Mark Zadell

by

Mark Zadell is an executive financial and operations professional and a TechCXO Finance Practice Partner. He is called on by Boards, investors, and senior management teams to assist as an on-demand CFO to lead mergers and acquisitions, financial planning and analysis, and investor communications. He believes in ensuring commercial alignment with strategy, and creating transparency on key value drivers for all stakeholders. As a strong communicator and strategic thinker, Mark empowers finance and accounting teams to create value and facilitate the strategic objectives of a business.

His key roles and accomplishments include:

CFO, Endeavor Business Media– Mark helped grow company revenues by 30% to $160M through 12 acquisitions for this B2B media, marketing, and events company. Mark led financial diligence and QoE work, modified M&A deal terms that yielded substantial savings, drove general capital raising activities, including an $80 million debt financing, and led pricing efforts that yielded an estimated $2 million in margin. In addition, Mark expanded the usage and breadth of financial and operational KPIs for greater commercial accountability.

CFO, Nixon Power Services – Mark’s focus was enabling growth and scalability for this $150 million generator distribution company. In addition to overseeing finance functions, he oversaw IT, Continuous Improvement, and HR functions. Mark built a high-performing corporate team of 25, while providing technology and financial roadmaps to achieve growth and margin goals (25% revenue growth and 2% points of service margin expansion). He also worked closely with Sales on standardizing contract terms, pricing initiatives, and ensuring access to capital to enable large jobs with substantial revenues.

FP&A Senior Director, Change Healthcare – For this healthcare IT company — now part of Optum — Mark served as the Finance lead for Revenue Cycle Management ($300 mil in revenues) businesses, with P&L co-responsibility.

Finance Leader, Genworth Financial Inc. – Mark was the lead finance executive for U.S. Life division Operations and IT functions of this Fortune 500 insurance company. In his cross-company and business unit interactions,  he developed capital spend evaluation and tracking processes on $40M in investments to encourage constant innovation. He also worked with corporate management to sell the operations to an external buyer (Pacific Life).

Mark has also held leadership positions with Flippin, Bruce & Porter, Calyon Securities, Triene Inc, and Bank of America.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance degree from Bowling Green State University, and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Doug Waage

by

Doug Waage has over 20+ years of experience in corporate finance and investment management. He has worked with both private and publicly traded firms, early-stage companies, and fast-growing tech startups. Doug has executed a successful LBO, run a closely held family business, and managed a $1B+ investment portfolio. Prior to joining TechCXO, Doug served as Senior Director of FP&A for a professional services firm, helping to grow its two digital software businesses from $1M to $50M+ revenue in 3 years.

His skills include FP&A, strategic finance, SAAS finance, budget creation and management, financial forecasting and variation analysis, strategic planning, M&A, due diligence, accounting, financial reporting, investment management, equity analysis, investor and board relations, and risk management.

Doug received his MBA in Finance from Yale University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Economics from Bucknell University.

Amanda Donnelly

by

Amanda Donnelly is a full-stack marketing leader who elevates brands, engages customers, and increases market share for organizations. She uses her deep understanding of digital marketing to assist high-growth stage businesses looking to expand their marketing operations to meet demand. Amanda is most frequently called on by Boards, investors, and senior management teams to assist clients as an interim and fractional CMO.

Amanda started her career in the ad agency space, working on award-winning campaigns for Sony PlayStation and Volkswagen. She left the agency world after a decade to launch Huffington Post’s mobile platforms for iOS and Android. Amanda then moved to IGN to lead Sales Operations.

After moving to Nashville in 2013, Amanda consulted with local startups before taking a role at Nissan North America to launch their in-vehicle safety product. During her time at Nissan, Amanda held progressive roles within marketing and customer experience. She joined Eventbrite in 2019 to build and lead their North America marketing team, responsible for 70% of the organization’s revenue. After Eventbrite, Amanda served as CMO for a fast-growing humanitarian aid organization before leaving in 2021 to start her own consulting firm focused on fractional CMO leadership.

Since joining TechCXO, Amanda has operated as a Fractional CMO for organizations large and small across multiple industries that all share one thing in common – the desire to grow. Amanda is an entrepreneurial and analytically-minded leader who uses data-driven decision-making to drive growth and improve revenue for her clients. She is well-respected for inspiring, empowering, and mentoring high-performing teams to achieve company goals and objectives.

Peter Clifton

by

Partner – Executive Operations; Interim & Fractional COO, CTO, CEO

Peter Clifton is a seasoned strategic and operational executive with extensive experience in healthcare, technology, fintech, information services, and media. As a collaborative COO, CTO or CEO, he has a proven track record of driving growth and creating shareholder value for established companies and startups. Peter has successfully partnered with management teams, boards, venture capitalists, private equity firms, and private owners to lead transformative initiatives.

