I’ve spent 30 years building, operating, and turning around startups — as CEO, COO, and advisor across dozens of companies. I’ve helped raise over $50M, navigated investor crises, rebuilt teams from the ground up, and brought products to market. I’ve sat across the table from Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, KPCB, and a dozen other firms. I know how that room works.
Being an entrepreneur is hard and lonely. Some days it feels like everything is amazing, and the next day everything is on your shoulders — making payroll, managing people, doing admin work, constantly shifting from the weeds to strategy and back. Add life responsibilities to that load, and it can be overwhelming.
Clients who work with me aren’t just paying for the time I spend with them 1:1, in a meeting, or building an operating plan. They know I bring deep experience to the table — some may call it wisdom. I get it because I’ve helped companies grow, seen companies implode, and watched companies run out of money. I have the stories to share.
“Whatever mistakes you’ve made or dumb things you’ve done, I’ve made bigger mistakes and done dumber things.”
As you navigate the waters of starting a company, a wide variety of issues come up. We work as-needed via one-hour Zoom sessions — MVPs, feedback, first deals, operating budgets, fundraising, and more.
Have an idea and curious how to bring it to reality — or whether entrepreneurship is even right for you? A few 1:1 sessions can help you avoid costly mistakes and focus your time and resources on what matters most to get started.
Being a CEO is hard and lonely, and a full-time seasoned executive may be out of budget. I’ve been a CEO, COO, and CFO, and blend that experience to bridge the gap until your business can afford a full-time team.
Have a portfolio company that needs a steady hand, or a founder ready to elevate into a great CEO? I bring an objective, no-nonsense approach to quickly understand a business and what needs to happen.
I work 1:1 with founders who need a direct, experienced thinking partner. No frameworks pulled from a book. No standardized process. Just sharp, honest advice grounded in 30 years of doing it.
“He was particularly helpful with early product and business model strategy, plus helped build and review our pitch presentations. A valuable advisor in a very practical sense.”
— Peter Yewell, co-founder & CEO, Outpatient
“Eric has been an invaluable advisor in helping me strengthen both my business strategy and my leadership. He brought clarity to our financial planning by helping us better organize our operating expenses, while also asking thoughtful questions that helped me make stronger strategic decisions. I’m deeply grateful for his guidance and highly recommend him to any founder looking for a trusted business advisor.”
— Wendy De Rosa, Founder, School of Intuitive Studies
“We worked with Eric as a pre-PMF startup struggling to get our next MVP shipped. It was like night and day once Eric was on board. We were able to get more focused around how to spend our time and pull off a 60-day sprint over the holidays. Eric is more of an interim CEO-type coach than a therapy-type coach, which is exactly what we wanted.”
— Madeleine N., co-founder, TalentDrop (YC company)
I embed in your business as a part-time operating executive. I’m not here to observe — I’m here to work. Strategy, hiring, financial modeling, go-to-market, and investor relations. Whatever the business needs most right now.
“Eric quickly dove into the details of the business and helped support investors while working with me to redirect the business and team in a new direction.”
— Gary Clayton, CEO, Owl Camera
“Eric and I worked together to build an operational plan for Kiddom. A few things stood out to me: the speed of execution on a fairly large project with very little time, his ability to quickly get up to speed on business fundamentals for an industry he had no prior experience in, and his ability to independently drive the project to completion.”
— Ahsan Rizvi, co-founder, Kiddom
I started my career as the first person dumb enough to sell webcasting in 1996. It worked out — broadcast.com was acquired by Yahoo, and I spent years in Silicon Valley building and breaking things before figuring out what I was actually good at.
I’ve served as CEO and COO across dozens of companies. I know what it looks like when a business is working and when it isn’t. And I know what it costs — personally and professionally — to figure that out without a guide.
Tell me a bit about what you’re working on and what kind of help you’re looking for. I read every message myself and reply within 24 hours.