The GTMnow Podcast

Dan Lee (Co-Founder & CEO of Nooks) joins GTMnow to give a behind the scenes on how Nooks is launching a new Agent Workspace and AI Sequencing layer designed to operate across the full action set of a rep’s day — calls, emails, research, prospecting, and strategy.The conversation explores why top of funnel is changing the fastest, why traditional sequencing tools optimize the “move” but not the strategy, and how AI systems that learn from rep behavior can compound advantage over time. As adoption deepens, automation can move from ~40% of outbound execution toward 70% and beyond, while switching away resets that intelligence.We also discuss the broader category shift: customers pushing AI-native tools to take on incumbents, the rise of agent workspaces as the new interface for GTM teams, and why calls remain the most data-rich channel in outbound compared to silent email non-responses.Guest links: Guest - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan9lee/Guest company - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nooksapp/Guest company website: https://www.nooks.ai/Host links:Sophie Buonassisi - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/Sophie Buonassisi - X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuonaNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comSponsors:HockeyStack - the AI platform that unifies GTM data to help teams convert, expand, and scale. Learn more at https://www.hockeystack.com/Granola - the AI notepad that turns meetings into action by capturing context, decisions, and next steps automatically. Head to https://www.granola.ai/gtmfund and get three months free with the code GTMFUND.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – Announcing the Agent Workspace and AI sequencing product01:25 – Why sales is fundamentally human (even in the AI era)02:39 – The Agent Workspace as the human–AI interface02:56 – Why legacy sequencing tools were built for a manual world04:14 – The sales chess analogy: understand the board before making the move05:02 – Reps spend too much time "making the move"06:00 – Nooks as a simulation engine: suggesting the next best move07:07 – The reason for the email isn't in the email07:45 – Signal vs. noise: reasoning like a rep10:00 – Why calls are the most data-rich outbound channel10:25 – Using calls to move up the org chart13:12 – The sales iceberg analogy: what's above vs. below the surface13:38 – Don't pay enterprise reps to find phone numbers14:15 – Doing more with less vs. doing more with more15:00 – Why sales remains competitive even with full automation16:38 – Owning the end-to-end prospecting workflow18:53 – How Nooks learns from rep decisions over time19:15 – The path from 40% → 90% AI-written emails19:58 – Reimagining sequences with org chart intelligence22:17 – Evolution from virtual classroom to virtual sales floor25:11 – Pivoting into the sales use case before ChatGPT26:08 – Near-death experiences and surviving the pivot graveyard27:03 – Nooks' six core values27:57 – "Ask why" as a core operating principle28:39 – Ruthless prioritization as a startup advantage29:25 – AI literacy as a hiring filter for GTM roles30:07 – Making sales sexy for top engineers31:31 – Hiring across the board in 2026For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/

Emir Atli (Co-founder and CRO of HockeyStack) joins GTMnow to share how go-to-market is shifting in the AI era — from fragmented tools and GTM sprawl to unified, AI-native platforms built on a single data foundation.Originally known for attribution and market intelligence, HockeyStack is evolving into a central operating system for go-to-market, spanning marketing, sales, and post-sales through AI agents, blueprints, and an execution layer.We also explore weekly GTM sprints, founder-led content as a pipeline driver (even with <100 followers), and the long-game mindset behind building a generational company from age 20 after YC.In this episode, we cover:- Why you can’t layer AI onto legacy GTM — you must rebuild GTM around AI- The “sprawl crisis” and why siloed tools break without a single data foundation- HockeyStack’s evolution from attribution to a unified GTM operating system- AI agents, blueprints, and the shift from reporting to execution- Why consolidation is moving from tools to full buyer journey control- The case for a winner-takes-all GTM platform- How AI increases leverage across reps, managers, and pipeline reviews- Weekly GTM sprints and faster iteration cycles in the AI era- Founder-led content as a core growth engine and pipeline driver- LinkedIn as a top channel for MQL-to-opportunity and deal acceleration- The 10-year mindset, YC lessons, and building a generational companyGuest links: Emir Atli - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiratli/- HockeyStack - Website: https://www.hockeystack.com/- HockeyStack - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hockeystack/Host links:- Sophie Buonassisi - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/- Sophie Buonassisi - X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuona- Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comSponsors:Granola - the AI notepad that turns meetings into action by capturing context, decisions, and next steps automatically. Head to https://www.granola.ai/?via=gtmfund&dub_id=ytmcNnCjtlqCbgH5 and get three months free with the code GTMFUND.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – The GTM sprawl crisis and why AI breaks in siloed systems01:50 – From attribution to a GTM operating system02:41 – Launching AI agents, blueprints, and the execution layer in 202603:57 – Building a single data foundation across the buyer journey05:09 – Why GTM must be rebuilt around AI (not layered with tools)06:23 – Doing "more with more" and increasing management leverage07:30 – Tool consolidation vs controlling the buyer journey08:48 – 2026–2028: the great GTM consolidation wave09:01 – The case for a winner-takes-all GTM platform10:10 – Moat: data foundation + application layer11:35 – Expanding horizontally across marketing, sales, and post-sales14:28 – Running GTM in weekly sprints like an engineering org14:46 – Content as a core investment and distribution strategy15:26 – Why connected TV works for B2B brand trust16:43 – Faster GTM iteration cycles in the AI era17:47 – LinkedIn as the top pipeline and opportunity channel18:12 – Product stories, personal stories, and data stories in content21:02 – How founders carve out time to create content22:43 – Generating first customers from LinkedIn with <100 followers23:45 – Founding journey: pivoting into market intelligence25:37 – YC lesson: make something people love before scaling27:18 – The 10-year commitment mindset from YC advice30:13 – Executive coaching and founder bottlenecks31:53 – In-person culture and competing in the AI era33:26 – Whiteboarding interviews vs AI-generated case studies34:35 – Final advice: build a good business and enjoy the processFor inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/