With over 30 years of experience, Peter has founded three technology startups, executed multiple company turnarounds exceeding $100 million, and numerous growth-stage ventures. His expertise spans operations, finance, technology, legal, sales, licensing, strategic planning, and team building, enabling him to deliver sustainable business growth.

As a TechCXO Partner in the firm’s Executive Operations practice, Peter is frequently engaged by boards, investors, and senior management teams to lead revitalization and turnaround projects as an interim and/or fractional COO, CTO or CEO.

Recent Leadership Roles
Peter most recently provided COO/CTO leadership at:

  • Interlace Health – The leading healthcare forms automation and workflow optimization company
  • Lile Wellness – The leading functional medicine practice and private compounding pharmacy operation led by Dr. Laura Lile M.D., R.ph.
  • Fuoco – The healthcare digital marketing, PR, and communications firm based in Nashville, TN.
  • Hawkins Psychiatry – a leading multi-location Psychiatry and Wellness practice specializing in TMS and Spravato treatments as well as general psychiatric services.

In the healthcare sector, Peter has also worked extensively with executive leaders from some of the nation’s largest hospital groups and post-acute care organizations. He has played a pivotal role in developing innovative technologies aimed at cost reduction, quality improvement, process enhancement (QAPI), regulatory compliance, and care delivery optimization. He has led the design, build-out, and implementation of value-based care solutions, SaaS platforms, data-driven services, and system integrations.

Additionally, Peter is active in the Fintech space, providing technical due diligence assessments for FinTop Capital in Nashville, TN.

Expertise & Leadership in Technology & Operations
Peter is skilled at guiding technology-centric organizations through various business phases, including turnaround and revitalization, restructuring, and startup. His core competencies include:

  • Technology Strategy – Product and platform design, implementation, cybersecurity, and cloud solutions.
  • Operational Leadership – Business transformation, process optimization, and turnaround execution.
  • Financial & Strategic Planning – Financial modeling, fundraising, M&A support, and post-acquisition integration.
  • Enterprise Solutions – SaaS, blockchain, AI, machine learning, analytics, system integration, and data solutions.
  • E-commerce & Market Expansion – Online platforms, licensing, large account management, and international business development.
  • Supply Chain & Logistics – Wholesale, distribution, and supply chain optimization.

Notable Executive Roles

CEO, ReadyPoint Health Inc. – Led a successful turnaround and buyout from Martin Ventures.
Repositioned the company as a healthcare technology provider, specializing in SaaS, data integration, mobile development, cloud solutions, AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity.

President & CEO, Ingram Content Group (Multiple Divisions) – Managed five operating divisions with $600M+ in revenue and drove multiple turnarounds that significantly increased revenue and net profit.

CEO, BookFool / Textbookarmy.com – Led a financial and operational restructuring, including the redesign of the company’s proprietary e-commerce pricing and order fulfillment system. Raised two rounds of financing prior to a successful sale.

CEO & Founder, FiledBy.com – Built the first-ever SaaS-based creator-centric author registry connecting authors with book buyers through e-commerce and SEO-optimized online marketing.. Raised two rounds of venture funding.

CEO & Founder, PubEasy.com – Led the capitalization, technology development, and deployment of this global B2B e-commerce company, which was later successfully acquired. The platform is now owned by Germany’s MVB.

Earlier Career & Media Industry Experience
Peter has also held leadership roles in media, publishing, and gaming:

  • Vice President, Business Development & Licensing, SEGA of America / SEGASOFT
  • Vice President, New Media Development, NewsCorp / HarperCollins
  • Director, New Media Development, John Wiley & Sons

In these roles, he oversaw the acquisition, development, and sale of interactive and animated game/media products based on branded intellectual property.

Areas of Expertise
Healthcare, Technology, FinTech, Operations, Finance, Governance, Strategy, Growth, Turnaround, Restructuring, Capital Raise, M&A, Intellectual Property, Licensing, Contract Negotiation, Sales Leadership, International Expansion, Compliance, Cybersecurity, SaaS, Blockchain, AI, Cloud Solutions, Digital Marketing, E-commerce, Logistics, Wholesale, Distribution, Media, Publishing, Game Development, and Customer Experience.

Education & Personal Interests
Peter holds a BA in Fine Arts (Painting & Sculpture) from the University of Massachusetts. In his minimal spare time, he is an abstract expressionist painter.

Dan Benetz

by

Dan Benetz is TechCXO partner within the firm’s Finance Practice.  He assists start-ups and fast-growth companies as an operationally-focused CFO. He primarily focuses on firms in the Technology, Manufacturing, Life Science/Biotech and AI spaces, as well as SaaS businesses in Digital Healthcare, Digital Transformation and Education Technology. Dan spends his time in both Nashville and California.

