New venture development
You have an opportunity worth pursuing but need someone experienced to help shape it — the concept, business model, audience, positioning, operating requirements and path to launch.
Marcel Wah
Marcel Wah
The earliest stage of a new venture is often the most exciting — and the most difficult.
The idea may be compelling. The opportunity may be real. But there are still dozens of unanswered questions. What exactly should we build? How should it work? Who needs to be involved? What comes first? And how do we turn the idea into something real?
That's the work I enjoy.
For more than 25 years, I've taken ideas from concept to execution across technology, digital platforms, transportation, clean energy, communities, international events, media and culture.
Today I selectively bring that experience to founders, companies and organizations working on something new.
Start a conversationI'm most useful when something doesn't exist yet — a new company, product, digital platform, business line, community, event or strategic initiative.
I can take an opportunity that is still loosely defined and turn it into something actionable: clarifying the concept, identifying what needs to happen, determining priorities and helping drive it toward launch.
You have an opportunity worth pursuing but need someone experienced to help shape it — the concept, business model, audience, positioning, operating requirements and path to launch.
You know what you want the business to accomplish, but translating that into a digital product is another challenge. I can help bridge the gap between the business idea and the people building the technology.
Sometimes an important initiative doesn't belong neatly inside an existing department. It simply needs someone to own it, organize the moving pieces and carry it from idea through execution.
I've built online communities, international events and platforms around shared interests and identities. I can help you think beyond acquiring an audience toward creating something people actually want to participate in.
I also work with founders who simply need another experienced entrepreneur at the table — someone who understands what it's like to build with incomplete information, limited resources and more things to do than people available to do them — and who is willing to move from discussion into execution.
I don't operate a traditional consulting practice with a large team and layers of account management. Engagements are intentionally selective and structured around the problem we're trying to solve — which also means you don't have to hire me full-time.
Ongoing involvement for a defined number of hours or days each week.
A focused assignment taking a new initiative from concept through a defined milestone or launch.
Periodic involvement with a founder or leadership team that primarily needs experience, perspective and problem-solving.
An artist's instinct for seeing possibilities others may overlook.
More than 25 years of starting businesses and initiatives from the ground up.
Practical experience translating ideas into websites, digital products, platforms and communities.
A willingness to move beyond strategy and help make the work happen.
Experience building under real-world constraints — limited budgets, small teams and changing circumstances.
Experience across industries, cultures and disciplines that don't normally intersect.
Not every engagement is the right one — for either of us. These are the conversations that tend to go somewhere.
You're building something new rather than maintaining what already exists.
You have an ambitious idea but need help turning it into an executable plan.
You value creative thinking alongside practical execution.
You need senior experience but don't necessarily need another full-time executive.
You have an important initiative that needs someone to take ownership and move it forward.
Or you're working on something interesting enough that neither of us knows exactly where it might lead yet. Those are usually my favorite conversations.
Have an idea worth exploring? You don't need a finished business plan. Tell me what you're thinking about, what you're trying to accomplish, and where you're getting stuck.
If I think my experience can help, I'll tell you. And if it can't, I'll tell you that too.
For fractional leadership, new venture development, strategic consulting and special projects.
