Fractional cost, full impact.
Translation, not transformation.
We translate intent into execution.
Middle 3rd Solutions (M3S) is a fractional Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) practice for privately held firms from $5M to $50M+. You already have the raw material — expertise, relationships, products, reputation. We design and develop the revenue infrastructure that turns it into systems that compound.
Based in Orlando (Lake Nona), FL.
// AI-native by default
Operated on an AI-native operating system. Embedded-level operational depth at competitive cash pricing — because the M3S operating system extends what one senior operator can deliver. Not AI consulting. The infrastructure underneath every engagement.
// the thesis
Expertise doesn't scale. Infrastructure does.
Most growing companies don't have an expertise problem. They have a gap — the business-development function doesn't exist yet. Revenue depends on one or two key people. Partnerships happen by handshake. Pipeline lives in someone's head.
M3S lives in the Translation Layer — the space between leadership intent and frontline reality — and designs the infrastructure that closes the gap.
// what we do
Three engagement shapes. Defined start. Defined finish.
Senior business-development leadership, delivered fractionally. Each shape scaled to the business's stage and need.
Also known as: fractional Head of Partnerships, Interim BD Leader, Strategic BD Advisor.
Strategic · Light touch
Counsel
Flexible engagement
Monthly strategy touchpoints with async access. Senior BD judgment for seed–Series A founders (equity-friendly) or established firms wanting a retained voice at the board level. For owners testing the fit.
Regular · Leads the function
Partner
Quarterly commitment
Weekly or biweekly cadence, deal quarterback, direct access. We lead the CBDO function for firms ready to hand off BD leadership but not yet ready for a full-time hire. Partnership development, pipeline architecture, coaching the team.
Intensive · Deep immersion
Embedded
3–6 month floor
For inflection points: growth push, acquisition prep, new market entry, exit prep, post-M&A integration. On the exec team in all but title. Deep integration for a defined window.
Where to start
Every engagement starts with a 2–3 week BD Maturity Diagnostic — a scored assessment that becomes the roadmap. For specific needs, we also run fixed-fee project engagements such as Partnership Ecosystem Architecture, Exit Readiness, M&A Support, BD Function Handoff, and BD AI Acceleration.
// the framework
Three pillars. One function. Fractionally delivered.
The CBDO function organizes around three pillars. We deliver each one fractionally — tuned for privately held firms, not Fortune 500.
Pillar 1
Partnerships
Channel partners, strategic alliances, co-sell motions, referral infrastructure, partner enablement, partner attribution.
- Partnership Strategy & Ecosystem
- Partner Revenue Operations
Pillar 2
Corp Dev & M&A
Acquisition pipeline, strategic investment, integration planning, exit-readiness systems, valuation uplift.
- Corporate Development
- Deal Architecture & Commercial Strategy
Pillar 3
Growth Strategy
New vertical/geographic/category entry, partner-led GTM, launch planning, strategic positioning for growth motions.
- Business Development — New Markets
- Go-to-Market Strategy
Research anchor: the three-pillar CBDO framework was formalized by Ken Takahashi and Matt Blumberg in Startup CXO (Wiley, 2021).
// how it works
Assess. Design. Grow.
Every engagement — Counsel, Partner, or Embedded — follows the same three-step arc. Translation, not transformation: we extend what already works and stay until the function runs without us.
Step 1
Assess
The 20-Dimension BD Maturity Assessment. Scored across four categories, 100-point scale, calibrated to your stage. Produces a baseline you can measure against.
- Stakeholder interviews
- Scored baseline + benchmarks
- 90-day roadmap
Step 2
Design
Design and develop the specific revenue infrastructure the business is missing. Targeted at the lowest-scoring, highest-ROI dimensions. Your team executes; we lead and coach.
- Partnership architecture
- Pipeline & referral systems
- Deal structure & governance
Step 3
Grow
The system runs. Revenue becomes less key-person-dependent. Scores improve quarterly. The engagement graduates to Alumni Advisory or the function runs independently.
- Re-score at 6 and 12 months
- Function transfer & handoff
- Alumni Advisory (optional)
The arc is the same at every shape. Counsel runs it light-touch. Partner runs it hands-on. Embedded runs it immersive. Different cadence. Same rhythm.
Same infrastructure underneath, too — proprietary AI. Intent-signal capture, outreach drafting, pattern recognition, competitive intelligence. Not AI consulting; this is what a BD function looks like when the infrastructure is AI-native by default.
// who it's for
Honest qualifiers.
This is for you if:
- Privately held firm, $5M–$50M+ in revenue, with expertise and relationships that got you here (founder-led, owner-operated, PE portfolio, partner-led — all welcome)
- Revenue still runs through one or two key people, and you're feeling the ceiling
- You've outgrown ad hoc partnerships, accidental referrals, and BD-by-handshake
- PE operating partner, SaaS CRO, or seed-stage founder open to equity-based advisory
This is NOT for you if:
- Revenue growth is already systematic and doesn't stall when you take a week off
- You want a sales outsourcing firm, cold-calling service, or demand-gen agency
- You're looking for a CRM configurator or marketing agency
- Pre-revenue and still figuring out what you sell
// the founder
Daniell Robertson, MBA
Founder & CBDO
"We build the capacity to figure it out — in every room, relationship, and pursuit that matters."
He grew up in the professional football system in England. Signed schoolboy forms at 15, trained full-time in Birmingham City FC's academy from 16 to 19. Was 50-50 for a full professional contract and just missed out. Chose a soccer scholarship in America over part-time professional football in England. Full ride to Rollins College. Three-time All-American. Represented Great Britain at the Summer Universiade. Hall of Fame. BA in Psychology, MBA in Management — but it was the pitch, not the classroom, that taught him how to compete under real pressure and what to do when the plan disappears.
The better part of two decades spent in BD, strategic partnerships & alliances, and go-to-market across domestic and international markets — from early-stage venture-backed startups to publicly traded technology companies. Experienced across the full lifecycle, from angel investing and advising at the earliest stages through to being part of a multi-hundred-million-dollar acquisition.
All of it taught him one thing: what separates businesses that scale from businesses that stall is not more effort or more expertise. It's the capacity to figure it out. A husband and father of two daughters, everything he builds passes through one filter: does this make our family stronger?
// the track record
Not theory. Practice.
Years in BD & Partnerships
Years in VC-funded startups
Acquisition experience
All-American
Sports Hall of Fame
// m3s journal [coming soon]
Something's in draft...
Practical thinking on revenue infrastructure, strategic partnerships, and the business-development function that doesn't exist yet. For privately held firms, $5M to $50M+. No fluff. No pitch.
// let's talk
See if there's a fit.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. If there's a fit, we'll match you to the right shape and scope. No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a conversation.
Message received.
We'll get back to you within 24 hours. If it's urgent, email [email protected] directly.
Or reach out directly:
[email protected]