MARK BELINSKY
Partner - CFOs 2GO
Co-Lead: Software and Technology
Co-Lead: Mergers and Acquisitions
"Any day I can help make 1+1 =3 is a good day. Good ideas are all around us, just waiting to be discovered."
Mark is a tech entrepreneur with over 35 years of C-level experience in a wide variety of tech segments - digital rights management, software licensing, haptics, operating systems, IoT systems, supply chain traceability, and e-commerce technologies. He has led enterprises serving enterprise software, filmed entertainment, music, real estate, financial services, agricultural and internet infrastructure markets. Along the way, he has initiated and closed complex strategic relationships, investments, and acquisitions (as buyer and seller), and managed sales, marketing, operations, finance, accounting legal and development staffs. He’s done business and led teams over the years in 15 countries across Europe and Asia.
Originally from Detroit (where he learned to play ice hockey and became a Red Wings fan), Mark started his “career” delivering newspapers and selling shoes while in high school and college. He learned first-hand how to run a business, manage a P&L (even if a small one!), and interact with customers.
Mark’s first “real” job was at PwC where he earned his CPA and was fortunate to work on a wide variety of client assignments in the manufacturing, government, and financial sectors. He saw his fair share of successes and failures, including an assignment that involved litigation support services related to a bankrupt real estate development company in Kentucky.
Mark caught the entrepreneurial bug early when he moved to Northern California from Boston in 1982, after completing his MBA at the Harvard Business School. For the next 35 years, he served in various C-level roles at software, services, and IP-centric companies, co-founding two companies along the way – one a great success and the other one (sadly) a failure. He has seen first-hand how companies slip up on their journey as well as leading companies through explosive growth periods. He very much enjoys bringing order to chaos as a way to ensure success and believes managing to KPIs is a key element of that. As Mark says, “Success is a lot of fun, but you learn much more from failure. I still like success better.” His experience spans privately held, venture-funded, and public companies, including as a 16-B SEC executive with Sarbanes Oxley responsibilities.
For the past 10 years, Mark has served as a fractional CFO or COO to middle market companies with revenues in the $5M-$100M range. His reason for being is to help clients avoid slip-ups and capitalize on growth opportunities. He has also been an active angel investor in early-stage technology companies, in private equity financings, and serves as a Limited Partner in two early-stage venture capital funds. He currently has 20 companies in his portfolio. The thrill of seeing a constant flow of new ideas – especially from young entrepreneurs – is very energizing and also allows Mark to stay current with the latest technology, business practices, investment trends, and corporate governance. It’s almost as much action as a game of ice hockey! Even more so when it’s profitable.
Mark holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Wayne State University (Detroit) and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In his free time, he enjoys playing competitive tennis and pick-up ice hockey, as well as biking, skiing, and sailing on SF bay and in the BVI. He’s Treasurer and on the Board of Directors of the Fremont Hills Country Club and of the Harvard Alumni Angel Association Worldwide.
650-520-9026