Jill Stelfox
PE-backed CEO / CFO (Fractional & Full-time) | B2B SaaS, AI & Industrial Services | Turnarounds, Post-acquisition Integration, Liquidity & Refinancing | Grew ARR ~$8M → ~$40M | Creator of NFL Next Gen Stats
About
I’m a PE-backed CEO/CFO who’s brought in when the investment thesis is wobbling – post-acquisition integration, liquidity crunches, refinancing, and “this should be working but isn’t yet” situations.
Grounded in nearly 10 years at Deloitte and multiple CFO roles for multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses, I lead with the numbers and move fast on execution. Most recently, as CEO of Panzura, I grew ARR from roughly $8M to ~$40M in about 3.5 years while restructuring go-to-market, tightening order-to-cash, and aligning investors, banks, and the leadership team around a single plan. I’m often asked to step in when sponsors are debating a leadership or board change and need a steady operator who can reset the thesis and the team.
Earlier, I led the team that created the NFL’s Next Gen Stats – the league’s first player tracking system – changing how the NFL product is experienced on the field, on broadcast, and in data-driven storytelling. That mix of finance discipline, operational turnaround, and large-scale innovation is what I bring to every mandate.
Where I play:
• B2B SaaS, AI, and industrial / services businesses (often PE-backed or later-stage)
• Portcos 1+ years into the hold period, especially post-acquisition or facing liquidity / refinancing pressure
• Global or multi-site companies where bank, board, and team alignment are all critical
What I’m looking for:
Interim or permanent CEO/CFO roles with PE sponsors and boards who are serious about a real transformation (not a 6‑month miracle), and who want a hands-on operator who will sit with the bank, the board, and the front line to get the thesis back on track.
Experience
Managing Partner – Founders Gro | Interim & Fractional CEO/CFO for PE-backed B2B Companies
Founders Gro · San Francisco Bay Area
Jan 2024 – Present(2 yrs 4 mos)
Founders Gro is my platform for interim and fractional CEO/CFO/COO work with PE-backed and late-stage B2B companies when the investment thesis is off track. I partner with sponsors, boards, and management teams to: • Step in as interim or fractional CEO/CFO/COO for PE-backed B2B SaaS, AI, industrial and services businesses • Stabilize liquidity and order-to-cash, manage refinancing and bank relationships, and create runway for real change • Realign GTM, product, and operations to the original (or updated) investment thesis and board plan Representative mandates: • Interim GTM and revenue leader for a $25M AI SaaS firm, reshaping strategy and pipeline toward a 5-year $7.5M ARR target • Built finance and reporting infrastructure for a $50M services company (ERP, FP&A, board and lender reporting) to support a PE value-creation plan • Led U.S. market entry and early growth for a foreign robotics company, overseeing compliance, hiring, GTM and early enterprise customer acquisition in alignment with investor goals • Restructured GTM for an AI SaaS client, driving 80%+ ARR growth and improving sales efficiency • Led multi-business-unit integration and reporting transformation, recapturing $25M+ in operating costs and giving sponsors real-time visibility to performance • Improved EBITDA margin by 8 pts and extended runway by 14 months for an industrial services firm through pricing, cost, and working-capital changes • Helped a PE-backed sports tech portco, held for 7 years, achieve a 44% valuation uplift in 5 months by tightening the story and due diligence materials ahead of a sale process
Advisory Board Member
WhitegloveAI
Mar 2025 – Present(1 yr 2 mos)
WhitegloveAI stands at the forefront of Managed AI Services, skillfully merging advanced AI capabilities with top-tier cybersecurity to transform enterprise operations.
Advisory Board Member
Brighter Children
Nov 2024 – Present(1 yr 6 mos)
Brighter Children serves some of the most vulnerable children in the world by investing in what I truly believe to be the single most important thing a society can invest in - their education. We currently work with partner schools in Honduras, India, Colombia, and Kenya. So far, we've sponsored the education of over 6,000 primary-age children. For these children, education is a pathway, likely the only pathway, out of a cycle of extreme generational poverty.
Chief Executive Officer
Panzura · San Jose, California, United States
May 2020 – Jan 2024(3 yrs 9 mos)
Private equity–owned enterprise SaaS hybrid cloud company • Grew ARR by 369% over ~3.5 years by overhauling GTM, tightening pricing/packaging, and focusing on higher-value enterprise customers • Built an enterprise go-to-market motion within 12 months, driving $1M+ new-logo wins and repositioning Panzura as a category leader • Closed the largest deals in company history, adding 4 Fortune 500 customers and expanding strategic accounts • Raised $120M from private equity while improving operational discipline, forecasting accuracy, and board/investor confidence • Led culture and org transformation that earned Inc. 5000 and Best Places to Work recognition for 2 consecutive years Reported directly to PE sponsor and board, co-leading value-creation plan and exit strategy.
