Fractional CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
Driving Real Strategies. Real Results.
Sam Palazzolo
Your Strategic Partner
As the Managing Director of Tip of the Spear Ventures, our family office and direct investment platform, I bring over two decades of experience in strategic growth. While we actively deploy capital, I dedicate 78% of my time to embedding within high-growth organizations, serving as a fractional Chief Strategy Officer (fCSO).
In this fCSO role, I partner with leadership teams to:
- Align strategic objectives across departments
- Drive execution with operational discipline
- Establish accountability through key performance indicators
My approach ensures that strategic plans are not only well-crafted but effectively implemented, leading to tangible business results.
Organic Growth: The 5-Pillar Methodology
To facilitate organic growth, I employ a proprietary 5-Pillar Methodology:
- Strategic Planning: Developing clear, actionable strategies aligned with business goals.
- Sales & Marketing Alignment: Ensuring cohesive efforts between sales and marketing teams.
- Operational Efficiency: Streamlining processes to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
- Financial Discipline: Implementing robust financial controls and budgeting practices.
- Leadership Development: Cultivating leadership capabilities to drive organizational success.
This methodology has been instrumental in scaling companies from $1M to $10M and from $10M to $1B and beyond.
Scaling Organizations from $5M to $500M through Strategic Alignment, Execution, and Measurable Outcomes.
Schedule Your Strategic Catalyst SessionInorganic Growth: M&A/IPO
In addition to organic growth strategies, I help leadership teams scale through inorganic expansion—including mergers & acquisitions and IPO readiness.
I partner with founders, executive teams, and investment firms to lead:
- Pre-Merger Strategic Alignment – Ensuring cultural fit, financial logic, and operational readiness
- Deal Origination & Execution – Identifying, negotiating, and closing growth-aligned acquisitions
- Post-Merger Integration – Aligning people, systems, and strategy for seamless consolidation
- IPO Readiness & Execution – Structuring growth strategy, operational discipline, and team alignment to support public market entry
Whether you're pursuing a roll-up strategy, preparing for capital events, or executing an exit, I bring proven experience turning inorganic complexity into value-creating outcomes.
Transforming M&A and IPO complexity into clear, executable growth—with discipline, alignment, and results that scale.
Schedule Your Strategic Catalyst SessionClient Success Stories
Real problems. Real strategy. Real results.
From Bottlenecked Founder to Scalable Growth
Company: Tech-Enabled Services | $12M → $28M
Growth had stalled. Sales, marketing, and ops were out of sync. I rebuilt their GTM strategy, aligned leadership, and led weekly execution sprints. The result? More than 2x revenue and a 30% drop in CAC in just over a year.
Breaking Through the $50M Plateau
Company: Tech-Enabled Services | $52M → $278M
Growth had stalled. Sales, marketing, and ops were out of sync. I rebuilt their GTM strategy, aligned leadership, and led weekly execution sprints. The result? Revenue scaled more than 5x in under two years, while CAC dropped 30%—and the team had the clarity and cadence to sustain it.
From Bottlenecked Founder to Scalable Growth
Company: Tech-Enabled Services | $12M → $28M
Growth had stalled. Sales, marketing, and ops were out of sync. I rebuilt their GTM strategy, aligned leadership, and led weekly execution sprints. The result? More than 2x revenue and a 30% drop in CAC in just over a year.
3 Acquisitions, One Unified Platform
Company: PE Portfolio Roll-Up | $50M+ Acquired Revenue
A private equity-backed platform was executing acquisitions—but had no integration plan. I led pre-merger alignment, deal execution, and post-merger integration. In 9 months, we fully consolidated three brands into one operating machine.
IPO Readiness Without the Chaos
Company: Late-Stage SaaS | Pre-IPO Execution
They were racing toward IPO—but weren’t structurally ready. I cleaned up their strategic roadmap, established investor-ready KPIs, and aligned executive focus. Seven months later, they filed—with confidence and an oversubscribed valuation.
Bridging into the U.S. Market with Confidence
Company: EU CPG Provider | $20M International → U.S. Launch
A fast-growing international CPG organization was ready to enter the U.S. but lacked a localized strategy, market positioning, and operational readiness. I stepped in as Fractional CSO to lead their U.S. market entry—building a GTM plan, recruiting regional sales leadership, and tailoring messaging for enterprise buyers. Within 6 months, they had closed two anchor clients, built their U.S. pipeline, and established a foundation for sustainable stateside growth.
When you're serious about scaling—from $5M to $500M—strategy alone isn’t enough. You need structure, speed, and someone who holds the room accountable. Let’s build what’s next—together.
Engagement Models
Start Here: The 90-Day Sandbox
Every engagement begins with a 90-day strategic immersion. We call it the Sandbox—because it’s where we pressure-test ideas, align leadership, and build the execution plan that actually works.
This is not theory. It’s a structured, hands-on sprint to build the foundation for scale using a Crawl → Walk → Run methodology:
- Crawl: Strategic audit, stakeholder interviews, team alignment
- Walk: Custom playbook development, KPI architecture, ops rhythm
- Run: Launch execution sprints, lead team accountability, drive results
By day 90, you’ll have a playbook, operating cadence, and measurable traction.
From there, we decide how to scale.
Long-Term Engagement Options
Depending on the company’s needs, we extend into one of the following models:
- Fractional CSO Retainer - Ongoing strategic leadership embedded weekly in ops, GTM, and capital alignment.
- Project-Based Engagements - Focused on specific initiatives like M&A readiness, integration, or GTM acceleration.
- Board-Level Advisory - High-level strategic counsel with access to frameworks, insight, and deal support.
