CEO Coach · Venture-backed founders
I coach the CEOs of venture-backed tech companies.
I've been a founder CEO myself. Over the last eight years I've coached 250+ CEOs from Series A to Series D, backed by Sequoia Capital, Accel, Insight Partners and hundreds of other venture firms.
One essay a week, read by 11,000+ CEOs. Unsubscribe anytime.
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Coaching CEOs backed by the world’s top venture funds.
Most leadership advice is written for managers. Founders lead differently.
Most people who give advice to CEOs have never been a CEO. What they suggest works for managers in corporate environments, not founders building venture-scale companies.
Founder leadership means knowing where to stay hands on, where to step back, and how to keep your personal leverage as the company grows. I've spent eight years turning how the best founder CEOs do this into a system you can learn.
Learn a founder leadership skill
in ten minutes or less.
One idea per essay, tested with 250+ venture-backed CEOs, ready to use with your team the same day. These six are the place to start.
Looking for something specific?
Search every essay by topic, challenge, or keyword.
CEO coaching, matched to your stage.
Series A–B
Growth-stage CEOs
The company has outgrown the way you work. We rebuild your role, your calendar and your leadership team, so the company runs on a system instead of running on you.
Series C–D
Scale-stage CEOs
You run a big company now. You need someone who has seen this stage before and can help you level up your top team, your story and your standards.
Leading the conversation
on founder leadership.
Occasionally, I keynote at VC conferences and run workshops for top-tier VC funds. Here are a few of my favourites:
Dave has been key to my growth as a CEO during Parloa’s rapid scale‑up.
Malte Kosub · CEO, Parloa · $560M+ raised
I'll readily admit I was a coaching skeptic when we started, but I couldn't be more of a "fan girl" today. My sessions with Dave give me clarity, focus, and a roadmap to being a better CEO and a better leader.
I am a better CEO thanks to Dave. Ultimately, the feedback I receive from my family, investors, and teams makes me greatly value his work.
Dave has been an incredible coach to work with. He has a way of asking questions to dig to the core of challenges, suggesting solutions, and also getting actionable commits that drive real change.
What I like the most about working with Dave, is the fact that he has been an entrepreneur himself and he speaks not only from theory but from practice.
Coaching with Dave has transformed the way I show up as a leader in my business. Dave has a unique ability to uncover what's important with insanely good questions. I highly recommend all startup CEOs work with Dave.
Being a founder is learning by doing but without reflection there is little to learn. Dave is exceptionally good at framing issues in a way that helps you to move forward and grow the company.
The loneliest job in tech doesn’t have to be.
You don’t get points for doing everything alone. When I bring my CEOs together, magic happens.
Dave’s CEO Intensive™, UK, September 2024
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Who is Dave Bailey? +
Dave Bailey is a CEO coach for founders of venture-backed technology companies. A former founder CEO himself, including Delivery Hero which IPO'd in 2017, he has coached 250+ CEOs from Series A to Series D and writes weekly essays on founder leadership read by 11,000+ CEOs.
Who does Dave coach? +
Exclusively CEOs: founders of post-product-market-fit tech companies, Series A to D, with teams of 20 to 1,500 people, across the US, Europe and beyond.
What makes his approach different? +
Everything you'd expect from an elite CEO coach, plus a system the others don't have: 500+ frameworks and playbooks built from 250+ coaching engagements. Tactics and execution, not just psychology.
How do you start working with him? +
Dave works with a small number of CEOs on long-term engagements. The first step is a short message about your company, and if it looks like a fit, he sets up a call personally.
Work with me.
I coach a small number of venture-backed CEOs, closely and for the long term. My clients stay an average of two and a half years.
Tell me about your company, and if it looks like a fit, I'll reply personally and we'll find a time to talk.
— Dave