AI Implementation · Fractional CTO

Executive technology judgment, on demand.

Pelo Labs gives growth-stage businesses the senior technical leadership they're missing — someone who evaluates the AI tools, governs the vendors, and owns the roadmap, without the overhead of a full-time hire.

2 founders, full technical + commercial coverage
Max 2 client relationships at a time, by design
Engagements from $2.5K
1
Assess

A scoped project — readiness assessment, tech audit, or vendor evaluation — that maps where you stand and what to do first.

2–4 weeks · fixed fee
2
Decide

Build vs. buy, which vendor, what order. Clear recommendations backed by an executive technical voice in the room.

delivered with every project
3
Govern

An ongoing retainer keeps a fractional CTO watching your stack — vendors governed, risks flagged, roadmap moving.

from $1,500/mo
The gap

Someone is already making these calls. Just not on purpose.

Most growth-stage businesses lean on IT vendors and managed service providers for technology guidance — but an MSP isn't positioned to weigh a SaaS subscription against a custom build, or to understand what the business actually needs from its AI investment. That judgment call keeps landing on people whose job is something else entirely.

DecisionWho's actually making itWhat it costs you
Evaluating AI tools
The CEO or a department head, between other things
Biased selection, poor fit, wasted spend
Governing vendors
No one — contracts quietly auto-renew
Cost sprawl, redundant tools
Overseeing dev projects
The dev team or agency, with no internal owner
Scope creep, missed deadlines
Setting AI strategy
Nobody — decisions made reactively, as needs arise
No coherent direction, duplicated effort
How we work

Start with a project. Stay for the judgment.

Every engagement is scoped and priced on its own — no retainer required to get started. Most clients discover the ongoing need for a fractional CTO somewhere in the middle of their first project.

Project engagements

Standalone, time-bounded deliverables that create immediate value.

$3,500 – $6,500

AI Opportunity & Readiness Assessment

  • Tool & vendor inventory with ROI read
  • 3–5 highest-value use cases identified
  • Data readiness & infrastructure gaps
  • Governance framework: privacy, risk, use
$3,000 – $5,000

Technology Snapshot Audit

  • Full SaaS & vendor spend rationalization
  • Infrastructure & integration review
  • Security posture & risk prioritization
  • Roadmap: quick wins vs. medium-term
$2,500 – $4,500

AI Vendor & Software Evaluation

  • Requirements gathered from stakeholders
  • Side-by-side evaluation, up to 3 options
  • Compatibility, scalability, TCO analysis
  • Vendor negotiation briefing
$2,500 – $5,000

AI Project Governance Setup

  • Review of existing SOW & delivery structure
  • Sprint cadence & acceptance criteria
  • Budget tracking & change-order process
  • Optional seat at one vendor review

Monthly retainer

An embedded fractional CTO watching your stack, so the next decision doesn't catch you flat-footed.

Essentials

$1,500/mo

  • Monthly 90-minute strategy session
  • Email advisory, up to 2 hrs/mo
  • One tool or vendor question monthly
  • Quarterly summary report

Engaged

$4,500/mo

  • Weekly 45-minute check-ins
  • Up to 10 hrs/mo advisory
  • Quarterly leadership meeting seat
  • Full vendor registry management
Who this is for

Built for businesses already in motion

  • Running two or more AI tools already — ChatGPT, Copilot, custom GPT wrappers
  • An active AI-adjacent build underway with an agency or freelance team
  • Ready to invest in AI, unsure which vendors to trust or how to size ROI
  • A stalled or failed tech project somewhere in the last 18 months
  • A CEO or COO carrying tech decisions, who knows that's not sustainable

Strongest early fit

Professional Services
Law, accounting, and consulting firms adopting AI for document review and reporting — without technical oversight
Healthcare & Wellness
Clinical and care platforms using AI for scheduling and patient engagement, where compliance and governance matter
Media & Content
Publishers and agencies moving fast on AI production and personalization, ahead of any governance
Logistics & Operations
Teams using AI for routing and forecasting, often with a single overstretched technical contact
Founders

Two operators, one practice

Pelo Labs is founder-led. Both Nathan and Sammy hold full-time roles alongside the practice — a deliberate constraint that keeps the client list short and the attention real.

Chief Technology Officer

Nathan

Director of Research Technology, ETS — overseeing enterprise-scale research platforms and AI/ML infrastructure at one of the world's largest assessment organizations.
Scope at Pelo Labs
Technology assessments, AI roadmap development, product validation, architecture review, research & methodology.
Director of Business Development

Sammy

Client Partner at a large IT managed services provider — a front-row view of the SMB technology market and where strategic guidance is most urgently missing.
Scope at Pelo Labs
Pipeline & prospecting, discovery and proposals, pricing and negotiation, partner relationships, go-to-market.
Pilot program

One pilot seat. A real result, at a real discount.

We're opening a single pilot engagement to a business genuinely grappling with AI decisions — one where we can deliver a strong outcome and build the case study alongside it.

What you get

  • 50% off one project engagement of your choice
  • 25% off months one through three of a follow-on retainer
  • Direct founder attention throughout the engagement
  • Input that shapes how we deliver the work

What we ask

  • A written testimonial once the project wraps
  • Permission to develop an anonymized case study
  • A 30-minute honest debrief call at close
  • Willingness to serve as a reference, at your discretion