A fractional CTO for New Zealand startups.
Without a senior technical voice, founders make calls they cannot check: which platform, which partner, what it costs, whether the date is real. A fractional CTO gives you that voice for the hours you need it, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive hire.
At Voidforge the same people then build it, so the plan and the code stay in step. We are in Dunedin and work with startups across New Zealand.
What you get.
Architecture and a delivery plan, with the decisions that are expensive to change settled first and the rest left until the business knows more.
The trade-offs set out plainly, and a straight answer on what is possible, what it costs and how long it takes.
Partners for payments, hosting, analytics and media, chosen against your needs, budget and growth plans, and without lock-in that would limit you later.
A release process and monitoring, so your team ships often and problems are caught early.
Leadership and a team.
Most of our CTO work comes with the engineers to go with it, so the person setting the plan is accountable for shipping it. Lume took both, from planning to a launch on a fixed date, and had senior leadership and a senior team at a fraction of the cost of hiring either.
Recent work.
Peppr
Better workflows for every kind of thinker. Founding engineering and product team, with a stake in the company. Slack, Teams, Google Calendar, Outlook. Pilot ready · 2026. Case study
Lume
A new digital format for albums. Fractional CTO and the engineering team, build to launch. iOS, Android, web. Shipped · Jul 2026. Case study
Bakspace
Write it all without losing the plot. Our own product. macOS, with Windows and Linux to follow. Shipped · Oct 2026. Case study
Kindware
Software, funded like a sausage sizzle. Active community contributors. Web, free for everyone. First vote open · 2026. Case study
Who you work with.
Drian Naude leads every build. He has spent about twenty years building software in energy, finance, SaaS and consumer products, including time inside Partly, Glorious, Flicket and Bitlab.
Being local means you can sit across the table from the person building your product, and you get a straight answer on what it costs before anything starts.
Questions people ask.
What does a fractional CTO do?
Owns the technical side of the business part time: the architecture, the delivery plan, the trade-offs and the choice of partners. You get a straight answer on what is possible, what it costs and how long it takes.
When does a startup need a fractional CTO?
When technical decisions are being made and nobody senior is making them. Common moments are choosing how to build the first version, a fixed launch date, picking a payments or hosting partner, and an app someone else built that has started to struggle.
Is a fractional CTO cheaper than hiring one?
For most early-stage companies, yes. Lume had senior technical leadership and a senior engineering team through its launch at a fraction of the cost of hiring both.
Do you also build the product?
Yes. The people who set the plan write the code, so nothing is lost in a handover.
Do you only work with Dunedin startups?
No. We are based in Dunedin and work with founders across New Zealand and overseas, over calls, and in person when you are in town.
How do we start?
Book 30 minutes or send a short brief. If we are the wrong fit, we will say so and point you somewhere better.