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Fractional COOs in San Francisco Making Things Happen in 2025
SF & Bay Area Interim Chief Operating Officers to Know
In the innovation capital of the world, where ideas become unicorns and disruption is the norm, operational excellence is often the difference between vision and velocity. That’s where fractional COOs come in.
Whether steering product-led SaaS startups, refining venture-backed scale-ups, or rearchitecting operations for impact-driven businesses, fractional Chief Operating Officers (COOs) are quietly powering some of the Bay Area’s most meaningful growth stories. These leaders step into high-stakes environments—often with limited time, budget, and structure—and build clarity, confidence, and momentum.
At Digital Reference, we exist to elevate and authenticate professionals across the talent ecosystem. For the rising class of fractional executives, we provide a home to showcase verified accomplishments, collect references, and demonstrate structured outcomes. That’s why we’re proud to introduce our curated list of Fractional COOs in San Francisco Making Things Happen.
Our Methodology - Fractional COO Services in San Francisco
To build this guide, we combined:
- Direct referrals from founders and industry insiders
- Publicly visible consulting profiles, portfolios, and operational case studies
- Evaluation of location, client footprint, and service scope
- Alignment with Digital Reference’s principles: transparency, human-centricity, and impact
All of these professionals are actively working in or around San Francisco and the broader Bay Area, supporting companies as independent operators or through their own firms.
Each one brings deep experience, high trust, and proven operational chops.
Meet the Fractional COOs Powering the Bay Area
1. Alfredo Garcia
https://intro.co/AlfredoGarcia
Alfredo Garcia is a highly respected operator with a focus on startup growth and operational scale. With a career spanning multiple industries, Alfredo has stepped into the COO role for early-stage companies, helping build core systems, manage rapid growth, and align operations with business objectives.
Why He Stands Out:
- Strong background in product operations, team building, and organizational scaling
- Deep knowledge of the startup lifecycle—from seed to Series C
- Offers fractional COO sessions through Intro.co, making him easily accessible to founders
Alfredo is ideal for companies looking to professionalize operations without losing speed.
2. Alex Moser
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-moser-sf/
Based in San Francisco, Alex Moser is a fractional executive known for her ability to step into messy middle phases and turn them into clear paths forward. With experience at startups and high-growth companies, she brings a people-first mindset to systems-level thinking.
Why She Stands Out:
- Works across finance, people ops, and business process transformation
- Has experience in both tech startups and social impact orgs
- Trusted advisor to early-stage founders and product-centric teams
Alex blends analytical precision with empathetic leadership, making her a valuable asset to culture-forward startups.
3. Chris Seidensticker
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seidenstickerchris/
With a background in business operations and scaling strategy, Chris Seidensticker provides fractional COO support to startups navigating inflection points. From optimizing KPIs to building team accountability, Chris brings a data-informed, no-nonsense approach to leadership.
Why He Stands Out:
- Strong emphasis on performance metrics, revenue ops, and OKR design
- Experience leading teams through growth-stage transitions
- A go-to operator for tech-enabled services and B2B SaaS
Chris is the one you call when you need a trusted partner to bring focus and operational rigor.
4. Ha Nguyen
https://nextstepfwd.com/about-us/
As founder of Next Step Forward, Ha Nguyen helps founders and leaders navigate operational complexity with calm, clarity, and systems thinking. She brings a unique blend of business acumen and interpersonal coaching to her fractional COO practice.
Why She Stands Out:
- Focuses on operational design, founder coaching, and team development
- Strong background in diversity, equity, and inclusion alongside executional excellence
- Brings a trauma-informed, conscious leadership approach to the COO seat
Ha’s approach is ideal for mission-driven teams and leaders who want a strategic partner grounded in humanity and accountability.
5. Priya Krishnan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyakrishnan/
With a career spanning finance, operations, and impact strategy, Priya Krishnan is a fractional COO and advisor to early-stage ventures and innovation labs. She helps organizations build operational resilience while staying true to their core mission.
Why She Stands Out:
- Expertise in financial modeling, operations infrastructure, and strategic growth
- Works across climate tech, edtech, and social enterprises
- Passionate about founder enablement and values-aligned leadership
Priya is especially valuable to companies looking to scale consciously without compromising agility or ethics.
6. Christine Fisher
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-m-fisher/
Christine Fisher brings decades of experience in executive operations, HR, and growth-stage scaling. As a fractional COO and advisor, she helps founders make smarter decisions faster by implementing systems that align people, performance, and process.
