Flagship Program
A Chief AI Officer. Fractional cost. Full accountability.
Every company needs someone senior running AI. Almost none can justify a $300K+ executive hire to do it. The fCAIO program installs that leadership (strategy, implementation, and training) on a structured monthly cadence.
The Operating System
A 4-week cadence, every month
Transformation fails when it's ad hoc. The cadence makes it systematic, anchored to a 90-day roadmap that exists from day one.
WEEK 01
Executive Alignment
KPI review, roadmap adjustment, and priority decisions with leadership. Everyone knows what this month moves.
WEEK 02
Department Activation
Deep work inside departments: identifying the workflows worth transforming and the people who'll own them.
WEEK 03
Implementation Sprint
High-impact builds: automations, integrations, and workflow transformations shipped into production.
WEEK 04
Training & Reporting
Team training on what shipped, an impact report for leadership, and next month pre-loaded.
The Math
Priced against the hire you'd otherwise make
Drag the slider to what a full-time AI lead would cost you. The comparison isn't subtle.
- Fully-loaded hire
- $297,000/yr
- ×1.35 for benefits, taxes, and overhead
- fCAIO engagement
- $96,000/yr
- anchor tier, scoped to your roadmap
- Your delta
- $201,000
- plus zero recruiting time and no severance risk
Engagement Tiers
Scoped to where you are
Starting points below. Final scope is set after the assessment, so you pay for the work you actually need.
Core
Leadership System
From $15K/mo
The executive cadence: monthly alignment, 90-day roadmap, KPI reporting, and a training framework your team runs with.
- Monthly executive cadence
- 90-day roadmap
- Impact reporting
- Training framework
Growth
Enablement
From $25K/mo
Everything in Leadership System, plus hands-on implementation sprints and a department-by-department rollout.
- Everything in Leadership System
- Implementation sprints
- Department rollout
- Workflow transformations
Pro
Full Transformation
Custom
Company-wide, multi-department activation with embedded presence, accelerated velocity, and custom software built into your operation.
- Everything in Enablement
- Multi-department activation
- Embedded presence
- Custom embedded software
Month-to-month · One-page agreement · Fire us like an employee
FAQ
Fair questions
What exactly is a fractional Chief AI Officer?
A senior AI leadership function that operates inside your company without the cost of a full-time executive hire, like a fractional CFO or CMO, but for AI. Your fCAIO runs the monthly cadence, owns the 90-day roadmap, leads implementation, and transfers capability to your internal team.
How is this different from hiring an AI consultant?
Consultants deliver recommendations and leave. An fCAIO is accountable for outcomes on an ongoing cadence, and at Effulge, your fCAIO is an engineer who ships production systems, not slideware. Strategy, implementation, and training come from the same person.
What does the monthly cadence look like?
Week 1: executive alignment (KPIs, roadmap, priorities). Week 2: department activation (deep work identifying workflow transformations). Week 3: implementation sprint (high-impact builds shipped). Week 4: training and reporting (your team levels up and leadership sees the impact).
How fast will we see results?
Your 90-day roadmap exists from day one. Most organizations see their first workflow transformations and measurable efficiency gains within 30–60 days. The focus is lasting internal capability, not dependence on us.
What if it isn't working?
Engagements are month-to-month on a one-page agreement. Fire us like an employee: no annual lock-in, no procurement maze, no exit fees.