Don’t Wait Until Everything Is On Fire To Build Team & Structure.
Every VC talks about product-market fit but no one tells you the number of decisions you need to make early on to set your company up for sustainable growth.
After 20+ years of working with founders and C-suite executives in startups and scaleups, I can definitively state that yes, you can cut the number of years it takes to scale if you lay down the right infrastructure and build the right team from day 0.
Startup chaos is a choice. Alignment is too.
I’m Elaine.
I’m a CXO operator and strategic advisor to visionary founders and CEOs who dare to dream big. I work with clients who understand that building a legacy means thinking further, earlier. Whereas most startups narrowly focus on this quarter’s earnings, I partner with companies that want to win near-term sales while laying down the groundwork for a future exit. I show you how to do both without breaking a sweat while giving back plenty of spaciousness for you to have a life.
I embed within companies to drive the necessary change and spot the invisible dynamics and untapped potential that cost founders dearly. As your partner, I lead by your side to build teams and systems that make scale survivable and the integration of the latest technology a seamless evolution.
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Testimonials
"I've had both vantage points as an operational partner and board advisor, and the impact is the same. Elaine has a way of shifting people and organizations to their highest possible version. It's hard to explain. You have to experience it to grasp her magic. What I can tell you is this: whether she's in the room or in the boardroom, she sees what others miss and moves with a clarity that makes transformation feel inevitable."
— Juan Carlos Soto, Venture Partner & Board Advisor
"Elaine is a grounded source and a force of momentum. I’ve known her for over a decade, and she consistently humanizes growing leaders while building clarity, community, and courage in ways that are both calming and contagious. Her push for inner work opens new space for leaders to activate, and that’s where she becomes a force that drives meaningful results. Her ability to see around the corner aligns teams and accelerates progress. Elaine’s impact generates momentum that clears the path for teams to rally, learn, and win together."
— Dan Gallagher, Founder & CEO, Gallagher Leadership
“As an investor and board member it’s important to have visibility into the organizational challenges and opportunities that are key to unlocking progress in any portfolio company. Working with Elaine during our time together at Valimail we were able to partner with the CEO and management team to enact change that was ultimately critical to driving consistent results and a successful exit.”
— Thomas Krane, Managing Director, Insight Partners
Elaine sees what others miss and moves fast to create alignment and momentum. She brings sharp insight, decisive action, and confidence working with teams on complex, sensitive issues. When she’s in, things shift, people rise, and results follow.
— Alexander Garcia-Tobar, Founder & CEO, Valimail
“Elaine brings a calm, focused presence that helps teams ground, align and expand. She creates the conditions for people to discover the best parts of themselves and choose to lead from that center.”
— Maddie McCauffrey, Program Executive, YouTube
"She brings a rare combination of strategic insight, systems thinking, and transformational leadership. She diagnoses what needs to shift and moves the organization through change without disruption. You look up and the company is operating at a higher level, teams are aligned, and morale is strong. Her impact is unmistakable."
— James Cham, Partner, Bloomberg Beta
“Elaine sees the truest, biggest version of you and she will dare you to flex. If you’ve ever suspected that you’re playing too small, she will show you exactly what you’ve left on the table. But think before you agree to be shown – because there’s no turning back.”
— Honor Chan, Founder & CEO, Early Stage Stealth Startup
“I’ve worked with countless executive leaders and none quite measure up to Elaine’s embodied authority. This is a leader who can lead and command a company without ever resorting to her positional power. People listen and follow because they want to.”
— Ryan McQueeney, Founder & Managing Partner, MCQ Advisory
"Elaine does something rare: she can lead you and collaborate with you at the same time. She'll push you hard - challenge your thinking, call out your patterns - but she's doing the work with you, not just handing down edicts. She sees the leader you're becoming before you do, and she won't let you settle for less. The result? You grow faster than you thought possible, and it actually sticks."
— Seth Blank, CTO, Valimail
"Elaine stepped in during a critical growth phase and became the transformation provocateur we didn’t know we needed. She touched every person in the organization, building belief while bringing clarity to who we needed to become and where we needed to go. She designed the systems to get us there and moved with a grounded momentum that carried the entire team forward. What should have taken years happened in months, and it felt natural. Elaine makes the extraordinary feel achievable and, ultimately, inevitable."
— Mary Carl, CEO, Miracle Messages (Former Executive Director, Health Leads)
Track Record
From scaling impact-driven organizations to architecting investor-ready growth, my track record reflects one truth – systems built with alignment don’t just perform, they endure.
3X ARR Growth & Acquisition by Digicert.
Rule-of-40 Profitability Leading to Acquisition
Reversed Valimail’s $1.5M monthly cash burn to achieve Rule-of-40 profitability while tripling ARR and doubling workforce. Expanded regional US to remote global operations. Delivered the financial discipline and growth trajectory that positioned the company for strategic acquisition by DigiCert.
Scaled City Year from $33M to $150M revenue across 12 markets.
From National Nonprofit to Global Education Leader
Led organizational transformation as City Year evolved from national nonprofit to global education leader, scaling revenue 5X to $150M and expanding into 25+ U.S. cities and 3 international markets. Built the infrastructure and operational systems that enabled the strategic pivot to the Whole School Whole Child model, reaching close to 1M students nationwide.
From Regional Service Provider to National Health Equity Leader
Steered Health Leads through its growth phase, expanding from a regional service model to a national platform backed by a $16M Robert Wood Johnson Foundation investment. Delivered 35% workforce growth and 70% retention improvement through strategic alignment and operational rigor that secured partnerships with Kaiser Permanente, Johns Hopkins, Boston Medical Center, and NYC Health + Hospitals.
35% Workforce Growth & 70% Improvement in Retention Rates
Tripled Workforce in 18 Months While Maintaining 98% Client Satisfaction Rate
Scaled Circles Through Hypergrowth
Scaled the American Express Centurion partnership during the concierge platform's hypergrowth phase. Redesigned team structure, elevated performance standards, and refined service delivery to enable 3X workforce growth in 18 months while maintaining 98% client satisfaction and consistent YOY revenue growth, positioning Circles for its $40M+ revenue milestone and eventual exit.
Work With Me
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Embedded Operating Partner
I operate inside the system and lead side by side with you and your leadership team. I co-own outcomes with executives while maturing the underlying culture and structure to prepare for scale. Unlike a traditional consultant who advises from the sidelines, I’m a part of the team carrying real business accountability. This setup enables rapid modeling and builds an early foundation of measurable accountability, an antidote to classic growth whiplash that can derail even the most promising business.
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Strategic Advisor
As your strategic advisor, I work from outside the system and lead from behind. Visionary leaders occupy a uniquely lonely position and experience high-stakes decision fatigue on a daily basis. I come in to offer grounded, strategic advising that protects vision and enables execution. I serve as your vision holder and devil’s advocate to clarify decision making at all critical junctures.
Strategic advising is suited for founders and CEOs who are seeking high-impact, light touch guidance. -
C-Suite Partner
A hybrid of operating partnership and strategic advisory, I operate inside and outside the system and lead in front. C-suite partnership gives you the best of both worlds: real operational outcomes and vision advocacy for the entire C-level team. C-team partners emerge with greater clarity and personal power to both fully own their respective roles as well as personal aspirations.
As a result, the C-team plays at its highest level of engagement and performance while exceeding business targets.