What CTO Craft does

CTO Craft is a London-headquartered community, coaching, and content platform built exclusively for CTOs and senior technology leaders. Founded in 2017 by Andy Skipper (former CTO of Made.com and Comic Relief), it operates a gated Slack community of 18,000+ members and a Tech Manager Weekly newsletter reaching the same scale, with reported geographic split of 51% UK, 25% rest-of-Europe, and 15% North America. The product surface spans a four-tier membership model — free Essentials, Campus self-paced learning hub (£399/year), Mentoring Circles monthly peer-facilitated groups of up to 8 leaders (£2,199/year), and an Ambassador VIP tier (£5,000+, with equity in CTO Craft Ltd) — complemented by one-to-one executive coaching and an event portfolio covering CTO Craft Con conferences (London, Toronto, Amsterdam, Berlin, Fintech), local Mixers, online Bytes, and Deep Dives. The company also publishes annual proprietary research (Compensation Survey, Engineering 2028) used as thought leadership and lead generation.

The underlying technology is a conventional digital community stack combining an online membership portal, Slack-based peer community, video learning hub (Campus), event management tooling, and mentoring programme administration. There is no disclosed AI/ML layer, proprietary model, or data flywheel; AI is positioned as a content topic rather than a built capability. Underlying the platform is a curated network of 30+ experienced CTO coaches and a Trusted Partner ecosystem (Albany Partners for recruitment, Skiller Whale for upskilling grants, Damilah for AI/cloud advisory, Ten10 for cloud, Toolagen as an investor).

Revenue is generated across five streams: individual subscription memberships, one-to-one coaching engagements, paid event ticketing, partnerships and sponsorships (event, newsletter at £2,000 per edition, community placement), and the Ambassador equity investment programme. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven at the top of funnel, with direct sales for partnership and sponsorship revenue. The core operational team is small (Founder/CEO, CCO/Director, COO, Head of Events, Senior Business Development Manager, Head of Marketing, plus two Non-Executive Directors), supported by the external coach/facilitator network. CTO Craft Ltd is a privately held UK company (registered in England and Wales, company number 10792529) with no disclosed institutional venture capital; growth capital is sourced primarily through the Ambassador investment programme and reinvested cash flow.

Name

CTO Craft

Legal name

CTO Craft Ltd

Website

https://ctocraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CTO Craft is a London-based community, coaching, and content platform serving 18,000+ CTOs and senior technology leaders through a tiered membership (Campus, Mentoring Circles, Ambassador), executive coaching, conferences, and a gated Slack community, monetised via subscriptions, events, and partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Coaching and Mentoring Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Executive coaching services
• Peer mentoring circles
• Technology leadership community
• Leadership learning platform
• Professional development events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Three-tier membership model: Essentials (free — Slack + newsletter), Campus (£399/year — self-paced learning platform), Mentoring Circles (£2,199/year — monthly facilitated peer group coaching). Ambassador tier (POA) includes shareholder status and premium benefits.
2. One-to-One CTO Coaching: Bespoke executive coaching sessions delivered by experienced CTO coaches, matched to individual members. Delivered online or in-person at the member's convenience, charged per engagement.
3. Conference and Event Tickets: Revenue from paid attendance at CTO Craft Con (London, Toronto, Europe, Fintech), CTO Craft Conversations (regional roadshow events), Mixers (free/non-profit), Bytes (compact online/in-person events), and Deep Dives (exclusive online series).
4. Partnerships and Sponsorship: Tailored partnership packages for technology vendors, recruitment firms, and training providers targeting the CTO audience. Includes event sponsorship, newsletter sponsorship (Tech Manager Weekly £2,000 per edition), and community placement.
5. Ambassador Investment Programme: Ambassador members invest more than £5,000 (typically £10,000) in exchange for VIP membership, shareholder status, and part-ownership in CTO Craft Ltd. This serves as a quasi-equity crowdfunding mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CTO Craft operates a multi-tier membership, coaching, and events platform serving CTOs and senior technology leaders. It combines a gated Slack-based community (Essentials, free), a self-paced online learning hub (Campus, £399/year), monthly facilitated peer mentoring circles (Mentoring Circles, £2,199/year), one-to-one executive coaching, and a portfolio of conferences and meetups (CTO Craft Con, Mixers, Bytes, Deep Dives).

