Fractional COOs in San Francisco Making Things Happen in 2025

SF & Bay Area Interim Chief Operating Officers to Know

In the innovation capital of the world, where ideas become unicorns and disruption is the norm, operational excellence is often the difference between vision and velocity. That’s where fractional COOs come in.

Whether steering product-led SaaS startups, refining venture-backed scale-ups, or rearchitecting operations for impact-driven businesses, fractional Chief Operating Officers (COOs) are quietly powering some of the Bay Area’s most meaningful growth stories. These leaders step into high-stakes environments—often with limited time, budget, and structure—and build clarity, confidence, and momentum.

At Digital Reference, we exist to elevate and authenticate professionals across the talent ecosystem. For the rising class of fractional executives, we provide a home to showcase verified accomplishments, collect references, and demonstrate structured outcomes. That’s why we’re proud to introduce our curated list of Fractional COOs in San Francisco Making Things Happen.

Our Methodology

To build this guide, we combined:

• Direct referrals from founders and industry insiders
• Publicly visible consulting profiles, portfolios, and operational case studies
• Evaluation of location, client footprint, and service scope
• Alignment with Digital Reference’s principles: transparency, human-centricity, and impact

All of these professionals are actively working in or around San Francisco and the broader Bay Area, supporting companies as independent operators or through their own firms.

Each one brings deep experience, high trust, and proven operational chops.

Meet the Fractional COOs Powering the Bay Area

1. Alfredo Garcia

https://intro.co/AlfredoGarcia

Alfredo Garcia is a highly respected operator with a focus on startup growth and operational scale. With a career spanning multiple industries, Alfredo has stepped into the COO role for early-stage companies, helping build core systems, manage rapid growth, and align operations with business objectives.

Why He Stands Out:

• Strong background in product operations, team building, and organizational scaling
• Deep knowledge of the startup lifecycle—from seed to Series C
• Offers fractional COO sessions through Intro.co, making him easily accessible to founders

Alfredo is ideal for companies looking to professionalize operations without losing speed.

2. Alex Moser

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-moser-sf/

Based in San Francisco, Alex Moser is a fractional executive known for her ability to step into messy middle phases and turn them into clear paths forward. With experience at startups and high-growth companies, she brings a people-first mindset to systems-level thinking.

Why She Stands Out:

• Works across finance, people ops, and business process transformation
• Has experience in both tech startups and social impact orgs
• Trusted advisor to early-stage founders and product-centric teams

Alex blends analytical precision with empathetic leadership, making her a valuable asset to culture-forward startups.

3. Chris Seidensticker

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

With a background in business operations and scaling strategy, Chris Seidensticker provides fractional COO support to startups navigating inflection points. From optimizing KPIs to building team accountability, Chris brings a data-informed, no-nonsense approach to leadership.

Why He Stands Out:

• Strong emphasis on performance metrics, revenue ops, and OKR design
• Experience leading teams through growth-stage transitions
• A go-to operator for tech-enabled services and B2B SaaS

Chris is the one you call when you need a trusted partner to bring focus and operational rigor.

4. Ha Nguyen

https://nextstepfwd.com/about-us/

As founder of Next Step Forward, Ha Nguyen helps founders and leaders navigate operational complexity with calm, clarity, and systems thinking. She brings a unique blend of business acumen and interpersonal coaching to her fractional COO practice.

Why She Stands Out:

• Focuses on operational design, founder coaching, and team development
• Strong background in diversity, equity, and inclusion alongside executional excellence
• Brings a trauma-informed, conscious leadership approach to the COO seat

Ha’s approach is ideal for mission-driven teams and leaders who want a strategic partner grounded in humanity and accountability.

5. Priya Krishnan

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

With a career spanning finance, operations, and impact strategy, Priya Krishnan is a fractional COO and advisor to early-stage ventures and innovation labs. She helps organizations build operational resilience while staying true to their core mission.

Why She Stands Out:

• Expertise in financial modeling, operations infrastructure, and strategic growth
• Works across climate tech, edtech, and social enterprises
• Passionate about founder enablement and values-aligned leadership

Priya is especially valuable to companies looking to scale consciously without compromising agility or ethics.

6. Christine Fisher

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-m-fisher/

Christine Fisher brings decades of experience in executive operations, HR, and growth-stage scaling. As a fractional COO and advisor, she helps founders make smarter decisions faster by implementing systems that align people, performance, and process.

Why She Stands Out:

• Strong background in HR leadership, talent operations, and team design
• Has scaled multiple venture-backed companies through growth and M&A
• Mentors founders and COO-level leaders to operationalize values and strategy

Christine is the perfect fit for organizations facing rapid team expansion, people challenges, or leadership transitions.

Why Fractional COOs Thrive in the Bay Area

The Bay Area is a global epicenter for innovation, but with innovation comes chaos. Most startups need to move fast, stay lean, and operate in ambiguity. Fractional COOs are built for that environment.

Here's why they’re in high demand:

• Founders want to focus on product, fundraising, or vision—not ops
• Teams outgrow their systems and need operational scaffolding
• Investors seek operational maturity without overhiring
• Hybrid work, fast pivots, and funding cycles demand agile leadership

From early-stage to Series B+, fractional COOs help companies avoid costly mistakes while laying the foundations for sustainable growth.

What Makes a Great Fractional COO?

The best fractional COOs aren’t just interim managers. They are:

• Systems thinkers who can quickly map and optimize complexity
• People leaders who build trust across diverse teams
• Executional experts who know when to build, when to delegate, and when to stop
• Translators between vision and operations, board and team, ambition and execution

They leave behind not just to-do lists, but playbooks, processes, and empowered teams.

The Digital Reference Perspective

At Digital Reference, we’re not only surfacing top talent—we’re giving leaders the tools to prove their impact.

Fractional executives often work across multiple clients, projects, and outcomes. Our platform allows them to:

• Collect structured, portable references
• Showcase verified achievements in an authentic, accessible format
• Build a digital portfolio that transcends the resume

We’re redefining how the best operators are found, hired, and remembered.

Final Thoughts

Fractional COOs are becoming a key pillar of the modern executive team—especially in fast-paced, high-growth ecosystems like San Francisco. The operators on this list—Alfredo Garcia, Alex Moser, Chris Seidensticker, Ha Nguyen, Priya Krishnan, and Christine Fisher—are not just filling a gap—they’re driving real, measurable outcomes.

Whether you’re a founder in the thick of Series A chaos, a non-profit modernizing its back office, or a scaling company that just outgrew its spreadsheets—a fractional COO might be your best next hire.

Explore these leaders. Reach out to learn more. And when you’re ready to capture your story or connect with talent that drives real change—start with Digital Reference.

– The Digital Reference Team

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