Boards, investors and senior management teams call on Dan to apply his 25+ years experience — much of it in Silicon Valley — and skills in financial analysis and business modeling, along with his extensive commercial and operational experience in order to accelerate growth.

During his distinguished career, Dan held the following positions:

CFO, Xsolis Inc., Xsolis is a Digital Healthcare SaaS company using predictive AI to eliminate waste in the healthcare ecosystem between providers and payers. Dan helped close a significant round of private equity as well as scale up financial reporting.

CFO, The Tugboat Group. Tugboat Ventures and Tugboat Institute, a CEO-membership organization focused on building Evergreen businesses (without VC or PE funding). Dan worked on investment models, capital optimization, operational KPIs and evaluation tools to help businesses benchmark performance across various scales and industries.

CFO at NuGEN Technologies. NuGEN was a  provider of Genomics sample preparation solutions enabling scientists to access true biology in all samples.  Dan helped NuGEN expand operations internationally to serve Pharma, Diagnostic and Academic researchers worldwide. Dan worked to secure funding for the business to scale, as well as handle a significant technology replacement cycle in the Genomics market. Dan applied business analysis and modeling, go-to-market strategies, capital efficiency, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions to help the firm’s success.

Dan’s public company experience was with Affymetrix, a mid-market Life Science business where Dan worked in Corporate and International finance and contributed in various areas, including: SEC reporting, Sarbanes Oxley, financial systems, financial planning and analysis and management reporting, as well as international business and tax.  Dan began his career at Intel Finance, where he worked in various roles across corporate finance, supply chain, microprocessor pricing & competitive analysis, Intel Capital, new businesses and M&A.

Dan received his BS in Mathematics/Applied Science from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Stephanie Rose Belcher

by

Stephanie Rose-Belcher is a senior strategic and operations leader in the healthcare sector. She has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, managing production operations, product development, market planning, customer relationships, administrative operations, compliance, and technology teams. As a TechCXO Executive Operations partner, she serves new, mid-stage and publicly traded SaaS and tech-enabled services healthcare companies. Read her blog.

Her transformational work for clients resides at the intersection of customer success, operations, and product development, where innovation leads to growth and operating success. Stephanie is known for identifying, defining, and executing transformative strategic initiatives that shape the future of a company. She works closely with the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and colleagues across the company, bringing depth and breadth of thought, excellent critical thinking skills, and a passion for leading change to the company’s most promising opportunities and challenging business problems. She ensures that value on key initiatives is ultimately delivered, but also architects the specific, innovative designs and plans employed across major operating units and functions of a company that enable their realization.

Her focus is to drive operational excellence to enhance and build corporate value through process design, automation, innovation, and data management. Her leadership approach is to motivate and inspire others to higher levels of performance, allowing them to learn and grow. Common client engagements include:

  • Healthcare & Data Transformation Innovation
  • Product Strategy & Execution
  • Organizational Effectiveness and Design
  • Optimizing Operations & Customer Support
  • Governance & Compliance
  • Customer Success & Growth

Her results-charged career spans major Health Insurers and Healthcare IT organizations, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Horizon BCBSNJ, Cigna Healthcare, LexisNexis, and Change Healthcare.  The following are among her key responsibilities and accomplishments:

Chief Executive Director, Argentum Business Strategies – Stephanie provided strategic advising and interim leadership for healthcare organizations, including development of strategic vision and dashboards for startups and post-Series A healthcare organizations. She also established roadmaps for new growth and operational scaling.

SVP, Client Services, Change Healthcare – Change Healthcare (NASDAQ: CHNG) ) is the largest independent Healthcare Technology company in the United States, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenues, serving Payer, Provider and Channel markets. Stephanie was responsible for client support, account management, and shared services across major product lines. Covering over $1B in annual revenue with retention/growth accountability.  She managed an annualized budget of $37-45M and staffing complement of 500+ across onshore and offshore operations.  Accomplishments included:

  • Delivered year-over-year operational efficiencies of $30M.
  • Achieved year-over-year improvements in service metrics, NPS, and CSAT scores.
  • Revamped Account Management models. Driving improved retention and new model for small clients, resulting in $10-20M per year in improved retention since 2016.
  • Key leader on integration planning with McKesson Technology Services and Pokitdok.
  • Developed entirely new protocols and teams for QA, Training, Vendor Management, Customer Experience, Program & Performance Management, Workflow Management, and Automation.

