45%
Sprint variance down by 45% to 14%.
Hi, I'm Sam Halcrow, a Sydney-based Fractional CTO. I'm one of the very few with 25+ engineers employed.
I've led technology initiatives for 253 companies across Australia. 16 years of that taught me where tech problems actually come from. That's what I built Halcrow to fix.
Request Free Project ReviewI'm trusted by companies big and small
Customer success stories
Here's a snapshot of some big wins
Acciona
I led the software team on the Western Harbour Tunnel project, capturing and storing 13km of precision engineering data
Read more ->
Agilyx
I helped the tech team mature product engineering processes for a product serving 41,000+ people
Read more ->
Bovara
I led the technical build of purpose-built software powering a new EV parking network across NSW
Read more ->
Proof & reviews
253 companies have trusted me with their technology
Testimonials
What clients say
"Sam and his team took the time to understand our business and knew all the tech we needed… They act as an extension of our team."
"Sam and his team operate as a trusted partner at every stage of delivery. They're pivotal in bringing engineering maturity to coordinate and execute large, complex projects."
Arun Prasad, Founder AIWhispr“Sam took the time to understand our business and knew all the tech we needed. It was a pleasure to work with him and his team as they acted as an extension of our team.”
Luke Schwigtenberg, Head of R&D Banktech"From the concept design meeting, Sam exceeded our expectations. He understood what our needs were, and his engineers worked quickly from brief to going live."
Rouad El-Ayoubi, CEO Alliance Project Group”Sam and his team's expertise, Ways of Working framework, and mastery of their craft truly set them apart. This is the beauty of partnering with them. We extend our technical capabilities seamlessly without the overhead of hiring in-house.”
Angela Bevitt-Parr, CMO AWS Australia"With a deep understanding of our business needs, Sam leads an efficient process in delivering quality outputs.”
Kelvin Kenney, CEO Bow Wow Meow"Working with Sam has been a turning point for our business. In addition to bringing structure to the development work, we also benefitted from his insight into emerging trends and technologies, as well as efficient and effective solutions."
Adrian Black, Founder Ticked Off“In a short period of time, Sam demonstrated an exceptional ability to align the right technical expertise with our specific needs.”
Tim Buric, CTO Agilyx“Sam guided us through the design and development process in a way we wouldn't be able to do on our own. We’re very happy to partner with him.”
Thomas Roper, Engineer Lendlease"I've worked with Sam and his team for over 4 years over multiple projects. Phenomenal.”
Andrew Raso, Group-CEO Online Marketing Gurus"Sam and his team are great. They built really cool tools for us, and we look forward to doing more together as partners.”
Matthew Freebury, Director FMCG Analytics“We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage.”
Michael Soukie, Founder Scafflinq"Sam introduced remarkable insights, and his passion for world-class quality delivered wonderful results for the business.”
George Betsis, Founder Stickytape“Sam has a keen understanding of our company and our clients’ needs. His technical knowledge enables him to deploy solutions that continue to further our growth.”
Michael Kalucy, Managing Director Workhouse“Sam is everything we want in a fractional CTO. He understands our needs, works as if he owns the product, and comes up with innovative solutions quickly.”
Malaz Majanni, CEO OnePath Network“Sam's competency, attention to detail, and technical skills were impressive. What he built with us has been adding value to our business for over 5 years.”
Anastasia Lobanova, SAP Analyst Agrana Fruit“Sam took a concept and together with his team, turned it into a product we’re genuinely proud of. Their passion makes them a joy to work with.”
Trent Carney, Founder MyCanaryResults
Outcomes at companies like yours
70%
Field crew productivity — Acciona Western Harbour Tunnel 7 years inside a 7km tunnel. Zero surprises.
35%
Bow Wow Meow +35% CTR increase — first A/B test, Bow Wow Meow From 6–8 weeks per test to 5 days
5 mths
Bovara Time to market — Bovara EV charging platform vs. 12–18 months typical for a custom build. 30 stations live at launch.
Benefits of working with me
What most companies really need is someone who can step in with real technical authority and accountability
Someone accountable for your tech
I own the technical direction of your organisation and take accountability for it.
A leader your team and vendors can work with
I can run your engineering function not as an advisor, but as the person your team reports to and your partners answer to.
The right expertise for your business
I've been inside 250+ tech projects and can identify what's about to go wrong before it does.
An engineering team if you need one
If you don't have engineers, I bring mine. 26 people across software, AI, cloud, security - people I've worked with for years.
Someone who can translate both ways
I speak to your leadership team in business terms and your engineers in technical ones. You stop being the person in the middle trying to bridge the two.
My track record
This is the experience I bring to your company
- I've been leading technology projects for over 16 years
- 16+ years
- 253 organisations I've stepped into as a fractional CTO
- 253
- One million engineering hours delivered under my technical leadership
- 1,000,000+ hrs
Free resources
Recommendations and observations
Quiz time
Does your company need a Fractional CTO?
I built a diagnostic quiz based on the symptoms and problems I saw at nearly 250 companies without a CTO.
Take my 2-min quiz ->FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Do I get just a fractional CTO, or do I get a team of engineers?
You're primarily getting me as your fractional CTO, someone who's accountable for your technology. If there's building to do and you don't have engineers to do it, I can bring my own team. But that's an add-on, not a requirement.
How is this different from hiring a full-time CTO?
You get the same level of judgment, experience, and accountability without the full-time salary, equity, or long-term commitment. It works particularly well for organisations that are about to start a significant technology project, need someone to lead an existing team, or want senior technical lead.
What kinds of organisations do you typically work with?
Any organisation that is making significant technology decisions and needs someone senior enough to make them well. Some have engineering teams already, some don't. Some are mid-project, some are just starting. The common thread is they need a technical leader who's accountable for the outcome.
How quickly can you step in?
Quickly. I don't need a long onboarding process to be useful. Usually within the first week I've got enough context to start making a difference, identifying what's slowing things down and what needs to change first.
Thirty recommendations for your project. Hand-written by me.
I spend a session inside your project: your project management systems, technology, and team. Then I personally write up 10 things I'd keep, 10 I'd stop, and 10 I'd start, with the reasoning.
I take on a few each month, for companies actively building.
The session is free.
Or call me on 🇦🇺 0431 197 004