Technology consulting for business owners · Engineers, not slide decks

Make your next tech decision with a CTO in your corner — without hiring one.

We're CPI Technologies from Frankfurt — engineers who've been building software since 2017 and hold stakes in more than ten companies, several with Maximilian Schmidt as CTO. Before you commission a project, we vet feasibility, costs, and the quote sitting on your desk. You get a written assessment you can act on — instead of having to hope.

Free Potential Analysis (30 min)How we help

Free and non-binding. Tell us what you're planning or send over the quote you want vetted — you'll get a first honest assessment.

4.4Google reviews

Maximilian Schmidt — founder of CPI Technologies — Maximilian SchmidtFounder & CEO, CPI Technologies · Frankfurt

AS SEEN IN

Sound familiar?

The decision is yours. The expertise isn't in the building.

Digitalization, AI, a new core system: sooner or later, a decision lands on your desk that will bind your company for years. You're an expert in your business — but nobody on your team can judge whether the technical path is sound. That gap is where the most expensive mistakes happen.

The quote is on your desk — and nobody can vet it.

An agency sent you a six-figure proposal. It looks professional.
Whether the stack, effort, and price are realistic — nobody on your team can judge.
So you're deciding on gut feel and likability.
For a sum that would normally get three competing bids and an expert review.

Every consultant tells you something different.

One recommends an app, the next a platform, the third says off-the-shelf will do.
Everyone delivers slides; nobody is accountable for the outcome.
You end up exactly as informed as before — one workshop fee poorer.

You know the stories about sunk IT projects.

Two years of development, budget topped up again and again — nobody uses it.
Maybe you've lived it, maybe you heard it from a fellow owner.
The most expensive mistake is the one discovered after the build.
It could have been caught beforehand for a fraction of the cost.

Consulting services

What business owners bring to us

Six situations, one pattern: a big decision, plenty of risk — and not enough independent tech expertise in-house.

Feasibility check with a prototype

You want to know whether your idea works technically before you spend real money. We build a clickable prototype within days as proof — more tangible than any written opinion. You also get our estimate of what the finished solution would cost.

Second opinion on an agency quote

Before you sign, we vet the scope, stack, and price of the proposal on your desk: What's missing, what's oversized, where does lock-in creep in? Afterwards, you negotiate as an equal.

Tech audit of your existing systems

Grown-over IT, a half-finished project, or a system nobody dares to touch: we tell you what to keep, what to replace, and what to secure urgently — in a clear order of priority.

Digital strategy & AI readiness

Where does AI genuinely save time and money in your operations — and where is it just a toy? We prioritize by impact and deliver a roadmap with realistic costs instead of a slide-deck vision.

Fractional CTO

A project underway, or a vendor nobody is technically managing? We take over technical leadership for a while: requirements, reviews, acceptance — until your project is live or your own CTO is on board.

Web3 and compliance assessment

Before you invest in tokenization or blockchain: we've been in Web3 since 2017, have built BaFin-regulated platforms, and will tell you straight whether your plan is a real opportunity or just hype.

The process

From open question to solid decision in four weeks

Most engagements run one to four weeks — here's the full sequence. Smaller questions, like a second opinion on a quote, wrap up faster.

Step 1 · Week 1

Listen, review, understand

We start with the free Potential Analysis: 30 minutes for you to lay out the idea, the agency quote, the nagging doubt.
Then we review what's there: processes, systems, contracts, proposals.
Up front, you get a written scope with a fixed fee for the engagement — you know exactly what you're signing up for.

Step 2 · Weeks 2–3

Test with tools, not slides

With AI-native development, a clickable prototype exists within days and shows whether your plan holds up technically.
In parallel, we review architecture, data, and — if there is one — your agency's proposal: Is the scope complete? The price fair? The tech built to last?
Every conclusion is owned by a human with nearly ten years of building experience.

Step 3 · Week 4

A recommendation you can sign off on

You receive a written report: what to build, what to buy, what to leave alone — with a roadmap, a cost range, and clear reasoning.
Use it to negotiate, commission, or walk away — the report stands on its own.
If you decide to build with us: a fixed-price quote with a launch date, about 90 days to product on average, a fresh build in your browser every Friday.
After launch we keep running the product — a handover is possible at any time, and the code is 100% yours.

Maximilian Schmidt speaking to business owners at a CPI event

What you get out of it

What four weeks of consulting actually gets you

Not slides for the shelf — a basis you can sign on or walk away from.

A decision you can defend

To your shareholders, your bank, and yourself: you're deciding based on a written analysis from people who build for a living — not on whoever pitched best. That takes the uncertainty out of a decision that would otherwise sit on your desk for months.

CTO expertise without the CTO hire

A good CTO commands an executive salary and is nearly impossible to get for a single initiative. With us, you bring in the same expertise on demand — for the decision, the vendor negotiation, or steering your development partner. And the mandate ends whenever you want it to.

