FOUNDER-OPERATOR · ADVISORY PRACTICE

EU · US · ASIA

FEATURED IN

I look at a business and see what can start, what connects,

and who needs to be talking. I've run companies like yours

from the inside, so I take the mandate, not just the meeting.

Cross-border advisory for founder-CEOs at inflection points. Strategy, capital, execution with the network to ship it.

Building things that didn't exist yesterday

ONE NUMBER TO CALL

Aproblemisatask.Let'slookatwhatneedstobedone.

Aproblemisatask.Let'slookatwhatneedstobedone.

Aproblemisatask.Let'slookatwhatneedstobedone.

Mostofthetimetheproblemisnottheoneyoucalledabout.Soyoudonotbuyaservice.Youbringtheproblem,and workingoutwhatitactuallyiscomesfirst.Strategyand decisions,capital,productandtechnology,delivery,legal andstructuring,brand.Sixfields,onepointofcontact.

Aproblemisatask.Let'slookatwhatneedstobedone.

Mostofthetimetheproblemisnottheoneyoucalledabout.Soyoudonotbuyaservice.Youbringtheproblem,and workingoutwhatitactuallyiscomesfirst.Strategyand decisions,capital,productandtechnology,delivery,legal andstructuring,brand.Sixfields,onepointofcontact.

Whensomethingneedsaspecialist,Ibringoneinfroma networkIhaveworkedwithforyears.Youneverendup managingfiveadvisors.Nothinggetshandedoffwithoutme init.

Aproblemisatask.Let'slookatwhatneedstobedone.

Whensomethingneedsaspecialist,Ibringoneinfroma networkIhaveworkedwithforyears.Youneverendup managingfiveadvisors.Nothinggetshandedoffwithoutme init.

Strategic Thinking

Founder-operator perspective, not framework theater. Where you are, where you actually need to go, and the shortest honest path between the two. What can start, what connects, who needs to be talking.

Business Expertise

10+ years across CEO, COO, and Head of Product roles, in companies three years old and thirty. Capital raise, market entry, scale, exit. EU, US, Asia. I've sat in every phase I advise on.

The Person In The Chair

Business is people. So is the work. When the person running it is stuck, burning out, or losing the thread, that is not a side issue. It is the issue. It comes built into the mandate, not sold as an extra.

Our Services

Expert guidance at every inflection point

Helping business owners with clarity, confidence, and measurable results.

Helping business owners with clarity, confidence, and measurable results.

Our Values

Principles behind every engagement

Six commitments that shape how I work. Four here, two more in the practice.

Equal Footing Or No Deal

One-sided risk is a no. I'll match your commitment, and I expect the same. This isn't a negotiation point. It's a precondition.

Outcome, Not Excuse

The goal is always the result. I don't collect reasons why it didn't happen.

Image

A Fast No Beats A Slow Yes

If the direction is wrong, I'll say it early. A quick correction costs less than three months in the wrong lane.

No Templates, No Empty Promises

I won't take on generic-shaped work. I don't promise what I can't deliver. What's behind me are real outcomes, not slide decks.

Equal Footing Or No Deal

One-sided risk is a no. I'll match your commitment, and I expect the same. This isn't a negotiation point. It's a precondition.

Outcome, Not Excuse

The goal is always the result. I don't collect reasons why it didn't happen.

Image

A Fast No Beats A Slow Yes

If the direction is wrong, I'll say it early. A quick correction costs less than three months in the wrong lane.

No Templates, No Empty Promises

I won't take on generic-shaped work. I don't promise what I can't deliver. What's behind me are real outcomes, not slide decks.

Equal Footing Or No Deal

One-sided risk is a no. I'll match your commitment, and I expect the same. This isn't a negotiation point. It's a precondition.

Outcome, Not Excuse

The goal is always the result. I don't collect reasons why it didn't happen.

Image

A Fast No Beats A Slow Yes

If the direction is wrong, I'll say it early. A quick correction costs less than three months in the wrong lane.

No Templates, No Empty Promises

I won't take on generic-shaped work. I don't promise what I can't deliver. What's behind me are real outcomes, not slide decks.

Our Approach

A three-step working method.

Every engagement follows the same rhythm. Diagnose first, then decide, then move.

Discover

Strategize

Execute

Business Discovery

The first two weeks: I read your business the way you can't from the inside. Financials, team, product, market, and the pattern underneath. What's actually true, not just what's said in the room.

