Real results from real founder engagements.
20+ years of hands-on startup work — fundraising decks, AI-powered marketing systems, brand turnarounds, and applied research in detection technology. Every framework run in client engagements, with real client results.
Book a Free Call →Featured client results.
How FSI leveraged AI to achieve a 43% open rate in cold email outreach
An AI-powered cold email engine targeting healthcare executives and investment leaders. Persona-driven targeting, segmentation, and message tests — all run through customized AI workflows.
A scalable creator outreach engine for IV20 Spirits using AI + automation
Built and shipped an automation stack to identify, segment, and outreach to thousands of creators — replacing what would have been weeks of manual sourcing with an always-on system.
How a low-engagement LinkedIn share drove a 491-visitor spike in under 72 hours
In B2B marketing, success is often misread. A post that looked like a flop drove the highest traffic spike of the quarter. Why vanity metrics lie — and what to track instead.
IV20 Spirits — From concept to launch-ready consumer brand
Brand positioning, website, packaging strategy, and the go-to-market plan for a premium spirits launch. Positioning rewrite, ICP lockdown, and channel sequencing all installed during the engagement.
Aware Monitoring Systems — Embedded fractional CMO seat
Three vendors consolidated into one accountable seat. Brand position rewritten. KPI dashboard live by Week 4 and reviewed weekly. The number became visible.
Glenn Industries — From category language to a differentiated position
Repositioning and GTM turnaround for a mid-market industrial brand. Generic category framing replaced with a sharp differentiated position that investors and buyers could repeat back.
Five types of work we do for founders.
Pitch decks investors actually read.
Pitch decks built to articulate the founder's story, traction, and opportunity with precision. Decks that have helped founders secure funding across pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds — not cookie-cutter templates, but custom-built decks tied to the marketing thesis.
Pipeline, community, and inbound that grows.
Growth-driven campaigns, social content, LinkedIn strategy, and podcast appearances. These channels aren't managed for vanity — they're used to build pipelines, community, and inbound traffic. Every channel tracked back to a number, not a vanity metric.
Websites that convert and rank.
Every project begins with a clear positioning framework, optimized structure, and a roadmap for organic growth. We track real outcomes: ranking lifts, bounce rate improvements, and lead conversion increases — not just launches.
PR that builds real credibility.
Client placements in publications that matter, and founder visibility built through thoughtful PR strategy and LinkedIn content that actually lands. Not vanity placements — coverage that buyers, partners, and investors actually read.
Hundreds of hours, automated.
Custom AI systems built and deployed inside client operations — content production, research, lead qualification, creator outreach. Not generic GPT agents — customized workflows. Tools shipped include AutoBlogger Pro and LeafScraper AI.
20+ years inside startups.
1-on-1 coaching, embedded fractional CMO engagements, and the Digital Start-up Playbook — the same frameworks I run inside paid client work, packaged for founders at every stage.
Steven's technical and research background.
Before the startup work and the founder coaching, Steven spent a decade inside applied detection-technology research — hyperspectral imaging, counter-terrorism systems, chemical detection. The same first-principles thinking shows up in every framework he ships today.
Advanced Raman Robotics for Explosive Detection
STARR — Shortwave-Targeted Agile Raman Robot for detecting emplaced explosives at standoff range.
VeroVision — Award-Winning Detection Technology
Hyperspectral imaging system recognized for technological innovation in security threat identification.
Advancing Portable Hyperspectral Imaging for Standoff Detection
Portable HSI sensors for detecting explosive, chemical, and narcotic residues remotely.
SWIR Hyperspectral Imaging for Residue Detection
Shortwave-infrared technology for precision detection of surface residues across operational environments.
Counter-Terrorism Technology Showcased at Indy 500
Advanced detection device tested at a major event for real-world threat identification.
Aperio — Redefining Chemical Detection Technology
The first device capable of identifying chemicals without laboratory testing — field-deployable spectroscopy.
IV20 SPIRITS
Aware Monitoring
GLENN INDUSTRIES
FanSynQ
What founders say about working with Steven.
Steven asked the questions no one else was asking. He stress-tested assumptions I was too close to see — and the validation process changed how we approach every product decision now.
I came in with a notebook full of half-formed ideas. By the end of the engagement I had a written vision and a clearer next move. That clarity is what was missing.
Steven sells judgment. The frameworks help, but the real value is having a 20+ year startup veteran looking at my business every week and telling me what he actually sees.
Steven helped me rebuild our deck and traction story from scratch. The investor conversations got noticeably sharper — and so did our internal clarity.
The AI systems Steven installed transformed our output. It looked like a four-person team came from one person.
Your case study could be next.
Book a free 30-minute 1-on-1 call. We'll diagnose your stage, your highest-leverage next move, and the engagement that fits — coaching, fractional CMO, AI services, or just the Playbook.
Practical, no-fluff startup and marketing breakdowns from 20+ years and 40+ product launches — plus new free resources as they drop.