Fractional CCO,Interim Leadership

Beyond the Full-Time Hire: Why a Fractional CCO is the Smart Move for Your Biotech Startup

1 September 2025

In biotech startups, especially those spun out from universities or founded by scientists coming from industry, the instinct is often to hire a full-time, seasoned executive to lead growth. It is a familiar pattern: investors demand rapid progress, while founding teams are typically brilliant on the science side but new to revenue generation. The default solution? Bring in an experienced C-level leader – often at a high cost.

But two challenges quickly surface:

1

Time to hire: It can take months to recruit the right person.
2

Cost: A cash-constrained startup can struggle to justify the hefty salary and package of a full-time executive.

$1200×675-fractional-smart-move-2$

Meanwhile, the biotech reality is that timelines are long. Traditional drug development can take 10–15 years, even as AI-driven companies like Recursion show that accelerated paths are possible. But these are rare cases. More often, startups face failed candidates, extended funding horizons, and pressure from investors who now expect resilience over quick M&As or IPOs.

So how does a startup position itself for success? By being more strategic – through:

Diversifying fundraising approaches
Forming smart partnerships
Designing go-to-market strategies that address not just the short term but also mid- and long-term horizons
Keeping a firm grip on costs

Finding a single full-time executive who can juggle all this from day one is a tall order. This is exactly where a fractional Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) can add immense value.

A fractional CCO can:

1
Quickly understand your business and deliver results.
2
Draw on broad experience across multiple organisations and stakeholders to tailor strategies to your needs.
3
Bypass long HR and onboarding processes.
4
Lay strong commercial foundations while also planning mid- and long-term growth.
5
Offer flexible remuneration models that fit your budget.
6
Help scale your team—and even recruit your eventual full-time CCO.

Most importantly, a fractional CCO equips startups – especially those with little or no commercialisation experience – with the critical capability that keeps the business alive: building revenue and sustainable growth.