Sam Palazzolo
New York, New York
Overview
Most growth stalls aren’t strategic. They’re operational. I’m a Fractional CRO, Growth Architect, and Capital Strategist brought in when companies between $5M and $100M hit a ceiling: stalled pipeline, unreliable forecasts, disconnected GTM motion, or investor pressure to make revenue predictable. My mandate extends beyond the revenue function. I diagnose and fix growth at the enterprise level, both organic and through Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). I don’t advise from the sidelines. I embed. 14 years ago, I led a SaaS startup to PE exit. My 2x. Since, I’ve scaled 15+ organizations from $5
About
Most growth stalls aren’t strategic. They’re operational. I’m a Fractional CRO, Growth Architect, and Capital Strategist brought in when companies between $5M and $100M hit a ceiling: stalled pipeline, unreliable forecasts, disconnected GTM motion, or investor pressure to make revenue predictable. My mandate extends beyond the revenue function. I diagnose and fix growth at the enterprise level, both organic and through Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). I don’t advise from the sidelines. I embed. 14 years ago, I led a SaaS startup to PE exit. My 2x. Since, I’ve scaled 15+ organizations from $5M to $500M+, including two $0 to $15M PE exits in under 18 months and a $75M to $1B growth journey inside a single organization. WHAT I BUILD AND FIX Sales, revenue, and value creation playbook design and deployment Revenue Operations (RevOps) and GTM system architecture, AI-enabled Pipeline generation, conversion, and forecasting discipline Sales, Marketing, and CS alignment tied to revenue outcomes Mergers, Acquisitions (M&A), and post-acquisition commercial integration Board-level revenue visibility and investor-grade accountability Capital strategy, raise readiness, and investor positioning My entry point is the Scaling Readiness Assessment, a proprietary diagnostic mapping growth architecture across revenue, capital, talent, and operations. It identifies the ceiling and what it takes to break through it. Revenue problems rarely live in one function. I’ve operated as CEO, COO, CRO, CMO, and CFO when required. One outcome: making growth move again. WHO I WORK WITH Founder-backed, VC-backed, PE-backed, or family office and HNWI-backed companies at $5M to $100M Portfolio companies under investor pressure to perform, transform, or prepare for exit Organizations that have plateaued, stalled, or are in post-acquisition integration CEOs who need revenue and growth clarity in 90 days, not 9 months PE sponsors and growth equity funds seeking an operating executive or board-level resource Engaged as Fractional CRO, Growth Architect, Capital Strategist, Board Director, or Advisory Board Member depending on mandate and stage. I take on 3 to 5 clients per year and operate as a true executive, not a consultant. THE OPERATOR-SCHOLAR 8x published author. Adjunct faculty, UNLV Lee Business School. Contributor, Vanderbilt Owen Leadership Development Program. Founder, The Javelin Institute (501(c)(3)). Executive education: Wharton, Kellogg, London Business School, Michigan Ross, and Texas McCombs. If your growth ceiling is operational, reach out directly.