OpenLazarus instead of a fractional CAIO hire: the AI-Architect engagement

Contents

1. What the engagement is
2. How it differs from hiring a fractional CAIO
3. Published evidence
4. Strengths and limits
5. Pricing
6. Questions to ask before choosing this route
7. Sources

Type	AI architecture and platform firm
Headquarters	New York, US
Pricing	Published
Website	openlazarus.ai

OpenLazarus builds AI platforms that companies own. It does not place executives. It appears in this hiring guide because its AI-Architect consultancy covers much of what companies hire a fractional chief AI officer to achieve, and adds the team that builds⁠1PricingOpenLazarus.

Best for: Companies above 100 people that would otherwise hire a part-time AI leader and then a separate team to build what that leader recommends.

Not the right fit for: Companies that want to hire an individual executive into a defined seat, with their own title, contract and reporting line.

What the engagement is

OpenLazarus describes a yearly engagement with its AI architects, in which they work out how the company should run, automate the work people should not be doing and build the platform with the company⁠2OpenLazarusOpenLazarus. On its pricing page, an architect works with leadership on how the company should run, then designs the processes and the AI teammates with it; the consultancy is priced per engagement, and OpenLazarus says it always recommends it above 100 people⁠1PricingOpenLazarus.

Its AI Architects page adds how the work is done. It says OpenLazarus builds a data lake so the company holds its own data, cuts paid software seats from most employees to a few, trains the client's IT team to maintain the build without OpenLazarus and plans future model and token costs from the start⁠3AI implementation partner: systems you ownOpenLazarus. On the finished platform, the company decides what runs automatically and what needs approval, and the code and data are the company's⁠4Questions about OpenLazarusOpenLazarus.

How it differs from hiring a fractional CAIO

A company that needs its own executive to judge AI across many vendors and report to the board should hire one. A company whose earlier AI plans stalled at the build is the case OpenLazarus is designed for.

Published evidence

• Quick Scan & Go (client testimonial). The retailer’s CEO, Marcos Acuña, is quoted on the OpenLazarus site saying its data systems were consolidated into one, AI agents took over operations work and profits grew by 76%. The number is the client’s own.⁠3AI implementation partner: systems you ownOpenLazarus
• Raven Analytics (client testimonial). CEO Garett Brennan is quoted on the OpenLazarus site attributing 3x sales-funnel growth and a 2x gain in staff efficiency to the data and AI work. The numbers are the client’s own.⁠3AI implementation partner: systems you ownOpenLazarus

These statements appear on the OpenLazarus site and are not independent case studies.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

• One engagement covers direction and the build, so there is no gap between a leader’s plan and a separate implementation partner.
• States that it trains the client’s IT team to maintain the build without OpenLazarus.
• The company keeps the code and data, and can move hosting to its own cloud whenever it wants.
• Publishes platform support prices: hosting from $150 a month and developer support from $4,500 a month.

Limits

• Not an individual hire: no named executive joins the leadership team under a CAIO title.
• The fee for the architect engagement is not published.
• No published trial, replacement or time-to-start terms.
• Its direction leads to a build on its own platform rather than a vendor-neutral selection.

Choose another option if: You want a specific person in an executive seat, on a contract you negotiate with them. Tecla, Axial Search or Toptal are the routes to that hire.

Pricing

AI-Architect consultancy priced per engagement. Published: hosting from $150 a month, developer support from $4,500 a month (10 engineering credits) and 5.5% on AI credits.

Questions to ask before choosing this route

• Who from OpenLazarus meets our leadership team, how often, and who on our side owns AI decisions in between?
• Which governance rules will the engagement set, beyond approvals on the platform?
• How is the commitment that a project will pay for itself defined in the agreement?
• What must our IT team be able to do by the end of the year?

See how OpenLazarus compares with the other routes in the main guide.

Sources

1. Pricing. OpenLazarus. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
2. OpenLazarus. OpenLazarus. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
3. AI implementation partner: systems you own. OpenLazarus. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.
4. Questions about OpenLazarus. OpenLazarus. Accessed 8 Nov 2026.

Further reading

• Hiring guide · Updated quarterlyHow to hire a fractional chief AI officer in 2026Pay data, seven places to hire compared on published terms, and the steps from job description to signed contract, with every figure traced to its source.
• Template · Contract and pricingFractional chief AI officer contracts and pricing: terms, fees and pay dataThe agreement decides whether a part-time leader has the time, authority and access to do the job. These are the fee models, the market figures and the clauses that matter.
• Template · Job descriptionFractional chief AI officer job description: a templateA part-time AI leader needs a different description from a full-time one. This template covers the decisions, hours, results and handover that a fractional role has to settle in writing.