The cheapest "no" your project will ever get

If a plan doesn't hold up, the best moment to find out is before the build. An analysis that saves you from one failed project pays for itself many times over — and you keep your budget and energy for the idea that works.

The comparison

Why consulting from CPI — not another slide-deck workshop

A classic management consultancy delivers slides and leaves. A full-time CTO commands an executive salary and is nearly impossible to get for a single initiative. Our way: CTO expertise on demand — from engineers who have been building since 2017.

		Classic management consultancy	Hiring a full-time CTO
Assessed by people who build software themselves	✓	✕	✓
Feasibility proven with a clickable prototype	✓	✕	?
Written report you can use with any provider	✓	✓	?
Fixed fee instead of day rates or an annual salary	✓	✕	✕
Available for a single initiative	✓	✓	✕
Results in one to four weeks	✓	?	✕
Can execute the recommendation if you want	✓	✕	?

Get a second opinion

Case studies

Where advice turned into results

Two engagements that started as an assessment — and went on to become running products.

Sellerpoint — from project to in-house tech team

Nicklas Spelmeyer wanted to turn e-commerce know-how into a platform instead of a service. CPI built it, and Maximilian later hired and onboarded the full-time CTO and the in-house team — today Sellerpoint runs autonomously and routes tens of thousands of orders a day.

View case study →

Vacabee — a second opinion on a half-built prototype

Dennis Lulic came to us with a bare-bones prototype of his travel app — far from market-ready. We assessed what was there and built it into a full product: today Vacabee is live as an AI app on iOS, Android, and the web.

View case study →

Frequently asked

What business owners ask before an engagement

You build software yourselves — won't you just end up recommending yourselves?

We know that concern — which is why the report stands on its own: written, reasoned, and usable with any provider. Some engagements lead to a development project with us; many don't, and that's fine. If we advise against a plan, we put it in writing just as plainly — a failed project with our name on it would cost us more than any lost contract. And when we do recommend building something, you can hold us to it: we could build it ourselves.

Can I book you just for a second opinion on a quote?

Yes — that's exactly what this consulting is for. You send us the proposal; we vet scope, technology, and price, and tell you what's missing, what's oversized, and which questions to put to the vendor. You get the result in writing, walked through together in a call. Whether you then build with that agency, with us, or not at all is entirely your call.

Do you need access to our systems — and how confidential is the process?

For most questions, read-only access, documents, and conversations with the people who use the systems every day are enough — we don't need to change anything to assess it. On request, we sign an NDA before the first meeting. Everything we see stays between us; we work GDPR-compliant, and any access you set up for us can be revoked the moment the engagement ends.

What does the consulting cost, and how long does it take?

Depending on the question, one to four weeks: a second opinion on a quote is done faster than a full tech audit. We define the scope together in the free initial call — then you receive a written offer with a fixed fee for the engagement, not hourly billing. So you know in advance what clarity costs, and can weigh it against the risk of the decision.

What if your analysis shows my plan doesn't hold up?

Then we put that in writing — with reasoning, not as a polite formality. And it's not a bad outcome: learning that a plan doesn't work technically or economically costs a fraction in consulting of what it would cost after a year of development. Often the same report points to a smaller variant that is worth doing instead — the cheapest lesson you'll ever get in a software initiative.

And if the consulting turns into a development project?

Then the findings go straight into execution with zero ramp-up: you get a fixed-price quote with a written scope and a launch date — about 90 days from start to product on average, with a fresh build in your browser every Friday. The code, all credentials, and all accounts are 100% yours throughout. After launch, we keep running and growing the product — and a complete handover to your team or another provider is possible at any time.

Maximilian Schmidt on the trading floor of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

First conversation

Clarity first. Signatures second.

Tell us what you're planning — or send over the quote you want vetted. In 30 minutes you'll get a first honest assessment, from engineers who have been building since 2017.

Free Potential Analysis (30 min)

Free and non-binding · Reply within two business days

Send your request

Use the form to tell us briefly what it's about: the idea, the quote on your desk, or the system that worries you — two sentences are plenty.

Potential analysis (30 min)

By video or phone: you lay out your plan, we ask the questions a CTO would ask — and tell you whether and how we can help.

Written assessment

Within two business days you receive an assessment with the scope and a fixed fee for the engagement. If we can't help you, we'll tell you that just as plainly.

Testimonials

Trusted before and after the decision

**Nicklas Spelmeyer**Sellerpoint · CEO eCommerce.de

**Ulvi Aydin**Ameritum · Founder & Interim Manager

**Sven Büchel**Intokia · Van Sterling Capital

**Zhenwei Wang**Precious metals trading platform

Ready to discuss anything

Tell us briefly about your project.

Dein Vorhaben

Was willst du bauen?

Maximilian Schmidt, Founder & CEO, has answers for anything

50.1104° N, 8.6538° E