Permanent CTO recruitment risk-free

CO-CTO is a permanent CTO recruitment firm led by former CTOs. Every candidate is sourced and rigorously selected against your criteria.

1 week

For the first profiles

+700

CTOs in our collective

98%

Client satisfaction

+250

CTO hires

Where our CTOs have worked

AppleBrutMetaAgicapBouyguesMangopayBeRealVeepee

Hiring a CTO: a €300K risk

6 months of hiring, €100K invested… and the CTO doesn't make it past probation

Recruitment firms don't understand your technical challenges

Your job posting attracts the wrong candidates

You don't know how to assess a CTO's real technical level

A CTO recruitment firm led by former CTOs

At CO-CTO, every search is led by an experienced CTO backed by our collective of 700+ members. They help scope the brief, write the job description and run the interviews.

Generalist firm

Hiring on your own

CO-CTO

Technical assessment of candidatesRarelyDepends on your teamBy an experienced CTO
Access to off-market profilesLimitedYour network700+ CTOs
First profilesVariableVariableWithin a week
Follow-up after signingRareNoThrough the end of the probation period (with a re-sourcing guarantee)

Our process

CTO hiring run by people who've done the job

1

We dig into your needs together

Week 1

  • —Scoping workshop with an experienced CTO
  • —In-depth analysis of your context
  • —Collaborative drafting of the job description
  • —Defining the right profile
2

We activate the network

Week 1

  • —Activating the CO-CTO network (700+ CTOs)
  • —Targeted headhunting beyond our pool if needed
3

We vet every candidate

Ongoing

  • —Checking the candidate's references
  • —Assessing experience with challenges similar to yours
  • —You only meet vetted candidates
4

We fine-tune as we go

Weeks 2 to 8

Your feedback on the first candidates helps us adjust the profile.

  • —Debrief after every interview
  • —Adjusting the target profile if needed
  • —Realigning the brief based on your feedback
  • —Iterating until we find the right fit
5

We stay with you through probation

First 3 months

  • —Regular steering committee
  • —Onboarding deliverables
  • —Support for the first 3 months
  • —Free re-sourcing if probation isn't successful

An advisory CTO at every step

How we assess a CTO

CV assessment

The advisory CTO reviews CVs alongside the senior recruiter.

Technical interviews

The advisory CTO leads the technical interview and delivers a skills report. The report covers technical skills, the ability to manage, experience on challenges close to yours, and verified references.

Weekly cadence

First profiles presented within about a week. A weekly meeting then refines the brief, the job description, and sourcing, based on your feedback on the first candidates.

How much does it cost to recruit a CTO?

Our fee is 25% of the recruited candidate's gross annual salary.

On salary, a CTO in France generally earns between €62,000 and €115,000 gross per year, with a median around €81,000 (Glassdoor, May 2026). In Paris, a senior profile starts at €90,000, excluding equity (BSPCE) and bonus. We cover it all in our guide to recruiting a CTO.

Permanent CTO or fractional CTO?

A permanent hire makes sense when tech is at the core of your model and the need will last: a product to grow, a team to build, a roadmap spanning several years.

A fractional CTO is a better fit for a specific phase: structuring tech after a fundraise, running a rebuild, preparing a due diligence, or making progress before you have the budget for a full-time CTO.

Discover the fractional CTO

How to write a CTO job description that works

Bad job postings cost you time and good candidates. We've packed the best practices from 250+ CTO hires into a ready-to-use template.

The game changer

Why CO-CTO?

01

Your hiring is run by former CTOs who've hired dozens of people themselves

02

Direct access to our pool of 700+ CTOs and their extended network

03

End-to-end support, from defining the brief to the end of probation

04

Re-sourcing guarantee: if probation doesn't work out, we start over at no extra cost

What makes all the difference

The CO-CTO setup

Your CTO is never alone

Ongoing support + a community of expert CTOs

Smart sourcing

We understand your business and find the CTO who fits

De-risk your hire

Significant time and money saved

A few examples of our work

Case studies

E-testingRecrutement CDI
OpteamisRecrutement CDI
See all case studies

What our clients say

What they say about us

Are you also hiring a CPO or a Chief AI Officer?

We also recruit permanent CPOs and Chief AI Officers, with the same method and the same guarantees.

CPO recruitmentChief AI Officer recruitment

Frequently asked questions

FAQ

At CO-CTO, our fee is 25% of the recruited candidate's gross annual salary, in line with market standards for a specialized firm (15-30%). The difference: our hires are run by former CTOs who actually understand the role, we support you all the way through probation, and we start over at no extra cost if it doesn't work out.

With CO-CTO, you get the first qualified profiles within about a week. We then adjust the search based on your feedback on those first candidates. The full process, from defining the brief to signing, usually takes 4 to 8 weeks depending on how rare the profile is and your criteria. That's two to three times faster than hiring on your own, thanks to our pool of 700+ CTOs and our targeted headhunting approach.

This is exactly where most non-technical CEOs struggle. At CO-CTO, every candidate is assessed by an experienced CTO from our collective: real technical skills, management ability, experience with challenges similar to yours, and verified references. You only meet vetted candidates: you don't need to be a tech expert to hire your CTO.

A traditional firm hires a CTO like any other executive role, using generalist methods and little understanding of what the job actually involves. CO-CTO is run by former CTOs: we understand what the role really covers, we have access to an exclusive pool of 700+ CTOs (many of whom aren't actively on the market), and we support you all the way through probation, not just until the contract is signed.

CO-CTO includes a re-sourcing guarantee: if your CTO doesn't make it through probation, we restart the search at no extra cost. It's our way of sharing the risk with you and aligning our interests with your success. We also provide regular check-ins during the first 3 months to maximize the odds of a successful integration.

A permanent hire suits a lasting need at the core of your business. A fractional CTO is a better fit for a transition phase, or for companies that don't yet have the budget for a full-time CTO.