By Steve Walsh, Techstars Mentor-in-Residence and Founder of Hands On Angel LLC

If you're building something from the ground up, chances are you're wearing every hat imaginable — CEO, head of product, lead fundraiser, even chief coffee-maker. But as the startup scales, the role of the founder needs to evolve just as fast as the business itself.

One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing in early-stage companies? Founders stepping back from being "the CEO of everything" — and stepping forward as the Chief Evangelist.

👤 Why Founders Make the Best Evangelists

No one knows your product better.

No one tells your origin story with more passion.

And no one fights harder to build community around the mission.

Being the Chief Evangelist means:

• Leading with vision rather than just operations.

• Building community rather than managing task lists.

• Becoming the public face of the company for investors, customers, and the press.

It’s not about stepping down.

It’s about stepping into the role only you can play.

🧠 The Shift: Operator vs. Evangelist

Founder as CEO

• Focuses on execution

• Runs day-to-day ops

• Builds internal systems

• Stays behind the scenes

Founder as Chief Evangelist

• Focuses on amplification

• Tells the story

• Builds external momentum

• Gets on stage, podcasts, panels

You don’t have to give up the CEO title — but if you're not building a leadership bench, you're likely bottlenecking growth.

🗣️ Founders Who’ve Made the Leap

Think about:

• Brian Chesky (Airbnb): Once knee-deep in ops, now he's the brand's heartbeat.

• Melanie Perkins (Canva): Always leading from the front, whether in fundraising or global vision.

• Gary Vee (VaynerMedia): Built his empire on evangelism, not spreadsheets.

These aren’t just charismatic leaders. They’re strategic assets in motion.

💡 Take This With You

If you’re an early-stage founder, start thinking beyond CEO. Start thinking Chief Evangelist.

Ask yourself:

• Am I the best person to manage every department?

• Or am I the best person to tell the world why this matters?

Let go of what you should be doing.

Lean into the role that makes your startup unstoppable.

Until next time — keep building!

Cheers,

Steve Walsh

Founder, Hands On Angel

P.S. Want actionable strategies to ace your next investor meeting? Join The Funding Accelerator course and take control of your fundraising journey! 🚀

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