About · Rich Nigro
The operator in the boat, not the consultant on the dock.
Founders can build the product; they can't always chart the go-to-market seas. Five to Fifty Growth exists for the points where growth stalls — when founder-led selling stops scaling, again around $10M ARR, and again near $25M — and for building the go-to-market engine that carries the company through each one.
Background
I have been the early sales hire more than once — at TimesTen, NaviSite, and MySQL AB. That seat means building the pitch before there is a pitch: write the value proposition, define the process that lets someone else repeat it, then find out which parts survive contact with real buyers.
When Oracle acquired MySQL I led Enterprise sales through the integration — the stretch where an acquired team usually loses its best people and its number. We grew 32% to 161% year over year across that period, and kept the team.
Then ScyllaDB, where I ran this passage from the inside: I joined early in the revenue journey and left roughly 10x later. Open source infrastructure, Series A through growth stage — the same shape this firm is named for.
Most recently at Buf, a developer infrastructure company, where the work was the go-to-market itself: building the missing pieces — positioning, sales process, enablement, and the operating cadence to hold them together.
Track record
What that has looked like
32%–161% YoY
MySQL · OracleLed Enterprise sales through the Oracle acquisition and held year-over-year growth across the integration — the stretch where an acquired team usually loses its best people. We kept the team.
Roughly 10x ARR
ScyllaDBJoined early in the revenue journey and left roughly 10x later. Open source infrastructure, Series A through growth stage — the same passage this firm is built around.
The GTM, from the ground up
BufDeveloper infrastructure. The work was the go-to-market itself: positioning, sales process, enablement, and the operating cadence to hold them together.
Credential
Five to Fifty Growth is a Gold GTM OS Certified Partner. Certified on the GTM Operating System — the diagnostic and go-to-market framework used by GTM Partners.
A framework is only worth the operator holding it. The certification says I know the charts; the work is still sitting in the boat with you.
Questions
The short answers
- Who is Rich Nigro?
Rich Nigro is the founder of Five to Fifty Growth and a go-to-market operator who has run the $5M-to-$50M passage from the inside. He has been the early sales hire more than once — at TimesTen, NaviSite, and MySQL AB — led Enterprise sales at MySQL through the Oracle acquisition, joined ScyllaDB early in its revenue journey and left roughly 10x later, and most recently built the go-to-market at Buf, a developer infrastructure company.
- What does GTM OS Certified Partner mean?
GTM OS Certified Partner means Five to Fifty Growth is certified by GTM Partners to run their GTM Operating System — the 8-pillar framework companies use to align go-to-market strategy and execution. Certification confirms the framework is applied as designed, not improvised. It's not the pitch: a framework is only as good as the operator running it, and the work still happens with you in the room.
- What kind of companies does Five to Fifty Growth work with?
CEOs and founders of technical software companies — DevOps and developer tools, data, AI/ML platforms, cybersecurity, and fintech infrastructure, open source included — typically Series A through C, at the points where growth stalls: when founder-led selling stops scaling, again around $10M ARR, and again near $25M. The common thread is a company whose growth has stalled and that wants a guide who has been through the same stall before.
Get in touch
Let's talk.
If you're leading a company through the five-to-fifty stretch and need growth leadership, a board partner, or just a second opinion — reach out.