About Virgo
Builders of long-term success
We are dedicated partners with hands-on operating experience, committed to helping Founders and their teams overcome the unique challenges of the venture cycle.
By combining deep technical expertise with a long-term vision, we actively contribute to building companies from the inside out, fostering relationships that grow stronger with time.
Our Mission
We stand with first-time founders and technologies driving impact for society and the environment.
A note from our founder
At Virgo Strategic, we’ve built a unique platform that combines specialized talent and capital to address a critical challenge in the venture ecosystem: successfully navigating the high-stakes transition from early-stage to growth-stage.
With over a decade of experience across early, growth, pre-IPO startups, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside brilliant founders - many of whom are proven technologists, scientists, and academics. By their Series A, founders have achieved remarkable milestones: they’ve developed innovative products, secured institutional capital, and assembled strong teams to bring their ideas to market. Yet, despite these successes, the data is clear - nearly 70% of startups will fail during the early-to-growth transition. This failure rate is even more pronounced among underrepresented founders and impact-driven startups.
The issue often isn’t the technology itself, but rather the business wrapped around it. Many startups falter due to avoidable operational missteps that impede their ability to scale. This represents not just a lost business opportunity, but a significant economic and social cost when promising technologies fail prematurely. I recognized that my next chapter needed to focus on improving the survival rate of these innovations and ensuring the sustainability of the broader ecosystem.
That’s why I’ve been deliberate in building a team of seasoned operators – former startup executives who understand the intricacies of scaling businesses. At Virgo, we don’t simply advise from a distance, we partner deeply. We are builders, not bankers, willing and able to roll up our sleeves and get into the real work of building a successful business around a proven product, often partnering over multiple chapters of a startup’s journey.
Looking ahead, I’m incredibly excited about the future of Virgo. We’re committed to expanding our capabilities, scaling our team, and strengthening our impact. Ultimately, our mission is to help more startups thrive, realizing their full potential, and making a meaningful contribution to the world.
- Foos
Meet your partners in the early-to-growth transition
Our team of seasoned operators brings decades of experience, guiding venture-backed startups through critical growth stages with strategic precision and hands-on support.
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Brian Foos
Founder & Managing Partner
Former CFO & COO with over a decade of hands-on leadership in strategy, corporate development, finance, and operations at enterprise SaaS and marketplace startups.
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Caroline Graham
Partner
CPA with over a decade of experience within financial services, technology, and media. Since 2018, she has partnered with startup and mid-market executives across industries to develop their analytics, prepare for transaction diligence, and streamline operations.
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George Hannington
Partner
Seasoned finance professional with over a decade of experience across multiple industries gained through in-house, consulting and public accounting roles. Proven track record of designing and enhancing finance and operations to facilitate growth and attract investment.
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Jackie Haber
Strategic Operations Manager
Program and operations manager with a proven track record of driving strategy to realization. She has helped organizations across various industries navigate change, increase efficiencies and scale effectively, while also delivering cross-functional programs across R&D and business.
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Michelle Santiago
Senior HR Business Partner
People operations leader experienced in designing and building distributed work environments for scaling technology startups which are engaging, aligned to company values, globally compliant. Proven skills in managing the full employee lifecycle, HR systems, and organizational policies which align and accelerate business operations. Passionate about HR’s power to achieve strategic goals.