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...do you have a have a startup idea that you need to validate & build? ...or an existing business that you need to fine tune with research & development, to be Go To Market Ready? Hello I'm Elissa & thank you for visiting my profile! I am a 5★ UpWork Expert Vetted All-In-One startup and business consultant from Arizona, United States, and in the past 15+ years, I've have partnered with over 250+ founders around the world to achieve startup success in various stages of development: DISCOVER, PLAN, LAUNCH & GROW STAGES. No matter where you are in your startup journey, I provide all resources from A-Z. ***Let's set up a free (15-min) call to discuss your needs, and set up a game plan*** MY EXPERTISE AT A GLANCE: ★ Market Research & Feasibility Analysis: Actionable insights to validate and refine your business ideas. ★ Startup MVP Development: From concepting to wireframing, ensuring your product meets market needs. ★ Strategic Business Planning: End-to-end business plans, financial modeling, and investor-ready pitch deck presentations. ★ Branding & Positioning: Unique strategies that make your brand stand out in competitive markets. ★ Go-to-Market Strategy: Execution plans tailored to target demographics, including customer journey optimization. HIGHLIGHTS OF SUCCESS: ★ $10M+ investor funding unlocked for various clients with market-ready business plans. ★ Led 250+ startups to success, including SaaS, tech, healthcare, and consumer brands. ★ Empowered WIN Energy Drink to refine its buyer personas, optimize feasibility studies, and craft an investor-winning pitch deck. ★ Partnered with LocalFarmOK to build a robust urban farm event business plan, attracting new markets and investors. CLIENT FEEDBACK SPEAKS VOLUMES: “Her business plan and market insights transformed our pitch deck into a winning tool. Within months, we secured our first round of funding!” – Local Farm OK, Founder “Elissa's guidance on scaling our MVP saved us six months of trial and error. A game-changer for our operations.” – WIN Energy Drink, CEO WHY CHOOSE ME? ★ Over 15 years of startup experience and entrepreneurial excellence ★ Expert Vetted by UpWork, having coached over 250+ startups worldwide ★ "Quality and professional" work is the core standard for all deliverables ★ Proven ability to drive long-term growth while mitigating risks ★ Transparent, collaborative, and committed to your success HOW CAN WE START? Book a free (15-min) consultation call today to discuss your business goals. Together, let’s: ★ Solve your most pressing challenges. ★ Align your vision with a data-backed strategy. ★ Create results that make your startup thrive. Ready to elevate your business? Let’s start now.

I love entrepreneurs and working in entrepreneurial environments. I've written over 50 business plans, created pitch decks and developed financial models for ventures across multiple industries which have helped raise over $100 million in funding. Through this experience, I have gained a strong understanding of what investors look for when making a decision and the types of questions that must be addressed in order to secure funding. My experience is not limited to consulting. I've helped start 14 companies, one of which was a finalist in the TechCrunch disrupt competition, four have exited. I hold an MBA in finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management -- ranked #1 in the world for Global Business. And I have used my experience to help others as a Professor of Entrepreneurship to Master's-degree candidates. I also volunteer my time as a mentor to startup entrepreneurs at two accelerator programs. I have been a published author since 2001. This includes having collaborated on three books on entrepreneurship, one of which sells over 1 million copies and another that President Bill Clinton wrote the forward to. I enjoy working for clients that want to have a major impact on the world. ABOUT MY WORK My work has been profiled in The Washington Post and Investor's Business Daily. Additionally, my client work has been the subject of an episode on The Simpson's and featured in a song by a Platinum-award winning country music artist. Clients that I have advised include the following industries: Alcohol, Cannabis, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Retail, AR/VR, mobile, gaming, construction, agriculture, social networking, data security, consumer food products, entertainment and enterprise resource planning.

