Business Architect · Venture Builder · Board Advisor
Most operators know one side of the table.
I help family offices, investment funds, CEOs and boards turn complex opportunities into operating businesses, international growth and measurable results.
- Transactions
- $100M+
- Transactions
- Ventures built
- 5
- Ventures built
- Countries operated
- 11
- Countries operated
- Years executive leadership
- 18
- Years executive leadership
CLIENTS
Who I help
Clients who need an operator, not another report.
Family offices
Building or evaluating new ventures and direct investments.
Investment funds
Portfolio growth, market expansion and operating strategy.
CEOs and boards
Strategic decisions, acquisitions, transformation and international expansion.
SITUATIONS
When to call me
Your acquisition isn't delivering
You bought for a thesis and the numbers aren't following. I find where value leaks and rebuild the operating model.
$5M+ recurring EBITDA from a new operating model
You want to enter a new market
US, Latin America or Europe: structure, partners, team and first customers.
Colombia: 2 to 195 people and 12% market share in 18 months
Your structure no longer fits a global business
I redesign business models, entity structures and treasury across countries so they are tax-efficient and easier to run, working with your tax and legal advisors.
Business models and treasury restructured across 11 countries · ventures incorporated in the US, Spain and Switzerland
You have capital and a thesis, but no operator
I take it from idea to operating company.
5 ventures built across 3 jurisdictions
You're buying or selling a business
Sourcing, diligence, negotiation and close, with an operator's eye on what happens after signing.
$100M+ in transactions · $25M+ acquisition sourced to close
Not sure your situation fits? Start with a 30-minute diagnostic.
Book a 30-minute diagnosticStrongest in the US to Latin America corridor.
Testimonials
What people say
“Charlie led the establishment of our operations in Colombia from the ground up, including the setup of a new fertilizer plant. Within just two years, under his leadership, we became one of the top three competitors in the fertilizer industry in the Colombian market. Across more than eight years working with him I have consistently seen the same qualities: leadership, perseverance, and the ability to make things happen.”
“Charlie structured our business models across more than eleven countries, redesigning our growth strategy and opening new operations worldwide. He led the restructuring of the corporate treasury across eleven countries, establishing a new team and implementing significant digital transformation that enhanced control and compliance.”
“Charlie's relationships and interpersonal skills gave him access to key stakeholders across Central America: Presidents, Ministers, diplomats, business owners and family offices.”
Advisory
How we work together
- 01 · 30 minutes
Diagnostic call
We find out whether my experience fits your challenge. No proposal until we both agree.
Start here → - 02 · 4 to 6 weeks
Strategic Sprint
A focused diagnosis of one strategic challenge (growth, market entry, M&A or global structure), ending in an actionable roadmap.
Start here → - 03 · 3 to 12 months
Advisory Retainer
Ongoing support for CEOs, boards, family offices or investment teams through execution.
Start here → - 04 · 6 to 12 months
Venture Build
From thesis to launch and first traction. Equity plus retainer.
Start here →
DiagnoseScopeBuildMeasure
Book a 30-minute diagnosticTrack record
Selected results
- $5M+
- in recurring annual EBITDA from a global operating model approved by the Chairman and Board, opening Uruguay, Puerto Rico and Spain
- 2 to 195
- people, and 12% market share, in 18 months, building a new country operation in Colombia from a standing start
- $25M+
- acquisition driven from sourcing through close, out of a pipeline of 10 opportunities above $25M enterprise value
Fodaxman · Brazil
Where the method came from
Mile 80, not mile 5
11
Years pro athlete
31
Races
50,000+
Kilometres trained and raced
1,000,000+
Metres climbed
Estimated, training and racing
Ultra racing decides its result long after the excitement wears off. Mile 80, not mile 5: the quarter where nothing works, not the quarter you launch. Most business failure is not a strategy problem, it is an execution horizon problem. That is what I bring to a board seat or a build: the discipline to design for mile 80, and the patience to still be there when it arrives.
Built and advised with
Vertikal X covered by TechPoint and Sports Tech HQ
Governance
Board, advisory and governance
- 2017 to 2026
INCAE Business SchoolBoard Member, Guatemala National Committee - 2018 to 2024
PentaguaBoard Member - 2014 to 2017
Universidad Francisco MarroquínEntrepreneur in Residence - 2023 to 2026
Virtual Advisory BoardMember, invitation-only executive network - 2022 to 2024
Executive Council NetworkFounding Member
Nine years on a business school governing committee, six on an operating company board, and three years holding the Entrepreneur in Residence seat formally.
Ventures
What I have built
Vertikal X Founder and CEO
Through the VTXAthlete platform, matches endurance athletes with brands and awards sponsorship on verified performance data, scored by a proprietary algorithm, the VTX Index. Incorporated across Switzerland, Spain and the United States, with a US headquarters in Indianapolis.
Get the VTX Athlete app
Monte Sarmiento Founder
Two consumer brands built from concept: Fuego Maya Coffee, Guatemalan single-origin for the US market, and Monte Sarmiento Wines, produced at the Montesanco winery in Valencia, Spain.
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Vertikal Sports Capital Founder and General Partner
A venture platform that has designed, incubated and launched five sports and fitness companies from zero to market, including Vertikal Sports Performance, Pilates ProWorks Guatemala and Zero Sixty.
Speaking
On stage and in print
Speaking
Keynotes and workshops in English and Spanish, on stage or virtual, on resilience, reinvention and executive performance.
- Resilience Is Trainable
- Reinvention by Design
- Building at Altitude
- Strategy, M&A and Expansion
The Book
The Real UltramanFrom Dreamer to Achiever
The true story of rewiring an ordinary mind into an extraordinary one, and the UltraM1ndset system behind it.
I also coach a small number of executives on physical performance as an EXOS certified coach. Mention it when you get in touch.
“For the last four years, Charlie through Vertikal Sports has helped us develop a niche of athletes who want to pursue their dream of becoming professional. They have supported us with the physical training these athletes need beyond what we do on the field, along with the psychological and nutritional components that are key to the process. The process takes time, but we have started to see the results. We know we are on the right path because we work with professionals like Charlie.”
“Charlie is a top-level trail runner and a passionate person in the sport. He is also influential in the business and athletic world. I was a guest athlete at his Vertikal Trail Running Camp in Guatemala, and he made sure it was run at top level, with a family-first mentality and real dedication to growing the sport.”
“Charlie is the most energetic and passionate ultra-trail runner I have ever met, and an extremely influential figure in the sports industry. Working with him on the Vertikality camp in Guatemala, I was amazed at how professional he was and at his ability to bring a team together. He is truly a great leader. He has made a career of overcoming his limits, and of translating the lessons he learns on the trails into a never-ending drive for entrepreneurial success.”
Contact
Start with a conversation
Every engagement begins with a 30-minute diagnostic call. We use it to work out whether there is a real fit. No proposal, no deck, no obligation on either side until we both think there is.