Andreas Scharf
I'm Andreas Scharf - a fractional CTO and sparring partner for founders who need someone who speaks both business and technology. I embed with startups and scaleups to turn strategy into shipping products. 15+ years across multiple industries.
Your product is gaining traction, but the architecture was built for last year's user base. Things keep breaking in production, releases slip, and your team is firefighting instead of building.
You're a non-technical founder, or your CTO just left. You need a peer who can challenge your assumptions, translate between business and engineering, and help you make calls you can trust.
Investors are asking hard technical questions. You need your architecture documented, your tech debt mapped, and a credible technology roadmap - fast. And someone who can present it with you.
Your engineering team is working hard, but deadlines keep slipping. Quality is inconsistent. The roadmap says one thing, reality says another. It's a leadership gap, not a talent gap.
You're prioritizing features based on gut feeling, not feasibility. Build vs. buy debates go in circles. You need someone who understands customers, product, and engineering - and can connect the three.
I sit in your leadership meetings and push back - on product direction, prioritization, build vs. buy, and go-to-market timing. You get a peer who understands both the business and the tech, not someone who just takes orders.
I align your architecture, stack, and roadmap with your product vision and what your customers actually need - not with what's trendy. You stop making expensive technology bets based on guesswork.
I introduce the processes, standards, and culture that turn chaotic sprints into reliable delivery. Agile done right, CI/CD, code review, and clear ownership.
LLM integration, agent orchestration, RAG architectures, workflow automation. I turn AI from a slide deck talking point into shipped features with measurable business impact.
Due diligence reports, architecture documentation, and a roadmap that non-technical stakeholders can actually understand. I also join investor calls and board meetings to represent the technical side - as a peer, not a presenter.
I hire, mentor, and structure your engineering team so you can eventually bring in a full-time CTO - or realize you don't need one. 9 engineers mentored from IC to management.
A 30-minute conversation to understand your challenges, team, and goals. No pitch, no slides - just listening. You'll know within this call if there's a fit.
I review your codebase, talk to your engineers, map your architecture, and audit your processes. You receive a written assessment with prioritized, actionable recommendations. No fluff.
I join your team on a flexible retainer - attending standups, making architecture decisions, unblocking engineers, and shipping code when needed. Typically 2–4 days per week.
As your team grows, I help hire your full-time CTO and ensure a clean handover. The goal is to make myself unnecessary.
CTO and sparring partner for founder. Led the technical vision and product direction for the RCS & SMS messaging platform.
Continued and stabilized the platform development. Added multi-provider support and implemented the API layer and automation workflows.
Stabilized development, increased quality. Onboarded new customers.
Non-technical founders needed to go from idea to AI-powered recruiting platform - with no tech team and no CTO.
CTO from day one. Shaped the product vision together with the founders, designed the architecture, and built the core platform.
0-to-1 product launch. 10x sourcing throughput.
CTO and sparring partner for 2 founders.
Built the MVP from scratch. Developed the data engine and multi-search-provider architecture for the AI-powered sales intelligence platform.
0-to-1 MVP launch. Laid the foundations of the tech.
Build the world's most scalable realtime audio streaming cloud platform from scratch.
CTO and sparring partner for founder. Joined as Sr. Software Engineer, promoted to CTO within 1 year. Invented, designed, implemented, and patented the platform. Built P2P and server/client streaming across web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and integrated hardware. Led infrastructure, frontend, backend, and DevOps. Coordinated and mentored a team of ~10. Contributed to product strategy at executive level.
Patented technology. Cross-platform streaming at global scale.
Build and ship the world's first unified data science platform - and win enterprise clients.
Head of Engineering. Developed the core architecture of the entire platform across frontend, backend, and ML infrastructure. Worked directly with leadership on product strategy and customer requirements.
0-to-1 product shipped. Enterprise product adopted by Fortune 500 clients.
I'm Andreas Scharf, founder of int32 solutions, based in Vienna. I've spent 15+ years as CTO, Head of Engineering, and technical co-founder - from patented audio streaming to AI-powered recruiting. But my work has never been purely technical. I've shaped product strategy alongside founders, sat in investor meetings, challenged business assumptions, and translated between boardrooms and engineering teams. I work 100% remotely with startups and scaleups across Europe.
Beyond consulting, I'm building:
Executive search for tech leadership. Tech leaders hired by peers, not recruiters.
AI intelligence platform for executive search. Automated candidate sourcing and matching.
I provide part-time, senior technology leadership - architecture decisions, technology strategy, team building, vendor evaluation, and engineering culture. Typically 2–4 days per week. But I also go beyond the technical: I challenge product direction, help with business decisions, and act as a thought partner for founders and executives. I embed with your team and take ownership of outcomes, not just advice.
Yes - that's exactly how most of my engagements work. I'm not just the person who manages your engineers. I'm the person you call when you need to pressure-test a product idea, rethink your go-to-market, or prepare for a board meeting. I understand both worlds and I communicate in whatever language the room needs.
A consultant writes a report and leaves. I join your standups, sit in your leadership meetings, make architecture decisions, hire engineers, review code, and stay accountable for results - like a full-time CTO, but on a flexible basis.
Most engagements run 6–12 months, but I've worked with companies for over 3 years. We start with a 2-week assessment phase, then move to an ongoing retainer. Either side can end with 30 days notice.
I can typically start within 1–2 weeks. The first week is focused on listening - reviewing your codebase, talking to your engineers, and mapping your technical landscape.
My primary focus is Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, but I work 100% remotely and have supported companies across Europe. If the timezone overlap works, we can make it work.
That's one of the most common scenarios. Your team has talent but lacks direction. I provide the architecture, processes, and mentorship that turn a group of developers into a high-performing engineering team.
Book a 30-minute call - no pitch, no commitment. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you.