Fractional CTO
Part-time technology leadership: roadmap, architecture, hiring and delivery — without a full-time executive hire.
Available for new engagements · Dubai, UAE
Fractional CTO for companies building with AI
I’m Ali Fouad Kwika — a CTO and founder who has been building platforms, engineering teams and AI products across the GCC since 2011. I help founders and leadership teams choose the right technology strategy, then deliver it.
- 15years in technology
- 5ventures as founder or CTO
- 40+web & mobile platforms delivered
- EN · ARbilingual products
Co-Founder & CTO · Tickify
AI · LLM · SaaS
DBA · research on AI adoption
Technology leadership at
- VOYA
- Tickify
- SkyLara
- Start Tech Agency
- The Digital Hotelier
- Ellington Properties
- Driven Properties
- Kanoo Group
- Apparel Group
- Mohamed Hilal Group
What I do
Senior technology leadership, when you need it
From AI strategy to the engineering team that ships it — one accountable technology leader across strategy, architecture and delivery.
AI & LLM strategy
Find the highest-value AI use cases, then ship LLM-powered products, agents and copilots safely to production.
Engineering leadership
Hire, structure and lead engineering teams with the delivery cadence, standards and culture to ship reliably.
Platform & SaaS architecture
Cloud-native, API-led, multi-tenant platforms designed for scale, availability and multi-market growth.
Cloud & DevOps
AWS, Azure and GCP with CI/CD, observability and automation for fast, safe releases.
Security & governance
Security-by-design, architecture governance and compliance readiness built into delivery, not bolted on.
Track record
What I’ve built and led
5ventures as founder, co-founder or CTO
40+web and mobile platforms delivered for GCC brands
2011in technology since — engineer to CTO
DBAdoctoral research on sustained AI adoption in GCC firms
MITChief Technology Officer Program
EN · ARbilingual, right-to-left product delivery
Ventures
Companies I’ve built and led
Products I’ve taken from first architecture decision to production — as co-founder and CTO.
CTO · 2026 –
SkyLara
Skydiving & drop zone management platform: web plus iOS & Android, live in production.
View case study
Co-Founder & CTO · 2025 –
VOYA
AI travel companion with LLM agent orchestration for discovery, planning and conversational assistance.
View case study
Co-Founder & CTO · 2025 –
Tickify
Smart ticketing and event technology with secure resale, anti-fraud controls and Web3 ownership.
View case study
Founder, CEO & CTO · 2021 –
Start Tech Agency
AI and digital transformation programmes for enterprise and SME clients across the GCC.
View case study
Co-Founder & CTO · 2022 – 2025
The Digital Hotelier
Hospitality SaaS: property management, channel management and digital guest experience for UAE hotels.
View case study
Experience
15 years, from engineer to CTO
Hands-on engineering roots, enterprise transformation, then founding and scaling technology companies.
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2026 — Now
Chief Technology Officer
SkyLaraBuilt and launched a multi-tenant skydiving operations platform with full web and mobile parity.
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2025 — Now
Co-Founder & CTO
Tickify · SydneyEnd-to-end ticketing platform: payments, secure transfers, resale marketplace, real-time data and Web3 infrastructure.
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2025 — Now
Co-Founder & CTO
VOYA · DubaiAI travel technology: conversational AI, agent orchestration and privacy-by-design cloud architecture on AWS.
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2022 — 2025
Co-Founder & CTO
The Digital Hotelier · DubaiCo-founded the company and led its technology from first architecture through seed funding and growth.
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2021 — Now
Founder, CEO & CTO
Start Tech Agency · DubaiAI, cloud and digital-transformation programmes for enterprise and SME clients across the GCC.
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2021 — 2022
Senior Manager, Technology Transformation
Ellington Properties · DubaiEnterprise transformation for a premium developer: CRM/ERP modernisation and digital channels.
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2020 — 2021
Technology Business Development Manager
Driven Properties · DubaiCRM modernisation and lead-management automation for a Dubai real-estate brokerage.
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2011 — 2020
Senior Full Stack & Mobile Engineer
Kanoo Group · Apparel Group · Mohamed Hilal GroupEnterprise web and mobile platforms, omnichannel and loyalty technology, ERP/CRM/POS integrations.
Education
Education & credentials
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) — research on AI adoptionClermont School of Business, France2023 – 2026
Executive MBAHult International Business School, Dubai2024 – 2026
Chief Technology Officer ProgramMIT Professional Education, Boston2024 – 2025
Leveraging Fintech Innovation (certificate)Harvard Business School Executive Education2021 – 2022
BEng, Information & Communication EngineeringEbla Private University2010 – 2015
Scrum Master IUC Berkeley Digital TransformationMIT AI/ML & GenAI programsArabic · English
Testimonials
What colleagues say
His eagerness to learn and positivity towards work is infectious. I had the pleasure of working with Ali for 6 years at Mohamed Hilal Group.
I have worked with Ali on several integration projects at Apparel. He has excellent technical know-how and completed the projects as per agreed scope, on time.
Ali understands what the customer needs and builds apps that are very easy to use — and makes the extra effort to ensure the project completes on time.
It was a pleasure working with Ali — he always has an answer and quick fixes to our technical challenges.
Work together
Three ways to engage
Ongoing
Fractional CTO
Your technology leader one to three days a week.
- Technology roadmap & architecture
- Hiring and team structure
- Delivery, security and vendors
Monthly
Advisory
A senior sounding board for founders and boards.
- AI adoption & technology investment
- Board and investor support
- Technical due diligence
Fixed scope
Focused project
A defined outcome in weeks, not quarters.
- Architecture or platform review
- AI roadmap & proof of value
- 0 → 1 MVP build
FAQ
Common questions
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is an experienced Chief Technology Officer who works with your company part-time. You get senior technology leadership — strategy, architecture, hiring and delivery oversight — at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive.
Who do you work with?
Startups and scale-ups building or scaling a product, and established companies in the UAE and GCC that are adopting AI or modernising their platforms. I also work remotely with teams in the UK, Europe and Australia.
Can you help us add AI and LLMs to our product?
Yes. I help you pick the use cases with real business value, design the architecture (LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation, agents and guardrails) and lead the team that ships it to production.
Where are you based?
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I work on-site across the UAE and GCC, and remotely with international teams.
How do we get started?
Book a 30-minute strategy call. We discuss where you are and where you want to be, and I follow up with a short proposal covering scope, format and timeline.
Have a product to build or a team to scale?
Tell me where you are and where you want to be. Let’s find the shortest path to get there.