking a product from first scope to launch, with the right people around it.
- Native iOS and Android app development
- Web application development
- AI product planning and implementation
- Development agency selection and oversight
- MVP scoping and delivery
03 · Results
Problems solved.
A payment-linked loyalty platform had to integrate with two of the UK's largest banks under strict security and compliance requirements. I led the engineering effort and worked directly with the banks' teams.
Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group live on card-linked loyalty.
Read case study →Fintech · Product strategyFrom days to near real-timeLoyalty transactions took several days to match. I set the strategy to match them in near real-time using payment tokens across Visa and Mastercard.
Processing cut from several days to near real-time.
Read case study →Aviation · Hands-on buildA cockpit app built against the clockA key airline engagement depended on a working iPad app for pilots. I rebuilt the proof-of-concept in under three weeks, then built the full product for requesting fuel in real time.
Deployed across British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, with integration built for KLM.
Read case study →Regulated finance · AdvisoryEngineering governance without the bureaucracyAn FCA-regulated investment business working with an outsourced team needed engineering controls that satisfy regulators without slowing delivery.
Practical controls across architecture, access, deployment and incidents.
Read case study →04 · About
14+ years bridging engineering, product and commercial leadership.
I've built products from the ground up, scaled engineering teams, led product strategy, supported investment discussions and worked directly with enterprise customers including Barclays, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Lloyds Banking Group.
Having worked as engineer, engineering lead, product leader, commercial lead and CTO, I can sit between founders, engineers and investors and turn technical decisions into clear commercial outcomes.
Through touchtap, I work with founders who need experienced technical leadership without a full-time hire.
Jack on LinkedIn →- Builder
- Leader
- Product
- CTO
05 · FAQ
Questions founders ask.
- Who is touchtap?
- touchtap is the fractional CTO practice of Jack Rostron, a technology leader with 14+ years across engineering, product and commercial leadership, including CTO and Head of Core Technology roles. touchtap is based in Camberley, Surrey, and works with startups and growing businesses across Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire and London.
- What is a fractional CTO?
- A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader who works with a business part-time, usually a few days a month, instead of as a full-time hire. They set technical strategy, lead the engineering team, oversee agencies and contractors, and represent technology to investors and the board.
- How much does a fractional CTO cost?
- Far less than a full-time CTO. A Technical Review is a fixed fee agreed up front. A Fractional CTO engagement is a monthly arrangement based on the number of days you need, and Build Partner projects are scoped and priced per project. Book a free call for a quote.
- Which areas do you cover?
- touchtap is based in Camberley and works in person with clients across Surrey (including Guildford, Woking and Farnham), Berkshire (including Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham), Hampshire (including Farnborough, Fleet and Basingstoke) and London. Work can also be done remotely anywhere in the UK.
- What kinds of companies do you work with?
- Startups and growing businesses, from non-technical founders with an idea to scale-ups with established engineering teams. Past work spans fintech, regulated finance, AI, aviation, education and consumer apps, including platforms delivered with Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
- Do I need a fractional CTO or a development agency?
- They do different jobs. An agency builds what it's asked to build; a fractional CTO decides what should be built, how, and by whom, and holds the agency to account. Many founders use both, with the fractional CTO on their side of the table.
- How do we get started?
- Book a free 30-minute intro call. If it's a good fit, most clients start with a two-week Technical Review, which shapes whether a Fractional CTO engagement or a Build Partner project makes sense next.
06 · Contact
Let's build something worth building.
For founders with ambitious ideas who need a trusted technical partner to make the right calls, avoid expensive mistakes and build software that scales.
A few days a month, a critical period, or a full build. Let's start with a conversation.