In cycling, a paceline is a group that moves faster, with less energy expended, than any rider can alone.

Each rider takes a turn at the front — "pulling" — while the others draft close behind, conserving energy until it’s their turn to lead. When it works, it’s seamless — every member knows the plan, every pull counts, and the group moves as one.

That’s the philosophy behind Paceline: we help leaders create that same rhythm — considering strategy, product, GTM and operational execution — so that trust, alignment, and teamwork efficiently yield the results you want.

Advisory for leaders that want to move smarter and faster

What we do

We partner with CEOs and investors to create value, by sharpening strategy, accelerating growth, and delivering operating results.

We focus on the intersection of product, go-to-market, and operations.

Our clients include:

Private-equity backed companies driving tech or AI-led transformation
Venture-funded startups scaling from traction to profitable growth
Mid-market and enterprise teams modernizing their products or operations

Why it works

There is no rigid Paceline methodology or formula. It is a partnership that factors where your business is today, and where you are trying to take it.

At its core, Paceline's offering is deep operating experience and best practices developed across diverse roles, company stages, and sectors:

Companies: Microsoft, Expedia, Jott, Nuance, Elemental, Amazon, Donuts, and Lighthouse
Stage: Startup to "hyperscalers"
Roles: CEO, COO, CRO, CPO; Founder to scaled exec; rooted in Product Management

Engagement model

Retainer-based, with clear time blocks and deliverables
Minimum one-month commitment (typically two-to-three)
Limited to max 3–5 clients at a time to ensure focus and access
Based in Seattle, working with clients nationwide

Get in touch

The best way is through LinkedIn

John Pollard, Principal (LinkedIn)

I’ve spent more than two decades building and scaling technology businesses — as a founder, operator, and board-level partner. Before starting Paceline, I helped grow companies, led large-scale organizations, and guided teams through the inflection points that determine success – or failure.

Across my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of product, GTM and operations — applying transformative tech from e-commerce and digital marketplaces, to mobile, to speech recognition, to machine learning, and now AI. I’ve built teams from zero to hundreds, designed products used by millions, and executed the work that precedes and follows M&A — from diligence and deal structuring through post-acquisition integration.

My executive and founding roles have included:

Chief Solutions Officer, Lighthouse Global — scaled technology-enabled legal services, including the application of industry-best AI, to market leading growth, net revenue retention, and record revenue.

EVP & COO, Donuts (now Identity Digital) — part of outstanding leadership team, led product, operations, marketing and sales, culminating in outstanding growth and PE merger.

Co-founder & CEO, Jott Networks — built one of the first voice-to-text services, acquired by Nuance.

VP, Voice to Text Services, Nuance — grew a brand new global business from zero to over 80M MAUs.

Managing Director, Expedia — helped pioneer travel ecommerce in its infancy, leading the company's first international launches (UK, Germany, Australia), its first business travel focussed product, and its first mobile product (Expedia To Go).

The blend of founder commitment, operating discipline, and M&A experience shapes how I work with clients today.

Paceline is my advisory practice, built to work for the kind of leaders I’ve spent my career alongside — founders, CEOs, and investors who need a trusted partner/operator, not (just) a deck.

I focus on a small set of clients at any given time, typically under monthly retainers, with engagements built around measurable outcomes.

The goal is simple: help companies find and hold their paceline — through the turns of growth and transformation.