Fractional Talent for Series A/B Start-Ups

Taylor Crane

February 25, 2026

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Series A and Series B startups are expected to operate with far more precision than early-stage teams, yet most still lack the fully built leadership bench required to hit aggressive growth targets. Fractional executives give these companies flexible senior support that strengthens execution, improves cross-functional alignment, and helps teams scale without committing too early to expensive full-time hires.

By the A and B stages, the company usually has product market fit, and is working on scaling a repeatable growth motion that isn’t too reliant on the founders. Many teams reach this point with uneven processes, unclear ownership across functions, or early leaders who now need additional support. Fractional operators are effective here because they can step into well-defined gaps and bring in experience from dozens of other companies without needing full-time commitment.

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Common Use Cases For Fractional Talent For Series A and B Companies

Specialty roles without full-time need: As companies scale, certain functions become necessary but don’t warrant full-time executives yet (e.g., Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel, CISO).
Bridging a leadership transition: When a full-time executive exits, a fractional leader can step in immediately to maintain continuity while the company assesses needs and searches for the next hire.
More hands on deck: Startups sometimes just need people to do the work that doesn’t need to be ramped up significantly. There’s a misconception sometimes that fractional execs only ‘manage’ people. In reality, most fractional execs are willing to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and just fill in gaps where work needs to get done, leveraging their experiences across dozens of companies.
Accelerating execution in a high-pressure window: Fundraises, product launches, and new market entries often require temporary senior or experienced IC capacity that the team does not yet have. Fractional leaders can absorb this pressure, create near-term clarity, and keep teams focused on the right milestones.
Improving forecasting and operational predictability: At this stage, investors expect tighter visibility into growth, margin, hiring plans, and cash usage. Fractional finance and operations leaders can implement lightweight models and reporting habits that help the company operate with greater discipline. Finance especially is a function that could use a lot of up-front work (setting up accounting systems, balance sheets, expense tracking, policies, etc.) but that quickly tapers off when the systems are performing well. This is super well aligned to fractional hiring.
Preparing for fundraising: Many early-stage companies struggle to articulate their story or build investor-ready models while also running day-to-day operations. Fractional finance and strategy leaders can refine the narrative, strengthen metrics, and organize materials so the fundraise does not derail product momentum.

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How Series A and B Teams Typically Engage Fractional Leaders

Most engagements begin around a clearly defined outcome or gap, with the fractional operator working a consistent weekly cadence and integrating closely with department heads. The work tends to be a mix of hands-on leadership, strategic guidance, and system building that sets the stage for a future full-time executive.

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Bottom Line

Series A and B startups are under pressure to move quickly while also maturing operationally. Fractional leaders offer a flexible way to raise the ceiling on execution, support emerging managers, and install scalable systems without rushing into permanent executive hires before the company is truly ready.

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Series A & B Case Study

Hearth (Series B SaaS) had a departing CFO, but was in the midst of a critical growth phase. They didn’t have time to wait 6+ months to find the right full-time replacement. So they got help from Fractional Jobs to bring on a Fractional CFO for 25 hours per week. Not only were they able to keep the company moving, but a year later they’ve still not needed a full-time replacement.

Hearth’s CEO said: "Really impressed with the quality of these candidates - seems really promising. Thanks Taylor.”

Fractional Jobs also helped:

1v1Me (Series A) hire a Fractional Senior Data Scientists for 20 hours per week
Medly (Series B) hire a Fractional CFO for 10 hours per week.
Wynd Labs (Series B) hire a Fractional Head of Talent Acquisition for 15 hours per week.

All with similar results.

Get help hiring fractional talent for your Series A or B startup, learn more here.

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Who Wrote This Guide?

I’m Taylor Crane, founder of Fractional Jobs (the site you’re reading this on!).

I’ve helped 100+ companies hire fractional execs and other fractional talent. I also spent a year as a Fractional Head of Product.

I intimately understand how fractional work works from both sides of the table. And this guide is meant to help everyone get up to speed on the fractional world, quickly.