Not Your Typical
Marketing
Consultant
Practitioner, not theorist. Operator, not observer. 30 years of building marketing from inside the founder’s seat.
I’ve spent 30 years building marketing and advertising firms from the ground up — not advising from the outside, but doing the work: co-founding agencies, scaling teams from zero to 130+, driving 13× growth for enterprise clients, winning 71 industry awards. That’s not a consultant’s resume. That’s a practitioner’s track record.
The perspective comes from being in the founder’s seat — dealing with tight budgets, conflicting priorities, the pressure to show results yesterday. I know what it’s like when marketing has to work because there’s no safety net. That lived experience shapes how I approach every engagement.
Now I bring that practitioner’s mindset to companies that need marketing leadership but aren’t ready for — or don’t need — a full-time CMO. Strategic direction, execution frameworks, and results-focused thinking, without the overhead.
What I'm working on.
Fractional CMO & Strategic Advisor
Working with mid-market companies as Fractional CMO — building 90-day marketing foundations, GTM strategies for enterprise software, and aligning sales and marketing for B2B manufacturers.
M&A Strategic Advisor
Ecosystem Ventures
Advising companies in the ₹50–200 Cr range on acquisition readiness — positioning for strategic exits, refining value propositions for buyers, and navigating due diligence.
Stanford SEED Transformation Network Consultant
Part of Stanford’s network supporting IT/ITES companies across India and Africa on growth strategy, market positioning, and business transformation.
Founder Mentoring
TiE · Ecosystem Ventures
Mentoring founders through TiE’s national programs (Nurture Top 100, Women Entrepreneurship) and Ecosystem Ventures portfolio. Honest feedback from someone who’s navigated the same journey.
Speaking the practitioner's language.
Selected speaking engagements at flagship founder, growth, and chamber forums across India.
- July 2025
Vinca Workshop
- September 2024
TiECon MP – Moderating with Shantanu
Four things that set this apart.
01
Founder Mindset, Not Consultant Mindset
I've built companies, not just advised them. Co-founded agencies. Hired teams. Made payroll. That's a different lens than someone who's only worked client-side.
02
Cross-sector experience (B2B & B2C)
Three decades across automotive, telecom, broadcast, retail, manufacturing, and enterprise tech. Patterns travel across categories.
03
Operator's view of growth
Strategy that survives contact with reality — tight budgets, conflicting priorities, and the pressure to show results yesterday.
04
Geographic depth: India & Africa
Stanford SEED engagements across emerging markets bring perspective most India-only or US-only consultants don't have.
Three decades, one through-line.
Fractional CMO + Advisory Work
Founded Rahul Vaidya Consults. Working as Fractional CMO for mid-market companies and M&A Strategic Advisor with Ecosystem Ventures. Stanford SEED Transformation Network Consultant. Mentoring startups through TiE.
Intellicus Technologies
Director of Global Marketing. Led marketing for enterprise analytics software company. Elevated brand awareness for Intellicus and Kyvos in global markets. Developed fresh brand narratives to position both brands for growth in competitive enterprise tech landscape.
Rediffusion
Joined one of India's most respected advertising agencies as VP and Business Lead for the Mumbai office. Led the agency's largest account—Tata Trusts. Key responsibilities included brand strategy and preparation for the soft launch of their prestigious marketing platform.
Abstraction Advertising
Founded Abstraction Advertising after exiting Purple Focus. The premise was simple: remove the non-essentials, focus on what drives business performance. Combined business vision with meaningful communication solutions for sustained client success. Key engagements with Point-nine Lintas, Daink Bhaskar, Big FM, Creambell Ice cream.
Purple Focus Group
This is where it all started. I co-founded Purple Focus, an experiential marketing agency, in 1997. Built the business from four people in a rented office to 130+ employees across Mumbai, Delhi, and Indore. Created large-scale brand experiences, events, and activations for national & International brands. Led campaigns for Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto, Star Plus, Nokia, Idea Cellular, and other major brands. This is where I learned to build marketing that drives business outcomes, not just creative recognition.
Vast Experience
Let's explore what's possible.
Book a 30-minute conversation. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about where you are and where marketing could take you.