Do fractional executives take equity?

Many do, especially at earlier stages. Common structures: reduced day rate plus 0.25-1% equity, advisory shares of 0.1-0.5%, or hybrid arrangements. The structure depends on stage, commitment level, and negotiation.

How do startups afford fractional executives?

Fractional is designed for startup budgets. At 1-2 days/week, costs are £4,000-8,000/month — comparable to a senior individual contributor. The ROI comes from better decisions, faster fundraising, and avoiding costly mistakes.

Startups

Fractional Executives for Startups

C-suite expertise for every stage of your startup journey

Overview

Fractional Leadership for Startups

Startups face a paradox: they need experienced leadership to navigate critical decisions, but cannot afford full-time executives. Fractional executives solve this by providing senior expertise at a fraction of the cost. From first fundraise to Series C, fractional executives help startups make better decisions faster.

By Stage

Fractional Needs by Startup Stage

Pre-Seed / Seed

Typical Roles: CTO (technical co-founder gap), CFO (fundraising)

Focus: MVP guidance, pitch deck financials, early hiring

Commitment: 0.5-1 day/week

Series A

Typical Roles: CFO, CTO, sometimes CMO

Focus: Fundraising leadership, scaling engineering, demand generation

Commitment: 1-2 days/week

Series B

Typical Roles: CFO, CMO, COO, CHRO

Focus: Finance function build, marketing scale, operational infrastructure, people strategy

Commitment: 2-3 days/week

Series C+

Typical Roles: CFO (IPO prep), specialized roles

Focus: IPO preparation, international expansion, M&A

Commitment: 2-4 days/week or transitioning to full-time

Popular Roles

Most Common Startup Fractional Roles

£900-£1,300/day

£850-£1,200/day

£800-£1,150/day

Insights

Why Startups Use Fractional Executives

detail: Access CFO-level talent at £4,000-8,000/month vs £15,000+ for full-time equivalent.

benefit: Affordable Expertise

detail: VCs expect professional leadership. Fractional executives signal maturity without burning runway.

benefit: Investor Confidence

detail: Get skills matched to your stage. A Series A CFO is different from a Series C CFO.

benefit: Stage-Appropriate

detail: Fractional executives start in weeks. Full-time searches take months.

benefit: Speed

detail: Experienced fractional executives bring networks of investors, talent, and advisors.

benefit: Network Access

Insights

Equity Compensation

Many fractional executives accept equity as part of their compensation, especially at earlier stages. Typical structures include: reduced day rate plus equity (e.g., 0.25-1% over 2-4 years), advisory shares (0.1-0.5% for lighter involvement), or pure equity for very early stage. Structure depends on stage, role, and time commitment.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Consider fractional when: approaching fundraising (CFO), need technical guidance but no technical co-founder (CTO), marketing is becoming critical to growth (CMO), or operations are becoming chaotic (COO). Series A is typically the inflection point.

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