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How a startup passed due diligence on its AI-built code and raised $2.5M.
The founders had built a product customers loved using AI coding tools, but the lead investor's technical review paused the round. Skillfi's fractional CTO ran a 30-day sprint to fix the risks, prove the code could scale and walk the investor through the plan. It's how our fractional CTO service works: senior technical leadership, exactly when you need it.
A term sheet on the table, and a code review that stopped it.
Two non-technical founders built a site inspection app for construction firms using AI coding tools. In a year they had 30 paying customers, $45K in monthly revenue and a $2.5M seed term sheet from a respected investor.
Then the investor's technical review came back. It found passwords and API keys written straight into the code, no automated tests, no documentation and most of the app in a single 9,000-line file. The investor paused the round and gave the founders six weeks to show the product could be trusted to scale.
Our customers loved the product. The investor's report made it sound like it could fall apart any day.
Co-Founder & CEO, client
Fix the real risks first, then show the investor a credible plan.
Our fractional CTO treated the investor's report as a checklist, fixed what mattered most and documented everything so the next review would be easy. Security fixes were checked against the standards a fractional CISO would apply.
Every critical issue closed
Keys rotated and moved to a secure vault, access checks added to every page and data request, and the riskiest code paths rewritten safely.
Code an engineer can work with
The 9,000-line file split into clear modules, automated tests added to every core feature and a pipeline that tests code before each release.
A plan investors can trust
Documentation, an architecture diagram, a 12-month technology roadmap and an engineering hiring plan, presented by the fractional CTO on the investor call.
5 weeks, step by step
From a paused round to a closed one. Here's how the sprint unfolded.
- Week 114 critical issues closed
Triage & security fixes
The investor's findings ranked by risk, keys rotated and moved to a vault, and the most serious security gaps closed.
- Week 29,000 → 400 lines max
Code clean-up
The single giant file split into clear modules, with an automated pipeline that tests and releases code safely.
- Week 372% coverage
Automated tests
Tests written for every core feature, from inspections and photos to reports and billing.
- Week 4Data room ready
Documentation & roadmap
Architecture diagram, data flows, setup guides, a 12-month technology roadmap and a plan for the first engineering hires.
- Week 5Review passed
Investor call
The fractional CTO walked the investor's technical advisor through every fix and the plan ahead.
- Week 7$2.5M raised
Round closed
The seed round closed on the original terms, and the first senior engineer was hired from the plan.
What investors check, and how we fixed it
The four areas every technical due diligence looks at, and what changed in each one in 30 days.
Is customer data safe?
- Keys out of the code
- Access checks everywhere
- Risky code rewritten
Will it break when it grows?
- Clear code modules
- Automated tests
- Safe release pipeline
Can others work on it?
- Architecture diagram
- Setup & code guides
- Data flow documented
Who owns the tech?
- 12-month roadmap
- Engineering hiring plan
- CTO on the investor call
Five weeks after the sprint began
Code covered by automated tests
Every core feature is now checked automatically before each release.
We thought we'd lost the round. Skillfi's fractional CTO fixed everything that mattered in a month and answered every question the investor had. We closed on the original terms.
Co-Founder & CEO, clientRaising soon, and not sure your code will pass the review?
Our fractional CTO will review your code the way an investor would, fix what matters and get you ready for due diligence. Preparing the numbers too? Add a fractional CFO.
- An investor-style code review
- Security fixes & automated tests
- Documentation & a tech roadmap
- A CTO in your investor meetings
30 minutes. No obligation.
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