Asking a Fractional CTO how to work with startups AND have massive impact

Listen now:
Spotify // Apple // YouTube

Katherine Mora is a fractional CTO, tech entrepreneur, and someone who uses technology to make the world better. Right now, she works as a part-time CTO for several startups, especially ones run by women founders. She is from Costa Rica and has worked in big companies in the USA and UK before starting her very own consulting business. Her work includes helping founders who aren't tech experts run technology tests, building tech systems for startups, and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs who don't always get support. Kath also worked in corporate tech jobs in America and Britain, which has given her experience working with different markets and cultures.

What you'll learn:

• How to become a part-time CTO and build a business helping startup founders

• Smart ways to work with women founders and create more inclusive tech companies

• Simple methods for helping non-tech people test technology ideas quickly

• How changing your mindset from "why me" to "this is for me" helps in work challenges

• Why it's getting easier for anyone to experiment with technology without coding skills

• How to connect business goals with technology solutions as a leader

• Tips for moving from corporate jobs to running your own consulting business

• Why keeping the human side is important as technology gets more advanced

Some takeaways:

Being a successful part-time CTO means understanding both tech and business. The best fractional CTOs don't just fix technical problems, they help founders understand how technology can grow their business. They translate what the business needs into tech solutions. This double skill set is especially helpful when working with founders who aren't technical but need both strategy advice and real help building things.

Working with women-led startups creates chances to build more inclusive tech. Female founders often think about technology differently, focusing more on how users feel and making positive social impact rather than just cool technical features. This gives fractional CTOs opportunities to help build technology that puts people first while supporting entrepreneurs who often face extra challenges getting technical help.

Changing how you think about problems completely changes your career path. Switching from "why is this bad thing happening to me" to "what can I learn from this" or "how will this help me grow" turns setbacks into chances to get better. This way of thinking is really powerful in tech consulting, where projects often hit unexpected problems that need creative solutions and the ability to adapt quickly.

Joining the right communities speeds up both personal and work growth. Being part of groups like GW (a professional network) can help you find business partners, customers, speaking chances, and people who support you. The trick is finding communities that celebrate trying new things and having many interests instead of forcing you to focus on just one thing.

Testing technology ideas is becoming much easier for people without coding skills. With no-code tools, AI that helps with development, and quick testing platforms, business people can now test, check, and improve technology solutions without traditional tech barriers. This change will speed up innovation across all industries.

The future rewards people who understand both business and technology. As tech experimentation gets easier, the real advantage goes to people who can spot the right problems to solve and understand how technology creates business value. Having both skills helps you make decisions faster and build solutions that actually make a difference.

Working in different countries gives you unique views on how technology works. Having experience across markets like Costa Rica, USA, and UK shows you how different places adopt technology, handle regulations, and approach innovation. This global experience helps when startups want to expand internationally or adapt their solutions for different markets.

Technology should make humans better, not replace human connections. The best technology makes what's special about being human, creativity, caring about others, working together, even stronger rather than taking away meaningful human interactions. This approach guides how you build products and create company culture in tech businesses.

To influence how technology develops, you need to actively participate in creating it. Instead of treating technology like a mysterious "black box," professionals need to help shape how it grows by participating in building it, giving feedback on how it's used, and pushing for designs that put people first. Taking this active role makes sure technology serves people rather than the other way around.

Links:

Where to find Katherine

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinemora/

• Book Kath as a speaker or for a workshop on the tech and AI space: https://www.amanzi.io/speaking

• Have an idea or need guidance on your tech direction? Chat with Kat: https://www.amanzi.io/contact

Where to find Milly

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-tamati/

• Website: http://www.millytamati.com/

Generalist World resources:

• Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17Q7542cqAStZi9Snq6Ehh?si=25d512d546124184

• Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asking-a-fractional-cto-how-to-work-with-startups/id1814092399?i=1000715418605

• Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CDNvwsJki2g

• The Generalist Quiz: https://www.generalistquiz.com/

• Essays: https://www.generalistcareer.com/

• Upcoming events: https://lu.ma/generalist.events

• Positioning Guidebook: https://www.generalist.world/positioning

🙏 Special thanks to our podcast producer James McKinven! (get in touch for all your podcast needs, he’s really great!)