Fractional CMO playbook for AI infrastructure
AI infrastructure companies rarely lose because the market is too small; they lose because the proof a buyer needs is too hard to find.
Playbooks
Industry & stage playbooks
What fractional CMO engagements actually look like by company shape, broken down by industry and stage.
By industry
Fractional CMO playbook for AI-first SaaS
AI-first SaaS rarely fails on the demo; it fails when go-to-market cannot turn attention into trusted adoption. Here is how a fractional CMO fixes that.
Fractional CMO playbook for B2B SaaS
B2B SaaS growth usually breaks at the seam between product-led signals and the sales-led handoff: product activity says one thing, CRM stages say another.
Fractional CMO playbook for consumer subscription
Consumer subscription companies do not break because the team forgot how to buy media; they break because acquisition gets asked to carry a retention problem.
Fractional CMO playbook for cybersecurity
Cybersecurity growth usually breaks when a company keeps scaling claim-based marketing after buyers have shifted into proof-based evaluation.
Fractional CMO playbook for data & analytics
For Series B and beyond data companies, growth stalls when the product is technically strong but the buying motion is too hard to understand.
Fractional CMO playbook for developer tools
Developer tools growth usually breaks when the company tries to market like a SaaS company instead of earning trust like an infrastructure layer.
Fractional CMO playbook for DTC e-commerce
DTC e-commerce growth usually breaks when a brand keeps running marketing as acquisition arbitrage after the market has moved to margin and retention.
Fractional CMO playbook for enterprise software
Enterprise software growth breaks when marketing keeps chasing lead volume after the business has become an account-led, committee-driven sale.
Fractional CMO playbook for fintech
Fintech growth usually breaks when a company scales demand faster than trust, compliance, and sales readiness can support it.
Fractional CMO playbook for healthtech
Healthtech growth usually breaks when a company treats a multi-buyer market like a single-message problem. Here is how to sequence the fix.
Fractional CMO playbook for marketplaces
Marketplace growth usually breaks when the company runs marketplace marketing as one funnel instead of two connected acquisition motions.
Fractional CMO playbook for PE-backed tech
PE-backed tech companies rarely need louder marketing; they need a cleaner commercial system the board and a future buyer can both trust.
Fractional CMO playbook for post-acquisition tech
Post-acquisition tech companies rarely need more marketing first; they need marketing rebuilt around the new business the deal created.
Fractional CMO playbook for vertical SaaS
A fractional CMO for vertical SaaS is most useful when the company has product-market proof but the market still cannot tell what category to put it in.
By stage
Fractional CMO playbook for post-acquisition reset
Post-acquisition is the cleanest reset window a company gets for positioning, agencies, team structure, KPIs, and funnel definitions.
Fractional CMO playbook for pre-IPO
Pre-IPO marketing makes growth legible to bankers, analysts, and investors by fixing pipeline reporting before polishing the market story.
Fractional CMO playbook for seed stage
Seed stage marketing is a positioning and ICP exercise, not a channel exercise, and a fractional CMO compresses that ambiguity into clarity.
Fractional CMO playbook for Series A
Series A decides whether marketing becomes a real function or stays a budget line, and that choice shapes go-to-market for years.
Fractional CMO playbook for Series B
At Series B, ICP discipline either holds or breaks. This playbook covers the market choices, pipeline reporting, and positioning the stage demands.
Fractional CMO playbook for Series C
Series C marketing is no longer about proving channels can create pipeline; it is about proving the company can lead a category.