Market Planning Leader, LEXISNEXIS Risk Solutions, Healthcare Division – Stephanie served as Market Planning Leader for Provider and Member Data solutions, Healthcare segment, which is a growing, $75M business. She was responsible for P&L and General Manager activity for the Identity solution line.  She established and met new revenue goals of $10M + and retention revenue of $25M+.

Vice President Product Strategy & Compliance, Enclarity, Inc. – Stephanie was a P&L owner, spokesperson and Corporate Compliance Officer. She led end-to-end product and sales strategy, go-to-market plan and messaging. She also engaged the market as a knowledge expert with numerous publications, white papers, op-eds, webinars and speaking engagements and participation in various industry & governmental workgroups.

Vice President, Site Leader – GM, Cigna Health Care – Stephanie managed Cigna’s Southern Region Claim and Call Operations center, for large national clients. This operation covers 1.2 million members, over 1,000 team members, a $38 to $50M operating budget and 250,000 sq. ft. facility.

Vice President, Group Operations – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina – Stephanie led claim, call, and enrollment and billing operations, exceeding performance guarantees and all performance metrics, including Member Touch Point Metrics (MTM) measures. She also oversaw up to 450 employees handling 900,000 members, with budgets of more than $30M.

Stephanie serves as a business mentor with the Entrepreneurial Center and Launch Nashville groups. She also advises several small businesses and volunteers with the Nashville Rescue Mission and Girl Scouts, USA. Stephanie will be starting her Doctor of Business Administration this fall. She earned her Master’s in Management Leadership from Western Governors University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware.

gw-badge

Stephanie was recently named to George Washington University’s Customer Experience Advisory Council. Read more.

Viraj Parikh

by

In his 8th year as a TecCXO CFO consultant, Viraj has been a finance executive to over two dozen technology companies, ranging in size from Seed to Series C stage. His emphasis is on financial modeling, capital raising, accrual accounting, cash flow management, pipeline visibility, pricing strategies, dashboard metrics, gross margin expansion, cohort analysis, and financial operations. Prior to TechCXO, Viraj accumulated a rich set of CFO/finance leadership experiences in education finance, real estate, and technology. He also worked for 15 years as a Wall Street portfolio manager and analyst (equity & credit), learning the art of deep research analysis, valuation and risk management across a wide variety of industries. Viraj began his professional career in accounting and consulting at a Big 6 firm.

TechCXO provides experienced C-Level consultants to venture capital and PE-backed portfolio companies, on a fractional or interim basis. Founded in Atlanta in 2003, TechCXO consultants have historically been concentrated along the Eastern Seaboard. As Managing Partner of the Central & Western U.S., Viraj has been growing tech metros beyond the East Coast, including Nashville, Chicago, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth. Worth, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles.

Viraj received his M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and B.A. in Political Economics from U.C. Berkeley. He also trained at the Nashville Software School and the Dale Carnegie Training Center on Effective Communication & Human Relations.

Select Transactions

 

Gerry Hayden

by

Gerry Hayden is a Partner in TechCXO’s Nashville, TN practice. As a CFO/strategic finance consultant with over 30 years of multidisciplinary experience, he has served organizations primarily as a Chief Financial Officer. Gerry’s primary area of expertise is healthcare and he has experience in the payor, service, provider and technology sectors of healthcare.

Most recently, he was Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer at HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSTM) from 2008 to 2019. In addition to his grasp of the traditional CFO responsibilities of reporting, budgeting, financial analysis and staff development, Gerry has extensive background in M&A and capital formation, including a successful IPO. His experience extends to board level experience in both privately held firms as well as publicly traded companies.

At TechCXO, Gerry partners with CEOs, boards, and private equity firms of early- and mid-stage technology and health care companies as well as publicly traded entities. During his consulting tenure, he has been engaged in a CFO level projects with SaaS and healthcare companies such as Preferral, Sy.Med Development, Angel Eye Health and IMAC, Inc. Areas of emphasis include:

  • Strategy
  • KPI/growth metrics
  • Gross margin expansion
  • Product design and pricing
  • Cash flow strategies
  • Customer segmentation analysis
  • Capital formation and accounting.

The business models include SaaS approaches as well as innovative blends of revenue streams.

Prior to TechCXO, Gerry has held a variety of CFO positions in addition to his HealthStream experience. He has been CFO at several healthcare companies including Medavant Health, Covation, Meridian Occupational Health, Envoy, Allied Clinical Laboratories and Peak/Lincoln National Healthplan. Gerry’s background includes public accounting experience in the Boston office of Arthur Young & Co. He was also a board director at HealthStream, Inc. before becoming CFO and holds several board memberships in both private equity and public companies.

Gerry received his M.S.in Accounting from Northeastern University, and bachelor’s degree in Government & International Studies from the University of Notre Dame.