The People Side of Scale.

Built to Last.

Growth shouldn't feel this hard.

We help tech founders fix the people problems slowing performance—when decisions bottleneck at the top, managers can't lead effectively, and your hiring process feels like a gamble.

We identify what's holding you back, build systems that actually work, and help you hire people who can scale with you.

Ready to talk?

  • Book a free clarity call

  • Or send me a message with what's on your mind

Growth & Performance.

What got you here won’t get you there.

Early on, effort carries the company.

Past 10–20 people, performance and scale either become systematic or they start to break.

Founders start wrestling with questions like:

  • "We're growing but execution feels slow"

  • "We can't afford to get this next hire wrong"

This is especially true in tech scale-ups, where complexity is high, talent is scarce, and hiring mistakes become expensive fast.

Most companies don't fail here. They stall.

That's where we help.

Our Approach.

How we work (and why it’s different).

Not HR. Not coaching. Not consultants.

We partner with tech founders as their fractional People and Talent leader through the inflection point where effort stops scaling and execution must become structural.

That means:

  • Diagnosing root issues beneath surface symptoms

  • Finding and placing the right talent

  • Building hiring and leadership systems that scale

  • Strengthening teams — not creating dependency

Practical, embedded work. Focused on outcomes.

How we typically work together

Most founders come to us at different points of the same journey.
What changes is where the risk is — and how much support is needed.

These are the most common ways we work together:

Clarity & Diagnosis

We diagnose before we prescribe. If we hear "we hired smart people but something isn't clicking," there's usually a specific cause - role misalignment or a manager who was never set up to lead.

Foundations Build

Once we know what's in the way, we build what's missing. Strengthening hiring, leadership, and accountability so managers can step up - and the business can scale without friction or founder overload.

Stabilize & Scale

With the foundation in place, we don't step away. An ongoing fractional partnership that helps teams adapt as complexity grows - senior support that flexes with the business, without creating dependency.

Why the fractional model works

You get senior people and leadership experience when it matters, embedded enough to see patterns early, build capability, and step back as teams mature.

Your fractional partner: Lana

Founder & Principal, 8.13 Elevata

"I’ve helped teams grow from early stage (6–10 people) through real scale (140+ employees), inside fast-growing, technically complex companies where people decisions get expensive quickly.

I’ve worked on both sides of scale — as a founder, and as a people and leadership partner supporting teams as they move from early growth into managers, systems, and real accountability.

I bring a psychology-informed lens to building teams, grounded in real-world experience and graduate-level study through Harvard Extension School. That perspective shapes how I design practical hiring, people, and leadership systems that support performance and growth while keeping things simple and efficient.

If you’d like more context on my background and experience".

Learn more on LinkedIn

Case Study: Increasing Velocity

Solve the people issues costing you revenue and momentum.

The Situation: A mis-hire was dragging down morale and delivery in a stretched team. Previous hires prioritised speed over fit.

What Was Done: Coached the underperformer, executed a clean exit, redesigned the hiring process around outcomes and ownership, trained the hiring manager, and replaced the role and hired one more engineer in-house within 6 weeks.

The Results:

  • 2 high performers hired in 6 weeks

  • $50K+ saved vs. recruiter fees

  • 30–40% velocity increase across the team

The Takeaway: Fix the performance problem. Increase team velocity.

Book a clarity call

15 minutes. Immediate results.

What shifts once foundations are in place

Is this for you?

This is for you if

FAQ

What’s the difference between fractional roles, consulting, and advisory work?

Fractional work means being embedded in a team on a part-time retainer—like having a senior hire without a full-time contract. Consulting is usually project-based and focused on solving a specific problem. Advisory is lighter-touch, providing strategic guidance through occasional sessions rather than hands-on execution.

What types of businesses do I work with?

I work with emerging and deep-tech startups (AI, robotics, climate, biotech, etc.) scaling from ~10 to 100 people who need to build the people systems, leadership capability, and hiring foundations that support real growth.

What are your rates?

I usually work on either a retainer or a project basis, depending on what makes the most sense for the work. After our first conversation, I’ll send through a proposal tailored to what you need.

Some people prefer to talk it through.
Others send a message to get started.

Either way, clarity comes first.

Helping founders build the people side of performance at scale.

@2026 - 8.13 Elevata