Make it real
Originate the concept, define the product, build the first working version, and land the first customer.
Zero-to-One Builder
I take things that don't exist yet and make them real.
Architect turned agency founder, operator, and AI builder. 35 years, three exits, now building three AI ventures and advising select companies as a fractional growth leader.
Where I'm Strongest
Tech, venture, architecture, advertising, wellness, products. To me they're the same job.
Take something that doesn't exist yet, and make it real. That's the zero-to-one stage. It's messy, it's ambiguous, and most people hate it. I'm strongest there.
- I see patterns others miss.
- I connect ideas before I can explain how.
- I build fast, because waiting feels worse than not being 100% right.
The Real Game
Zero to one is the spark. Commercialization is the business.
Anyone can start something. Few can make it sell. I take a company from nothing to a real product, then move it from 1 customer to 10 to 100 faster than the market expects. That second stretch is where most startups stall, and it's where I do my best work.
Make it repeatable
Find what the first customers have in common. Sharpen the offer, price it, and build the pitch and channel that close the next nine.
Make it scale
Turn what worked into a system: go-to-market, partnerships, demand generation, and the revenue architecture behind them.
Speed is the strategy. Every month a startup spends between customer 1 and customer 10 is a month a competitor gets to catch up.
- 35 years building companies
- 3 exits: Forum 21 Integrated Communications, Xylem CCI, Jett Brand Companies
- 72 person agency across Denver, NYC, Chicago, London
- 20+ founders helped raise capital or restructure
- 1 patent application (PCT/US2025/030020)
Building now.
AI for Construction
Built for people who build.
AI for Venues
Real-time demand and attribution.
AI Intelligence Hubs
Financial, Insurance.
Assembling partners. Start a conversation
Fractional
Work with me.
Fractional Growth Leadership
GTM design, demand generation, revenue architecture, launch to scale.
AI Product & Commercialization
AI-native products from concept to revenue, with human decision governance built in.
Capital & Investor Readiness
Board-facing narratives, financial planning, fundraising support.
Selective. Founder-led and PE-backed teams. Denver, Las Vegas, Remote.
Track Record
35 years of zero to one.
- 2011–PresentFounder, CXO Advisor and Fractional AI Growth
- 2023–2025SVP, AI & Digital Transformation, Spotsurfer
- 2018–2023Founder and CEO, Eight Saints Organic
- 2019–2021CMO, Tread Global International
- 2016–2017VP Sales and Marketing, Forum Real Estate Group
- 2015–2016Founder and CEO, Jett Brand Companies
- 2001–2009Founder and CMO, Xylem CCI
- EarlierFounded Forum 21 Integrated Communications 10 years as a design architect in San Francisco and Denver. B.F.A., Colorado State University.
Writing and Speaking
Executive intelligence for leaders building what's next.
AI Horizons: Navigating the Innovation Economy is my monthly newsletter on where AI is creating real value, and I bring the same lens to keynotes, panels, and the Against The Grain podcast.
Get in Touch
Building something from nothing? Let's talk.
Get past the noise.
A warm introduction is the best way to get my attention. If you don't have one, I'm still happy to hear from you. For fast and thorough consideration, send a concise note with:
- What you're building, or the problem you're trying to solve
- Stage, timing, and what kind of help you need (fractional, advisory, or build partner)
- Your location and the team involved