Investor
Featured
Sarah Blackwell
Investor
•
ScaleUp Advisory
Operational scaling
Response Time
Within 48 hours
Operational scaling
Jan 2026
Member Since
+7 days
Last Active
Individual
Legal Entity
CA, US
Location
100%
Response Rate
PST
Timezone
Preferred Projects
Open To
- Operational scaling investments
- leadership hiring investments
- board management investments
Not Interested In
- Crypto/blockchain projects
- Pre-revenue companies
- Non-tech businesses
About
Sarah Blackwell specializes in helping Series A-B companies build operational foundations for scale. With experience as COO at two venture-backed companies (both reaching $100M+ valuations) and operations consulting background at Bain & Company, she helps founders professionalize operations without killing startup culture.
Sarah's Bain years included growth strategy engagements for companies including Airbnb (pre-IPO), DoorDash, and Instacart. She then served as COO at FoodTech startup ChefBox ($40M raised, acquired by Uber Eats) and wellness platform MindfulLife ($60M raised, operating independently at $25M ARR).
Her advisory practice centers on: operational infrastructure (finance, HR, legal), hiring and scaling leadership teams, board/investor relations management, strategic planning and OKR implementation, and crisis management. She works with 3-4 companies at a time, typically post-Series A when operational complexity explodes.
Sarah's approach is hands-on: she will help build financial models, interview COO/CFO candidates, design org structures, and facilitate board meetings. She emphasizes building systems that scale while maintaining the agility that made the company successful.
Typical engagements run 6-18 months as companies navigate the Series A to Series B transition. She charges monthly retainers plus equity participation (0.25-0.5%). Recent clients include logistics startup ShipFast (hired first CFO), healthtech company WellnessRx (implemented OKRs and planning cadence), and SaaS platform DataSmart (Series B preparation).
Sarah is known for her ability to communicate across technical and business teams, her calm demeanor during crises, and her extensive network of functional operators she can recruit into portfolio companies. She holds a BA from Princeton and MBA from HBS. Based in San Francisco.
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