The CEO role has no peer.

Once you raise institutional capital, everything changes. You’re expected to set the operating plan, deploy capital wisely, and define the metrics that justify the investment - often without having done it before. Boards and investors provide perspective. Coaches develop leaders. But no one is embedded in the weekly operating decisions.

I had a strong board, supportive investors, an experienced executive team and an executive coach.

There was still a gap.

At Foodsby, we bootstrapped to $2M before raising a $6M Series A. I built the operating model, capital allocation strategy, and board metrics - learning through mistakes along the way. We later raised another $15M, scaled to 200+ employees, navigated a 95% revenue decline during COVID, and ultimately led the company through a strategic acquisition.

Through each phase - raising capital, scaling, correcting course, navigating crisis - I wished I had an experienced operator at my side every week. Not to make decisions for me, but to help me make better ones.

That experience shapes my work. Growth-stage CEOs need operator judgment from someone who has allocated real capital, built real teams, and led through real inflection points.

That’s the partner I wish I had - and the one I now strive to be.