Build and grow your startup with Australia's best fractional leaders.
We help VC-backed startups build market traction with experienced leaders and operators who can pave the way, at speed. Bridge your leadership gap with Shepherd — it's free to get started.
Start hiring now
Our leaders have built teams and functions at global tech companies and startups:
Shepherd helps early and growth-stage startups launch and scale with velocity.
We've handpicked our network of fractional leaders who've built and led teams from the ground up. They are former Director+ level leaders who provide not just their expertise and experience but can fast track results.
Product Marketing
Sales
Growth Marketing
Customer Experience
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Tech & Product
Strategic Finance
People & Culture
Other
What do you need to tackle?
Sales strategy
Product positioning
Product launch
Enterprise sales
Demand generation
Customer retention
Account Based Marketing
Revenue Ops
Product marketing
Sales enablement
How it works
We made hiring hassle-free. Don't waste months on endless interviewing.
Brief us
Send us a brief and the leadership gap you're looking to fill —it's free. We'll then match you with best-fit candidates, and you'll receive video pitches from them within a few days.
Vibe check
Shortlist and setup up a time to meet with your candidates to discuss a game plan. Then agree on the scope, duration and fees, and sign off the Statement of Work when you're ready.
Let's go!
Choose a start date and pay just one monthly invoice —we'll take care of the rest. No hidden fees or nasty surprises. Scale up or down, pause and cancel anytime.
“As a venture-backed startup, we needed velocity to results. We don’t have time or money to bootstrap the recruitment process. Our needs are constantly evolving and we needed someone who is comfortable running at our startup pace.
We found our Fractional Product Designer, with experience in designing AI-powered software, through Shepherd in just eight days. We like the startup-friendly flexible terms of fractional leadership, and the Shepherd curated network is a shortcut to getting things done quickly.”
Mantas, Co-founder @ Cor
Why Shepherd?
Turbocharge your expertise
Shepherd's fractional leaders aren't your typical consultants, they're hands-on catalysts for success. Unlike advisors, they own outcomes and dive deep into the nitty-gritty.
Get things done properly
Imagine having access to the playbooks used to drive the go-to-market success of other tech companies. No more second-guessing whether you're doing it right. Leverage their experience to navigate to rapid growth.
Extend your runway
Tap into a diverse skillset tailored to your evolving business needs—all at a fraction of the cost. You get 100% brainpower without breaking your bank.
Assemble your A-team
Expert guidance where and when you need it most, optimising your resources for maximum impact. Assemble your A-team and get from first paying customers to rapid growth.
Scale up or down
You can hire our fractional leaders to help tackle your strategic priorities or get them in for a longer-term engagement. Scale up or down your team as required. One monthly invoice and no surprises.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Still have questions?
Get in touch and we’ll respond ASAP.
Book a consult
What’s the benefit of fractional leaders over hiring someone full-time?
Simple — flexibility, scalability, and practicality.
At Shepherd, we understand the dynamic landscape of startups. Hiring full-time execs comes with its perks, but it also means a hefty commitment, both financially and operationally. And let’s face it, not all companies need a full-time CXO.
Shepherd offers you the best of both worlds—seasoned leadership without the full-time baggage:
At Shepherd, we understand the dynamic landscape of startups. Hiring full-time execs comes with its perks, but it also means a hefty commitment, both financially and operationally. And let’s face it, not all companies need a full-time CXO.
Shepherd offers you the best of both worlds—seasoned leadership without the full-time baggage:
- Flexibility: Fractional Execs allow you to tap into the expertise you need when you need it. No need to commit to a full-time salary, bonus, equity, or employee perks.
- Scalability: Your startup's journey is unique, and so are its needs. Shepherd is a scalable solution. Whether you're in a specific growth phase or require ongoing support, you have the flexibility to scale up or down, adapting to your business's evolving needs.
- Practicality: Shepherd is a flexible solution that protects your runway. It's about parachuting someone you can trust when you need it most. Skip months of endless CV scanning, interviewing and lag-time of bringing someone on board in-house, Shepherd is all about time-to-value.
Shepherd offers the strategic advantage of accessing experienced leadership without compromising your startup's agility, adaptability, and bottom line.
Shepherd offers the strategic advantage of accessing experienced leadership without compromising your startup's agility, adaptability, and bottom line.
How do we vet our fractional leaders?
Shepherd is not for everybody.
Our network of fractional leaders have a minimum of 15 years of experience as a leader and operator and have worked in a range of companies large and small. They are thinker-doers, who just get a kick out of building things and solving meaty problems.
Our members go through a rigorous application process to ensure they're the right fit, but also to ensure we have a good representation of experiences and skills to meet the market needs.
They are vetted for their practical industry experience with a proven track record of delivering outcomes and results for their clients, but most importantly — they are awesome humans.
We also have a cap on the number of fractional leaders we onboard to ensure we prioritise quality over quantity of job matching.
Our network of fractional leaders have a minimum of 15 years of experience as a leader and operator and have worked in a range of companies large and small. They are thinker-doers, who just get a kick out of building things and solving meaty problems.
Our members go through a rigorous application process to ensure they're the right fit, but also to ensure we have a good representation of experiences and skills to meet the market needs.