Amanda “Robby” Robson (Founder of Modern Technical Fund) joins GTMnow to break down how she evaluates companies at the very earliest stages and why discipline matters more than ever in today’s market.Amanda has spent over a decade in venture before launching Modern Technical Fund, investing across verticals ranging from security and compliance to developer tools at firms like Norwest and Cowboy Ventures. Her investment thesis is centered on backing elite technical founders early and helping them translate deep engineering talent into real products, real customers, and real momentum.In this conversation, we unpack how Amanda thinks about founder quality, market timing, and risk when there’s limited data and plenty of noise, which is more critical than ever in an AI-heavy investing environment.Guest LinksAmanda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-robson-7227685b/Amanda’s Twitter: https://x.com/robby_mtfModern Technical Fund’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-technical-fund/Modern Technical Fund website: https://moderntechnicalfund.com/Host links: Max - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/Max - X: https://x.com/HackItMaxPaul - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsirving/Paul - X: https://x.com/PaulGTMNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comBrought to you by: AngelListFrom starting as a small, operator-led rolling fund, to evolving to an institutional platform, AngelList has been a core partner in every phase of GTMfund’s growth. Their software-first fund admin infrastructure allowed us to scale without sacrificing agility — from onboarding hundreds of LPs seamlessly to handling compliance, capital calls, and reporting as our fund size evolved.As we expanded from Fund I to Fund II, AngelList took care of the back-office operations, allowing us to stay focused on what matters most: investing in world-class founders and building the strongest go-to-market network in venture.They’ve scaled with us across funds and into the future.If your fund is growing in size or complexity, check them out at www.angellist.com/gtmfund.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – Why Modern Technical Fund exclusively backs technical founders02:15 – What actually defines a “technical founder” beyond coding ability03:45 – Why product judgment and customer instinct matter early05:05 – How early teams split engineering and go-to-market roles07:10 – When investor advice helps and when it gets in the way09:05 – Why calibrating the hiring bar matters more than providing playbooks12:40 – How network-driven support helps founders see what “great” looks like15:45 – Why valuation discipline sets the bar in today’s market17:10 – When first-time founders become too risky at certain prices19:40 – How early-stage defensibility often comes down to the team27:20 – Why TAM momentum matters more than static market size30:30 – How small markets quietly turn into billion-dollar categories39:55 – What separates real AI companies from AI theater41:40 – Why infrastructure and data tools benefit most from AI tailwindsFor inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Follow us on X (Twitter):https://x.com/GTMnow_Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQM23b5lZbcfLtHAe87J_AFollow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gtmnow_Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gtmnow_/

Archana Agrawal (President of Intercom) joins GTMnow to share how Intercom (founded in 2011) successfully restructured its product, pricing, and go-to-market to become AI-native at a speed and scale most legacy SaaS companies haven’t achieved.Their agent, Fin, now handles 80%+ of support volume, resolves 1M customer issues per week, and has grown from $1M to $100M+ ARR with a $0.99 outcome-based pricing model backed by up to a $1M performance guarantee if resolution targets aren’t met.In this episode, we cover:- Why customer support is fundamentally a 24/7 business- How Fin now handles 80%+ of customer queries through automation- Why human empathy often breaks down in real-world support workflows- How AI makes instant, individualized service possible for the first time- Why Intercom put a million-dollar guarantee behind its resolution rate- What it takes to confidently price software on outcomes- Why the future of support is humans + AIGuest links: - Archana Agrawal - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/archana-agrawal/- Intercom - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intercom/- Intercom’s Fin Agent: https://fin.ai/Host links:- Sophie Buonassisi - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/- Sophie Buonassisi - X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuona- Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comSponsors: HockeyStack - the AI platform that unifies GTM data to help teams convert, expand, and scale. Learn more at https://www.hockeystack.com/Granola - the AI notepad that turns meetings into action by capturing context, decisions, and next steps automatically. Head to https://www.granola.ai/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=gtmfund&utm_campaign=intercom-episode  and get three months free with the code GTMFUND.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – Why Intercom went all-in on AI03:23 – What Fin is and how it changes customer support05:27 – How Fin scaled to a 67% resolution-rate06:38 – The thinking behind 99¢ outcome-based pricing08:54 – Why customers don’t want to pay for activity09:10 – How outcome-based pricing aligns incentives09:57 – What changed for sales, success, and revenue operations15:10 – How Intercom thinks about forward-deployed engineers16:22 – Why the future is humans + AI18:56 – The real moat: product feedback loops at scale19:32 – Why Intercom put a million-dollar guarantee behind results23:29 – Why enablement is now the GTM bottleneck32:24 – From $1M to nearly $100M: what Fin’s growth reveals38:26 – Hiring in a world with no playbooks42:20 – How Archana learns from podcasts, books, and customersFor inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/

