Meet your CTO
Infra: Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD
Clouds: AWS, GCE, DigitalOcean
Languages: Python, JavaScript/TS, PHP, Golang, C++, SQL
Frameworks: Django, FastAPI, Express, Laravel
Front-end: React/ReactNative/Next, Vue/Nuxt, Electron
Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Nebula
Data & Messaging: RabbitMQ, Kafka, Spark, Hadoop, Airflow, Superset, Grafana
About me
Hi, I’m Max Sharlaev.
I’ve been working in IT for over 20 years, with an M.S. in Computer Science and a focus on scalable systems, distributed architecture, and applied AI.
I’ve gone the full path — from writing backend code and deploying early web apps to leading teams and managing technical strategy. I’ve helped launch startups, join projects mid-crisis, fix failing systems, build new teams, and get products back on track.
Beyond the tech side, I’m currently earning a second degree in Psychology — to deepen my understanding of team dynamics, leadership, and decision-making under uncertainty. Because while systems fail in predictable ways, people don’t.
These days, I work as a fractional CTO and technical advisor for startups and growing companies.
I help products move forward — with less chaos, fewer surprises, and more technical confidence.
What I offer
1. Architecture review
Architecture isn’t just “how it works” — it’s how your product survives, grows, and stays sane under pressure.
If you have an idea but no architecture yet — we’ll shape one together. I’ll help you choose the stack, estimate the expected load, factor in geography and user flows, and turn your idea into a clear, developer-ready system plan.
If your product is already live — we’ll dig into the pain points: bottlenecks, fragile spots, scalability gaps, and delivery risks. I’ll give grounded recommendations — no overengineering, just stability that fits your goals.
You’ll get a tailored architectural plan your team can build on — practical, focused, and ready for real work.
2. Project costs
A good product doesn’t just cost money to build — it costs money to run, scale, maintain, and recover when things break. I’ll help you build a financial model that reflects reality, not wishful thinking.
That means looking beyond one-time costs and asking the harder questions: What happens when your team grows? What if traffic spikes? What does it take to keep your product healthy six months after launch? I help you estimate not just development, but long-term sustainability — infrastructure, people, and risk buffers included.
We’ll look at three key areas:
A. Development
What kind of team do you need? What tools, services, and licenses are involved? How long will it take to build? I’ll break this down into clear phases — from MVP to production-ready.
B. Operations
What happens after launch: hosting, storage, bandwidth, monitoring, support, DevOps, and customer care. We’ll cover not just current costs but future risks and buffers.
C. Scenarios & Buffers
You’ll get three modeled approaches:
What you get:
A clear financial breakdown — by phase and by cost type (CapEx / OpEx) — plus Total Cost of Ownership estimates and scalable options.
What’s not included:
Marketing budget. But I’ll help you find the right experts and ask them the right questions, so you get numbers — not fluff.
3. Team Review & Hiring
Your product is only as strong as the team behind it. I help you make sure it’s not a liability — but a core asset that delivers.
Hiring the wrong person costs money. Hiring the wrong structure costs the whole product. Whether you’re just forming a team or stuck with a burning backlog, I help you build the right roles, rhythms, and processes from the ground up — or fix what’s already broken.
Most issues in teams don’t come from weak developers — they come from misaligned responsibilities, poor process flow, or lack of technical leadership. I identify these gaps, audit current performance, and help you understand where your team’s friction points are — before they turn into delays and cost overruns.
I can also support your hiring process: helping define roles, reviewing candidate profiles, running technical interviews, and advising on team dynamics. It’s not just about filling seats — it’s about building a structure that lasts.
What you get: a lean, human-friendly, delivery-focused team setup. Whether built from scratch or course-corrected — you’ll have clarity, structure, and a plan to move forward with confidence.
4. Outsourcer Supervision
Hiring an external team can save you money — until it starts costing you everything else.
Outsourcing vendors are incentivized to “deliver the project.” That doesn’t mean they’re incentivized to deliver clarity, maintainability, or long-term value. That’s where I come in.
What I do:
I act as your representative
Ensuring that specs are clear, deadlines are realistic, and the team knows you’re watching
I define acceptance criteria and deliverable formats
So you get outcomes, not excuses. Clear scope, clear ownership, and no ambiguity at handoff.
I set up independent quality checks
From code review and architecture sanity to usability and performance testing
I track communication and project rhythm
Catching early signs of drift, blockers, or silent scope creep before they snowball.
I audit maintainability and ops-readiness
So you know how much pain to expect after launch. From deployment friction to monitoring gaps, I highlight what needs fixing before it breaks.
I make sure long-term risk is on the table
Cost of ownership, technical debt, feature alignment with product vision, vendor lock-in. Outsourcers may sweep issues under the rug. I lift the rug
What you get: clear oversight, clean delivery, and a system that won’t fall apart the moment the contract ends.
How I work
1. Intro call or written brief
We start with a call — or a text-based conversation, if that’s more convenient for you.
You tell me about your project, goals, and current challenges.
I ask clarifying questions about your team, process, and technical setup, and offer initial thoughts on how I can help.
If you’re looking for a one-time consultation, I’ll estimate how many hours it will take and give you a clear price based on my hourly rate.
If you’re interested in ongoing support, we’ll define the format of my involvement — how many hours per month, what role I’ll take, and what outcomes we’ll focus on.
2. Deep dive & solution proposal
I explore your problem space and prepare a structured response — with actionable steps, risks, trade-offs, and solution targets.
If needed, I bring in trusted specialists to help assess parts of the project — always under NDA and without passing you the homework.
You get a clear report or presentation, and we go over it together on a follow-up call.
I answer questions and prepare the final version of the deliverables based on your feedback.
If you’re looking for a one-time consultation, I’ll estimate how many hours it will take and give you a clear price based on my hourly rate.
If we’re moving forward with collaboration, we align on format, deliverables, responsibilities, and documentation.
3. Delivery & ongoing support
You receive the solution and support with implementation.
If we’re working long-term, I stay plugged into your project — providing architecture guidance, team support, code review, vendor coordination, or crisis response, depending on your needs.
Contact Me now
E-Mail: hello@cto4biz.com
Telegram: @maxsharlaev
LinkedIn: Max Sharlaev