Fractional & Interim CMO for Healthcare, Health Tech & Biotech
From Random Acts of Marketing to Predictable, Measurable Growth
Novastrat Growth helps health companies replace random acts of marketing with a growth system that is repeatable, scalable, and performs.
$300M
in Revenue Growth Led
3 Successful Exits
As An Operator
25+ Years
Accelerating Growth in Mid-Market Health-Related Companies
Trusted
By Founder-Led, and PE-Backed Companies
The Problem
Effort Without a System Is Not a Strategy
Mid-market healthcare and health tech companies are running marketing the same way they started it, reactively, tactically, without a system. Someone starts a newsletter. Someone
runs a campaign. Someone hires an agency. None of it connects. The result is a pile of activity and no confidence in what it is producing or why.
This is not a talent problem. It is a systems problem. There is no defined ideal customer, no mapped pipeline, no measurement cadence, and no growth roadmap the leadership team owns and trusts.
The Difference
Led by Someone Who Has Been in the Seat, Not Just Marketed It
Novastrat Growth is led by Erika Rosenthal, an operator with 30 years of experience and three exits, who has held CEO, COO, and CMO roles across healthcare, health tech, biotech, and medical spa and wellness. She has also spent 14 years as a founder and CEO herself. She focuses now on helping other growing companies succeed with their growth plans and setting up marketing operations that scale.
This is not advisory. It is embedded leadership, built on the belief that growth should come from a system a team can run, not a deck that gets shelved.
The Method
MAPS: A Growth System, Not a Strategy Deck
Every engagement runs on MAPS, a four-phase methodology built to move a company from marketing chaos to a self-sustaining growth system.
01
Measure
Pressure test what is real.
02
Architect
Build the growth roadmap.
03
Perform
Execute with embedded accountability.
04
Scale
Make the system self-sustaining.
Services
Three Ways to Work Together
Every engagement runs on MAPS. The difference is structure: how much time, for how long, and for what reason.
Fractional CMO
Embedded marketing leadership on a part-time, month-to-month basis. Fully bespoke, scoped to your company's stage, complexity, and pace.
Interim CMO
Near-full-time to full-time engagement for up to 6 months, deployed during a leadership gap, a fundraise, a launch, or another inflection point.
Project-Based Engagements
Scoped engagements for a specific, bounded need: advisory, a brand relaunch, acquisition integration, or leadership-capacity coverage.
Proof
Results, Not Impressions
Working alongside client leadership teams, Erika has helped grow revenue from $9M to $150M in under three years for a healthcare services company, and helped a medical device company grow 100% in Year 1 on the way to a $50M exit
$9M → $50M
From Incremental Growth to Exponential Results and a Med Device Company Exit
6 to 65 Clinics
In 3 Years, de Novo + Acquisition
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Novastrat Growth different from a typical marketing agency or consultant?
Novastrat is led by an operator, not just a strategist. Erika Rosenthal has held CEO, COO, and CMO roles, and has closed three exits. She understands the P&L, the regulatory pressure, and what the board is actually asking. Engagements are embedded leadership, not a deck that gets delivered and shelved.
What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing executive who leads your marketing strategy and team on a part-time or contract basis, typically working with growing companies that need executive-level marketing leadership but aren't ready for a full-time hire. Unlike a marketing consultant who advises from the outside, a fractional CMO sits inside your leadership team, owns outcomes, and builds a marketing function that outlasts the engagement.
How is a fractional CMO different from a marketing consultant?
A consultant diagnoses and recommends. A fractional CMO owns execution and results. Novastrat Growth builds the system, runs it alongside your team, and stays accountable for whether it performs, not just whether the strategy looked good on paper.
How is a fractional CMO different from an interim CMO?
A fractional CMO works part-time on an ongoing basis, typically embedded across multiple months or years as an extension of your leadership team. An interim CMO fills a full-time seat temporarily, usually during a transition, like a departure or acquisition, until a permanent hire is in place. Novastrat Growth offers both, depending on where your company is.
When should a company hire a fractional CMO instead of a full-time CMO?
The right time is usually before marketing feels like it's costing you deals, not after. Companies typically bring in a fractional CMO when they're scaling past founder-led marketing, preparing for a raise or exit, or watching competitors out-position them, but aren't ready to commit to a six-figure full-time hire and the ramp time that comes with it.
What industries does Novastrat Growth work with?
Novastrat Growth works exclusively with health companies: healthcare services, medical device, biotech, health tech, and medical spa and wellness. That focus means less time explaining your regulatory environment, payer dynamics, or buyer behavior, and more time building a system that fits how healthcare actually sells.
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
Fractional CMO engagements typically run a fraction of a full-time executive's salary and benefits, since you're paying for the specific time and outcomes you need rather than a full-time headcount. Exact cost depends on scope, hours, and company stage. Novastrat Growth structures engagements around the outcome you need, generally on a monthly retainer basis or a project basis. We don’t tie you into long contracts. Every engagement is month-to-month.
What does a fractional CMO actually do day to day?
A fractional CMO sets marketing strategy, builds and manages the team or agency partners executing it, owns the budget, and reports results to leadership and the board, the same responsibilities as a full-time CMO, scoped to the hours and cadence your company needs.
Can a fractional CMO manage an existing marketing team?
Yes. Most engagements involve leading an existing internal team, in-house hires, or outside agencies, giving them senior direction and accountability they didn't have before, rather than replacing the people already doing the work.
How long does a typical fractional CMO engagement last?
Engagements range from a few months for a specific project, like a rebrand or go-to-market launch, to multi-year partnerships where Novastrat Growth functions as your ongoing marketing leadership. Scope and duration are set based on what your company needs, not a fixed package.
What is the MAPS methodology?
MAPS is a four-phase growth framework used in every engagement. "Measure" pressure tests what is working. "Architect" builds the growth roadmap. "Perform" executes with embedded accountability. "Scale" makes the system self-sustaining, so it keeps working after the engagement ends.
What is the difference between Fractional CMO, Interim CMO, and Project-Based engagements?
Fractional CMO is ongoing, part-time, embedded leadership for companies that need senior strategy without a full-time hire. Interim CMO is a near-full-time to full-time engagement for a defined period, typically during transitions, launches, or leadership gaps. Project-Based engagements are scoped to a specific, bounded need, such as a brand relaunch or acquisition integration.
What size and type of companies does Novastrat work with?
Novastrat works with founder-led and investor-backed CEOs in healthcare services, health technology, biotechnology, and medical spa and wellness, generally between $5M and $150M in revenue.
What happens in the first conversation?
The first conversation is a fit check, not a pitch. There is no deck and no sales presentation. It starts with your specific situation so we can understand what you need before saying anything about what we offer.
"She quickly became an indispensable leader. She combined deep technical expertise with a motivating, uplifting attitude that improved culture across her departments and the wider company."
— CEO, PE-Backed Healthcare Services Company
Ready to Replace Random Acts of Marketing
With a System That Works?
Every engagement is scoped to your company, your stage, and your pace.
The first conversation is a fit check, not a pitch.