Lou Shipley (three-time CEO, Harvard Business School professor, and author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs) joins GTMnow to break down why most founders struggle to turn good ideas into great companies.Lou has led companies through acquisitions, teaches sales and go-to-market at Harvard, and has spent decades studying what actually separates companies that scale from those that stall.In this conversation, we unpack why understanding customer pain and learning how to sell are still the two most important founder skills, especially as product moats decline and go-to-market becomes the real differentiator.In this episode, we discuss:- Why understanding customer pain matters more than having a great idea- Why early selling should optimize for learning, not revenue- Why founders can’t outsource sales too early- How distribution becomes a competitive advantage at scale- What makes “unlikely entrepreneurs” outperform expectations- Why small, high-quality teams beat large organizations- Why churn is a symptom, not the root problem- How product-market fit quietly changes as companies grow- Why founders must evolve from heroic sellers to system builders- How culture becomes a real go-to-market assetLou also shares lessons from teaching sales at Harvard, profiling 13 unlikely entrepreneurs, and working with founders who realized too late that they were building the wrong company for the wrong customer.If you’re a founder, operator, or investor trying to avoid costly early mistakes and build a company that actually scales, this episode will give you a clearer mental model for what matters most.Timestamps:00:00 – What actually makes a company great00:26 – Why early selling is about learning, not revenue01:47 – Why founders misunderstand customer pain02:06 – “If you build it, they will come” is a lie02:33 – Distribution as the real moat02:58 – What makes an “unlikely entrepreneur” succeed06:15 – Why age and experience increase founder success07:01 – Curiosity, coachability, and risk elimination09:29 – Why founders can’t outsource sales too early15:26 – Pattern recognition vs short-term ARR21:10 – Founder-led sales vs scalable systems29:12 – Leadership, culture, and delegation33:18 – Founder evolution from $1M to $100M38:24 – When product-market fit starts to break39:15 – Why churn is a lagging indicator39:54 – Why small teams outperform large ones44:22 – Lessons from Unlikely Entrepreneurs45:23 – Final advice for foundersSponsors:HockeyStack - the AI platform that unifies GTM data to help teams convert, expand, and scale. Learn more at hockeystack.comGuest links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loushipley/X: https://twitter.com/loushipleyHost (Sophie Buonassisi) links:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuonaNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comHost (GTMnow) links: https://gtmnow.comFollow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Follow us on X (Twitter):https://x.com/GTMnow_Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQM23b5lZbcfLtHAe87J_AFollow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gtmnow_Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gtmnow_/

Healey Cypher (multi-time founder and CEO of BoomPop) joins GTMnow to unpack one of the fastest growing channels for company growth: in-person events.As AI floods digital channels with perfectly personalized messages, trust is becoming harder to earn online. Healey explains why events, dinners, and in-person experiences are becoming a premium GTM channel, not a nice-to-have, and how founders can use them intentionally for distribution, alignment, and acquisition.In this episode, we discuss:- Why in-person events are becoming a premium GTM channel in an AI-first world- How founders can de-risk distribution before building the product- The most common internal missteps that derail startups early- Why offsites are the new HQ for remote and hybrid teams- How to design offsites that drive alignment, not just fun- What makes a dinner actually work — including overlooked details like acoustics- How teams use events for customer acquisition and partnerships- Why kindness and positivity can be a real leadership advantageHealey also shares a powerful insight from Sam Altman that reframes how we should think about AI’s impact on trust and human connection.If you’re interested in scaling events as a growth channel, this episode will give you all the details you need and an understanding of what is working in today’s world.Timestamps:00:00 – Why founders underestimate distribution03:30 – Product vs distribution: what actually matters early06:45 – Why most startups fail from internal misalignment10:30 – Culture, communication, and focus as scaling constraints14:40 – Hybrid work broke alignment17:45 – Why offsites are becoming the new HQ21:30 – Events as a go-to-market strategy25:00 – AI, outbound fatigue, and inbox trust collapse28:40 – “In-person experiences are becoming a premium”32:30 – How to use events for customer and partner acquisition36:15 – What makes a high-impact event vs a wasted one39:50 – Dinners, summits, and unforgettable experiences43:30 – Leadership, kindness, and “don’t be a jerk”47:40 – Mental state as a competitive advantage52:30 – Final reflections and advice for foundersSponsors:HockeyStack - the AI platform that unifies GTM data to help teams convert, expand, and scale. Learn more at hockeystack.comGuest links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healeycypher/?hl=enHealey’s podcast: https://www.dontbeajerkpodcast.com/Mentioned Resources:Host (Sophie Buonassisi) links:X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuonaNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comHost (GTMnow) links: https://gtmnow.comFollow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Follow us on X (Twitter):https://x.com/GTMnow_Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQM23b5lZbcfLtHAe87J_AFollow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gtmnow_Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gtmnow_/

