Connectd is behind a shift that’s quietly reshaping how UK startups solve a common growth-stage problem. The business has outgrown its own leadership bench, but a full-time senior hire isn’t realistic yet.
You need someone who has scaled a finance function through a Series A. Or built a go-to-market engine from scratch. Or sat on a board and knows what investors actually want to see. And you need it without the six-figure salary, the equity grant, and the six-month notice period that usually come attached.
That gap is exactly why fractional leadership has moved from a niche workaround to a mainstream hiring strategy for UK startups. Here are five reasons the model, and Connectd specifically, is worth a serious look:
- A historic wave of senior UK talent is going fractional, driven by record redundancy levels
- Fractional executives cost 40 to 70% less than an equivalent full-time hire
- They deliver results in 30 to 45 days, versus 6 to 9 months for a traditional search
- Connectd vets every candidate through accredited training, mentoring, and a guaranteed placement
- Connectd works alongside your existing network rather than replacing it
1. A historic wave of senior UK talent is going fractional
Two trends are colliding at once. Founders are under more pressure than ever to move fast without inflating headcount or burning runway on a senior hire that might not be needed twelve months from now. At the same time, the UK is seeing a historic wave of experienced leaders re-entering the market on their own terms.
The redundancy numbers explain why:
- 315,605 UK roles were flagged for potential redundancy in 2025, the highest annual total since 2020 and a 45% jump from 2021
- 327,000 redundancies are forecast for 2026
- 119,000 fewer payrolled employees in the year to May
A meaningful share of that displaced talent isn’t looking for another single, full-time role. Many are choosing a portfolio career instead, dividing their time across several companies as a fractional CFO, CMO, COO, or non-executive director.
The wider data backs up how quickly this is becoming normal:
- Fractional work mentions in new executive job postings have tripled since 2018 (Revelio Labs, via Forbes)
- The global fractional executive market was worth roughly $5.7 billion in 2025, growing at a 14% compound annual rate
- Self-identified fractional executive profiles on LinkedIn surged from around 2,000 in 2022 to 110,000 in 2024, a 5,400% increase
For UK startups, this means a deeper, more experienced talent pool than existed even three years ago.
2. Fractional executives cost 40 to 70% less than a full-time hire
For startups and scaleups, the appeal is straightforward once you run the numbers. Bringing in a fractional executive typically costs 40 to 70% less than a full-time equivalent hire, because you’re paying for focused time and outcomes rather than a full salary, benefits package, and equity grant.
- Fractional Marketing Executive: roughly $60,000 to $240,000 a year
- Full-time CMO with comparable experience: roughly $275,000 to $500,000 or more
Ready to see who’s available? You can start exploring Connectd’s fractional executive network directly here: Get started with Connectd.
3. Fractional executives move faster than traditional hiring
Speed matters just as much as cost. A traditional executive search can take six to nine months from brief to start date. That’s a long wait when you’re mid-raise or mid-pivot.
Fractional executives, by contrast, are typically able to plug in and start delivering measurable results within 30 to 45 days. They’ve done the job, or something very close to it, many times before, at many different companies. For a founder, that means access to genuinely senior expertise without the long notice period or the risk of a mis-hire at a level you can’t easily walk back.
4. Connectd vets every fractional executive before you meet them
The catch with fractional hiring is that the title has become a crowded label. Not everyone claiming it has the depth of experience, the structured support, or the genuine availability to do the job well. That’s the gap Connectd was built to close.
Connectd is a portfolio careers platform connecting startups and scaleups with experienced fractional executives, strategic advisors, and non-executive directors. It has already facilitated more than 50,000 connections across the UK and US, helping businesses secure trusted leadership at pivotal moments.
For founders, the process starts before you even meet a candidate. Connectd first helps you work out what kind of advisor or fractional executive you actually need, then matches you from a single platform covering every function and sector, from finance to marketing to governance. More than 3,500 startups are already building alongside Connectd’s network of advisors, and joining is free. Founders can create an account and start exploring the platform at no cost.
What sets Connectd apart from a straightforward marketplace is the structure underneath it. Every professional on the platform goes through:
- CPD-accredited training designed specifically for portfolio careers
- One-to-one expert mentoring from experienced industry professionals
- A guaranteed startup placement to build genuine, practical experience before ever working with a paying client
That combination means the fractional executives and non-executive director candidates a founder meets through Connectd aren’t figuring out portfolio work for the first time on your company’s watch. They’ve already been trained, mentored, and tested.
5. Connectd is a partner to your network, not a replacement for it
The professionals typically found on Connectd include:
- Senior leaders such as Directors, VPs, and Heads of Department
- Business owners and former founders ready to put their experience behind other companies
- Consultants and industry experts expanding into advisory work
- Fractional executives actively building a portfolio career
- Board advisors and non-executive directors for governance-level input
Crucially, Connectd positions itself as a partner rather than a replacement for the relationships founders already have. Your own network, your existing advisors, and your instincts about who you trust all remain central. Connectd simply adds a structured, vetted layer of accredited talent on top, so the leadership capability you bring in has already proven it can deliver before it starts working with you.
Getting started with Connectd
For a founder, the process is designed to be simple:
- Connect with Connectd, free to join, and describe the leadership gap you’re facing, whether that’s finance, marketing, operations, or board-level governance
- Get introduced to fractional executives and non-executive director candidates who’ve been trained, mentored, and matched for that engagement
- Let Connectd manage onboarding and the ongoing relationship, so you can focus on the work itself rather than the admin of managing a fractional hire
The UK’s senior talent market is going through a genuine structural shift, and the startups that tap into it early gain a real advantage. Rather than choosing between an expensive full-time hire and no senior leadership at all, founders now have a credible middle path: proven, accredited fractional executives who can start delivering in weeks, not quarters.
If your startup or scaleup is facing a leadership gap it can’t yet justify filling full-time, it’s worth seeing how Connectd’s approach to fractional executives, advisors, and non-executive directors could fit your next stage of growth. Learn more about the programme here: discover.connectd.com/partner-deck, or get started directly here: join.connectd.co.
