Start up CTO

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Early-Stage FinTech Start-up

London (flexible hybrid working), up to £150,000 + equity package

We are on the hunt for a visionary and hands-on Chief Technology Officer to join our client, an exciting early-stage FinTech start-up focused on revolutionising financial services through advanced AI-driven predictive intelligence. This is a unique opportunity to become the CTO shaping product direction, building a world-class engineering team, and influencing the future of an innovative, rapidly evolving market.

As CTO, you will take full ownership of technology strategy, product development, and delivery, driving the architecture and implementation of scalable, secure, enterprise-grade platforms. Working closely with an experienced leadership team, you will play a pivotal role in defining the company’s technical roadmap, cultivating a high-performing engineering culture, and delivering cutting-edge AI solutions that empower corporate clients and financial institutions alike.

This role suits an ambitious hands-on technical leader who thrives in fast-paced start-up environments, is deeply familiar with cloud architectures and AI applications, and has proven experience launching and scaling FinTech products in regulated industries. You’ll bring a rare blend of full-stack software development, strategic vision, technical depth, and operational rigor, alongside strong commercial instincts and exceptional stakeholder management skills.

What You'll Do

• Work closely with the Chief AI Engineer to design, develop, and iterate on the core technology and AI-driven product features
• Take a hands-on role in software development, from architecture and coding to testing and deployment, ensuring scalable and secure solutions
• Lead technical decision-making around integrations with client systems, focusing on security, compliance, and operational reliability
• Collaborate with product, AI research, and business teams to shape the roadmap and deliver features that meet market needs and client expectations
• Engage with investors, clients, and the leadership team to communicate technical progress and contribute to strategic planning
• Keep the technology stack and development practices aligned with the latest industry trends and innovations in AI and FinTech

What We're Looking For

• Extensive experience in technology leadership roles within early-stage FinTech, within financial services or AI-driven software companies
• A hands-on leader, both comfortable with full-stack coding (building a product from the ground up) and latterly leading engineering teams in agile, high-velocity settings
• Deep knowledge of cloud-based, secure, and scalable platform architectures suitable for enterprise deployment
• Proven track record of delivering AI or data-intensive products integrated with complex client environments with strong understanding of LLM engineering
• Strong understanding of regulatory, compliance, and security challenges in financial services
• Exceptional communicator with a demonstrated ability to engage stakeholders across technical and non-technical audiences
• Previous involvement in a start-up or scale-up journey, ideally having scaled technology from inception through to growth phases

If you are a driven CTO ready to lead a cutting-edge FinTech start-up on its exciting growth journey, we want to hear from you!

The client cannot provide sponsorship at this time. For more information please share your CV with me on Kamni.Sharma@lafosse.com