I help founders make confident, jargon-free technical decisions. A decade in regulated industries means I turn complex challenges into clear roadmaps you can scale with.
About Me
I'm Paul McGurk, a Fractional CTO in Glasgow with a decade of building software in regulated industries: fintech, utilities, and enterprise SaaS.
I've guided founder-led teams through fundraises, security audits, and acquisitions, and I know what good looks like at each stage.
Collaborative, calm under pressure, focused on outcomes.
8+
Years technical leadership
3
Regulated sectors - fintech, utilities, enterprise SaaS
Full lifecycle
From audits to acquisitions
Why Founders Enjoy Working With Me
Whether you're preparing for due diligence, scaling into enterprise, or building out your team, I provide executive-level technical guidance without the weight of a full-time executive hire too early.
I translate your goals into a practical roadmap, so your team spends time on what really moves the business forward.
I help you avoid costly detours, prepare for investor scrutiny, and stay confident in regulated environments.
I help your team work with clarity and momentum, from early hires through to mature, acquisition-ready delivery.
How to Engage
Flexible options for founder-led teams, from one-off clarity to ongoing leadership.
A focused review that shows what is solid, what is risky, and what to tackle first.
Best for: Founders preparing to raise, pitch to enterprise clients, or make key product decisions.
Includes
Fixed price, scoped per deal
Discuss This OptionHands-on leadership for growing teams without committing to a full-time CTO.
Best for: Teams that need stronger delivery, better prioritisation, and day-to-day technical leadership.
Includes
From £4,500/month
Discuss This OptionSenior technical judgement on call for the decisions that carry weight.
Best for: Founders who want a CTO's perspective in the room without a weekly commitment.
Includes
From £1,500/month
Discuss This OptionIndependent technical assessment for investments and acquisitions, from a CTO who has been through them.
Best for: Angels, seed funds, and acquirers who need a clear view of a target's technology before committing.
Includes
Fixed price, scoped per deal
Discuss This OptionGet a Second Opinion. Send me the context on a single technical decision, a build choice, a vendor, an architecture, a hire, and within three working days you get a written assessment with a clear recommendation, followed by a call to walk it through.
£450 fixed. Yours to share with your team or board.
How It Works
Fourteen days from first call to a board-ready plan. Here is exactly what happens at each stage, and what lands in your inbox.
We meet the team, walk through the product and delivery process, and I get read access to the codebase, docs, and key systems.
You get: A shared discovery agenda and access checklist, so nothing slows down the review.
Hands-on assessment of architecture, security, delivery practices, and how the team actually ships.
You get: Short progress notes along the way, so you're never wondering what I'm looking at.
Everything gets written up in plain language: what's solid, what's risky, and what needs attention first.
You get: A board-ready findings report (PDF) you can share with investors or your team.
We go through the findings together and turn them into a plan you can actually act on.
You get: A prioritised roadmap document, plus a live call to walk through it and answer questions.
Business Results
Real outcomes across financial services, utilities, and enterprise SaaS.
Helped early-stage B2B products win and retain enterprise customers in demanding sectors.
Built secure, resilient platforms that reduced downtime and lowered operating costs.
Led technical due diligence work that supported successful acquisition outcomes.
Modernised legacy systems so teams could ship faster and prepare confidently for Series A fundraising.
Expertise
Senior technical support across the product lifecycle, from platform decisions to execution.
Designing cloud foundations that stay reliable as your customer base grows.
Practical controls and evidence for the security and data-protection questions enterprise buyers ask, so procurement and due diligence stop stalling your deals.
Building maintainable product architecture that helps teams ship quickly without creating future bottlenecks.
Adding practical AI features where they create clear customer and business value.
FAQ
A full-time CTO in the UK typically costs £120k to £180k plus equity. Most teams before Series B need senior technical leadership for one or two days a week, not five. Fractional gives you that leadership at a fraction of the cost, and when you are ready for a full-time hire I will help you find them.
Advisory retainers are a few hours a month plus availability when decisions come up. Fractional leadership is typically one to two days a week. Audits and due diligence are fixed-scope projects, usually two to four weeks.
Yes. I am based in Glasgow and work with teams across the UK and Europe. Everything works over video calls and async updates.
I operate through a UK limited company, work with multiple clients, and structure engagements to sit outside IR35. You engage a business, not an employee.
Audits can usually start within two weeks. Fractional and advisory engagements depend on current capacity, which we can cover on an intro call.
You keep the report and roadmap, and there is no obligation to continue. Some clients take the roadmap to their own team. Others ask me to stay on and deliver it. Both are good outcomes.
Say Hello
Share your goals, what feels stuck, and where you need support. I'll help you choose the right next step with clear options.
Prefer email?