Grow faster, operate smarter.
Fractional COO support for Australian startups and growing businesses – embedded operational leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. So you can focus on growth, fundraising, and customers while we make the engine room run.
Sound familiar?
You're spending time on the business, not building it
Operational chaos is pulling you away from fundraising, customers and strategy. You're running the engine room when you should be steering the ship.
You're growing faster than ops can handle
More hires, more customers, more complexity. Your systems, processes, and team structure haven't kept up – and things are starting to slip through the cracks.
A full-time COO feels premature
You know you need operational leadership – but committing to a full-time executive salary isn't the right call yet. You need something smarter and more flexible.
Sound like where you are right now?
We don't just advise, we muck in
Most consultants give you a slide deck and leave you to figure out the rest.
ducAlto works differently. We embed directly into your business – working alongside your team, attending your standups, rolling up our sleeves on the things that actually need doing. We provide fractional COO services the way a great Chief Operating Officer would: present, accountable, and focused on outcomes.
Founded by Matthew Hanley – a COO with over 26 years of operational leadership experience across Australian and UK startups, energy-tech, sustainability and aviation sectors – ducAlto was built for one reason: too many great startups stall because their operations can't keep up with their ambition.
We're here to change that.
Fractional COO Services for Every Stage
Whether you need a strategic partner, an embedded operator, or a one-off project delivered – we have the right engagement for you.
Ops Health Check
In three focused days, Matthew will assess your operations across five key areas: team structure, processes, execution cadence, leadership bandwidth, and scaling readiness. You'll receive a plain-English report and a prioritised 90-day action plan.
Fractional COO Retainer
From one day a week to three, Matthew works as your part-time COO – embedded in your team, leading operations, and driving execution. Engagements are scoped and priced to suit your stage and commitment level. Remote, onsite, or hybrid across Australia.
Project-Based Support
Need a data room built? A grant application written? An operational review completed? We deliver defined projects to a fixed scope – strategy through to execution – without the overhead of an ongoing engagement.
How ducAlto works
Three simple steps to getting your operations under control.
1. Start with a conversation
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, no pressure. We'll talk about where your business is, what's getting in the way, and whether there's a fit.
2. We assess and diagnose
Whether through a full Ops Health Check or an initial scoping conversation, we get under the hood of your operations and identify exactly where to focus first.
3. We get to work
We embed into your business – in whatever format works for your stage, budget, and team – and start delivering outcomes, not decks.
Your fractional COO
Matthew Hanley is a seasoned operational leader with over 26 years of experience across startups, scale-ups, and large multinationals in Australia and the UK.
Most recently serving as COO of an energy-tech startup in London, Matthew has spent his career at the intersection of strategy and execution – building the systems, teams, and processes that turn ambitious ideas into scalable businesses.
He founded ducAlto after noticing a consistent pattern: founders were brilliant at their craft, but the operational complexity of growth was quietly killing momentum. Some couldn't justify a full-time COO. Others hired too early and burned budget. Both groups needed something smarter.
ducAlto is that something smarter – fractional COO support, right-sized for where you actually are.
Common questions
What exactly is a fractional COO?
A fractional COO is an experienced Chief Operating Officer who works with your business on a part-time or contract basis – giving you access to executive-level operational leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. For Australian startups and growing businesses, ducAlto provides this on a flexible, embedded basis – working inside your team, not advising from the outside.
How much does a fractional COO cost in Australia?
Fractional COO costs in Australia vary depending on scope, commitment, and the stage of your business. ducAlto offers a fixed-price Ops Health Check starting at $4,500 AUD + GST. Retainer and project-based engagements are scoped and priced based on your specific needs – get in touch to discuss.
Who is ducAlto best suited for?
We work with Australian startups at post-seed to Series A stage, and with growing SMEs that have between 5 and 50 staff. If you're scaling quickly and feeling the operational strain – but aren't ready for a full-time COO – we're likely a good fit.
What does the Ops Health Check include?
Three days of focused assessment across your team structure, processes, execution cadence, leadership bandwidth, and scaling readiness. You receive a plain-English assessment and a prioritised 90-day action plan. Fixed price: $4,500 AUD + GST. No ongoing commitment required.
Do you work remotely or onsite?
Both. We can work remotely, onsite at your offices, or hybrid – across Australia.
How is ducAlto different from a business consultant?
Consultants advise. We execute. ducAlto embeds into your business and works alongside your team to get things done – not just tell you what needs doing.
Let's talk about your operations
Book a free 30-minute discovery call or send us a message. No pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation about where your business is and whether we can help.