Leistung
Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO)
Senior AI leadership without the full-time hire. For Series A-C companies launching AI products, navigating EU AI Act compliance, or scaling generative AI beyond proof-of-concept. Embedded with your existing tech leadership, not replacing them.
Für wen das gedacht ist
- Series A-C companies with an existing CTO or VP Engineering, but the leadership team doesn't have AI/ML depth
- AI-product companies whose board or investors want explicit AI governance signed off by a credible senior
- Healthtech, fintech, and legaltech companies facing EU AI Act, GDPR, or sector-specific AI compliance pressure
- Scale-ups whose AI features keep being "almost shipped"; pilot to production gap is the bottleneck
- PE and VC firms with portfolio companies that need an embedded AI advisor across multiple investments
- Founders preparing for fundraising who need a defensible AI story for the next round
Was enthalten ist
- AI strategy & roadmap: 6-12 month AI feature pipeline, prioritisation framework, build-vs-buy decisions
- Model selection & vendor strategy: OpenAI / Anthropic / Google Gemini / Mistral / Cohere / open-weight (Llama, Qwen), ongoing benchmarks and switching cost analysis
- AI governance & risk management: refusal scoring, audit logging, evaluation frameworks, model risk policies
- EU AI Act + GDPR compliance: risk-tier classification, Articles 9-15 documentation, GPAI obligations, DPIA support, Transfer Impact Assessments
- Sector-specific AI compliance: ACPR / BaFin / FINMA (finance), HDS / FDA-21CFR-11 (health), TISAX (automotive), DORA (financial services)
- AI talent strategy: when to hire ML engineers, what to look for, interview design, contractor vs FTE decisions
- Board & investor AI reporting: quarterly AI posture summaries, due-diligence prep, defensive AI documentation for fundraising
- Vendor evaluation & cost optimisation: API spend audits, prompt engineering for cost, caching strategies, eval-driven model downgrades
Wie wir arbeiten
- 1
AI readiness audit (2 weeks)
Audit your current AI usage, team composition, model spend, compliance gaps, and product roadmap. Deliverable: a written AI posture assessment with prioritised recommendations and a 90-day action plan.
- 2
Engagement start
Embedded with your tech leadership within 1-2 weeks. Shared Slack, weekly syncs with CTO/VP Eng, monthly board-pack contributions, and a running AI decision log.
- 3
Ongoing cadence
Typically 3-5 days per month, scaling with AI product velocity. Monthly retainer. Available for ad-hoc strategy calls (model launches, compliance escalations, vendor decisions).
- 4
Quarterly AI reviews
Every 90 days: a written review of AI posture, model spend, compliance status, talent gaps, and roadmap progress. Re-prioritisation explicit.
- 5
Handover
When you hire a full-time CAIO or grow your CTO into the role, clean handover with all decision logs, vendor contracts, compliance artifacts, and team relationships intact.
Erwartbare Ergebnisse
- A defensible AI roadmap your board and investors can scrutinise
- EU AI Act risk-tier classification and Article 9-15 documentation in place
- Model spend reduced 20-40% via prompt engineering, caching, and eval-driven model selection
- AI feature ship-rate doubled; pilot-to-production gap closed
- A hiring plan for the 1-3 ML engineers you actually need (not 10 you don't)
- Refusal scoring + audit logging in production for high-stakes AI workflows
- Board-ready quarterly AI posture summaries
- A clear answer on "build vs buy" for every AI component in your stack
- Sector-specific compliance posture (ACPR, BaFin, HDS, DORA) reviewed and documented
- Due-diligence-ready AI documentation for your next fundraise
Häufig gefragt
How is a CAIO different from a CTO?
A CTO leads the entire engineering function: architecture, hiring, vendor strategy, team culture. A CAIO focuses specifically on AI: strategy, governance, model selection, compliance, AI talent. Most Series A-C companies have a competent CTO who isn't deep in AI/ML. The CAIO sits alongside the CTO, providing the AI depth they don't have. They're complements, not substitutes.
When does a company need a Fractional CAIO?
Three trigger points: (1) you're launching or scaling an AI product and the board wants oversight; (2) you're facing EU AI Act, GDPR, or sector-specific AI compliance pressure your existing leadership doesn't know how to handle; (3) your AI features keep getting stuck in pilot. Pilot-to-production is a leadership problem, not a tech problem.
