TechCXO

New blog post from TechCXO Revenue Growth Partner Alan Gold: AI Is Not Always the Answer: The AI Feature Trap That Can Kill Early-Stage Companies – Part 2. Because sometimes, what looks like a cutting-edge product feature is really just digital theater. When early-stage companies add AI without a clear user need, they don’t create value; they create expensive distractions. In this follow-up to his post on when AI is worth it, Alan digs into: • The “AI Feature Trap” founders keep falling into • Why users don’t care how smart your tech is (only what it does) • The real cost of building AI features that don’t solve real problems • A sanity check framework before you AI-ify your product roadmap Thinking about adding AI to your product? Here are a few questions and insights from the blog that your product team should probably see: “Is this solving a real user problem, or just making us sound smarter?” “If your AI isn’t solving a constraint, it’s serving your ego.” “Users don’t buy features, they buy outcomes.” “If the AI disappeared tomorrow, would anything actually break?” Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/gMEaVs8X #startups #productstrategy #AI #growth #TechCXO #earlystage #productmanagement

Is RevOps really worth the investment? Many leadership teams are asking that question — and they should. The ROI of RevOps isn’t about vague promises of “alignment.” It’s about building a coordinated, data-driven revenue system that pays for itself through efficiency, predictability, and growth. When Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success operate from shared data and definitions, the results compound: ✅ Faster decision-making ✅ More accurate forecasting ✅ Lower acquisition costs ✅ Higher retention and expansion Our experts Matt Oess, Mike Martin, Bert Harkins, Rebecca Chastain, Rich Makover, and Rose Lee wrote this article to show that in the end, RevOps isn’t a cost center — it’s the blueprint for scalable, sustainable growth. Enjoy! https://lnkd.in/gu_9cn9K #RevOps #ROIofRevOps

Most leaders—even the most seasoned veterans—will admit that scaling is a bewildering journey. The problem isn't usually a lack of vision; it’s a lack of operational discipline. Whether you’re scaling from $5M to $50M or preparing for an acquisition, the gap between your "solid growth plan" and measurable results is where equity value is either built or lost. To help bridge that gap, our team of experts, Eric Anderson, James Calver, John H. Capobianco, Peter Clifton, Louis Gump, Robert Toth, Jessica Young, distilled decades of experience leading startups and market leaders into a pragmatic playbook: "An Executive Operator's View: Planning, Execution, and Alignment." This isn't theory. It’s a guide to the messy, day-to-day reality of scaling, covering: 1. Intrapreneurship: How to fund high-value ideas already sitting in your frontline teams. 2. Eliminating Silent Friction: How to spot organizational drift before it stalls your momentum. 3. The Tech Sequence: Why the order of your digital projects matters more than the tools themselves. 4. The M&A Playbook: Ensuring cultural and financial alignment from Day One. Stop managing by the rearview mirror. Build the discipline to reach your company’s full potential. Download the free guide here: https://lnkd.in/gD7QksZV #ScalingUp #ExecutiveLeadership #OperationalExcellence #GrowthStrategy #BusinessExecution

Growth is good. Complexity is inevitable. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome Ingmar Berg to TechCXO as our newest Partner and Fractional CFO in the Finance & Accounting Practice. He brings the financial structure companies need to scale with confidence. Over a 25+ year career, Ingmar has helped organizations bring clarity, structure, and strategic direction to their most complex financial challenges—across industries, ownership structures, and borders. He’s led finance in public, PE-backed, and nonprofit organizations; served as CFO for global education groups, tech startups, and enterprise operations; and completed over 15 acquisitions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Most recently, Ingmar led financial operations for a 20-entity education management group with over $380M in revenue. He modernized reporting, guided M&A, and secured $170M+ in public financing and improved the company’s credit rating. Ingmar is known for aligning financial strategy with business reality. Whether guiding investor diligence, modernizing multi-entity reporting, or leading high-stakes transformations, he builds systems that scale and teams that deliver. We’re proud to have him as part of the TechCXO team. Meet Ingmar and learn how he helps companies scale with confidence: https://lnkd.in/gq-7trbf #FractionalCFO #CFOLeadership #FinanceLeadership #FinancialStrategy

Growth doesn’t stall because leaders lack vision. It stalls when execution can’t keep pace with ambition. That execution gap is where revenue leaks and where 2026 will be won or lost. Most leadership teams have a GTM strategy. Fewer have an operating model that turns plans into consistent, repeatable performance without wasting capital or exhausting teams. TechCXO Partner and CMO Laura Breslaw breaks down five GTM execution moves that help leadership teams close the gap between planning and performance. No fluff, just clear, repeatable moves that turn GTM theory into results. Read how companies are: • Balancing consistency and experimentation to keep momentum and learning. • Growing revenue through expansion by anchoring to value and timing, not campaigns. • Operating as one GTM team to accelerate outcomes and reduce friction. Execution isn’t the afterthought. It is the strategy. Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/gw_Hs8DF #GTM #GrowthStrategy #B2BMarketing #RevenueLeadership #TechCXO #CMO #Execution

Most organizations say they want better alignment between Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success. Few realize that alignment doesn’t start with meetings—it starts with structure. A strong RevOps team structure is what turns collaboration into consistency. It connects people, processes, and technology so every function drives toward the same outcome: sustainable growth. Here’s how high-performing organizations do it: ✅ Audit the current revenue system to expose gaps. ✅ Define shared KPIs that link every team to revenue outcomes. ✅ Build a unified tech backbone for clean, connected data. ✅ Establish a shared planning cadence to stay aligned. ✅ Bring in fractional leadership when expertise or momentum stalls. When your RevOps team structure becomes the operating system for growth, efficiency follows—and silos finally give way to performance. We hope this article provides some good food for thought as you prepare your own teams for a RevOps mindset! Learn more from Matt Oess, Mike Martin, Bert Harkins, Rebecca Chastain, Rich Makover, and Rose Lee here: https://lnkd.in/gNsHZtmD #RevOps #RevOpsTeamStructure

We’re pleased to announce that Kristin Davenport Koepenick has been named Partner in TechCXO’s Finance & Accounting Practice. Kristin has been a valued member of our firm since 2016, serving as a Fractional CFO to growth-stage and investor-backed companies. Her work focuses on financial strategy, forecasting, and operational leadership, particularly for organizations facing periods of transition, growth, and change. She brings more than two decades of experience to her client engagements, with a focus on SaaS, fintech, and technology-enabled services companies. Kristin’s ability to build scalable financial infrastructure and guide executive teams through complex challenges has made her a trusted advisor across our client base. Please join us in congratulating Kristin on this well-earned recognition, and learn how she can support your next stage of financial growth here: https://lnkd.in/g4qe6ruG #FractionalCFO #financialstrategy #SaaS #fintech

“Strategy is a filter, not a document.” That’s the core message Michael Baer, Fractional CMO at TechCXO, gives in his conversation with Stewart Gandolf on the Healthcare Success podcast. Too many teams fall into the “motion trap.” If you’re buying ads, sponsoring events, and churning out content without clear positioning and a strategic foundation, you’re not necessarily gaining traction. More likely, you're just burning budget, time, and momentum. In this episode, he discusses how to fix that disconnect, including: • Why early-stage and PE-backed companies mistake activity for progress • How to connect strategy with execution in-market (i.e. #Stratecution) • When a fractional CMO delivers more value than a full-time hire If you're scaling in healthcare or health tech, this one's for you. Frankly, the lessons apply to any marketer trying to grow smarter, so listen in: https://lnkd.in/gr3byqJ2 #HealthcareMarketing #FractionalCMO #Stratecution #TechCXO #GoToMarket