Why do so many go-to-market motions fall apart right when a company starts to scale?In this episode of GTMnow, Sophie Buonassisi sits down with Jeanne DeWitt Grosser, former GTM leader at Google and Stripe and now COO at Vercel, to unpack why GTM fragility is one of the most underdiagnosed risks in startups and scaling companies.This is a deep, operator-level conversation about what actually breaks in sales, why AI won’t magically fix it, and how the best teams treat go-to-market like a product that must be designed, tested, and iterated.If you are a founder, operator, or investor navigating growth, this episode will give you clearer mental models for building GTM that actually holds up under pressure.In this episode, we cover:Why most GTM motions fail at scale, even with strong productsWhat it really means to treat go-to-market like a productHow AI changes execution without changing fundamentalsThe rise of the forward deployed engineerWhy “lost on price” is usually a lieWhat great sales reps still do better than anyone in the AI eraHow to think about joining companies “early” without getting timing wrongListen if GTM feels fragile, unpredictable, or overly dependent on heroes.Timestamps00:00 – Introduction01:00 – “Yes is great. No is great. Maybe will kill you.”02:00 – Why go-to-market should be treated like a product04:45 – Designing the experience of being sold to06:30 – Using AI to debug GTM process failures09:00 – Why “lost on price” usually isn’t about price12:00 – What go-to-market engineering actually is16:00 – The rise of the forward deployed engineer20:45 – AI, agents, and what still needs human judgment25:45 – What great sales reps do differently in the AI era29:30 – Why GTM roles are becoming more consultative33:30 – Will there be an AI reckoning?38:00 – What “joining early” really means42:00 – Career lessons from Google, Stripe, and Vercel44:00 – Closing thoughts

Mark Goldberg is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Chemistry, a new early-stage venture firm with a $350M debut fund backing standout software companies from Seed to Series A. Prior to Chemistry, Mark was a Partner at Index Ventures, where he led early-stage investments across software and fintech for nearly a decade. Before Index, Mark was one of the first business hires at Dropbox, helping the company navigate hypergrowth. Discussed in this episodeWhy Mark studied international relations, and why venture feels like “the liberal arts of jobs”Index’s US “invisibility” era and what that taught him about building a new firmThe Chemistry spinout thesis: “take great multi-stage DNA, reconstitute it with focus”Fund design: pre-seed → seed → A, light reserves, and concentrated doubling-downHiring strategy: network access > spreadsheet diligenceCulture principles: excellence, performance, “no one takes themselves too seriously”Conviction-based investing vs consensus IC, and why omissions are the real killerThe hardest lesson in venture: managing co-founder dynamics (and when to just listen)Episode highlights00:00 — “A+ people want to work with A+ people.”01:46 — GTMfund’s 2026 prediction: big players come roaring back (Google, Meta, Microsoft, Uber/Waymo).14:51 — GTMfund platform metrics: thousands of support items, intros, hires, and fundraising connects.26:29 — Why Mark left Index to build Chemistry: big-fund lessons, rebuilt with focus.33:39 — Chemistry’s strategy: early-stage focus, light reserves, and building for “product-market discovery.”44:05 — “Venture doesn’t scale well.” Why Chemistry stays small to avoid bureaucracy.49:59 — Events that actually work: chess tournaments, surfing, and hobby-driven gathering > happy hours.54:56 — Investment process: conviction, not consensus—optimize for outliers, not averages.1:10:32 — Hardest lesson in venture: co-founder dynamics, and learning when to listen (not “advise”).Brought to you by: AngelListFrom starting as a small, operator-led rolling fund, to evolving to an institutional platform, AngelList has been a core partner in every phase of GTMfund’s growth. Their software-first fund admin infrastructure allowed us to scale without sacrificing agility — from onboarding hundreds of LPs seamlessly to handling compliance, capital calls, and reporting as our fund size evolved.As we expanded from Fund I to Fund II, AngelList took care of the back-office operations, allowing us to stay focused on what matters most: investing in world-class founders and building the strongest go-to-market network in venture. They’ve scaled with us across funds and into the future.If your fund is growing in size or complexity, check them out at www.angellist.com/gtmfund.Follow Mark GoldbergLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-goldberg-25458110X (Twitter): https://x.com/Mark_Goldberg_X (formerly Twitter)Chemistry (website): https://www.chemistry.vc/ChemistryThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Abbas Haider Ali is SVP of Customer Success at GitHub, where he leads a 550+ person post-sales organization supporting a $2B+ ARR business serving over 150 million developers, including more than 90% of the Fortune 100.Previously, Abbas was VP of Customer & Partner Success at Twilio following its acquisition of Segment, and has held executive roles at xMatters, Opnet Technologies, Managed Objects, and IBM. He is also a General Partner at GTM Operators Network, investing from seed through growth, and is deeply committed to mentorship and advancing underrepresented leaders in tech.Discussed in this episode:Why “AI-led growth” can hide churn and value erosionLagging vs leading indicators for retention enduranceWhy the CS investment benchmark is shifting from 10% → ~7%A simple “waterfall” for allocating post-sales budget: support → onboarding → outcomesHow to “lever up” the envelope with premium support + professional servicesWhy expansion (not renewals) is the early signal of product-market fitThe rise of AI-powered specialized generalists in post-salesWhen forward deployed engineers make sense (and when they’re just a fad)Episode highlights00:00 — Why customer expansion is the real signal of product-market fit00:50 — Lagging revenue vs. leading indicators of endurance04:11 — Why the CS