Helping sports startups scale beyond founder-led hustle.
Pinch Hit provides short-term, senior executive support for a fraction of the cost. No esoteric fluff and advisory frameworks. Real contributions to drive real growth.
- Engagement
- 60–90 days
- Role
- Fractional commercial lead
- Stage
- Seed → Series A
- Sector
- Sports & sports media
Founders feel this.
You know revenue growth needs to be the priority. But daily fires, product issues, hiring, investor requests, and admin keep pulling you away from the core blocking and tackling.
A commercial pinch hitter, on call.
Pinch Hit steps into early-stage sports ventures for 60-90 days to help founders grow revenue and regain momentum -- without the costs or time required to hire a full-time executive.
Embedded enough to own the work. Short enough that you stay in the driver's seat. When the engagement ends, your team keeps the system.
The playbook.
Tactical when it matters. Strategic where it compounds. Built around your stage and your ICP.
- 01Customer assessment
- 02Clarify positioning
- 03Pipeline build
- 04Outreach
- 05Partnerships
- 06CRM efficiency
- 07New product GTM
- 08Future fundraising prep
- Bring this to your team
Who this is actually for.
If you see yourself below, let's talk.
- Seed to Series A
- Existing traction
- Founder-led
- Partnerships-driven business
- Growth outpacing structure
Pinch Hit is operated by Donnie Dotson.
- 20+ years across entrepreneurship, sports, finance, and national security — and has felt the same founder grind firsthand
- Recently built Carry, connecting 50+ pro golfers with 400+ sponsors and investors
- Former Marine & CIA-certified Operations Officer; Goldman Sachs and Sportradar alum
- MBA from Duke University focused on commercial strategy and execution
Back to what matters.
Grab 30 minutes. We'll figure out if Pinch Hit is the next right move for you.