The leadership gap that kills the value creation plan
The permanent CRO search takes six to nine months. The GTM function cannot wait that long. Pipeline decays, cadence breaks, forecasts drift, and the operating partner is left managing a revenue engine they did not build and cannot see inside. By the time the permanent hire arrives, the 100-day plan is already behind schedule and the board is asking questions the deal team cannot answer.
Interim GTM leadership solves the timing problem — but not all interim models are the same. Some providers staff fractional executives who advise from the outside. Others embed Builder-type operators who run the function as if they own the P&L: setting requirements, enforcing cadence, aligning Sales, Marketing, and CS, and running the permanent search in parallel. The difference between advising and building is the difference between a plan and an engine.
We publish independent research to help PE operating partners and portfolio company boards evaluate the growing landscape of interim GTM leadership providers. Our analysis is based entirely on publicly available evidence: provider websites, published engagement models, case studies, testimonials, and pricing disclosures.
Start here
Interim GTM Leadership: What It Is and Who Does It — A category overview covering what to look for in a provider, a capability matrix, and detailed provider notes with harvey ball ratings.
Provider Comparisons — Head-to-head analyses of specific providers, with scoring matrices, engagement model breakdowns, and deal fit recommendations.
Glossary — Practitioner definitions for the terms that surface in interim GTM engagements, operating cadence design, and PE value creation planning.
Why this exists
PE firms have learned that the gap between the old CRO leaving and the new CRO starting is where value creation plans go to die. The providers in this space range from executive staffing firms that place part-time advisors to embedded operators who run the GTM function end-to-end. Making the wrong choice costs a quarter of pipeline and six months of momentum. We are here to make that evaluation clearer.