benchmark dropped from 10% to 7%08:41 — How AI moved from internal efficiency to customer-facing leverage11:41 — Why retention cost matters more than CAC in the AI era14:17 — The simplest framework for allocating the 7% CS budget18:53 — Founder-led CS, design partners, and early-stage PMF myths23:16 — The rise of AI-powered specialized generalists30:00 — When forward-deployed engineers actually make sense49:31 — The one rule for building a durable SaaS companyThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor: HockeyStackIf you run go-to-market, you already know the problem: your data lives everywhere. Spreadsheets, CRMs, sales calls, ad platforms… yet you’re still guessing what to do next.HockeyStack is the AI platform for modern GTM teams. It unifies all your sales and marketing data into a single system of action. Built-in AI agents help teams prospect the right accounts, improve conversions, close and expand deals, and scale what works. That’s why teams like RingCentral, Outreach, ActiveCampaign, and Fortune 100 companies rely on HockeyStack to eliminate wasted spend, take better decisions, and make space to think.Learn more at hockeystack.comFollow Abbas Haider AliLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbashaideraliX (Twitter): https://x.com/abbashaideraliGitHub: https://github.com/AbbasHaiderAliFollow Sophie Buonassisi (Host)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisiX (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuonaNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Adam Carr is the Chief Revenue Officer at Apollo, where he’s scaling revenue by layering sales on top of a $150M+ ARR product-led growth engine. Previously, Adam helped scale Miro from a PLG-led company into a global sales organization, contributing to its growth into a $17.5B business. He’s known for building systems-driven GTM teams that turn product signals into durable revenue.Discussed in this episodeWhy PLG is gravity (signals + acquisition) and sales is the monetization layerThe “one-team” model to prevent PLG vs. sales cannibalizationBuilding talent density (and why slowing hiring can be the fastest path)Hiring for curiosity, coachability, ownership, and team-first executionThe “architect / systems thinker” profile for modern sellersA new post-sales model: CSMs → technical GTM Engineers + intervention-led journeyUsing customer journey milestones to drive expansion and prevent churn proactivelyAI in GTM: streamlining manual work so humans focus on better conversationsEpisode highlights00:00 — PLG is about signaling + acquisition (not monetization)01:30 — “PLG isn’t the monetization way… it’s layering sales.”02:41 — Talent density: hire for the next 12–18 months, not just “today”04:50 — The soft skills that scaled Miro: curiosity, coachability, ownership08:38 — Why Adam hires “architects” (system thinkers) instead of just sellers10:41 — The mindset shift: celebrate value realized, not contracts signed15:41 — Replacing CSMs with “go-to-market engineers” + an intervention model19:14 — Turning PLG signals into PQA/PQL routing (and reducing the “noise”)29:26 — “100M ARR is late” — when to start layering sales into PLGGuest linksLinkedIn (Adam Carr):https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhcarrFollow Sophie Buonassisi (Host)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisiX (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuonaNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comWhere to Find GTMnowWebsite: https://gtmnow.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnowX (Twitter): https://x.com/GTMnow_YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_nowPodcast Directory: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcastThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Cassie Young is a General Partner at Primary Venture Partners, a $1B AUM early-stage firm in New York backing category-defining SaaS, fintech, and vertical software companies. Before investing, she spent 15 years as a GTM operator, serving as Chief Revenue Officer at Sailthru and later Chief Customer & Commercial Officer at Marigold (Campaign Monitor, Sailthru, and other martech brands), where she scaled global sales, marketing, and customer success organizations.Today, Cassie leads investments while also running Primary’s Impact program, giving founders access to a 30-person team across talent, GTM, and strategic finance, and she continues to teach operators through programs like Pavilion and Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship board.Discussed in this episode:How Cassie “accidentally” became a VC after 15 years in GTM leadership.The career advice Bill Gurley gave her that changed her trajectory.Why Primary refuses to say “platform” and instead built a 30-person Impact team.How she actually sources pre-seed/seed founders before they leave their jobs.Primary’s 5-part Founder Outcomes Framework (vision, talent, JDCE, and more).The difference between real traction vs. “happy ears” and fake design partners.Why she’s picky on GTM/AI tools and looks for step-change, not incremental gains.How operators can actually break into VC (hint: it’s all about doing the work).Episode highlights00:35 — Clay, usage-based pricing, and the $100M ARR rocketship09:10 — The real story on AISDR: where AI reps actually work (and where they really don’t)14:02 — Inside “The Gross Retention Apocalypse” and why AI experimental budgets are a ticking time bomb22:46 — How Cassie accidentally became a VC and the Bill Gurley advice that changed her career path27:17 — Why Primary hates the word “platform” and how Cassie built a 30-person Impact team for founders36:10 — Cassie breaks down her 5-part founder outcomes framework (including “jaw-dropping customer experience”)46:01 — Avoiding “happy ears”: how founders should really use design partners and MedPick-style rigor57:48 — Time to value as the new north star and why nailing a tight wedge beats peanut-buttering features1:01:29 — So you want to be a VC: Cassie’s playbook for operators to break into venture (without delusion)Brought to you by: AngelListHow did we build the GTMfund back office? Easy!We leveraged AngelList’s Rolling Fund product for Fund I, which was the perfect vehicle to scale up GTMfund in its first iteration. This structure allowed us to build our network, and add revenue leaders