A good article on why a start-up should consider using a CTO consultant. I would take this a step further beyond just bringing on a CTO consultant to bringing on a small expert-level engineering team to quickly setup proper processes, practices and tools and even build an initial prototype. It’s much better to start your company off on a good foot then to hack something together and spend the next year dealing with the resultant issues. Then you can have time to properly recruit and bring on your full time resources. Focus on your business 1st!

http://rapidrollout.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/startup-advice-when-to-use-a-consulting-cto/