Steve Gibson.
Aerospace engineer turned startup operator turned executive leader. Having spent 20+ years building and scaling, from spacecraft integration at ESA to a Goldman Sachs acquisition to taking advanced compute and AI to market, I'm here to help founders build companies that actually work.
Because I've been in your seat
I've been the first hire at a company with no product, no revenue, and no playbook. I've sat across the table from Goldman Sachs during acquisition due diligence. I've built financial systems from a blank spreadsheet and hired teams during hypergrowth. I know what it feels like when everything is on fire and you're the one holding the extinguisher.
That's why I started Scalewright, and why I invest in early-stage companies. Not because I wanted to consult, but because I kept meeting founders who were brilliant at building products and terrible at building companies. They didn't need another advisor with opinions. They needed someone who'd done it, made the mistakes, and could help them skip the expensive lessons.
Working with me means
An operator, not a consultant
I don't hand you a slide deck and walk away. I embed with your team, set up the financial systems, build the hiring processes, run the due diligence, and stay until the engine is running. That's what I did at Honest Dollar, Valkyrie, and Vulnerable U, and it's what I'll do for you.
20+ years of pattern recognition
I've managed international teams building spacecraft across multiple countries, led product ramp-ups at Airbus, and been the first ops hire at a pre-seed startup. I've been a VP at Goldman Sachs, an Operations Officer scaling revenue, and a Commercial Officer taking advanced compute to market. The same patterns keep showing up, and after two decades I can spot what's breaking before it breaks.
Ops treated as the product
Most founders focus on their product and treat operations as an afterthought. The best companies I've built treated operational excellence as their competitive advantage. Finance, sales, HR, compliance, legal, vendor management: these aren't overhead. They're the engine that lets you scale.
Understanding both sides of the table
I don't just build companies, I invest in them. That means I understand what founders need and what investors expect. Cap tables, fundraising, due diligence, board dynamics. I've sat on both sides, and that perspective shapes every decision I help you make.
Know where AI fits and where it doesn't
I've studied AI and machine learning at a postgraduate level and work with it every day across advanced compute and cybersecurity. I won't tell you to throw AI at everything. But I will find the places where it makes your operations faster, your team leaner, and your decisions sharper.
From building spacecraft to scaling startups
Structural & Systems Engineer → RAF Service
Marshall Aerospace, Royal Air Force
Started my career designing structural modifications and fluid systems for military aircraft including the A400M Flight Test Bed. Deployed to Abu Dhabi for RAF TriStar fuel inerting system installation and served in the RAF Volunteer Reserve before entering the Royal Air Force full-time.
I'm probably not the right fit if…
Still here? Let's talk.
If any of the above sounds like what you need, I'd love to hear about your company, even if it's just to trade notes on the challenges of scaling.