while we raised and deployed capital simultaneously, which was crucial for getting early points on the board and building relationships with founders.For Fund II, we transitioned to a traditional closed-end fund structure through AngelList. This time with institutional investor support. This model allowed us to be more intentional about our portfolio construction. We worked closely with the AngelList team throughout this process, and they were incredible — always there to support us and our LPs every step of the way.If you’re raising a fund or are looking to migrate your fund, we highly recommend you check them out. You can do so at www.angellist.com/gtmfund.The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Dave Boyce is a go-to-market–focused technology executive, author of Freemium, and longtime SaaS operator and board member. Over two decades leading and advising B2B companies, he’s helped founders navigate the shift from sales-led to product-led, from gut-driven to instrumented, and now from manual GTM to AI-assisted systems. Today, Dave teaches revenue architecture and PLG through Winning by Design’s Growth Institute, works with leadership teams on Bow Tie–based growth models, and is all-in on how AI will reshape GTM as a true engineered system.Discussed in this episodeWhy classic sales & marketing playbooks haven’t caught up to how modern buyers actually buy.How the Bowtie model exposes the real levers of growth that funnels hide.Why PLG-style thinking is now essential even for sales-led and enterprise motions.The 3 first principles of freemium: empathy, generosity, and metrics.Where AI can reliably outperform humans across the customer journey, and where it absolutely shouldn’t.How to design hybrid human + AI workflows using a clear data model, not vibes.What RevOps should own in a modern revenue architecture (and why it can’t just serve the CRO narrative).Hard-earned founder lessons from Fundly on reinvention, calling bets early, and letting go of old branches.Episode highlights00:00 — GTM is still running 20-year-old playbooks01:29 — “Sales, marketing, CS… the last unengineered engine”03:20 — The myth of “just add more heads”05:50 — The Fundly story: reinvention, too late08:30 — Why Freemium had to be written11:01 — Three first principles of freemium15:25 — Mapping AI across the entire customer journey19:29 — “Automate the predictable, humanize the exceptional”25:18 — What the Bowtie exposes that funnels hide27:25 — Building a “minimum viable BowtieThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor: ZoomInfoZoomInfo is the GTM Intelligence Platform built for sales, marketing, and RevOps.By unifying data, workflows, and insights into a single system, ZoomInfo helps revenue teams find and engage the right buyers, launch go-to-market plays faster, and drive predictable growth. With industry-leading accuracy and depth of data, it gives your team the intelligence advantage to win in competitive markets.It’s trusted by the fastest-growing companies and has become the category leader in GTM Intelligence.Learn more at zoominfo.com.Follow Dave Boyce (Guest)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boycedaveSubstack: https://daveboyce.substack.comWhere to Find GTMnowWebsite: https://gtmnow.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnowX (Twitter): https://x.com/GTMnow_YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_nowPodcast Directory: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcastThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Brian Weinberger is the Chief Revenue Officer at Sisense, a leading analytics platform helping companies embed intelligence into every product experience. With over 30 years in sales leadership across New York’s tech scene, Brian has built and scaled go-to-market teams at every stage—from early-stage startups to category-defining giants like Yext, Segment, and Salesforce.Discussed in this episodeThe evolution of partner selling — from VARs to SIs to ecosystemsHow to know if partner selling fits your GTM modelThe delivery-first mindset that drives retentionDirect vs. partner motion: Microsoft vs. SalesforceWhy enablement is the #1 green flag for partner successPartner marketing: how to make resellers self-sustainingUsing AI to power future-ready GTM modelsThe case for hybrid work in high-performance sales culturesEpisode Highlights00:00 — The “year four” moment when partners are selling for you01:07 — 30 years of selling through partners in New York03:22 — Start partner strategy with delivery, not distribution06:32 — Why partner selling creates “superhuman” sellers09:59 — Salesforce vs. Microsoft: direct vs. reseller — and why the future is hybrid12:13 — The startup hack: sell delivery on your paper, subcontract partners17:16 — A 90-day playbook for integration partnerships21:39 — Hiring the right people to build a partner business27:18 — How Sisense runs delivery partners and an Australian reseller29:55 — White-labeling Snowflake: using resell to get the giant’s attentionThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor: BoomPopWe’re deep in event planning right now, as no doubt many of you are.Whether it’s an offsite, conference, or any other kind of event, BoomPop makes that happen with end-to-end planning all in one place.They handle everything from venues to experiences, so you can focus on the delights of meeting in person, not the logistics.Being part of GTMnow, you’re eligible for full-service event planning for just $99 per person (terms apply). Head to boompop.com/gtmfund to explore seamless support for your events.Follow Brian WeinbergerLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianweinbergerRecommended BooksWhat Great Salespeople Do by Michael Bosworth & Ben Zoldan — The power of storytelling in salesThe Power of Nice by Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Koval — Why kindness compounds in businessSacred Hoops by Phil Jackson — Coaching and leadership lessons from the Bulls dynastyReferencedSisense: https://www.sisense.comSnowflake: https://www.snowflake.comAWS: https://aws.amazon.comSalesforce: https://www.salesforce.comMicrosoft: https://www.microsoft.comAccenture (SI example): https://www.accenture.comThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

