Not Your Typical
Marketing Consultant
I’ve spent 30 years building marketing from the ground up—not just advising on it, but actually doing it. Co-founding agencies that scaled to 130+ people. Leading marketing for enterprise tech companies. Navigating the chaos of building businesses from zero.
The perspective comes from being in the founder’s seat. Making payroll. Pivoting when plans fail. Building teams. Losing clients. Winning them back. That lived experience shapes how I work with companies today.
Now, I bring that practitioner’s mindset to fractional CMO engagements, M&A advisory, and founder mentoring across India and Africa. Strategic clarity. Execution frameworks. Results that move the business forward.
Where Things Stand Now
Fractional CMO & Strategic Advisor
Currently working with mid-market companies as Fractional CMO—providing strategic marketing leadership without the full-time commitment. Recent engagements include building 90-day marketing foundations for multi-product tech companies, establishing go-to-market strategies for enterprise software, and aligning sales and marketing for B2B manufacturers.
M and A Strategic Advisor (Ecosystem Ventures)
Serving as M&A Strategic Advisor at Ecosystem Ventures, working with companies in the ₹50-200 Cr range. The focus is acquisition readiness—helping founders position their businesses for strategic exits, refine their value propositions for buyers, and navigate due diligence from a marketing and brand perspective.
Stanford SEED Transformation Network Consultant
Part of Stanford’s network supporting IT/ITES companies across India and Africa. Working with senior leadership on growth strategy, market positioning, and business transformation.
Founder Mentoring (TiE, Ecosystem Ventures)
Mentoring founders through TiE’s national programs (Nurture Program for Top 100 companies, Women Entrepreneurship Competition) and Ecosystem Ventures portfolio. The conversations span business model validation, investor pitch development, market positioning, and scaling challenges. Honest feedback from someone who’s navigated the same journey
Strategy without execution is hallucination. Execution without strategy is chaos. The work lives in the middle.
Four Things That Set This Apart
Founder Mindset, Not Consultant Mindset
I've built companies, not just advised them. Co-founded agencies. Hired teams. Made payroll. Dealt with the pressure of P&L responsibility. That's a different lens than someone who's only worked client-side or in consulting. I know what it's like when the strategy has to work—not in theory, but in practice.
Cross-Sector Experience (B2B & B2C)
Most consultants specialize in one lane—either B2B or B2C, SaaS or traditional industries. I've worked across both: enterprise tech, automotive, FMCG, media, manufacturing. That cross-pollination creates pattern recognition. Solutions from one sector often unlock growth in another.
Strategic + Execution (Not Just Frameworks)
I don't hand over a strategy deck and disappear. The work includes positioning, messaging, go-to-market plans, sales enablement, and content frameworks—built for execution, not PowerPoint. You get systems that your team can actually run with, not theoretical models that sit on a shelf.
M&A Lens on Marketing Decisions
As an M&A advisor, I see how marketing decisions impact valuation. Positioning affects multiples. Customer acquisition cost determines investability. Brand equity influences exit potential. Marketing isn't just about leads—it's about building an asset that scales and sells. That perspective shapes everything I build.
The Journey: 2024 → 1997
Fractional CMO + Advisory Work
Founded Rahul Vaidya Consults. Working as Fractional CMO for mid-market companies and M&A Strategic Advisor with Ecosystem Ventures. Stanford SEED Transformation Network Consultant. Mentoring startups through TiE.
Intellicus Technologies
Director of Global Marketing. Led marketing for enterprise analytics software company. Elevated brand awareness for Intellicus and Kyvos in global markets. Developed fresh brand narratives to position both brands for growth in competitive enterprise tech landscape.
Rediffusion
Joined one of India's most respected advertising agencies as VP and Business Lead for the Mumbai office. Led the agency's largest account—Tata Trusts. Key responsibilities included brand strategy and preparation for the soft launch of their prestigious marketing platform
Abstraction Advertising
Founded Abstraction Advertising after exiting Purple Focus. The premise was simple: remove the non-essentials, focus on what drives business performance. Combined business vision with meaningful communication solutions for sustained client success. Key engagements with Point-nine Lintas, Daink Bhaskar, Big FM, Creambell Ice cream.
Purple Focus Group
This is where it all started. I co-founded Purple Focus, an experiential marketing agency, in 1997. Built the business from four people in a rented office to 130+ employees across Mumbai, Delhi, and Indore. Created large-scale brand experiences, events, and activations for national & International brands. Led campaigns for Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto, Star Plus, Nokia, Idea Cellular, and other major brands. This is where I learned to build marketing that drives business outcomes, not just creative recognition
Let's Explore What's Possible
Book a 30-minute conversation. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about where you are and where marketing could take you.