What We Do Our Work About Let's Talk
Mezzo  ·  Operator Practice

We close the gaps
founder-led businesses
can't afford to ignore.

Most businesses at the $1M-$10M stage aren't held back by talent or ambition. They're held back by systems gaps. Mezzo identifies those gaps and builds what fixes them, without adding headcount or requiring technical knowledge from the founder.

$2M+
Revenue built and scaled across founder-led ventures
20+
Multi-billion dollar M&A transactions at Weil Gotshal
2x
Founded, built, and exited with an international acquirer
Daily
AI systems designed and deployed across pipelines and infrastructure
What We Do

The infrastructure your business
needs but hasn't built yet.

Most founder-led businesses at the $1M-$10M stage have the same gaps. Inquiry and client communication running manually. No automated lead capture. No reactivation infrastructure. No one whose job it is to build any of it. That's the work we do.

01
AI Systems & Automation

We design and deploy AI infrastructure that removes manual work from your highest-value business functions. Inquiry automation, proposal drafts, client communication, lead capture sequences. Built to sound like you and run without you.

Inquiry automation Content pipelines Proposal systems Client communication
02
Customer Reactivation

Your existing customer base is the highest-ROI growth lever you have and almost no one uses it. We build the infrastructure that turns dormant relationships into active revenue, automatically, without adding work for your team.

Dormant list campaigns Referral triggers Win-back sequencing
03
Loyalty & Engagement

We build engagement infrastructure that keeps customers connected to your brand between transactions, turning one-time buyers into long-term relationships that drive compounding revenue.

Between-purchase engagement Loyalty design Platform integrations
04
Fractional Operator

For founders who need an operator in the room, not a consultant on the phone. We embed in your business, identify what's holding growth back, and build the sequencing to fix it. No retainer. No overhead. Just the work that moves the needle.

Fractional operator Systems design Go-to-market Revenue sequencing
Our Work

Built from zero.
Exited. Still building.

Every recommendation is grounded in having actually done this. Not advised on it. Not observed it. Built it, operated it, and in one case sold it.

Operator Practice  ·  AI Systems
Mezzo

An operator practice building AI systems and growth infrastructure for founder-led businesses. Also developing a loyalty SaaS product helping QSR, retail and travel brands drive engagement between customer purchases.

QSR + RetailTarget verticals
InterludeProprietary analytics layer
B2C → B2B  ·  Exit
TopProp

Daily fantasy sports platform built from concept to exit. Regulatory approvals across 30+ states, $1.25M raised, and a technology licensing exit to an international acquirer.

11,000+Monthly active users
$2.2MPeak annual revenue
86%Month-over-month retention
AI  ·  Systems
Operator Work

Building AI automation systems and growth infrastructure across creative, service, and F&B businesses. Inquiry automation, lead capture, customer reactivation, proposal systems. Early stage, active across multiple verticals.

ActiveMultiple verticals
AI-firstZero added headcount
The Operator

"I spent seven years doing things in an unconventional order: BigLaw M&A attorney, two-time founder, exit. The core insight from all of it is that most founder-led businesses aren't held back by talent. They're held back by systems gaps. That's the work I do now."

Before building companies, I structured deals at Weil Gotshal, working on 20+ multi-billion dollar transactions and learning how businesses are actually valued, how deals get done, and how to operate under pressure. Then I co-founded TopProp, built it from zero to exit, and learned what building actually requires. Now I run Mezzo and work with a small number of founder-led businesses as a fractional operator, building the AI systems and growth infrastructure their stage requires but their team can't yet support full-time.

M&A Attorney, Weil, Gotshal & Manges Co-Founder & CEO, TopProp (Exited) Founder & CEO, Mezzo JD, University of Pennsylvania Law School Wharton Certificate in Management
Michael Zavagno
Founder & Operator
Product Strategy AI Systems M&A Go-to-Market Operations Fundraising Legal
Free Resource

The 5-tool AI stack for creative businesses.

The exact tools we use to automate inquiry responses, proposals, and lead capture for wedding planners and creative founders. Free download, no fluff.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

From the Blog

Practical reads for creative founders.

All articles →

Let's talk about
what's holding you back.

Whether you need AI systems built, a reactivation campaign launched, or an operator to figure out what the actual gap is. No retainer. Fixed engagement. Real work.

Schedule a Call