Fractional Executive. Founder by Instinct. Chronic Starter of Things.

I’m drawn to building companies, systems, things that didn’t exist before.
Two things drive my work: helping others scale through NEXT Fractional, and building companies of my own. Both are by design.
WHAT I DO

Senior leadership, on a 
fractional basis.

I embed inside companies as a senior executive not as a consultant who advises from a distance. I own outcomes, lead teams, and stay in the work.

Fractional Executive

I operate as CMO, CDO, or head of strategy for growth-stage companies that need senior leadership without the full-time commitment. Ongoing engagements, real accountability, no retainer theater.

Division & Program Leadership

For larger organizations, I run discrete divisions or high-stakes programs end-to-end owning the team, the plan, and the outcomes. I've done this for brands at national scale.

Venture Building

I build companies across digital media, lead generation, channel sales, and technology — starting lean by design, scaling when the model is proven.

VENTURES & PROJECTS

Things I've built, and am still building.

A mix of companies I've founded, co-founded, and operate. Each one started as a problem worth solving. Some are scaled, some are early — all are active.

NEXT Fractional

INSTIGATOR

(est. 2018, before fractional CMOs were a thing)
My fractional executive practice. I embed as a senior leader driving marketing, strategy, and business development for growth-stage companies finding their footing and larger organizations that need dedicated executive ownership for a specific division or program.

PANDAQ

PARTNER

Compliant lead generation for national brands. PANDAQ operates a portfolio of owned digital properties and performance marketing programs connecting consumers with leading brands at scale.

devHOUSE

CREATOR

A studio for bold ideas and next-gen technology. devHOUSE designs and deploys AI-driven platforms that scale, adapt, and perform — serving clients across the NEXT portfolio and beyond.

Koalify

STRATEGIST

Koalify sits between major consumer brands and their indirect dealer networks recruiting, enabling, and supporting the channels that drive real activations and sustained growth.

I Heart RVing

PUBLISHER

I spotted an underserved audience with real purchase intent and built a media brand around it. I Heart RVing is now one of the top independent RV lifestyle properties in the U.S. — original content, an engaged community, and a loyal audience of full-timers and weekend adventurers.

Qackr

ARCHITECT

Qackr is a field sales enablement platform built around QR technology. It combines trackable microsites, QR campaigns, SMS communications, AI-assisted scheduling, and real-time analytics giving sales teams and dealers everything they need to move faster, track better, and close more.

Callpaca

BUILDER

A pay-per-call platform that delivers high-intent inbound calls to home service, legal, and automotive businesses. Callpaca filters out low- quality traffic and routes real, ready-to-act customers directly to the businesses that need them.

The Menu

CURATOR

A private, curated guide to exceptional service providers known personally, vetted through direct experience, and introduced at the leadership level. Not a marketplace. Not a directory. A thoughtfully composed selection shaped by relationships, results, and time.
ABOUT

The longer version.

I’m an intentional founder and fractional executive based in Barcelona. My work sits at the intersection of marketing, strategy, and growth — built across industries, company stages, and market cycles.

I lead through NEXT Fractional, where I embed directly with clients as a senior executive on a flexible basis. That means real ownership, not advisory distance. I’ve served as fractional CMO, head of digital, and division lead — sometimes for a startup finding its footing, sometimes managing a program for a brand at national scale.

Outside of client work, I build. The ventures above span digital media, lead generation, channel sales, and technology. Most started lean by design — the fastest way to find out if something is worth building is to 
build it.

I hold an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler and a degree in Marketing and Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas. I live in Barcelona with my family, which means travel, serious food, futbol of course, and being immersed in a city that rewards curiosity.

BASED

Barcelona, Catalonia

EDUCATION

MBA, UNC Kenan-Flagler · Marketing & Business Communications, University of St. Thomas

PRIMARY PRACTICE

NEXT Fractional

FOCUS AREAS

Marketing · Strategy · Growth · Business Development · Partnerships

OUTSIDE OF WORK

Travel, street photography, reading, running, FC Barcelona

Let's find out if we should work together.

Whether you're looking for a fractional executive or just want to compare notes on something you're building, I'm usually up for a conversation.
© 2026 David Petsolt — Barcelona & everywhere else.