As the year winds down, I find it is natural to pause, reflect, and predict what lies ahead. 2024 was a pivotal year for me and Surge Growth Consulting. It began with my taking a leap as a solo fractional CRO with a single client. I was confident in my years as a sales leader, yet not fully prepared for the incredible momentum ahead.

From several strategic announcements, I was flooded with messages from past colleagues, friends, and industry experts. Seeing how many incredibly talented professionals came forward, eager to reconnect and collaborate, was humbling and energizing. That response inspired the foundation of Surge Growth, a collective of top-tier fractional executives with deep expertise across the tech sector. Today, we are a powerful team ready to help tech companies develop high-performing sales and leadership teams quickly and cost-effectively.

So, what’s on the horizon for 2025?

Growth and Opportunity in Fractional Leadership

One clear trend is the continued expansion of fractional leadership. Companies today face unique pressures to execute swiftly and precisely within tighter budgets. Hiring a complete squad of full-time executives in sales, marketing, customer success, and critical go-to-market functions takes time and effort and is expensive. That’s where fractional leadership comes in, offering exceptional talent across various functions—sales, marketing, operations, and beyond—for a fraction of the cost of hiring full-time executives.

As the demand for flexible, strategic expertise grows, I hope more headhunters and talent firms consider Surge Growth a go-to resource. Bringing in fractional executives gives clients access to the exact skills they need right when they need them, without long-term costs. This model enables companies to swiftly combine strategy and execution, gaining a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced tech environment.

Federal Opportunities

This year, we’ve accelerated a powerful avenue for our clients to sell to the federal government, meeting the rapid demand for tech solutions in critical areas like AI, deepfake detection, geospatial intelligence, and advanced search capabilities. These technologies are becoming indispensable for federal agencies, as AI enables more efficient data analysis, predictive modeling, and decision-making processes, enhancing everything from national security to resource management.

AI is powering critical technologies that will impact security and are of significant interest to federal agencies. In particular, we expect to see highly accurate and fully automated code regeneration allow the public and private sectors to quickly transition vulnerable code to secure code, adding critical security while freeing up valuable engineering resources. Geospatial intelligence will also gain prominence as it is vital for monitoring and responding to environmental challenges, mapping territories, and ensuring homeland security through advanced surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. And rounding out the proliferation of security-driven technology growth will be deepfake detection, which safeguards public information channels, protecting against misinformation campaigns that threaten national security and public trust; and advanced search capabilities that will empower federal agencies with precise, rapid insights across vast datasets.

By partnering with a leading federal reseller and other strategic allies, we are making it possible for innovative tech companies that would otherwise struggle to enter the public sector to find a clear path to market. At a time when technology evolves at an unprecedented pace, federal agencies and their partners must gain access to these innovations as soon as they’re available, ensuring they have the tools needed to adapt and stay ahead. We’re excited to announce new partnerships that will further strengthen our clients’ reach into this market, with significant developments expected by the end of Q4 and early Q1.

Concerns and Hopes for the Tech Industry

While the outlook for fractional services is promising, I have mixed feelings about the tech industry’s direction. Not long ago, the sector took social responsibility and commitment to values like employee well-being, sustainability, service to others, and even democratic integrity seriously. Unfortunately, we now see signs that profit margins and excessive power are winning over these values. Perhaps I’m being naive, which isn’t how people usually describe me, but this feels very different from just three years ago.

In addition to our tech leaders’ personal responsibility, algorithms and AI ethics are paramount to our country’s future. We must take seriously the risks posed by bad actors in this space, calling them out loudly while recognizing and supporting the many good actors striving to use technology responsibly. The tech sector can make a profoundly positive impact for the foreseeable future. Still, that potential will only be realized if we hold leaders accountable for the technology they bring into the world and ensure strong guardrails are in place.

A Year Ahead of Growth, Partnership, and Purpose

In sum, I’m optimistic that fractional services will see robust growth in 2025, and I’m excited about the role Surge Growth will play in helping companies thrive with this model. At the same time, I hope to see the tech industry as a whole recalibrate toward principles that benefit everyone.

Here’s to a year of growth, partnership, and purpose.