They are vetted for their practical industry experience with a proven track record of delivering outcomes and results for their clients, but most importantly — they are awesome humans.
We also have a cap on the number of fractional leaders we onboard to ensure we prioritise quality over quantity of job matching.
How do they work?
In-person, virtually, or both!
Fractional leaders embed into your business as if they’re employed full-time, except they’re not. We recommend starting the fractional engagement with a solid onboarding plan to help them up to speed quickly.
The more time you invest in their onboarding, the quicker they can deliver value. This time is critical in ensuring the success of the engagement as it’ll give them time to digest and understand the problem space — your business, your product and your customers.
Generally, it only takes a couple of weeks for them to gain clarity on what needs to be done, both the quick wins and the longer-term projects.
Fractional leaders embed into your business as if they’re employed full-time, except they’re not. We recommend starting the fractional engagement with a solid onboarding plan to help them up to speed quickly.
The more time you invest in their onboarding, the quicker they can deliver value. This time is critical in ensuring the success of the engagement as it’ll give them time to digest and understand the problem space — your business, your product and your customers.
Generally, it only takes a couple of weeks for them to gain clarity on what needs to be done, both the quick wins and the longer-term projects.
How often do they work?
Our fractional leaders don’t need a whole lot of hand-holding. They’ve done the role enough times both as a leader and operator to know how to onboard quickly and get things done.
They work a minimum of one day a week or equivalent. A typical fractional engagement can range from 3 months to 9 months, and sometimes indefinitely, depending on the complexity and urgency of the problem.
They generally work regular office hours so they are accessible to you and your team, in person or virtually. When you meet the fractional leader you’ve been matched with, make sure you discuss and agree on the ways of working.
They work a minimum of one day a week or equivalent. A typical fractional engagement can range from 3 months to 9 months, and sometimes indefinitely, depending on the complexity and urgency of the problem.
They generally work regular office hours so they are accessible to you and your team, in person or virtually. When you meet the fractional leader you’ve been matched with, make sure you discuss and agree on the ways of working.
How much do you charge?
We charge a flat introduction fee of 10% for the duration of the engagement. You pay only if we find you a match. No upfront fee.
Our fractional leaders set their rates based on their experience and expertise —no hourly fuss. They can range between $1,000 to $2,000 a day as a rough guide.
There's a minimum of 1 day a week, for two weeks to get started with Shepherd. A typical fractional engagement can last anywhere between three to six months, or sometimes indefinitely.
You just need to pay one invoice every month and we'll take care of the admin overhead.
Our fractional leaders set their rates based on their experience and expertise —no hourly fuss. They can range between $1,000 to $2,000 a day as a rough guide.
There's a minimum of 1 day a week, for two weeks to get started with Shepherd. A typical fractional engagement can last anywhere between three to six months, or sometimes indefinitely.
You just need to pay one invoice every month and we'll take care of the admin overhead.
Do fractional leaders have other jobs?
Yes — most of our fractional leaders work with multiple clients. The breadth and depth of their experience is what makes them a compelling option for a startup wanting to get from A to B quickly.
Many in our network have left the 9-5 grind to intentionally work in the startup ecosystem as an independent consultant, freelance exec, and advisor. Some are also exited founders.
This means they understand the importance of prioritisation and speed-to-value, rather than getting sucked into the bureaucracy and company politicking.
Their ultimate goal is to help startups succeed, and to eventually replace themselves with someone who can take the reins, in-house.
Many in our network have left the 9-5 grind to intentionally work in the startup ecosystem as an independent consultant, freelance exec, and advisor. Some are also exited founders.
This means they understand the importance of prioritisation and speed-to-value, rather than getting sucked into the bureaucracy and company politicking.
Their ultimate goal is to help startups succeed, and to eventually replace themselves with someone who can take the reins, in-house.
How is Shepherd different to other talent recruitment platforms and agencies?
We're about helping you find the best fractional leader in days, not months.
Shepherd delivers a video-first matchmaking experience, enabling you to find the right match asynchronously.
We vet and meet all of the fractional leaders to ensure we can match you with the best of the best. They are all former Director+ level leaders with track records of helping startups achieve great outcomes from scratch.
No generic freelancers here —just experienced operators with passion for startups, ready to roll up their sleeves, dive deep, and make a real impact.
Shepherd is not suited for task-oriented projects with set deliverables and milestones (you've got Upwork or Expert360 for that).
Shepherd delivers a video-first matchmaking experience, enabling you to find the right match asynchronously.
We vet and meet all of the fractional leaders to ensure we can match you with the best of the best. They are all former Director+ level leaders with track records of helping startups achieve great outcomes from scratch.
No generic freelancers here —just experienced operators with passion for startups, ready to roll up their sleeves, dive deep, and make a real impact.
Shepherd is not suited for task-oriented projects with set deliverables and milestones (you've got Upwork or Expert360 for that).
Can I pause and stop at any time?
Yes — just give us 2 weeks' notice.
What's the catch?
Nope — it's free to get started.
Let's smash goals together.
Let's smash goals together.
Ready for growth?
It's free to get started.
Start hiring now
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