Stephan Schmidt
CTO coach for engineering leaders and startup founders in Europe
| Hourly rate range | $100 to $175 an hour |
|---|---|
| Focus areas | Leadership developmentTech and engineering leadersTransitions and new rolesNew managersTeam performanceStartups and foundersLeadership and team buildingTech careersPromotions and advancement |
| Works with | Executives, Managers, Founders and business owners and Engineers |
| Also coaches | Business coach and Career coach |
| Based in | Germany |
| Sessions | Online |
| Languages | English and German |
| Practice | Amazing CTO |
Stephan Schmidt is a CTO coach who helps CTOs, VPs of Engineering and engineering managers with hard leadership problems. He has 25 years of experience as an engineering manager. He has run 1200+ sparring and coaching sessions with 100+ CTOs. He is a 3x founder with an exit, and he worked at eBay and ImmobilienScout24. He coaches in English and German.
What Stephan helps with
Stephan works with tech leaders who feel stuck while their teams and companies grow. He helps with daily leadership problems and bigger career moves.
- Delegation and scaling yourself
- Growing an engineering team
- Technical debt that keeps piling up
- Making AI work in engineering teams
- Being more assertive as a leader
- Managing team performance
- Hiring and layoffs
- Adjusting to a new CTO role
Who Stephan works with
Stephan coaches CTOs, VPs of Engineering and engineering managers who feel stuck. Some are scaling fast and see things breaking. Some have team problems. Others are new to the CTO role and unsure how to start. He also works with founders.
How Stephan works
Stephan uses a 360 degree coaching model. It mixes consulting to fix urgent problems, mentoring to share his own experience, coaching to build the leader's growth, and work on the leader's personal brand. Sessions are one-on-one, with no groups. Each session runs a full 60 minutes. They meet every week or every second week, based on the client's context and needs.
Background and qualifications
Stephan has 40+ years in software development and 25+ years in engineering management. He is a 3x founder and had a successful exit. He worked at eBay and ImmobilienScout24. He has held 1200+ sparring and coaching sessions with 100+ CTOs, engineering managers and founders. Topics include scaling, team building and career growth. He has also written a book, which now has an expanded edition with 39 AI rules.
Stephan Schmidt pricing
Programs and services
- One-on-one CTO coaching, 60 minutes
- Weekly or every second week sessions
- Discovery call
- Book with expanded edition on AI rules
Stephan Schmidt reviews
The CoachVouch take
He is a former CTO-level engineering leader and 3x founder who has coached 100+ CTOs in 1200+ sessions.
Best for CTOs and engineering leaders who feel stuck while scaling a team or settling into a new role.
Common questions
How much does Stephan Schmidt charge?
Coaching with Stephan runs $100 to $175 an hour. Request an intro for an exact quote.
What does Stephan Schmidt help with?
Stephan Schmidt helps with delegation and scaling yourself, growing an engineering team, technical debt that keeps piling up and making AI work in engineering teams.
Does Stephan Schmidt coach online?
Stephan is based in Germany. Sessions are online.
How do I contact Stephan Schmidt?
Request an intro on this page. It's free, and we'll connect you with Stephan and, if you want, 2 or 3 similar coaches to compare.
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Last updated September 2026. Request a correction.