Business Discovery

The first two weeks: I read your business the way you can't from the inside. Financials, team, product, market, and the pattern underneath. What's actually true, not just what's said in the room.

Strategic Planning

We narrow the choice set to what actually matters. Two or three decisions that move the company forward. Every option carries a cost, a probability, and a name attached to it.

Strategic Planning

We narrow the choice set to what actually matters. Two or three decisions that move the company forward. Every option carries a cost, a probability, and a name attached to it.

Execute & Optimize

Where most advisors leave. I stay in the room. Weekly cadence, real accountability, and course correction the moment the data says so. This is what turns strategy into outcome.

Execute & Optimize

Where most advisors leave. I stay in the room. Weekly cadence, real accountability, and course correction the moment the data says so. This is what turns strategy into outcome.

Why Szel & Partners

The advantage of working with an operator

Four things you won't get from a framework-only advisor.

Operator, Not Observer

I've built and sold companies. I've raised capital, run product, and negotiated exits. What I advise on isn't theory. It's what I've done.

Operator, Not Observer

I've built and sold companies. I've raised capital, run product, and negotiated exits. What I advise on isn't theory. It's what I've done.

Cross-border By Default

Central Europe, US, Asia. Twenty-plus countries of ground truth, not a LinkedIn-scraped network. Doors open because the relationships are real.

Cross-border By Default

Central Europe, US, Asia. Twenty-plus countries of ground truth, not a LinkedIn-scraped network. Doors open because the relationships are real.

Human Read In The Room

When a founder is burning out or stuck, most advisors offer a framework. I bring the human read too, if you want it. Twenty years of endurance sport also gave me practical ground on focus, recovery, and clarity.

Human Read In The Room

When a founder is burning out or stuck, most advisors offer a framework. I bring the human read too, if you want it. Twenty years of endurance sport also gave me practical ground on focus, recovery, and clarity.

Skin In The Game

Equal footing or no deal. I match your commitment, and I expect the same. One-sided risk is a no. That's the precondition, not the negotiation.

Skin In The Game

Equal footing or no deal. I match your commitment, and I expect the same. One-sided risk is a no. That's the precondition, not the negotiation.

The Difference

Why founders work with Szel & Partners

Why founders work with Szel & Partners

Other advisors

Most engagements end with a recommendation. The recommendation was never the hard part.

Never built a company themselves

Sell knowledge you can now get anywhere

Start from what is broken

Deliver the report and leave

A network on paper

Szel & Partners

I have run the seat I am advising on, whether the company is three years old or thirty. I stay in it until the outcome is real.

CEO, COO, Head of Product. Every phase I advise on, I have sat in.

Knowledge is not the bottleneck. The decision is.

I start from what could start, what connects, and who should be talking.

I take the mandate, not just the meeting.

20+ countries where I have actually operated.

€0M+

€0M+

Raised across the companies I have built and advised

€0M+

€0M+

Raised across the companies I have built and advised

0+

0+

Countries of operating experience

0+

0+

Led organisations of

0+

0+

Led organisations of

0+

0+

Countries of operating experience

0+

0+

Years CEO / COO / Head of Product

0+

0+

Years CEO / COO / Head of Product

FAQs

Your Commonly Asked Questions

Need Guidance? Book a consultation

Who do you typically partner with?

Founder-CEOs at inflection points. Capital raise, cross-border scaling, pivot decisions, or preparing for exit. Companies past seed but not yet institutional. Series A to B most often.

What type of services do you offer?

How does the consulting process work?

How can we start working with you?

Can you support leadership teams?

What areas of expertise do you cover?

Let's talk

Tell me where you are, where you want to be, and what's in the way. We'll see if I'm the right partner for it.

Insights on market trends, opportunities, and key movements - Visit Substack

© 2026 Szel&Partners. All rights reserved.

Let's talk

Tell me where you are, where you want to be, and what's in the way. We'll see if I'm the right partner for it.

Insights on market trends, opportunities, and key movements - Visit Substack

© 2026 Szel&Partners. All rights reserved.

Let's talk

Tell me where you are, where you want to be, and what's in the way. We'll see if I'm the right partner for it.

Insights on market trends, opportunities, and key movements - Visit Substack

© 2026. All rights reserved.