Product overview

CTO Craft operates a multi-tier membership and events platform for senior technology leaders. The core offerings include: free Essentials membership providing Slack community access and the Tech Manager Weekly newsletter; Campus as the online learning hub with courses and assessments (£399/year); Mentoring Circles as monthly peer-facilitated discussion groups of 8 peers (£2,199/year); and One-to-One CTO Coaching for personalized leadership development. Events include CTO Craft Con conferences (London, Toronto, Europe, Fintech), local Mixers networking events, Bytes compact speaker events, and Deep Dives online leadership series. The company also publishes annual Compensation Survey reports and produces the Tech Manager Weekly newsletter reaching 18,000+ subscribers. A VIP Ambassador Membership offers shareholder status for investors of £5,000+. The platform serves over 18,000 CTOs and technology leaders globally through a community-first approach combining peer learning, expert coaching, and curated content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Essentials Membership Free gateway membership tier offering Slack group access and Tech Manager Weekly newsletter, providing entry to CTO Craft's community of 15,000+ CTOs and senior technology leaders.
• Campus Self-paced online learning hub for senior technology leaders at £399/year, featuring expert courses, videos, assessments, and exclusive resources including books and management theories.
• Mentoring Circles Year-long monthly peer-led discussion groups of up to 8 technology leaders at £2,199/year, facilitated by experienced CTO coaches, focused on leadership growth and peer support.
• One-to-One CTO Coaching Personalized executive and leadership coaching by experienced CTO coaches, focusing on goal-setting, confidence building, and skill development in team building and technology strategy, delivered online or in-person.
• CTO Craft Con Premier annual conferences for CTOs and technology leaders, including regional events in London, Toronto, Europe (Amsterdam), and Fintech verticals.
• Mixers Informal local networking events organized by community hosts in cities worldwide (Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Berlin, Dublin), facilitating peer connections among tech leaders.
• Bytes Dynamic compact content events held in-person and virtually, featuring industry speakers and providing networking opportunities between main conferences.
• Deep Dives Exclusive online series for CTOs offering focused, in-depth exploration of critical leadership topics with expert voices and real-world insights.
• Tech Manager Weekly Newsletter Free weekly newsletter curated by Andy Skipper, delivering curated content on leadership, culture, hiring, process, mentoring, agile, and product management to 18,000+ subscribers.
• Research Reports Industry surveys and research reports including annual Compensation Survey reports, Engineering 2028 on human-AI teams, CTO Craft 100 leader recognition, Mind the Gap, and Spilling the AI Tea.
• Ambassador Membership Exclusive VIP membership tier offering shareholder status in CTO Craft Ltd, 3-year free Campus access, discounted event pricing, and 50% off Mentoring Circles for investors of £5,000+ (typically £10,000).