This bonus episode dives into how Cristina Cordova (Stripe’s 20th hire, early leader at Notion, now COO at Linear) spots exceptional talent early, and how she pressure-tests whether a team and product are truly worth betting on. It’s a crisp, tactical look at evaluating “spikiness,” finding beloved products (even with limited data), and building GTM the right way from day one.Cristina Cordova is a seasoned operator who has scaled some of the most iconic companies in tech. At Stripe, she built and led partnerships that became a foundational revenue engine, including the pivotal deal with Shopify. At Notion, she helped turn viral adoption into a durable distribution strategy powered by community. Today, Cristina is the Chief Operating Officer at Linear, where she’s applying her experience building high-velocity GTM engines to the next generation of developer-first tools.This is a clip from the full episode with Cristina (an inside look at the judgment frameworks behind Stripe, Notion, and now Linear) and the practical filters every GTM leader can use to pick winners early.Discussed in This ClipHow to recognize “exceptional” even outside your own domainFinding early proof a product is truly beloved (signals > vanity metrics)Starting with a sharp market wedge, then earning the right to expandWhy founders who excel at something—anything—tend to excel at company-buildingWhat to expect from early operators: founder mode and bias to executeSales hiring for technical buyers (and why quotas can help earlier than you think)Aligning tightly with founders as an exec: relationships drive outcomesHow to assess GTM on day one: ride-alongs, raw customer feedback, ground truthHighlights00:00 — The difference between good and great—and how to spot it across functions00:12 — Why this clip hit: Cristina’s framework for identifying exceptional people early01:17 — Looking for skills you don’t have—and recognizing greatness outside your lane03:38 — Evidence a product is beloved (Stripe on Hacker News, Notion on Twitter)04:49 — Start with a wedge; win big later (why early enterprise skeptics don’t matter)07:54 — “Spikiness” and unconventional signals of excellence (Minecraft servers to sales)12:52 — What great early leaders do: see problems, create strategy, then execute16:45 — Sales at product-led companies: hire technical sellers, set quotas sooner21:31 — How Cristina assesses GTM on day one: ride-alongs, direct customer observationThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor: BoomPopWe’re deep in event planning right now, as no doubt many of you are.Whether it’s an offsite, conference, or any other kind of event, BoomPop makes that happen with end-to-end planning all in one place.They handle everything from venues to experiences, so you can focus on the delights of meeting in person, not the logistics.Being part of GTMnow, you’re eligible for full-service event planning for just $99 per person (terms apply). Head to boompop.com/gtmfund to explore seamless support for your events.The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Alex Clayton is one of the clearest minds in growth-stage investing, the person elite founders turn to when the market is noisy and the stakes are high. A General Partner at Meritech Capital, Alex has built a reputation for breaking down complex businesses with uncommon clarity, from his legendary S-1 teardowns to his frameworks on power laws, secondaries, and AI-native growth. Before Meritech, he honed his craft at Spark Capital and Redpoint, backing breakout companies like Braze, JFrog, Outreach, Pendo, Duo Security, and RelateIQ. A former ATP tennis pro and Stanford team captain, Alex brings that same discipline, pattern recognition, and competitive fire to evaluating the next generational companies.Discussed in this episodeWhy GAAP revenue and cash burn are the two metrics that quietly govern everything.How AI is changing growth rates, margins, and what “good” looks like in SaaS.The rise of secondaries, and why they now rival or exceed IPO volume.How to read an S-1 like a pro (and what Alex looks for first).Founder ownership, fund lifecycles, and how long companies really stay private.Why power laws in venture are getting even steeper in the AI era.How AI is reshaping pricing models from seats to usage and outcomes.Which iconic private companies are most likely to go public in the next 3 years.Episode highlights02:40 — Is the IPO window really back? 05:10 — Secondaries quietly outpacing IPOs08:10 — The only two metrics that matter10:56 — AI growth that breaks SaaS mental models26:20 — From “software” to “SaaS” to “AI”… and back again29:25 — Seat-based pricing vs outcome-based AI pricing34:55 — The capital tidal wave & longer private lives44:00 — Bubble vs biggest opportunity of our careers57:17 — What the rest of the 2020s look like1:03:41 — Why GAAP revenue + cash burn still winBrought to you by: AngelListHow did we build the GTMfund back office? Easy!We leveraged AngelList’s Rolling Fund product for Fund I, which was the perfect vehicle to scale up GTMfund in its first iteration. This structure allowed us to build our network, and add revenue leaders while we raised and deployed capital simultaneously, which was crucial for getting early points on the board and building relationships with founders.For Fund II, we transitioned to a traditional closed-end fund structure through AngelList. This time with institutional investor support. This model allowed us to be more intentional about our portfolio construction. We worked closely with the AngelList team throughout this process, and they were incredible — always there to support us and our LPs every step of the way.If you’re raising a fund or are looking to migrate your fund, we highly recommend you check them out. You can do so at www.angellist.com/gtmfund.Follow Alex ClaytonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aclaytonX (Twitter): https://x.com/afcFollow Max Altschuler (Host)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Chris Degnan is the former Chief Revenue Officer of Snowflake, where he helped scale the company from pre-product to over $4B in ARR and more than $100B in market cap. Over his 11-year tenure, Chris built Snowflake’s go-to-market engine from the ground up, from personally running the first outbound campaigns to leading a global sales organization through four CEOs and one of the largest software IPOs in history.Today, he advises founders and