What we do
Scale-up Operating Support
Close execution gaps fast: GTM, product and technology, ops, finance, talent, sales management, and program leadership.
Board & CEO Advisory
Build operating cadence, deliver measurable progress, drive to the next financing or M&A event.
Transaction Readiness
Prepare for fundraising, M&A, and strategic exits; mitigate risk and amplify strengths; run a process with or without bankers.
Selected engagements
- Interim CEO of a PE-backed SaaS company: restored it to Rule of 40 in six months through sales-effectiveness and organizational-design work.
- Interim CFO roles: closed venture equity and debt financings on favorable terms.
- Ran buy- and sell-side M&A processes.
- Led financial restatements following forensic accounting work.
- CFO and General Counsel: ran a bridge financing, asset sales and an orderly wind-down.
- Special advisor to venture-backed companies approaching product-market fit and preparing to scale.
- Executive in Residence across a fund portfolio, advising CEOs on finance, go-to-market and capital raising.
- Rebuilt finance and back-office operations around AI: FP&A, forecasting and management reporting.
Client companies are confidential unless named by the client below.
What our clients say
I’ve partnered with John [at Hyalite Ridge] on two very different companies. In one, he preserved capital and eliminated substantial risk in a complex SPAC company situation. In the other, he secured financing that helped transform a promising early stage technology into a unicorn. John is my first call for operational support in my portfolio.
John from Hyalite Ridge worked as an interim CEO in our portfolio and in 6 months increased both profitability and month on month growth, restoring the business to Rule of 40 health faster than expected.
John helped Swiftly grow from a small startup to a large, profitable, PE-owned business by advising on operational cadence and metrics, recruiting and other HR needs, and M&A and venture financing guidance. He became our go to thought partner for tough problems and was always supportive of the business even when providing difficult feedback we needed to hear.
I have worked with John [from Hyalite Ridge] on a variety of companies, from raw startups to profitable growth stage businesses. He troubleshoots complex problems quickly, executes with precision, communicates effectively, and expertly handles financings and M&A. He maintains a high bar for the talent around him. I would work with him again to drive value in my portfolio.
John [from Hyalite Ridge] helped us get two financings done - one debt, one equity - on favorable terms so that we could continue to perfect the technology that powers Hydrolix today.
John supported the Renewal portfolio as an Executive in Residence, providing invaluable guidance to our portfolio CEOs across finance, go-to-market and capital raising.
Founder
John Rodkin
John has been CEO of 7 companies, including 4 of his own venture‑backed startups, and he has been a senior executive or board member of several others. He has led these companies through multiple rounds and types of financings, through buy and sell side M&A events large and small, and through difficult restructurings and turnarounds. He has been a corporate venture capitalist (at Samsung and Fortive), where he invested in and incubated startups across a range of industries, and he taught venture transactions and startup mechanics in law school for nine years at Stanford and the University of Chicago.
In 2022, John synthesized his experience across law, finance, technology, and investing, and formed what became Hyalite Ridge Advisors. We are a reliable team of experts who can roll up our sleeves to accelerate growth, build the teams and processes necessary to get companies to their next level, guide and execute transactions, or diagnose and fix wobbly companies.
Some of John's relevant experiences include Hydrolix, Swiftly, Userflow, flyswat, Fortive, Samsung Next, and Stanford Directors College for Venture Capitalists. John has JD and MBA degrees from the University of Chicago and B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in electrical engineering from MIT.
LinkedIn