Embedded Strategic Operator for Growth-Stage Startups

I work alongside founders and leadership teams to align strategy, structure, and execution before scaling pressure turns small misalignment into structural risk.

Contract-based roles. Growth-stage focus. Real operational impact.

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Scaling doesn’t usually fail because of a lack of effort.

It fails because growth amplifies what was never structurally aligned:

unclear strategy, fragile decision logic, hidden operational tension, or assumptions that worked at Seed but break at Series A or B.


I work inside companies at this stage - not as an external commentator, but as an embedded strategic operator.


My focus is simple:


  • Clarify strategic direction under growth pressure
  • Align product, market, and operational structure
  • Pressure-test major commitments before they become expensive to unwind
  • Stabilize systems before complexity overtakes clarity


This is hands-on structural work, done alongside founders and leadership teams.

I typically join post-Seed to Series B startups during moments such as:

  • Preparing for or just after a funding round
  • Rapid hiring and organizational expansion
  • Product-market tension masked by early growth
  • Strategic shifts that affect structure and capital allocation
  • Board-level expectations diverging from operational reality


My role is not to replace founders or run departments.


My role is to:


  • Surface blind spots in strategy and structure
  • Clarify decision logic
  • Align leadership around durable priorities
  • Translate narrative into executable structure


I work contract-based and embedded - long enough to create stability, not just diagnosis.

My background is not traditional consulting.

I began building businesses in the early 1990s in environments where markets, infrastructure, and operating models had to be created from scratch.


Over the past 25+ years, I have:


  • Built and scaled infrastructure companies
  • Operated in unstable and capital-constrained markets
  • Led teams through rapid growth and structural pressure
  • Navigated regulatory shifts, operational breakdowns, and market resets


Building in volatile systems changes how you see growth.


It trains you to look beyond momentum and ask:


Is this structurally sound - or just temporarily working?


That lens shapes how I work with scaling startups today.

I am not a motivational coach.

I am not a framework seller.

I do not run marketing sprints or growth hacks.


And I don’t disappear after a slide deck.


My work is focused on structural clarity, decision quality, and operational coherence - especially when growth accelerates complexity.

Engagements are:


  • Contract-based
  • Embedded within leadership
  • Focused on defined structural objectives
  • Time-bound but impact-driven


The goal is not dependency.


The goal is a company that can scale without silent structural fragility.

This work is most relevant for:


  • Founders navigating growth beyond early traction
  • Leadership teams under scaling pressure
  • Companies preparing for institutional capital
  • Startups where complexity is rising faster than clarity


If growth feels faster than alignment, structural work is overdue.

If you’re building through a scaling inflection point and need experienced structural support inside the system, not outside commentary, we can talk.

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© 2026 Vitaly Solten. Strictly Confidential.