Stop Bleeding Cash on AWS While You Build

Cloud Infrastructure & Compliance for Startups

Stop Bleeding Cash on AWS While You Build

For startup founders: Move toward SOC 2 readiness based on your current baseline, identify meaningful AWS cost optimization opportunities, and get fractional CTO expertise--all without slowing down product development.

Share your product, AWS bill, and runway, and we'll outline quick wins and a roadmap.

  • CISSP
  • CMMC CCP
  • AWS Solutions Architect Pro
  • Ottawa-based

Quick Answer

Why do startup founders bring us in?

Because infrastructure, compliance, and technical leadership decisions can start blocking sales and runway at the same time. We help founders identify the first cloud, SOC 2, DevOps, or fractional CTO move that fits the current stage, depending on your starting architecture and controls.

Who this applies to

Seed to Series B SaaS founders, heads of ops, and first-time CTOs

Timeline

Assessment in about 2 weeks, rollout often 6-8 weeks, with timing dependent on baseline architecture, team bandwidth, and implementation scope

Investment

Assessment → rollout → optional fractional CTO (each phase credited as you progress). Book a call for scoping.

Start here

Pick the startup infrastructure decision that is blocking momentum.

The call is for founders who need to decide whether the first move is AWS cost review, SOC 2 readiness, delivery guardrails, or fractional CTO support.

Review the roadmap phases

Timeline & Investment

Your Founder-Friendly Infrastructure Roadmap.

Share this with co-founders, finance, and investors so everyone sees the plan.

i. Weeks 1-2

Weeks 1-2

Assessment & quick wins

  • Runway-sensitive AWS cost audit with top 5 savings actions.
  • SOC 2 / compliance gap summary your investors can trust.
  • Fractional CTO roadmap aligned to product milestones.

Investment: Credited toward rollout

ii. Weeks 3-8

Weeks 3-8

Implementation & enablement

  • Ship cost optimizations, SOC 2 controls, and DevOps guardrails.
  • Documented playbooks + founder-friendly dashboards.
  • Engineering + product enablement so teams stay unblocked.

Investment: Scoped to your needs

iii. Weeks 9+

Weeks 9+

Scale without surprises

  • Fractional CTO / platform advisor embedded for weekly reviews.
  • Automated reporting for investors and enterprise customers.
  • Transition plan once you hire permanent leadership.

Investment: Monthly retainer

Before you book

What this page is meant to clarify.

The right first step depends on your current AWS spend, customer requirements, team capacity, and whether a permanent technical leader is already in place.

Fit

Founders with a clear business trigger.

Best fit when cloud cost, SOC 2 pressure, delivery friction, or technical leadership gaps are affecting sales, runway, or product execution.

Effort

Scoped by baseline.

Implementation effort depends on your AWS account, controls, engineering capacity, customer deadlines, and how much ownership already exists inside the team.

Next step

Leave with a first move.

The call should identify whether the next step is a cost review, readiness plan, delivery guardrail sprint, or fractional CTO engagement.

Proof limits

No fixed savings or audit promises.

Savings, SOC 2 readiness, and delivery gains depend on baseline usage, controls, scope, and client-side follow-through.

Stakeholder alignment

What Every Founder Stakeholder Needs to Know.

Compliance, infrastructure, and runway management only work when founders, product, and finance stay aligned.

Founders & Execs

Protect runway and valuation

  • Predictable budget tied to milestones, not hours.
  • Investor-ready reporting (burn, compliance, velocity).
  • Clear story for board decks & enterprise sales.
  • Plan for handing off to internal leadership.

Product & Engineering

Ship faster with guardrails

  • Self-serve platform work that removes ticket queues.
  • SOC 2 controls baked into CI/CD + tooling.
  • Enablement so engineers don't rely on consultants.
  • Incident playbooks and on-call maturity improvements.

Finance & Ops

Forecastable spend, zero surprises

  • Cost savings tracked and re-invested in product.
  • Compliance spend mapped to revenue unlocks.
  • Vendor/security paperwork handled end-to-end.
  • Runway impact reporting every 2 weeks.

The problem

The Hidden Infrastructure Tax on Your Startup.

AWS bills growing faster than revenue

How we fix it

Identify high-probability savings opportunities through optimization

Enterprise customers requiring SOC 2

How we fix it

SOC 2 readiness roadmap based on your current baseline

Can't afford a full-time CTO yet

How we fix it

Fractional CTO services with a lower fixed-cost profile than a full-time executive hire in many startup contexts

Infrastructure slowing product velocity

How we fix it

Improve release cadence based on your current baseline with proper DevOps

Your competitors with proper infrastructure spend less time on operations, and often less on cloud costs, while shipping features faster.

Here's how we level the playing field.

AWS cost optimization

Identify Meaningful AWS Cost Reduction Opportunities in the First 30 Days.

Without compromising performance or reliability.

High impact

Unused Resources

Identify and eliminate zombie instances

Medium impact

Right-sizing

Match instance types to actual usage

High impact

Reserved Instances

Commit to save on predictable workloads

Medium impact

Architecture

Serverless and managed services

Free AWS cost consultation

Get a detailed breakdown of your AWS spending.

Prioritized list of cost-saving opportunities. No commitment required.

Get Your Cost Analysis

SOC 2 readiness

Accelerate SOC 2 Readiness with a Practical Execution Plan.

Timelines depend on your current controls and team capacity as you work to stop losing enterprise deals because of compliance.

Templates

Ready-to-Use Templates.

Skip months of policy writing with our startup-optimized templates.

Controls

Technical Controls.

We implement the security controls auditors actually check.

Network

Auditor Network.

Connect with startup-friendly auditors who understand your needs.

Close Enterprise Deals with Confidence

Many startups shorten SOC 2 readiness cycles with structured control rollout and evidence automation, depending on starting maturity.

Start Your SOC 2 Journey

Fractional CTO

Fractional CTO Services for Startups.

Strategic technical leadership with a lower fixed-cost profile than a full-time executive hire in many startup contexts.

What you get

Senior technical leadership on a startup-friendly cadence.

  • Technical strategy and architecture decisions.
  • Engineering team hiring and mentorship.
  • Vendor evaluation and cost optimization.
  • Board and investor technical communications.
  • Security and compliance roadmap.

Engagement models

Advisory, part-time, or interim full-time coverage.

  • Advisory (8-16 hrs/month): strategic guidance, architecture reviews, team mentorship.
  • Part-Time (40-80 hrs/month): hands-on leadership, direct team management, active projects.
  • Interim Full-Time: bridge leadership while you search for permanent CTO.
Explore Fractional CTO Services

Why Pilotcore

Built by Startup Veterans, For Startups.

Speed first

Solutions in weeks, not quarters.

We know runway is the constraint. Plans are scoped against your sprint cadence, not a consulting calendar.

Budget conscious

Fixed-price engagements for startup budgets.

Milestone-based pricing so finance can forecast spend. No open-ended retainers and no surprise change orders.

Growth focused

Infrastructure that scales from 10 to 10M users.

Foundations that survive your next funding round. We pick patterns your team can carry forward without a rebuild.

Ready to Stop the Infrastructure Tax?

Let's build the technical foundation your startup needs to win.

Next step

Ready to get started?

Choose how you'd like to begin your engagement with Pilotcore.

Full engagement

Full consultation

Discuss your complete cloud and security strategy with the principal consultant. For comprehensive transformations and multi-quarter engagements.

Recommended start

Start with a pilot

Test the engagement with a focused 1-4 week scope. See real results, on a fixed timeline, before committing to anything larger.