Selling to government is a different business. Learn it from someone who has.
Founders in the District often build for agencies, defence customers or regulated industries. The product can be excellent and still stall on procurement, security and cash.
Why Washington DC founders reach for senior help early
The same few things come up:
The sales cycle outruns the runway
Agencies move on their own calendar, and a pilot can take longer to turn into a contract than the funding allows.
Security evidence is a gate, not an extra
Customers need documented controls before they will buy, and a young team has none of it written.
Nobody knows the contract vehicles
Contract routes, prime partners and set-aside options shape who can buy from you, and the founder is learning them in real time.
A senior hire is out of reach
A seasoned executive wants a salary and equity that a young company cannot comfortably give.
A young Washington firm can buy an operator's experience by the day rather than by the year, from someone who has been through this before. You pay for experience once, instead of paying for your own mistakes.
Who this is for, and who it is not
Best for
- Founders wearing every hat with no senior cover where it matters most
- Pre-seed to pre-Series A companies that need structure before they can fund it
- Teams that need investor-grade finance, reporting or operations at speed
- Startups scaling headcount faster than their processes can hold
- Founders who want to protect the cap table while adding senior leadership
Not for
- An idea with no product or traction to build structure around yet
- A role a capable full-time hire is already ready to own
- Founders looking to outsource a function rather than lead it
- A single deliverable an agency or contractor could hand back
A first executive who knows procurement
A young company selling to government needs judgement it cannot hire full time yet. We match carefully and stay involved.
Involved after the match
We review the engagement with the founder on agreed dates and flag drift before it costs a pilot.
A collective for procurement questions
A first executive from us comes with 800+ colleagues on call. A pricing question that turns out to be a procurement question reaches someone who has handled one.
The pilot keeps its lead
A departure does not send you back to the start: we hold the company's file, run the replacement search and steer the transition.
Moving at founder speed
A founder wants a partner who moves at their speed, and a CV does not show that. Temperament is part of the match.
From first call to embedded operator
We move at startup speed.
Tell us your stage
Where are you in the journey? What are the gaps? What does the next 90 days need to deliver?
We match the right operator
From our vetted collective, we introduce the fractional executive matched to your stage, sector, and culture.
Embedded within days
Your fractional embeds with your team, begins the scoped work, and operates with real accountability.
Scale the stack
As you grow, add further specialists from the collective. We coordinate them so they work as a coherent team.
Which leader for your stage
The gap that slows a startup changes as it grows. Here is where most founders feel it first, and who owns it.
The right fractional executive depends on your stage
Start with the widest gap today, then add roles as you scale.
Operators from the region's defining startups, and beyond