Featured in The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Nutrition Business Journal. CFA Charterholder. Worked with companies such as Jefferies, Bank of America, Saputo, Hormel, Humble Brands, TestingMom, Ancient Harvest-Pamela's, Aerflo, Uncaged, Mondra & Bute Island Foods. Have executed $300M+ in deal value and capital raises, reviewed 1,000+ pitch decks, and deployed ~$20M in invested capital. Are you raising capital? Thinking about funding your next round of growth? Need to communicate your value clearly to your board or investors? My goal is to help you close your round faster, at better terms, with materials that move investors from "interested" to "yes." My name is Bakley, and as a CFA Charterholder and fractional CFO I help founders and operators raise capital, forecast their financials, and run sharper investor relations — combining traditional capital markets expertise with AI-powered workflows that make the whole process faster, more thorough, and more responsive than working with a traditional advisor. Here are the areas I cover: ✔️ Fundraising strategy & guidance to maximize your raise ✔️ High-converting pitch decks that move you into the next phase of diligence — and ultimately get you the money ✔️ Targeted investor & backer databases for outreach ✔️ Financial models, forecasts, and KPI dashboards that drive investor interest ✔️ AI Automation for Finance & IR Workflows I can help you with your raise — from positioning and narrative through model build, investor outreach strategy, diligence support, and post-close investor reporting. Here are a few things I've done for past clients: 1) Raised over $300M in client capital 2) Awarded best-in-class for financial modeling 3) Drove 50% revenue growth and 1,000 bp margin improvement at a TestingMom 4) Automated 90% of recurring financial reporting and IR processes Technologies & Tools - Claude & Anthropic API (AI / natural language processing) - n8n (workflow automation) - Airtable (investor CRM & data ops) - Microsoft Power BI (dashboards & investor reporting) - Microsoft Excel & Google Sheets (financial modeling) - QuickBooks (accounting & reporting integration) - Microsoft PowerPoint & Google Slides (pitch decks & investor materials) Send me a message and let's talk about your raise.

I help founders, consultants, and premium brands turn positioning, Social media, content, and targeted outreach into a measurable pipeline. My work combines GTM strategy, market intelligence, founder-led content, executive visibility, and hands-on lead generation — so companies are not just better positioned, but actively generating conversations with the right buyers. Recent work includes acting as a hands-on growth partner for a luxury mattress brand in Manhattan, building its LinkedIn-led marketing engine from the ground up: founder positioning, editorial content, designer outreach, hospitality partnerships, SEO comparison content, PR angles, and qualified showroom/partnership opportunities. 1. Fractional Growth Marketing Ongoing monthly support: strategy, positioning, content, lead gen, partnerships, analytics. 2. Social media primarily LinkedIn-Led Lead Generation Founder profile, company narrative, targeted outreach, qualified conversations. 3. GTM & Market Intelligence One-time or project-based strategy work for startups, SaaS, AI, and investors. 4. Editorial, PR & Authority Building Creating premium editorial content, PR angles, media pitches, bylines, case studies, and publishing opportunities. Best for companies that need credibility, visibility, and a stronger market voice. 5. SEO & Content-Led Growth Developing search-focused content around buyer-intent keywords, comparison articles, competitor content, and AI-search visibility. Built to attract qualified prospects and support long-term inbound growth.

Over 20 years of hands-on startup experience, with a focus on business success through, strategy, marketing, product positioning, strategic partnerships, and powerful GTM strategies. As a former evangelist for Steve Jobs, I’ve been working to get startups funded and successful ever since. I also work with investors and enterprises, providing strategy and implementation. My clients come from business, technical, SaaS, ecommerce, AI, healthcare, wellness Edtech, fintech, social media, biotech market segments, and more. I fit easily into projects and add value, and am often brought in to give entrepreneurs perspective, strategic insight, and additional help to succeed. Very familiar with partnerships, marketplaces, personalized marketing approaches, business development and networking, and AI. Background includes product management, and processes, funding, marketing, and training, and I'm a published author. Much of my consulting work is involved in developing strategy: product, corporate, positioning, messaging, or startup funding strategy. For a recent project, I helped flip a company into becoming an AI company, and for another project, I helped position a service into a wellness service, for enterprise investment and partnership. I have smart suggestions, and I'm often asked to help implement strategy. I can help you understand your customer and market, refine your value proposition, identify key targets and partnerships, establish a viable company/product, and pitch your company to the right people in the right way. I also help founders, consultants, and companies leverage networks and do outreach to accomplish their goals. As the former managing partner of a Silicon Valley communications company, and a company founder, I have hands-on experience establishing and implementing goal-based projects for companies, years of hands-on experience, and a strong network of colleagues. My added experience working with product management, manufacturing and hardware engineering give me perspective.

Open to fixed price or hourly rates for consulting, including fractional CFO, financial modeling, structuring, presentations and investment materials for acquisitions and fundraising opportunities in the corporate, middle market, private equity, venture capital, startup and family office sectors. I typically close 1-2 transactions a quarter. Will assist in the distribution of investment opportunities to a pre-existing network of investors and financial institutions for your company or project. The client must compensate for discovery and strategy services. A trilingual networker that has developed 250+ business, investment, and capital market opportunities, including regional strategies and connections with executives and investors in both North and South America, Stephen is considered a leading voice on investment between the Americas. Network includes 7.5K+ investor, executives and family office contacts paired with 3K+ financial institution relationships. Contacts span multiple geographies, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brasil, UK, France, Germany, Spain, China, Japan and India.