For PE partners
Your portfolio company has a marketing problem. It's costing more than you think.
Fractional CMO for PE-backed growth-stage companies. Embedded quickly, no ramp-up time, commercial focus from day one.
The pattern you keep seeing
Marketing is one of the most common reasons portfolio companies miss growth targets.
Not because of budget. Because of how the function was built.
Most portfolio companies inherit a marketing team set up to communicate, producing content, running campaigns, reporting on reach. Not contributing to pipeline. Not aligned with sales. Not tied to the revenue metrics that matter to your investment thesis.
You can fix the product. You can fix the operations. But if marketing isn't generating pipeline, the growth story doesn't hold.
Why marketing fails in PE portfolio companies
By the time the board asks, six months have already passed.
The pattern is consistent. Acquisition complete. Marketing team in place. No CMO, or the seat is empty. The team produces activity but no one connects it to revenue.
A full-time CMO hire takes three to four months to find and another three to six to ramp up. That is nine months before you see commercial impact, at full salary cost, with full hiring risk.
A fractional CMO is embedded within weeks. No ramp-up. No long-term headcount commitment. Commercial focus from the first conversation.
How I work with PE
Rapid diagnosis. Clear plan. Commercial impact within the first quarter.
I work directly with the PE partner and portfolio company leadership. The engagement starts with a rapid commercial audit, the revenue gaps, the marketing setup, and what needs to change to hit the growth targets in the investment thesis.
By the end of month one, you have a clear picture of the problem and a 90-day plan. By the end of the first quarter, the commercial infrastructure is in place and pipeline is moving.
What you get
Senior marketing leadership without the hiring risk, the timeline, or the permanent headcount.
Faster path to commercial impact
No nine-month hiring process. No ramp-up cost. A senior marketing leader embedded in the portfolio company within weeks, with a clear focus on pipeline contribution.
Commercial foundations that hold at exit
Positioning, messaging, GTM alignment, and documented systems. A marketing function that looks credible, and performs, when buyers conduct due diligence.
Cross-functional fluency across product, marketing, and sales
The combination that growth-stage companies need to run a unified GTM. Most CMOs cover one function. This engagement covers the full commercial system.
Proof it works
From people who've seen the transformation firsthand.
"He showed to be a great leader in marketing and led some large projects with great success. Restructuring of the department, a global rebranding, introducing a KPI management system, and many more."
"Nuno has led a complete transformation of the marketing department."
"He's a visionary, talented manager able to run large sales and marketing groups by using his natural leadership style."
Case study
How a strategic LinkedIn campaign under Nuno's leadership transformed lead generation for Ultimaker, delivering lower costs, higher engagement, and scalable revenue growth.
Read the Ultimaker case study(coming soon)
The cost of waiting
The cost of a marketing gap in a portfolio company.
Quantify the monthly revenue at risk when marketing isn't carrying its share of the pipeline. Adjust the inputs to model a portfolio company situation.
Your numbers
Based on B2B benchmark: a commercial marketing function generates 30–40% of pipeline. This tool uses 35% as the benchmark. Your current input is compared against that standard.
Live results
Annual pipeline target for marketing
€3,150,000
Based on 35% B2B benchmark
Annual pipeline marketing generates today
€1,350,000
Based on your current input
Monthly revenue at risk
€50,000
The gap between where you are and where you should be
If nothing changes
- In 3 months€150,000
- In 6 months€300,000
- In 12 months€600,000
Your sales team of 5 people are carrying the pipeline gap that a commercial marketing function should be closing.
The next step
This gap doesn't close on its own.
Book a 30-minute callOne conversation to assess whether this is fixable and how long it takes.
Diagnostic
Assess a portfolio company's marketing health in three minutes.
Rate five dimensions of marketing commerciality. Get an overall risk score, a breakdown by dimension, and a recommended intervention.
01
Pipeline contribution
Does marketing generate measurable pipeline, or primarily content and activity?
Select a rating
02
Positioning and messaging
Is the value proposition clear, documented, and used consistently across the company?
Select a rating
03
Marketing and sales alignment
Do the two functions share a lead definition, a pipeline view, and a working feedback loop?
Select a rating
04
Marketing leadership
Is there CMO-level capability in the seat, or a gap in strategic direction?
Select a rating
05
Systems and scalability
Are there documented processes that survive personnel changes and support team growth?
Select a rating
Results
Rate all five dimensions to see your results.
FAQ
Common questions
- How quickly can you be embedded in a portfolio company?
- Typically within two to three weeks of the initial conversation. There is no hiring process and no ramp-up period. The commercial audit starts in week one.
- Can you work across multiple portfolio companies simultaneously?
- Yes. Each client is in a different sector or market. Time is allocated in structured blocks, there is no overlap and no conflict. You always know the schedule.
- What is your process for aligning with existing management?
- The commercial audit in month one is conducted with the leadership team, not around them. By the end of month one, the CEO and I have a shared diagnosis and a 90-day plan. Alignment is built into the process, not assumed.
- How do you build a marketing function that holds at exit?
- Documented systems, trained team, clear positioning. Buyers conducting due diligence want a marketing function that performs independently of one person. That is the standard I build to from the start of every engagement.
A portfolio company in mind?
One conversation. Confidential. No obligation.
Not a pitch. A direct conversation about whether this fits your situation and timeline. If it doesn't, I'll tell you.