You’re hiring because you need help. Maybe it’s a Head of Marketing, a VP of Comms or a go-to-market lead. The role is critical, the search is taking longer than expected and in the meantime, things are starting to drift. You — or someone on your leadership team — is juggling too many priorities, trying to keep things moving without the structure or capacity to do it well.

This isn’t a reflection of poor planning. The reality many startups face is that strategic vacancies slow down everything else. Not just in terms of execution, but internal alignment, investor confidence and the ability to make timely decisions.

Is it riskier to wait? Or to hire too quickly?

It’s easy to assume that waiting for the right person is the responsible thing to do. Unfortunately, open roles at this level create subtle, compounding costs. On the other hand, rushing to fill the seat just to regain traction comes with its own risks. A misaligned hire can cause rework, shake internal confidence or lead to turnover that sets you back further than if you had waited.

The real problem isn’t the gap — it’s how you manage it, and interim support can help you with that

A strong partner can take ownership of key initiatives, align quickly with your team, and protect forward motion across GTM and communications functions.

ARTEMIA has supported startups through product launches, brand repositioning, investor communications and growth planning, all while leadership roles remained open. In every case, the work didn’t just maintain momentum — it created more of it. Then, when the permanent hire stepped in, they found a stronger foundation, a sharper strategy and a team that wasn’t burned out from holding the line.

Not Sure If This Is the Right Fit? Ask Yourself:

• Has our GTM work slowed or stalled because no one is clearly responsible?
• Are we preparing for a launch without consistent messaging or a comms lead?
• Are updates, materials, or timelines slipping because bandwidth is too limited?
• Are we feeling pressure to hire quickly, even if we’re not confident in the options?

If you said “yes,” to any (or all) of those questions, it may be worth exploring interim or fractional support. At ARTEMIA, we provide both working with startups to fill critical gaps in GTM, communications and strategy execution.

We embed where you need us most, providing senior-level support that moves quickly, aligns with your team and keeps investor and market expectations on track.

Our complimentary strategy sessions are a great opportunity to see what it’s like to have outside expertise without any cost or obligation. Fill out this quick form to get matched with a Go-to-Market expert.