Digital strategy & fractional CTO

Digital strategy: make the right call before you build.

A digital roadmap, architecture, AI strategy or technical due diligence, from a studio that can also build it afterwards. Independent, hands-on and with no stake in any particular vendor. As a fractional CTO or in a 1-week Discovery Sprint.

What we do

Digital strategy you can actually execute

Half of Dutch SMEs lack digital expertise in-house, and 6 out of 10 companies do not know where to start with AI. The result is familiar: a software package that does not fit, an agency that built what was asked but not what was needed, or a year of delay because nobody dared to decide. A full-time CTO is too expensive for most companies. A consultant who has never built anything is too noncommittal.

RABZI sits in between. We think along at board level, and we have written the code, set up the cloud and connected the AI ourselves. In a Discovery Sprint of 1 or 2 weeks we map your situation, choose a direction and deliver a roadmap with architecture, timeline and budget. As a fractional CTO we then stay at the table 1 or 2 days a week.

Independence is the core. We do not sell licenses and have no stake in a particular vendor or in a large build. Sometimes the advice is: buy SaaS, build nothing. Sometimes: build, but much smaller than planned. If you then decide to build with us after all, we credit the sprint within 60 days.

Data Plate 16 · DIGITAL STRATEGY & FRACTIONAL CTO
  • 1–2 weeks for a Discovery Sprint
  • 60 days to credit the sprint against a build
  • 0 stake in any vendor or license
  • 1 senior point of contact, from strategy to code

Components

8 components

What you get.

01

Fractional CTO

1 or 2 days a week of technical leadership: roadmap, architecture, managing developers and vendors, reporting to the board or investors.

02

Digital transformation roadmap

From processes on paper and in Excel to a realistic plan in phases, with priorities, budget and what each step delivers.

03

AI strategy & use-case discovery

Which processes lend themselves to AI, what the AI Act allows and what it is really worth. From a list of 30 ideas to the 3 you start with.

04

Technical due diligence

For investors and acquirers: code, architecture, team, security and scalability assessed in 1 to 2 weeks. A report with risks and a price tag.

05

Software architecture & code review

An independent look at what your agency or developers are building. C4 diagrams, architecture decisions recorded, technical debt named.

06

Product discovery & MVP scoping

From idea to tested prototype and a scope that can be built in 8 to 12 weeks. Before you spend 3 months of budget on the wrong version.

07

Software & vendor selection

SaaS or custom, which package, which agency. With scorecards, reference checks and an honest answer, even when that answer is not us.

08

Innovation subsidy scan (WBSO, MIT)

Many custom software and AI projects qualify for the Dutch WBSO tax credit or regional schemes. We check up front and help write the application.

Delivered

  • Situation analysis & system landscape
  • Scenarios with costs and risks
  • Digital roadmap in phases
  • Architecture sketch (C4)
  • Architecture decision records (ADRs)
  • Budget & plan for the first 90 days
  • Prototype (2-week sprint)
  • Due diligence report
  • Vendor scorecard
  • Subsidy scan (WBSO/MIT)

How we work

→ Process

How an engagement runs.

  1. 01

    Intake

    Day 1: conversations with the board, users and, if you have them, your developers or agency. What is the goal, what exists, what is in the way.

  2. 02

    Analysis

    Days 2 and 3: systems, data, processes and code mapped. We look in the repository and the cloud console ourselves, not just at the slide deck.

  3. 03

    Direction

    Day 4: 2 or 3 scenarios with cost, timeline and risk. Buy, build, combine or do nothing (yet). You choose with arguments.

  4. 04

    Roadmap

    Day 5: the chosen scenario worked out in phases, architecture on 1 page, budget and a concrete first 90 days.

  5. 05

    Next steps

    In a 2-week sprint we also build and test a prototype. After that: continue on your own, build with us, or keep us at the table as fractional CTO.

Why RABZI

Why RABZI for this work.

01

Strategy from builders

Every recommendation is tested against one question: could we build this ourselves tomorrow. No plans that fall apart in practice.

02

Independent

No licenses, no partner discounts, no stake in a big project. Sometimes our advice is to build nothing at all.

03

Senior at the table

You talk to the studio that does the work, not to an account manager who passes it on. Decisions are made on the spot.

04

Fixed price, short timeline

A Discovery Sprint takes 1 or 2 weeks and has a fixed price. No 6-month consulting engagement without an end.

05

Compliant with Dutch contractor law

A fractional CTO through a studio with its own tooling, its own risk and outcome-based agreements. Legally cleaner than an hourly interim freelancer.

06

Sprint credited

If you choose to build with us within 60 days, we credit the Discovery Sprint in full.

Pricing

→ Pricing

Pricing for digital strategy & fractional CTO.

Fixed prices, excl. VAT. Extra work only after approval.

Launch from€2,950

One clear goal, sharply executed. The entry level you keep building on.

  • Discovery Sprint (1 week)
  • Goals, users, systems
  • Technical plan & architecture
  • Price & schedule
  • Credited on follow-up
Request a quote
Flagship fromon request

For platforms, multiple brands or markets, and projects where nothing is standard.

  • Fractional CTO from €1,950 per month
  • 1–2 days per week
  • Team leadership and vendor selection
  • Technical due diligence
  • Board reporting
Request a quote

Work

→ All work

Relevant work

Frequently asked questions

Questions about digital strategy & fractional CTO.

01How much does a fractional CTO or Discovery Sprint cost?

A 1-week Discovery Sprint costs from €2,950 excl. VAT at RABZI; the 2-week version with prototype and user test from €5,950. A fractional CTO starts from €1,950 per month, depending on the number of days and the availability you need. If you choose to build with us within 60 days of the sprint, we credit the sprint in full.

02What does a fractional CTO do?

A fractional CTO is a part-time chief technology officer: 1 or 2 days a week, or a fixed number of days per month. They set the technical direction, evaluate and steer agencies and developers, guard architecture, security and cost, and translate technology for the board and investors. For companies of 10 to 100 people it is the way to get CTO-level judgment without a full-time salary.

03What is technical due diligence?

An independent assessment of a company’s technology, usually ahead of an acquisition or investment. We look at architecture, code quality, security, scalability, dependencies, licenses, team and technical debt. You get a report with risks, an estimate of remediation costs and a verdict on sustainability. Turnaround 1 to 2 weeks, under NDA.

04Buy SaaS or build custom software?

Buy SaaS if your process is standard and the package covers 80 percent without customization. Build if your process is what sets you apart, if your data may not sit with a third party, or if per-user license costs over 5 years exceed the cost of building. Usually the answer is a mix: standard where possible, custom where it counts. That is exactly what a sprint maps out.

05Can you help us choose another agency?

Yes, and it happens more often than you might think. We write the brief, evaluate proposals on scope, architecture and risk, run reference checks and join the conversations if you want. If another agency is the better fit, we say so. Our independence is only worth something if we actually use it.

06How is this different from a regular IT consultancy?

We build ourselves. Every recommendation is tested against the reality of code, cloud and data, and we can execute it the following week. A consultancy delivers a report and leaves; we can stay, as builder or as fractional CTO. And we credit the sprint if you continue with us. That makes strategy with us not a cost, but a down payment.

Knowledge

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