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GM @ Relay Commerce · Consulting selectively

Operating Systems for Scaling Companies

When growth outruns the founder, the company needs a system.

RUN DIAGNOSTICS
SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC
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OPERATOR

17 years running operations for companies in scale-up mode. I helped win a $70M Microsoft contract and onboarded 150 people across 5 countries, was COO of a startup through its acquisition by Clear, and doubled an agency's revenue as Managing Director. Today I'm General Manager at Relay Commerce. The throughline: I build the playbooks and systems that turn founder-led chaos into something repeatable. On the side I angel invest and scout for venture funds in AI, AgTech, and Travel.

0123456789+
Years in Operations
0123456789+
Companies Operated
$0123456789M
Largest Contract Won
Strategy90%Process85%Technology80%

Daniel Canton

@dancanton

Role
Fractional COO & Ops Strategist
Status
GM @ Relay Commerce
Location
Remote
Uptime
17+ years

SYSTEM MODULES

Operational infrastructure for three types of scaling companies.

SPRINTSRETAINERSMOD-001MOD-002MOD-003MOD-004MOD-005
MOD-001Project sprint
online
Operational Infrastructure

The operating system a company runs on: SOPs, cadences, KPI packs, launch calendars, and a reporting backbone. Reporting and alerting are automated, so the numbers find you instead of the other way around. Built on 17 years of operating at every stage.

> Post-seed / Series A startups & SMBs scaling past the founder bottleneck

MOD-002Project sprint
online
Execution & Launch Ops

Embedded ops support for the high-stakes phases: product launches, market entry, post-funding scale-up. I run the sprints, keep stakeholders updated, and clear whatever's blocking the team so things ship.

> Companies in product launch, market entry, or post-funding scale-up

MOD-003Project sprint
online
Tech Stack & Integrations

Tool selection, CRM and analytics setup, and the data plumbing underneath. n8n workflows and automations that cut the manual work and surface what your operations are trying to tell you.

> Teams drowning in manual work or disconnected tools

MOD-004Monthly retainer
online
Fractional COO

Embedded operational leadership on a build-sprint plus governance retainer. Automated dashboards, alerting, and a few AI agents that take the recurring ops grunt work off the team. For companies that need an operator to install the system, train the team, then step back.

> Companies that need an operator, not a hire

MOD-005Monthly retainer
online
Founder Advisory & Investor Readiness

Hands-on advisory for early-stage founders heading into a raise. Ops due diligence, the dashboards investors will ask for, and a tighter operation before the money lands.

> Early-stage founders navigating growth & fundraising

ENGAGEMENT PROTOCOL

PH-01
online
DiagnoseWeek 1-2

Map the current state. Identify what's working, what's breaking, and where the quick wins are hiding.

  • Operational audit
  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Current-state mapping
  • Quick-win identification
PH-02
online
DesignWeek 3-4

Architect the system. Define the strategy, select the tools, and build the roadmap your team will actually follow.

  • Strategy blueprint
  • Process architecture
  • Tool selection & stack design
  • Implementation roadmap
PH-03
online
BuildMonth 2-3

Deploy the operating system. Implement processes, enable the team, ship the infrastructure, and iterate until it sticks.

  • System implementation
  • Team enablement & training
  • Tool deployment & integration
  • Iteration cycles
PH-04Maintenance Mode
idle
OperateOngoing

Maintain and optimize. Governance retainer to keep the system running, monitor KPIs, and continuously improve.

  • Governance retainer
  • KPI monitoring & dashboards
  • Quarterly business reviews
  • Continuous optimization
Proprietary IP

THE OS FRAMEWORK

The diagnostic and implementation framework behind every engagement. Three pillars, run in sequence.

PILLAR-01
active
Architecture

Strategy & Decision-Making

How your company makes decisions, tracks performance, and maintains organizational clarity. The blueprint everything else builds on.

Decision rightsKPI trackingMeeting cadencesRole clarityGoal settingGap detection
PILLAR-02
active
Infrastructure

Process & Documentation

How resilient your operations are: documentation, onboarding, escalation, and institutional knowledge. The system that survives any single departure.

SOPs & documentationOnboarding speedProcess consistencyEscalation pathsLaunch playbooksKnowledge management
PILLAR-03
active
Acceleration

Technology & AI

How well you use tools, automation, AI, and data to speed operations up. The multiplier on everything you've built.

Tool integrationReporting automationWorkflow automationAI adoptionTool evaluationData-driven decisions
Sequential Philosophy
AArchitectureIInfrastructureXAcceleration

Architecture → Infrastructure → Acceleration

Each pillar builds on the last. Automate a broken process and you scale the chaos. Get the structure right first.

DEPLOYMENTS

Moravia × Microsoft — $70M Contract Win

EnterpriseScaleGlobal Ops

Key player in the RFP process that won a 3-year, $70M contract with Microsoft's Cloud & Enterprise division. Onboarded the largest localization account in company history — 150 people across 5 countries in under 5 months.

