Fractional COOs in Boston Making Things Happen in 2025

Boston Interim Chief Operating Officers to Know

Boston has long been a city of builders—of ideas, of institutions, and of businesses. As the home of world-class universities, global healthcare organizations, deep tech innovation, and a thriving startup ecosystem, Boston demands operational excellence at every turn. But today, as companies grow leaner, more agile, and more mission-aligned, many are finding that they don’t need a full-time COO—they need a fractional one.

Fractional COOs offer strategic, executive-level operations leadership on a flexible basis. Whether part-time, project-based, or interim, these professionals guide teams through growth, complexity, and scale. They are often the bridge between vision and execution—helping founders sleep at night and teams move forward with confidence.

At Digital Reference, our mission is to surface, verify, and showcase the professionals quietly building the future of work. That includes the growing class of fractional leaders who operate behind the scenes but have outsized impact. This guide introduces a curated list of Boston-based fractional COOs making things happen.

Our Methodology

We selected these professionals through a blend of public research, platform insights, and peer referrals. Each executive featured here:

• Actively works in a fractional, part-time, or interim COO capacity
• Is based in or serving the Boston metro area, including Cambridge and surrounding cities
• Has a visible track record of leadership in operations, growth, or team building
• Aligns with Digital Reference’s focus on radical transparency, reputation-first discovery, and human-centric work

These are solo operators, strategic advisors, and former tech execs turned fractional leaders. Each one brings unique value—and serious operational muscle.

Meet the Fractional COOs Powering Boston

1. Craig Coldstream

https://craigcoldstreamcoo.com/

With more than 20 years of executive experience, Craig Coldstream offers fractional COO services to startups and scaling companies through his own consultancy. Based in Boston, Craig specializes in building operational infrastructure that allows founders to grow with confidence.

Why He Stands Out:

• Deep experience across tech, e-commerce, and growth-stage ventures
• Offers hands-on operations support, team leadership, and strategic planning
• Focuses on helping CEOs get out of the weeds and focus on what matters most

Craig brings calm to chaos, building systems that scale and teams that thrive. He’s a favorite among Series A and Series B companies looking to move fast—but with structure.

2. Micah Rowland

https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahrowland/

Micah Rowland is a tech industry veteran who brings strategic and executional leadership to early- and mid-stage companies. Formerly a full-time COO and advisor, he now offers fractional support to founders navigating inflection points in growth and operations.

Why He Stands Out:

• Proven experience leading tech-enabled businesses through scale and transformation
• Combines operational strategy, financial acumen, and go-to-market experience
• Known for coaching and empowering cross-functional leaders

Micah is ideal for SaaS companies or digital businesses looking for an operator who can work across teams and tie strategy to metrics.

3. Erik Bullen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikbullen/

Entrepreneur, executive, and startup mentor, Erik Bullen provides fractional COO services with a startup founder’s mindset. He’s helped companies across Boston’s innovation corridor scale, pivot, and professionalize their operations.

Why He Stands Out:

• Combines startup experience with executive leadership and advisory skills
• Works across B2B SaaS, healthtech, and mission-led organizations
• Highly active in Boston’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem

Erik brings energy, clarity, and insight to companies who need a COO with real empathy for the founder journey.

4. Kate Roberts

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateroberts1/

Kate Roberts is a Boston-based nonprofit and social impact leader turned fractional executive. With decades of experience in team building, global program management, and strategic scaling, she offers fractional COO services for organizations looking to grow with purpose and impact.

Why She Stands Out:

• Deep background in nonprofit operations, fundraising strategy, and stakeholder engagement
• Offers a blend of visionary leadership and systems implementation
• Passionate about empowering women-led and global development organizations

Kate is a strong partner for purpose-driven orgs ready to take the next step in scaling their mission, systems, and people.

Why Boston Companies Are Turning to Fractional COOs

In a city known for innovation, education, and health, Boston companies must navigate growth while maintaining purpose. But not every company is ready—or able—to invest in a full-time COO. That’s why the fractional model is gaining momentum.

Benefits of hiring a fractional COO:

• Cost-efficient executive leadership without the long-term commitment
• Flexibility to scale operations based on milestones, not payroll
• Access to seasoned professionals who’ve seen it before and know what works
• Increased founder focus on product, fundraising, and growth

Fractional COOs are becoming the preferred solution for early-stage and scaling teams that need executive support, operational rigor, and a partner who can execute.

What Makes a Great Fractional COO?

The best fractional COOs bring more than just experience. They bring clarity, trust, and structure.

They typically:

• Move fluidly between strategy and day-to-day execution
• Build repeatable systems that others can own
• Coach internal teams while implementing change
• Create visibility through dashboards, KPIs, and operating cadences
• Operate with low ego and high accountability

In short, they build what matters, document what works, and prepare teams to operate without them.

The Digital Reference POV

At Digital Reference, we believe fractional leaders deserve more than a line on someone else’s resume. They deserve:

• A place to showcase verified, structured impact
• Tools to collect and present client feedback and references
• A reputation-first platform to help them get discovered—not just found

Our platform helps operators build portable credibility, whether they work with one client or ten. And for hiring teams, we make it easier to find the right kind of leader—authentic, experienced, and trusted.

Final Thoughts

The Boston-area fractional COOs on this list—Craig Coldstream, Micah Rowland, Erik Bullen, and Kate Roberts—are more than interim help. They are builders, mentors, and strategic partners.

They represent a new kind of leadership: one that’s modular, mission-aligned, and deeply impactful. Whether you're running a biotech company in Kendall Square, a nonprofit in Back Bay, or a software startup in Somerville—there’s a fractional COO ready to help you scale with intention.

Explore their work. Reach out. And when you're ready to document your own leadership journey or hire the next phase of your ops partner—start with Digital Reference.

– The Digital Reference Team

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