Why She Stands Out:
- Strong background in HR leadership, talent operations, and team design
- Has scaled multiple venture-backed companies through growth and M&A
- Mentors founders and COO-level leaders to operationalize values and strategy
Christine is the perfect fit for organizations facing rapid team expansion, people challenges, or leadership transitions.
Why Fractional COOs Thrive in the Bay Area
The Bay Area is a global epicenter for innovation, but with innovation comes chaos. Most startups need to move fast, stay lean, and operate in ambiguity. Fractional COOs are built for that environment.
Here's why they’re in high demand:
- Founders want to focus on product, fundraising, or vision—not ops
- Teams outgrow their systems and need operational scaffolding
- Investors seek operational maturity without overhiring
- Hybrid work, fast pivots, and funding cycles demand agile leadership
From early-stage to Series B+, fractional COOs help companies avoid costly mistakes while laying the foundations for sustainable growth.
What Makes a Great Fractional COO?
The best fractional COOs aren’t just interim managers. They are:
- Systems thinkers who can quickly map and optimize complexity
- People leaders who build trust across diverse teams
- Executional experts who know when to build, when to delegate, and when to stop
- Translators between vision and operations, board and team, ambition and execution
They leave behind not just to-do lists, but playbooks, processes, and empowered teams.
The Digital Reference Perspective
At Digital Reference, we’re not only surfacing top talent—we’re giving leaders the tools to prove their impact.
Fractional executives often work across multiple clients, projects, and outcomes. Our platform allows them to:
- Collect structured, portable references
- Showcase verified achievements in an authentic, accessible format
- Build a digital portfolio that transcends the resume
We’re redefining how the best operators are found, hired, and remembered.
Final Thoughts
Fractional COOs are becoming a key pillar of the modern executive team—especially in fast-paced, high-growth ecosystems like San Francisco. The operators on this list—Alfredo Garcia, Alex Moser, Chris Seidensticker, Ha Nguyen, Priya Krishnan, and Christine Fisher—are not just filling a gap—they’re driving real, measurable outcomes.
Whether you’re a founder in the thick of Series A chaos, a non-profit modernizing its back office, or a scaling company that just outgrew its spreadsheets—a fractional COO might be your best next hire.
Check Out Our Local Directories of Fractional & Part-Time COOs by City
Ann Arbor, MI - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Ann Arbor startups and research-driven firms are turning to fractional ops leaders for precision execution and growth strategy.
Atlanta, GA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
In a city that blends enterprise and startup energy, Atlanta companies lean on COOs who can unify vision and operations.
Boston, MA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
From biotech to B2B SaaS, Boston’s ops leaders bring structure and speed to innovation-heavy teams.
Chicago, IL - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
COOs in the Windy City are helping companies align their back-end systems with bold front-end goals.
Denver, CO - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Denver’s scale-ups are calling in fractional execs to professionalize their operations without slowing their culture.
Detroit, MI - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
With roots in manufacturing and momentum in mobility, Detroit companies rely on fractional COOs for systems that scale.
Houston, Texas - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Houston’s operational ecosystem is evolving fast. More startups are scaling. More nonprofits are serving complex needs.
London, United Kingdom - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Fractional COO Services are sky-rocketing in popularity in London as labor costs go up and time to market is accelerating.
Los Angeles, CA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
In LA, creative industries meet tech—and fractional COOs bring the operational clarity these hybrid teams need.
New York City, NY - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
NYC’s pace demands results. These operators know how to navigate fast-moving startups and scaling giants alike.
Philadelphia, PA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Fractional COO Services in Philly are ensuring East Coast startups and high growth companies have the right structure to survive.
Phoenix, AZ - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Phoenix-based COOs help founders transition from hustle to structured scale with systems that grow.
Seattle, WA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
In Seattle’s product-driven landscape, ops leaders drive alignment between engineering, GTM, and finance.
Sydney, Australia - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Home to Canva, growing base of purpose-led enterprises, and increasing demand for agile executive leadership, Sydney has become a hotbed for operational talent that doesn’t require a full-time seat.
Toronto, Canada - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Toronto doesn’t just build startups—it builds systems. It’s a city where public meets private, where the startup ecosystem is growing alongside government programs, universities, and a rising impact economy. But for all its innovation, hiring executive talent in Toronto has always come with nuance.
Washington, DC (DMV Area) - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
DC-area operators bring rigor and regulatory awareness—perfect for mission-driven orgs and gov-adjacent teams.
Explore these leaders. Reach out to learn more. And when you’re ready to capture your story or connect with talent that drives real change—start with Digital Reference.
– The Digital Reference Team
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