Co-CEO
Edgy Inc · San Francisco Bay Area
Oct 2018 – May 2020(1 yr 8 mos)
Go-to-market consultancy for VC- and PE-backed companies; often took equity positions alongside clients • Doubled projected two-year revenue targets in six months across a portfolio of growth-stage clients by redesigning GTM and sales motions • Built a $100M+ B2B line of business for a leading consumer personal-growth platform, opening an entirely new enterprise revenue stream • Led go-to-market strategy for a credit-card software processor, increasing market share by ~20% and positioning the company for a successful sale • Drove strategic and commercial work with Panzura as a client, ultimately paving the way for its acquisition and my later transition into the CEO role
CEO & Founder
Graffiti Sports · San Francisco Bay Area
Sep 2017 – May 2020(2 yrs 9 mos)
Music + in-arena entertainment startup working with pro sports teams and leagues • Launched and scaled game-day music and entertainment programs for the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints within one quarter, engaging 60,000+ fans per game and materially improving in-stadium experience • Built and executed entertainment strategy for Ice Cube’s BIG3 league, contributing to increased ticket sales and higher fan engagement • Structured and managed partnerships across teams, artists, and sponsors, sharpening my commercial instincts at the intersection of sports, media, and fan experience
VP and GM, Zebra Sports & Location Solutions
Zebra Technologies · San Jose
Nov 2012 – Sep 2017(4 yrs 11 mos)
Zebra Technologies – $6B+ public company providing real-time visibility solutions • Turned around the Sports & Location Solutions division to 102% growth over three years, making it the highest-growth division in the company • Shifted the business from hardware to solutions, helping Fortune 100 customers like Ford and Boeing deliver substantial cost savings and operational efficiency • Led the creation and league-wide rollout of the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the first active RFID player-tracking system, unlocking $500M+ in new sponsorship and media value • Launched tracking software that was featured in Gartner’s first Indoor Location Services Magic Quadrant, positioning Zebra as a category leader • Drove culture and diversity initiatives that reduced operating costs by ~40% while increasing employee satisfaction by 15%
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Defywire · Northern Virginia, Virginia, United States
Dec 2003 – Dec 2011(8 yrs 1 mo)
Venture-backed mobile software company serving the public safety / K–12 market • Raised $17.6M in venture capital (one of the largest VC investments in Q3 2003) to fund product and market expansion • Built the business from zero to $5M+ in recurring revenue, iterating the go-to-market model for public safety and school customers • Became a national spokesperson on school and child safety while establishing Defywire as a category leader • Led the sale of the company to a foreign acquirer, delivering an exit for investors
Managing Partner, North America and Europe/CFO
Noblestar · London Area, United Kingdom, DC Metro
Dec 1997 – Dec 2003(6 yrs 1 mo)
Managing Partner / European Director • Led $140M+ in assets and 600+ employees across NA/EU, consistently meeting or beating revenue and profit targets • Drove $100M+ in annual revenue through shifting from vendor-style consulting to solution selling Director, European Wireless • Secured $25M in VC funding and led sale of spin-off Riverbed Technologies to Aether Systems for nearly $1B • Ran international expansion via 7 acquisitions (UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland) in 24 months, staying profitable each quarter • Grew European team from 10 to 225+ FTs, generating more than 65% of company revenue and 100% of profit. Chief Financial Officer • Established Noblestar as a dominant player in its segment and led divestiture of Noblestar Federal Systems
Director of Strategic Planning and CFO
Netafim · San Francisco Bay Area
Dec 1993 – Dec 1997(4 yrs 1 mo)
Owned strategy and finance for North American operations of a global irrigation company, implementing Baan ERP worldwide and supporting growth from ~$250M to ~$1.7B in revenue during my tenure.
Tax, Audit and Consultant
Deloitte · San Jose, California, United States
Jan 1987 – Dec 1993(7 yrs)
CPA foundation across audit, tax and consulting for public and PE-backed Fortune 200 businesses, later informing my CFO and CEO roles.
Education
California State University, Chico - College of Business
BS, Accounting
Sep 1983 – Dec 1987
Expertise
Specialties
