Fractional CTO

Technology leadership,
without the full‑time overhead

I partner with founders and boards to build engineering organizations that scale — bringing 20+ years of experience from Block, Slack, and high-growth startups.

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20+

Years in Engineering Leadership

3

Patents Held

6+

Companies Scaled

About

Building what matters, leading who matters

I've spent two decades in the trenches of engineering leadership — from early-stage startups to publicly traded companies. I've led teams at Block (Square), Slack, Quantcast, and Razer, shipping products used by millions.

As a Fractional CTO, I bring that depth to founders who need strategic technology leadership without the commitment of a full-time executive hire. Whether you're navigating your first technical hire or architecting for scale, I help you make decisions with confidence.

I'm especially passionate about helping companies leverage AI and modern tech stacks to create competitive advantages — turning technology from a cost center into a growth engine.

Aanchal Jain headshot

Education

M.Sc. Computer Science — University of Texas Dallas

B.Sc. — University of Westminster

Patents

3 patents in mobile software innovation

Specializations

AI Strategy · Platform Architecture · Engineering Culture · Technical Due Diligence · Team Scaling

Based in

San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Services

How I can help

01

AI & Technology Strategy

Identify high-impact AI opportunities, build your roadmap, and ensure your tech stack is positioned for the next wave — not the last one.

02

Engineering Organization Design

Structure teams, hiring plans, and engineering culture that attract top talent and ship reliably. From your first engineer to your fiftieth.

03

Architecture & Scalability

Review and redesign your platform architecture to handle growth without accumulating the technical debt that slows you down later.

04

Technical Due Diligence

For investors and boards — a thorough assessment of engineering quality, team capability, and technical risk before major decisions.

05

Interim CTO Leadership

Step in during transitions to keep engineering momentum. Provide steady leadership while you search for your permanent technical leader.

06

Founder Technical Coaching

One-on-one guidance for non-technical founders learning to evaluate, manage, and communicate with their engineering teams effectively.

Track Record

Where I've led

Block (Square)

Director of Engineering

Led platform engineering initiatives powering financial products at scale for millions of merchants and consumers.

Slack

Senior Engineering Manager

Scaled engineering teams and infrastructure during Slack's hyper-growth phase, serving enterprise customers worldwide.

Quantcast

Engineering Leadership

Drove engineering for real-time audience measurement and advertising technology processing billions of data points daily.

Razer / Nextbit

Engineering Leadership

Led mobile software engineering through acquisition and integration, resulting in patented innovations in cloud-mobile technology.

Testimonials

What people say

Aanchal brought clarity to our chaotic engineering org. Within weeks, she restructured our team, fixed our hiring pipeline, and gave us a roadmap we could actually execute on.

Startup FounderSeries A SaaS Company

Her ability to translate complex technical decisions into business language was invaluable for our board. She thinks like a CTO and communicates like a CEO.

Board MemberGrowth-Stage Fintech

Placeholder testimonials — replace with real client quotes as you gather them.

Insights

Thinking & writing

AI Strategy

When to Bet on AI — And When to Wait

A framework for founders evaluating whether AI is a genuine competitive advantage or an expensive distraction.

Coming Soon

 Engineering Culture

The First 10 Engineers: Hiring for Culture and Velocity

What matters most when building your founding engineering team — and the mistakes that haunt you at 50 people.

Coming Soon

 Fractional Leadership

Why Every Seed-Stage Startup Needs a Part-Time CTO

The case for fractional technical leadership before you can afford — or need — a full-time executive.

Coming Soon

Let's Talk

Ready to build something exceptional?

I work with a handful of companies at a time to ensure deep, meaningful impact. Let's see if we're a fit.

Book a Discovery Call

Or reach me directly at [email protected]