Operators we run alongside.
Innovative Group works with three kinds of partners: introducers, account managers, and embedded operators. Each is real, each is paid, each shows up on the engagement.
Three ways to partner
Pick the partnership shape that matches how you sell.
Introduce
Refer a client. Earn for the lifetime of the account.
You introduce IG to a client who needs Fractional CMO leadership, AI Adoption Sprint, or a full engagement. We close. You earn a percentage of the revenue for as long as the account is active. No work on your side after the introduction.
Earn
Run account management. Take a layered percentage.
You stay on top of the relationship after the introduction. Quarterly business reviews, expansion conversations, problem-solving. IG runs the work; you run the relationship. Higher percentage than Introduce because you carry the account.
Build
Step inside IG. Operator, advisor, or growth ambassador.
Deeper integration. You become part of IG’s extended team: named operator on a mandate, formal advisor on the council, or growth ambassador for a category. Compensation is engagement-shaped: retainer, equity, or both.
Specific economics on the call. We do not publish exact percentages publicly because the right number depends on the engagement shape and the role you play.
Who we already partner with
Current and active partnerships.
Conversation opened June 2026. Fractional CIO/CTO/CISO firm. Our Fractional CMO + their fractional tech leadership = full operator chair set for mid-market. See the working portal (basic auth).
Sister VC arm of IG. Operator capital placed alongside hands-on operating support. Writes checks into AI companies IG advises.
European startup network. Powers part of our pre-seed through Series A startup engagement model.
AI community + network. Sourcing and validation surface for IG’s AI startup mandates.
If you are an operator considering joining the bench
Why operators choose to ship inside IG.
Most fractional firms place a single operator and route execution out. IG is an operating company: six specialty teams under one P&L, six operating companies feeding the bench, a sister VC arm placing capital alongside the work.
That means the operator who joins IG ships against a bench, not against a vacuum. Senior judgment goes into strategy; the bench does the work the playbook calls for. The same hour of operator time produces more shipped work than the same hour at a firm without bench integration.
Comp is engagement-shaped. Cash retainer is the floor. Equity tracks the engagement’s long-term shape (milestone-comp, board roles, advisor grants). Some operators have all three.
What we look for. Twenty-plus years of operating depth across product, GTM, or AI execution. A specific seat run before (CMO, COO, CTO, GM). The judgment to know when to ship and when to stop. Operator humility about the work.
If that sounds like you, the conversation starts at /contact/.
Frequently asked
What partners ask before they sign.
What does Introduce pay?
A lifetime percentage of the engagement revenue, paid monthly. The percentage depends on the engagement shape (Advisory tier vs Operating Partner tier) and the named-client expansion potential. Numbers shared on the partnering call.
Can I move from Introduce to Earn to Build over time?
Yes. The three tiers are a ladder. Many of our active partners started at Introduce, moved to Earn after one or two referrals went well, and are exploring Build relationships now.
Do you partner with other agencies?
Yes, when the surface area is complementary, not overlapping. The StrataFusion conversation is the model: they hold the tech-side chairs (CIO, CSO, CTO), we hold the marketing chair (CMO, CRO). Different seats inside the same buying group.
How is this different from a referral program?
Most referral programs pay you once. IG’s Introduce tier pays for the lifetime of the account. Earn pays more because you keep working. Build pays even more because you become part of the firm. The shape compounds with depth.
Let’s talk about how we partner.
30 minutes. Bring a name in mind, or just an idea of how you want to plug in.
Start a conversation →