Volume IV · Issue 02 · Fractional & Advisory

Operator. Founder. Strategist for the sports economy.

A 20-year youth sports operator and SaaS founder helping ambitious companies modernise — before their competitors do.

Portrait of James Moore

Most sports businesses are operating like it's 2019.

The competitors who move first on AI will compound their advantage every quarter the others delay.

— The thesis

I'm not a consultant who read a book. I'm a 20-year sector operator and SaaS founder with active deployments across the businesses I work with — and I help leadership teams build the strategy and execute the rollout that turns AI from a buzzword into a P&L line.

No. I On credibility

Three operator lenses. Most advisors only have one.

i.

Services operator

15+ years in the field

Founded and scaled multi-region youth sports businesses from the ground up. I know the unit economics, the customer behaviour, and where operational drag actually lives — which is precisely where AI delivers the highest ROI.

ii.

SaaS founder

Five years to exit

Built Coordinate Sport — a youth sports operating system serving providers across the UK — from idea to exit between 2020 and 2025. Lived product-market fit, pricing, churn, and scaling support. I know what software actually solves.

iii.

Strategist & advisor

Active

Active across deal flow and transformation work in the youth sports and children's activity sector — buy-side strategy, capital structure, AI-led modernisation, and integration planning. Both sides of the deal table.

No. II On the work

Not slide decks. Real systems.

The roadmap I bring isn't theoretical. It's been deployed live across the businesses I've operated and worked with — voice agents, content engines, custom Claude and GPT builds, and AI-native acquisition workflows. Live systems, not pilots in purgatory.

For your business, I diagnose where AI delivers the fastest ROI, architect the rollout sequence, and lead deployment alongside your team — not next to them.

See the full AI playbook →
Selected deployments
i.
Multichannel AI voice & messaging Phone, SMS, WhatsApp, social, and web chat — designed and deployed for inbound capture and customer ops in a youth sports services business.
ii.
Content engines at scale Systematic short-form video production with AI-assisted distribution across channels — built for a sports media venture.
iii.
Custom Claude & GPT builds Bespoke AI assistants embedded into operating businesses — including a paid AI add-on inside a youth sports membership platform.
iv.
AI-native deal workflows Outreach, qualification, and pipeline management automated end-to-end across an active M&A function.
v.
Marketing operating system Universal ZMOT-based framework with AI augmentation at every layer — deployed across multiple businesses in the sector.
No. III On the record

Four companies. One sector. Two decades.

2025 →
Independent Advisory · Strategy · AI Transformation
Active
2020–2025
Coordinate Sport Founder · Vertical SaaS
Exited
2019
Institute of Sporting Futures Founder
Operating
2012
First Step Training Founder · Award-winning
Operating
2009
First Step Sports Founder
Operating
No. IV On the airwaves

100+ conversations with the people building the future.

The Drive Phase Podcast cover art
The Drive Phase Podcast

A weekly series interviewing founders, operators, and investors building the future of youth sports and the technology around it.

Every episode is a working masterclass in what's actually moving on the ground — from vertical SaaS founders to multi-region services operators to the investors backing them. The recurring thread: how the best businesses are using AI, automation, and modern playbooks to compound an advantage their slower competitors can't match.

Listen on YouTube →
No. V On engagement

Four formats. One operating principle: show up and ship.

Non-Exec Director / Board

~5–10 hours per month

Governance, strategic oversight, and AI literacy at board level. Investor signal and credibility for fundraising.

Strategic Advisor

~8–16 hours per month

AI roadmap, M&A prep, GTM strategy, brand repositioning. Embedded in leadership conversations without the full-time cost.

AI Transformation Lead

~16–32 hours per month

Embedded execution from diagnostic to deployment. I run the rollout alongside your team — not next to them.

Project Consultancy

Defined scope

One-off transformations — AI rollout, GTM rebuild, M&A readiness. Fixed scope, fixed timeline, fixed deliverables.

Coda

If your business is at risk of being out-innovated — let's fix that.

Cash retainer with optional equity. Contractor via UK entity for clean global onboarding. Available across US and EMEA time zones. Book a 30-minute call below — I'll come prepared.