Your startup needs Virtual CXOs

Timing is everything

In a startup, runways are short, and timing is everything. When to scale, what level of risk to take and for how long. What to build now versus later. When to get great leaders in to supercharge your products and team so you can make it off the runway.

By the time you can afford great leaders, the key decisions have been made that define your success or failure. Virtual roles give you ‘Expertise-as-a Service’ – you no longer need to wait and your startup depends on it.

Virtual Executives (sometimes called Fractional Executives) are experienced, hands-on leaders, dedicating up to 24 hours per week to own key deliverables or manage teams. As a result, these roles bring a highly efficient management style. Key work gets done, with no waste and a hyper-focus on solving problems and grabbing opportunities. The level of commitment is a forcing function for focus, where a sense of urgency and clarity around what matters.

How it works

Funding stage

  • Inception
  • Pre-seed
  • Seed
  • Series A

Management team

  • Founding Team
  • Virtual CXOs
  • Full-time SLT

Virtual / Fractional CXO often come between Seed and Series A funding. An experienced officer is typically contracted for 12-24 hours per week to fill specific strategic and executional gaps in a leadership team.

A Virtual CXO placement might be 18 months in duration, ending after a full time role is funded. Assisting with the replacement hire is often the final task of a virtual CXO.

Benefits

Experience when you need it

Experienced CXO’s help you get your vision out of your head and onto paper to provide clarity, direction and focus as well as own the execution in their area so you scale and grow your business. As a formal part of your exec team, you can get the benefits without the FTE cost.

Solidifies your start up foundations

vCXO’s come with years of short-cuts, protips, replicable process and patterns. They hardly ever have to start from scratch. Fill the gaps in your startup quickly, by people who have set the same things up before. They bring the lessons learnt, so you don’t get blindsided. They know what to bring to the mix without over architecting, with simple frameworks and outcomes that are fit for purpose, and at the right level for the stage of your startup.

High ROI through a focus on producing tangible value

No time to waste on ‘shall we have a meeting about the meeting?’ when you only have 2 days a week to provide as much value as possible. vCXO’s know how to sift out the lower value work, and deliver on what’s important. They can help others in your team do the same, increasing and optimising your team performance. Fast decision making based on sound advice will mean your customers and investors see value faster than a 40-hr a week role might.

Hire the right leadership team when you are ready

As the industry continues to navigate the economic downturn, companies often react in two ways: reducing full-time headcount and bringing in contractors, or reducing contractors and bringing in internal resources.

Either way, any company reducing headcount will benefit from the growing pool of leaders available to help companies get from one stage to the next without a full-time salary or long-term cost risk associated with hiring the wrong executive.

Where pressure is high to do more with less, vCXO’s can come in and make impact much faster than the usual 6+ month hiring cycles associated with bringing in a permanent leader.

A caretaker role through transition periods

Sometimes co-founders or key people who have been there from the get-go have a change in circumstance. These can be disruptive moments of change, and can have a high impact on your team and startup structure. Bringing in a virtual CXO to hold the line while you work through ‘what’s next?’ is a great way to add stability and continuity to your business. It gives you and your Board time to plan, and hire for the right people once you reassess the future needs.

Get started

Virtual COO

Operations

A Chief Operating Officer is often the other side of the CEO coin. They are ‘Jack-of-all-trades’, optimiser types, and master of many key business operations. They can hit the ground running, and fill any gaps in your exec team while setting your foundational processes and practices up, getting you ready to scale.

Virtual CTO

Technology

Your technical engineering practices can be the difference between painting yourself into a technical corner or being able to scale well when you hit on product market fit. Architecture can be fluid during the earlier days of a technical application, and the right Chief Technology Officer can help with the timing, risk and robustness of your technical strategy.

Virtual CPO

Product & Digital

A Chief Product Officer leads the team in building great products that deliver sustainable value to the business. From the early stages of developing a new product concept to beyond product launch, a CPO balances the needs and goals of both the product and the business. They can build our product strategy, communicate the roadmap externally and internally,and track product metrics to make the best decisions for your product’s success.

Virtual CCO

Customer

A Virtual Chief Customer Officer (vCCO) is dedicated to enhancing the overall customer experience and ensuring customer satisfaction. They strategically manage customer relationships, drive customer-centric initiatives, and align the organization’s efforts to meet customer needs. By leveraging data and customer feedback, a vCCO helps optimize customer journey, retention, and loyalty, ensuring the company delivers exceptional value to its clients.

Virtual CRO

Revenue

The Chief Revenue Officer drives revenue growth, aligns sales, marketing, and customer success, and creates personalized buyer experiences. They oversee all revenue channels, leverage data for insights and opportunities, and collaborate with the marketing team to develop comprehensive go-to-market strategies.

Virtual CMO

Marketing

A virtual CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is a digital marketing strategist and consultant who provides expert guidance and execution of marketing strategies remotely. They leverage technology and data analytics to drive brand awareness, customer engagement, and business growth while offering flexible and scalable marketing solutions for companies.

Virtual CP&CO

People

A Chief People & Culture Officer focuses on managing and enhancing an organization's human resources and company culture. They provide strategic guidance in areas such as talent acquisition, employee development, performance management, and fostering a positive work environment for remote teams.

Virtual CISO

Info-sec

A Chief Information Security Officer offers cybersecurity leadership, implementing strategies, managing risks, overseeing operations, and ensuring regulatory compliance. They protect sensitive data, mitigate cyber threats, and enhance security posture for organizations that lack a full-time, in-house CISO.

Virtual CFO

Finance

A Virtual Chief Financial Officer (vCFO) provides expert financial management and strategic financial guidance remotely. They oversee financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting to ensure the company's financial health. A vCFO helps in optimizing cash flow, managing investments, and guiding financial decisions to support business growth and sustainability. They bring high-level financial expertise without the need for a full-time, in-house CFO, offering flexible and scalable financial solutions for companies.

Board Advisor

Board

A Board Advisor provides strategic guidance and expert advice to the company's board of directors. They bring extensive experience and insights to help navigate complex business challenges, support decision-making processes, and drive long-term growth. A board advisor can offer perspectives on governance, risk management, market trends, and organizational strategy, ensuring the board has the necessary expertise to steer the companytowards its goals.

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