For founders and investors
A stronger business starts with someone who's built one.
Starters helps founders and investors work through operating challenges, drawing on a vetted network of experienced startup operators. We bring in relevant experience to assess the situation, recommend an approach, and put the right people in place to execute it.
Submit a Business Brief. Experienced operators will review your situation and explore a way forward.
Experienced operators who can improve performance, take the lead, or help navigate a transition.
What would a better outcome look like?
Improve business performance.
Bring in an experienced operator to address a specific challenge, build on what’s working, and help the company become stronger.
Make room for a different role.
As the business evolves, your role can evolve too. A Starter can take on operating responsibilities so you can focus where you’re most useful and explore how involved you want to be over time.
Get the business back on track.
When growth stalls or the business needs a new direction, experienced operators can help identify what needs to change and take responsibility for making it happen.
Built for smaller startups
The operating-partner model, built for smaller startups.
Larger funds can surround founders with experienced operating partners. Starters makes that kind of expertise available to smaller startups, bringing together proven operators with the experience needed to address the situation.
Experienced operators, not just advisors
Our Starters have built and led startup businesses. They bring firsthand experience and can take responsibility for execution, not just recommendations.
Expertise suited to the situation
We bring in operators with experience relevant to the company’s challenges, rather than starting with a predefined role or job description.
From recommendations to execution
The operators who evaluate a situation can also step in to implement the approach, whether through a focused project or an ongoing leadership role.
How it works
Start with your situation.
- 01
Tell us what’s happening
Submit a Business Brief. You don’t need to diagnose the problem or choose a role.
- 02
Discuss the situation
Clarify the priorities, constraints, and what a useful outcome would look like.
- 03
Bring in relevant experience
Explore relevant operators’ recommended approach and how they could contribute.
- 04
Agree on execution
Define who takes responsibility, the scope, and the commercial terms.
Built around the outcome
Start with the result you need, not a job title.
The priority defines the role. It may call for a few hours of senior guidance, a focused operating project, or hands-on leadership. The result determines the right working model.
Advisory
Senior judgment, a clear operating cadence and accountability around the priority.
Focused project
A defined body of work with a measurable deliverable and timeframe.
Operating leadership
An experienced operator takes responsibility for a function or leads the business, with a scope and time commitment that fit the situation.
Who becomes a Starter
Startup operators. Proven three ways.
Every Starter has led, built and won inside a startup, not simply advised one from the sidelines.
- Led
- At least two years in meaningful startup leadership.
- Built
- Personally owned and operated a core part of the business.
- Won
- Helped produce $1M+ in annual revenue, sustained profitability or a $2M+ exit.
The people behind Starters
Every Starter has led, built and delivered results.
Starters have led, built and won inside startups. Each brings hands-on experience suited to a different kind of company, operating priority and growth stage.
A few of the Starters
For investors
A workable path forward for the companies you back.
When a portfolio company needs to improve performance, change direction, or reach profitability, Starters can help. Bring us the situation, and we’ll assemble experienced operators to evaluate the options and recommend a way forward. Those same operators may also be available to execute the plan.
What would you like to change about your business—or your role in it?
Tell us about your situation. We’ll bring in experienced operators to evaluate it and explore a way forward.