150 people onboarded across 5 countries in under 5 months

2013-2017
complete

Whyline — COO Through Acquisition

StartupCOOAcquisition

COO from seed stage through acquisition by Clear. Led product ops, solution architecture, and the SeaTac airport RFP that triggered the deal.

Built ops infrastructure from zero to acquisition by Clear in 3 years

2018-2021
complete

Olivine Marketing — 2x Revenue Growth

AgencyGrowthP&L

Took a product marketing agency from $1M to $2M/yr as Managing Director. Ran full P&L, professionalized operations, and co-built the client acquisition engine — enabling the founders to focus on their own startups while keeping the agency running.

Revenue doubled ($1M → $2M/yr) in 18 months. Founders fully stepped back from day-to-day.

2021-2025
complete

AI Startup — Company OS Build

AIStartupProcess

Designed sprint process, product positioning, and operational stack for a pre-seed AI startup. Integrated CRM, analytics, and automation layer from zero.

Full operational stack deployed in 6 weeks

2025
complete

Translation Agency — Turnaround

TurnaroundAgencyStrategy

Interim director for an 11-month restructuring. Redefined pricing, operational processes, and hired the new permanent director.

Restructured in 11 months. New pricing, redefined processes, permanent director hired.

2024-2025
complete

Startup Advisory — Active Advisor

AdvisoryStartupStrategy

1.5-year engagement with weekly strategy sessions. Guided the CEO on product-market fit, operational decisions, and growth.

18-month engagement with weekly sessions guiding PMF and operational decisions.

2023-2025
complete

SYSTEM SIGNALS

Daniel pushed us to be more ambitious. He designed the operational processes that drove the scale of our client base and gave us the confidence to go after bigger engagements, and more engagements. More than that, he's completely trustworthy and a true friend. Can't imagine growing and selling Olivine without him. I dearly hope we work together again someday. 10/10 would recommend to a friend!

Rae Lambert

Co-Founder, Olivine

Daniel has a rare combination of operational skill and visionary creativity! He's never afraid to think totally outside the box, and leads with an ethos that the right solution is always possible with some ingenuity and dedicated time. Most importantly, Daniel was a warm and encouraging leader who is genuinely invested in each team member's professional growth and happiness in the workplace. It was a pleasure to work for him for many years!

Teri Madonna

Ops Manager, Olivine

Daniel brought strategic clarity when we needed it most. He helped us see the bigger picture, restructured how the team operated, and introduced systems thinking into everything we did.

Mónica Nainsztein

CEO, Localipsum

What truly sets Daniel apart is his ability to transform vision into structured, scalable execution. He doesn't just define strategy — he builds the operating frameworks behind it. From designing high-performing team structures to implementing clear governance models, reporting cadences, and KPI systems, he ensures that ambition is backed by discipline and measurable outcomes. His leadership combines strategic depth with operational rigor, creating organizations that are not only effective, but built to scale.

Iván Marinángeli

Former Program Manager, RWS · Now MD, Localipsum

As a strategic advisor working closely with Daniel, I saw how he takes ownership of execution in a way that genuinely frees the founder. He's the kind of partner who absorbs operational complexity so founders can do what they do best: ideate, lead, sell and grow. Reliable, proactive, a true team player, and deeply committed, Daniel is the person you feel both privileged to work with and to learn from his expertise.

Noemí Otazu

Former Strategic Marketing Manager, Orange Spain · Localipsum

Daniel took ownership of everything on the execution side — engineering direction, client implementations, customer support, recruiting. He let us focus on the product and the fundraise knowing the operation was in good hands.

Michael Twersky

Co-Founder, Whyline

We needed someone who could run the day-to-day across engineering, onboarding, support, and solutions architecture while we focused on sales and strategy. Daniel did all of that and built the team around it.

Gastón Frydlewski

Co-Founder, Whyline

Daniel and his team made onboarding one of our most complex localization programs seamless. He understood what we needed before we had to ask, kept delivery on track, and made my job as vendor manager significantly easier.

Adam Johnson

Former Vendor Manager, Microsoft

Through his vision, dedication, and relentless focus on excellence, he not only led us to win the largest business in our industry but also built and flawlessly ran a world-class operational and delivery organization that consistently exceeded expectations. Daniel embodies what true leadership looks like — driving success not just through strategy, but through people and purpose.

Tomas Kratochvil

Former CEO, Moravia

Daniel led a very ambitious and ground breaking outsourcing project on behalf of Microsoft Cloud & AI international team to the tune of $30 million. He owned establishing & running a geographically dispersed team, responsible for product timelines and quality. He is a super professional and popular colleague, bringing strong leadership, business knowledge and execution muscle to all his roles.

Mary McHale

Former Director, International Cloud & Enterprise, Microsoft

INITIATE CONTACT

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