Melisa Guerbi — For founders
Your people problems don't wait for your first HR hire.
I build the people function in stages — right-sized to your headcount, priced fractionally, and ready for the questions your investors will ask.
You might need me if…
- Offers are being improvised deal by deal
- Your best engineer just resigned and you don't know why
- Every manager interviews differently — and it shows
- Comp decisions are starting to feel political
- You're about to double headcount on last year's process
- “Culture” is a slide, not a system
- An investor just asked about your attrition number
- You've been the de facto head of people since day one
Two or more? That's usually the moment.
Built to your stage.
5 → 20 people
Foundations
Payroll, compliance, offer letters, and a comp philosophy — before the mistakes get expensive.
20 → 50 people
The hiring engine
A recruiting system with real metrics: time-to-hire, quality, cost. Managers trained to interview.
50 → 150 people
The operating system
Levels, performance cadence, engagement instrumentation, and your first in-house people hire — recruited and onboarded by me.
How fractional works.
A set cadence
Weekly leadership presence — in your exec meetings, on your hard calls. Not a retainer that disappears between invoices.
Clear scope per stage
We agree what gets built this quarter and how it's measured. You always know what you're paying for.
A defined handoff
I build it so your future Head of People inherits a system, not a mess — and I'll recruit them when it's time.
An investor-ready people story
Your next board meeting, fundraise, or diligence request will ask about attrition, comp structure, and key-person risk. I make sure the answers are already on a page — with numbers your investors trust.
Twenty years of CPO experience, for the hours you actually need.
Book a callThe next conversation
Let's talk about what your people data isn't telling you.
Thirty minutes. Bring your hardest people problem — I'll bring a way to measure it.