A 23-year-old Atlanta-based professional services firm that pioneered the fractional C-suite model. Bootstrapped with zero outside funding. CEO Rajiv Bhagat came up through the partner ranks as a fractional CFO himself.
They are not a marketplace or staffing agency. Partners are part of the firm, similar to a McKinsey partnership model. They cover every C-suite role: CFO, CEO, COO, CTO, CMO, CRO, CHRO, CISO, CPO, and recently added CAIO (Chief AI Officer).
They have zero GCC presence. None. No office, no partners, no case studies, no press in the Middle East.
125+ fractional executives, each running multiple client engagements, drowning in the exact admin work PureBrain solves. At $1,099/month, that is $137,375/month ($1.65M/year) from a single partnership.
But that is the surface play. Here is the deeper one.
TechCXO is services-first, tech-second. Their own website confirms this. They have no proprietary platform, no AI matching, no persistent intelligence layer. They recently started using AI for tech due diligence, but it is bolt-on, not core.
Their competitors (Catalant, BTG, Paro) are building tech platforms. TechCXO is winning on relationships and reputation, but that advantage erodes as AI-powered matching gets better and cheaper.
PureBrain could be the technology layer TechCXO does not have. Not replacing their partners, but making each partner 3-5x more productive. A fractional CFO with PureBrain handles 5 clients instead of 3. A fractional CMO produces client reports in hours instead of days.
The pitch to TechCXO: "Your partners are your moat. PureBrain makes that moat wider. Each partner equipped with PureBrain can serve more clients at higher quality with less admin burden. Your $56M becomes $80M without adding partners."
Enterprise white-label deal. Not 125 individual subscriptions at $1,099. A firm-wide deployment at $3,000-5,000/month per partner seat with volume pricing.
| Model | Per Seat | 125 Partners | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $1,099/mo | $137K/mo | $1.65M |
| Enterprise (low) | $3,000/mo | $375K/mo | $4.5M |
| Enterprise (high) | $5,000/mo | $625K/mo | $7.5M |
This is a meaningful revenue anchor for PureBrain.
TechCXO's new CAIO (Chief AI Officer) fractional service is directly adjacent to what PureBrain does. If TechCXO starts placing fractional CAIOs who recommend AI tools, PureBrain should be in that recommendation stack. A fractional CAIO who deploys PureBrain as part of their engagement creates a natural distribution loop: CAIO recommends PB, client buys PB, PB makes the CAIO look good, CAIO recommends PB at the next client.
TechCXO already has a dedicated PE/VC practice. They embed fractional executives into portfolio companies within days of closing. Their 100-Day Plan framework deploys fractional CFO + CRO + CHRO to stabilize operations, professionalize infrastructure, and accelerate growth. They have case studies proving this works (AirWorks: 5x ARR growth, Sikka: 270% growth in assisted units).
MAKR could partner with TechCXO to offer fractional executive services as a value-add to portfolio companies. This is not novel - many PE firms do this. But MAKR's angle is different because MAKR also has PureBrain.
Most PE firms offer their portfolio companies either fractional talent OR technology tools. MAKR can offer both simultaneously.
The pitch to a MAKR portfolio company: "You get a fractional CFO from TechCXO who comes pre-equipped with PureBrain. The CFO handles strategy and judgment calls. PureBrain handles the research, reporting, and grunt work that normally eats half the CFO's time. You are getting a CFO who operates like a CFO with a team of three."
This is a genuine competitive advantage in deal sourcing. When MAKR bids on a deal, the value-add is not just capital - it is an operational package that no other fund offers. Fractional leadership + AI operating team, integrated from day one.
TechCXO is bootstrapped at $56M revenue with 59% three-year growth. They have never taken outside capital. This could mean:
If (b) or (c), there is a potential investment thesis: MAKR invests in TechCXO (minority stake, board seat), brings GCC market access (which TechCXO does not have), and integrates PureBrain as their technology layer. TechCXO gets international expansion + AI capability. MAKR gets a portfolio company that generates $56M+ in revenue with a clear growth path.
Caution: This is speculative. TechCXO's founders may have zero interest in outside capital. A bootstrapped firm that has grown for 20 consecutive years is not necessarily looking for an investor. The approach would need to be partnership-first, investment-second.