What's your AI-specific experience?
Production AI work across regulated finance (Geneva hedge-fund RAG), proptech (AU), civic AI (Emissary), construction CV (Dubai), brand-safe creative AI (Paris adtech), and three solo-built AI products (Privox, AskVault, Ottari). Published research on Compliance-Aware RAG (CARAG). Hands-on with Llama, Mistral, Qwen fine-tuning. EU AI Act and GDPR work since the 2024 enforcement window opened.
Can you work alongside our existing CTO?
Yes. This is the default setup. The CTO runs the broader engineering organisation; I focus on AI strategy, model risk, compliance posture, and AI talent. Most successful CAIO engagements look like: CTO + CAIO + (eventually) a small ML team. The CAIO doesn't lead day-to-day engineering; they lead the AI function within it.
Do you handle AI governance for board / investor scrutiny?
Yes. This is a core part of every Fractional CAIO engagement. Quarterly board-pack contributions covering AI posture, model risk, compliance status, and product roadmap. Due-diligence preparedness for funding rounds. Defensive AI documentation for acquirer reviews. Investor-facing technical narratives when needed.
What about EU AI Act compliance specifically?
The EU AI Act enforcement window opened in August 2024 with full applicability by August 2026. A Fractional CAIO engagement typically covers: risk-tier classification (prohibited / high-risk / limited / minimal), Articles 9-15 documentation for high-risk systems, GPAI obligations for foundation-model users, DPIA / Transfer Impact Assessments (Schrems II), and crosswalks with ISO/IEC 42001 and 23894. Final sign-off rests with your DPO or legal counsel; what I deliver is a defensible, documented compliance posture.
Remote or on-site?
Remote-first with on-site days in Paris and short on-site sprints across Europe. Most engagements run 100% remote with weekly syncs and async daily updates. US East Coast time-zone overlap is 3-4 hours daily (your morning, my afternoon).
How long is a typical CAIO engagement?
Typically 3-12 months. The shorter end (3-6 months) suits compliance preparedness sprints (e.g. preparing for EU AI Act deadline, due-diligence prep before a funding round). The longer end (6-12 months) suits embedded AI strategy for companies actively scaling AI products. Engagements often extend into full-time CAIO hire planning, where I help you scope the role and find the candidate.
Specialised industry verticals
Industry-specific CAIO engagements with vertical-tuned playbooks. Different regulatory exposure, different AI feature priorities, different buyer profile per vertical.
CAIO for Ecommerce & D2C
Shopify, Amazon FBA, BigCommerce, D2C brands at $5M-$50M ARR. AI personalisation, recommendation engines, AI customer service, content automation, demand forecasting.
CAIO for FinTech & RegTech
Regulated financial services. AI governance for ACPR / BaFin / FINMA / FCA, model risk management, RAG on financial filings, AI fraud detection, AI lending models.
CAIO for B2B SaaS
Seed to Series B B2B SaaS launching AI features. AI feature strategy, build-vs-buy, RAG architecture, LLM cost optimisation, model selection, AI governance.
CAIO for Real Estate & PropTech
Brokerages, property management firms, REITs, developers, proptech startups. AI lead generation, listing automation, document drafting, tenant/buyer matching, predictive valuation.
CAIO for Healthcare & Telehealth
Medical practices, telehealth, healthtech startups, insurers, wellness brands. HIPAA-compliant AI, EU AI Act high-risk, clinical documentation, patient engagement, claims automation.
CAIO for Marketing Agencies
Creative, performance, PR, digital and full-service agencies (10-200 employees). AI content production at scale, automated client reporting, ad-creative variation, brand-tuning.
CAIO for Manufacturing & Industry 4.0
Mid-market manufacturers, automotive Tier-2/3, aerospace, chemical, food & beverage. Predictive maintenance, CV quality control, supply chain forecasting, energy optimisation.
Lassen Sie uns über Ihr Projekt sprechen
Buchen Sie einen kostenlosen 30-min Discovery-Call. Keine Zahlung, kein Deck, keine Follow-up-Sequenz. Wenn KI nicht die richtige Antwort auf Ihr Problem ist, wissen Sie es schon während des Calls.