Quantifiable outcome

• Members report increased confidence, clarity in decision-making, and reduced isolation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Albany PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlbany Partners is CTO Craft's exclusive strategic partner for all recruitment-related services. The partnership spans executive search (Albany Partners), team scaling (Albany Growth), interim/fractional hiring (Albany Interim), and annual compensation survey research (Albany Insights). Many CTO Craft members and leadership have used Albany's services. The two organisations co-produce the annual CTO Craft Compensation Survey, interviewing 500+ CTOs.
• Skiller WhalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkiller Whale is CTO Craft's long-standing strategic partner for upskilling and capability growth. Created by CTOs for CTOs, Skiller Whale delivers micro-workshops led by expert practitioners. CTO Craft and Skiller Whale jointly offer grants totalling £100,000 (ranging from £2,500 to £15,000 per organisation) to support members' engineering team skill development. CTO Craft founder Andy Skipper has publicly reviewed and endorsed Skiller Whale.
• DamilahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDamilah is a CTO Craft Trusted Partner specialising in AI and emerging technologies, product discovery and design, cloud-native development, and advisory consulting. The two organisations co-produced the 'Engineering 2028: Leading Human + AI Teams Responsibly' report. Damilah's team includes former CTOs who understand the pressures CTOs face. Founder Iain Bishop is a former CTO.
• Ten10minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTen10 is a technology consultancy and Trusted Partner of CTO Craft, specialising in Cloud computing, Automation, and Quality Engineering. Includes The Scale Factory (an integral part of Ten10 focused on AWS technologies). Ten10 supports CTO Craft members through tech consultancy and the Tech Academy for talent development.
• Aikido SecurityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAikido Security is a Trusted Partner of CTO Craft, providing an all-in-one application security platform covering the full SDLC. Aikido sponsors CTO Craft events and Bytes, and has reported 4x ROI from its first CTO Craft event, generating significant pipeline within weeks. Revenue Lead Vinit Patel has praised the CTO Craft team's speed and effectiveness.
• Black in FintechminorOthersBlack in Fintech is a Community Partner of CTO Craft, sharing mutual goals of diversity and inclusion in technology leadership.
• Code Your FutureminorOthersCode Your Future is a Community Partner of CTO Craft, supporting diversity in tech through coding education.
• Coding Black FemalesminorOthersCoding Black Females is a Community Partner of CTO Craft, focused on supporting Black women in technology careers.
• She Bytes BackminorOthersShe Bytes Back is a Community Partner of CTO Craft, supporting women in technology.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pavilion: Gated membership community for B2B revenue and go-to-market leaders, offering peer learning, events, and content. Closely comparable to CTO Craft in gated-community business model, senior-executive ICP, and combination of paid membership, events, and sponsorship revenue.
• Product-Led Alliance: Community, courses, and events for product-led growth practitioners. Comparable community-plus-content business model serving a senior product/tech audience, with similar freemium membership and event monetization.
• Reforge: Membership-based professional development platform for senior product, engineering, and growth leaders. Closely comparable as a subscription learning and community product targeted at experienced technology leaders, with similar premium pricing and event offerings.
• Mind the Product: Community, conferences, and content for product managers and product leaders. Highly comparable event-and-community business model and a closely adjacent senior-tech-leader ICP, though the persona focus is product rather than technology leadership.
• OnDeck: Membership-based community and event platform for technology founders, operators, and investors. Directly comparable in its combination of paid membership tiers, peer communities, in-person and online events, and content-led growth targeting senior technology leaders.
• Chief: Private membership network and content platform for C-suite women executives. Directly comparable in gated senior-executive community model, peer circles, premium membership pricing, and event-based engagement, though serving a different executive demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Pluralsight: Enterprise technology skills and learning platform. Overlaps with the CTO Craft learning and upskilling value proposition (especially the Skiller Whale grant programme), but serves a much broader, more junior technical audience rather than senior tech leaders.
• O'Reilly (O'Reilly Media): Established subscription learning platform for technology professionals, with books, videos, live events, and conferences. Overlaps with CTO Craft's Campus and Circles in technical leadership learning, but operates at much greater scale and broader scope.

Emerging players

• Lenny's Newsletter (Lenny Rachitsky): Solo creator-led subscription newsletter, community, and paid courses for product managers. Comparable as a high-engagement, high-monetization content and community product for senior product/tech professionals, with similar free-to-paid conversion mechanics.
• Cogo (Leaders in Tech Summit community): Networking and events community for senior technology leaders and CTOs, with summits and curated peer connections. Comparable gated senior-tech-leader community and event-driven model, though smaller in scale and less mature in monetization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CTOCraft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ctocraft
• Xx.com/ctocraft
• Facebookfacebook.com/ctocraft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CTO Craft