TechCXO's tech due diligence service for PE firms is something MAKR could use immediately, regardless of any deeper relationship. Before pursuing a partnership or investment, use TechCXO's AI-accelerated tech due diligence on a real MAKR deal. Evaluate the quality. If it is good, it validates the relationship. If it is mediocre, it reveals an opportunity for PureBrain to do it better.
TechCXO has no GCC presence. Rimah has deep GCC institutional relationships (ADIO, sovereign funds, corporate networks). This is a clean advisory board proposition:
"I can help TechCXO enter the GCC market. The fractional executive model is under-penetrated in the Gulf. There is massive demand for operational leadership in scaling companies, especially in UAE and Saudi. I have the relationships to make introductions, and I understand the regulatory and cultural dynamics that American firms get wrong."
This is not hypothetical value. It is specific, measurable, and time-bound. Rimah could reasonably propose a 12-month advisory engagement to test-launch TechCXO in the GCC.
Alternatively, Rimah could serve as TechCXO's GCC advisor without a board seat. This is lower commitment, faster to set up, and lets both sides test the relationship. The scope: identify 10-15 GCC companies that would benefit from fractional C-suite services, make introductions, help TechCXO adapt their model for the Gulf market (cultural considerations, pricing for GCC, regulatory compliance).
Rimah does not need TechCXO's permission to bring the fractional executive model to the GCC. He could build a GCC-native fractional executive practice that does what TechCXO does in the US, but built for the Gulf from day one. PureBrain is the technology differentiator. MAKR portfolio companies are the anchor clients. ADIO and sovereign fund relationships are the distribution channel.
This is a larger vision than advisory board. It is a business. But it starts with the same question: is there demand for fractional C-suite services in the GCC? My assessment: yes. The GCC is full of $10-50M companies that need CFO/CTO/CMO-level leadership but cannot justify (or cannot find) full-time executives for those roles. The talent pool is thin and expensive. A fractional model solves both problems.
Risk: Building a fractional executive practice is a services business, not a tech business. It requires recruiting senior executives willing to work fractionally in the Gulf, managing client relationships, and maintaining quality across engagements. This is operationally heavy. The TechCXO partnership or advisory route is lighter and still captures most of the value.
After thinking through all three lenses, here is where the angles converge:
Rimah reaches out to Rajiv Bhagat (CEO) or Kent Elmer (co-founder) with a specific proposition: "I run a venture fund investing in deep tech. I also build PureBrain, an AI operating team. I see a gap in your GCC coverage that I can help fill. Let us talk."
Use TechCXO's tech due diligence service on a MAKR deal. This gives Rimah a real evaluation of their quality and creates a working relationship. Low cost, low commitment, high signal.
If the relationship is good, propose a structured pilot: Rimah identifies 5 GCC companies that need fractional executives. TechCXO provides the talent. PureBrain provides the AI layer. MAKR gets first look at any that become investment targets. Revenue-share on the fractional fees.
After 6-12 months of partnership, both sides have data. If TechCXO's model works in the GCC and PureBrain integration increases partner productivity, the investment conversation becomes natural. It is no longer speculative - it is backed by results.
What this is NOT: A quick deal. This is a multi-quarter relationship build that starts small and grows based on results. Rimah's strength is that he can offer TechCXO something they cannot buy - GCC market access with institutional relationships. That is rare.
1. TechCXO may not want international expansion. They have grown steadily in the US for 20 years. International expansion is distracting, expensive, and culturally complex. The founders may simply not be interested.
2. Fractional model may not translate to GCC. The Gulf business culture values relationships and presence. A part-time executive may not carry the same weight as a full-time one. This needs market validation before committing.
3. PureBrain integration may not matter to them. TechCXO has grown to $56M without any technology platform. They may view AI tools as nice-to-have, not must-have. The pitch needs to focus on revenue growth (more clients per partner), not efficiency.
4. Conflict with PureBrain's solo consultant positioning. PureBrain targets solo consultants at $1,099/month. A TechCXO enterprise deal at $4.5M-7.5M/year is a different business model. This is not a problem per se, but it means PureBrain needs to support both tracks simultaneously.
All data points verified through TechCXO's own website, Inc. 5000 listings, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, and press releases.