revenue leaders on how to build high-velocity GTM teams, hire with grit, and scale with discipline. Chris is also the co-author of Make It Snow, the definitive playbook on Snowflake’s go-to-market journey, co-written with CMO Denise Persson.Discussed in this episodeThe early days of Snowflake: selling a stealth startup with no productHow to hire and identify truly self-motivated, gritty sales talentThe lessons from John McMahon that shaped Snowflake’s leadership DNAHow to build sales-marketing alignment that actually scalesThe near-death experiences that almost killed SnowflakeWhat great CEOs do differently, from Muglia to SlootmanThe power of focusing on new logo acquisitionThe evolution of sales methodologies: MEDDPICC, culture, and curiosityThe truth about AI’s “bubble”, and what’s real beneath the hypeEpisode highlights00:02:21 — Why join Snowflake pre-product and in stealth.00:05:36 — The original outreach script and what resonated with prospects.00:06:49 — Scaling from lists to SDRs; Degnan’s “8 meetings per week” rule.00:09:11 — Hiring for self-starters; the interview opener: “Tell me your life story.”00:12:49 — The feedback loop that kept a CRO in seat for 11 years.00:24:46 — The outage that almost killed Snowflake, and how leadership showed up.00:28:34 — New logo gates every quarter and why it mattered more than anything.00:34:05 — “Customer success is everyone’s job”: removing CS, monetizing PS, driving adoption.00:36:40 — Databricks: where Snowflake ceded ground and what they’d do differently.00:39:19 — Why going public was the right move for enterprise trust.This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: BoomPopWe’re deep in event planning right now, as no doubt many of you are.Whether it’s an offsite, conference, or any other kind of event,BoomPop makes that happen with end-to-end planning all in one place.They handle everything from venues to experiences, so you can focus on the delights of meeting in person, not the logistics.Being part of GTMnow, you’re eligible for full-service event planning for just $99 per person (terms apply). Head to boompop.com/gtmfund to explore seamless support for your events.Follow Chris DegnanLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-degnan-524470Make It Snow (book):https://makeitsnowbook.comThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Michel Tricot is the co-founder and CEO of Airbyte, the open-source data movement platform he launched in 2020. Before Airbyte, Michel led integrations and served as Director of Engineering at LiveRamp, where he scaled the teams and pipelines that synced massive data volumes. He also helped build rideOS as a founding engineer and Director of Engineering. Michel has spent 15+ years in data infrastructure, with a focus on commoditizing data pipelines and giving teams control and sovereignty over their data. Discussed in this episodeWhy Airbyte launched open source first (catching engineers “at the search”)Project-market fit vs. product-market fit, and why they’re differentThe content engine: founder-led writing, shipping slides, and radical transparencyTurning interest into community: 25k+ Slack, champions, and hiring from withinThe near-misses: hiring ahead of PMF, support-heavy community, cloud complexityGoing upmarket: enterprise motion, longer cycles, and team ramp realitiesAI wave → agents as “data consumers” and what it means for pipelinesReplatforming for control & sovereignty, not just “more connectors”This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: ZoomInfoZoomInfo is the GTM Intelligence Platform built for sales, marketing, and RevOps.By unifying data, workflows, and insights into a single system, ZoomInfo helps revenue teams find and engage the right buyers, launch go-to-market plays faster, and drive predictable growth. With industry-leading accuracy and depth of data, it gives your team the intelligence advantage to win in competitive markets.It’s trusted by the fastest-growing companies and has become the category leader in GTM Intelligence.Learn more at zoominfo.com.Follow Michel TricotLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheltricotX (Twitter):https://x.com/MichelTricotWebsite:https://airbyte.com/AirbyteHost linksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuonaNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Website: https://gtmnow.com/Where to Find GTMnowWebsite: https://gtmnow.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnowX (Twitter): https://x.com/GTMnow_YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_nowPodcast Directory: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcastThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Tessa Whittaker is the VP of Revenue Operations at ZoomInfo, where she leads a 70-person global team powering one of SaaS’s most efficient $1B+ revenue engines. Over the past decade, she’s helped architect the systems, cadence, and AI workflows that underpin how ZoomInfo operates at scale.Tessa is known as one of the most thoughtful operators in tech, bringing structure, clarity, and rigor to how GTM organizations run. Her work sits at the intersection of data, process, and execution, proving that with the right operating cadence, even the most complex go-to-market systems can move in rhythm.Discussed in this episodeBuilding a personal operating system (Salesforce's V2MOM, Notion, weekly reviews) that maps vision → methods → measurable actions.“Operating rhythm” for GTM: the meetings, reviews, and enablement that create predictable execution.Color-coding calendars to align time with quarterly KPIs (and fixing misallocation).Counterintuitive up-market move: automate down-market so scarce humans focus on enterprise.AI intake & prioritization agent: compressing 10–15 hrs of RevOps scoping into one interaction.Democratizing creation: org-wide agent “hackathons,” usage leaderboards, and adoption lessons.Health OS during sprints: cut alcohol, protect sleep, simplify to sustain output.What to buy vs. build; auditing tech stacks; avoiding (and accepting some) agent sprawl.Episode highlights00:00 — Systems beat motivation; why cadence creates consistency.01:36 — RevOps as connective tissue of SaaS; the “invest earlier” regret.03:58 — From EA to SVP-level ops leader to VP RevOps: the long workback.06:51 — Why operators obsess over simplifying complexity.12:24 — Time as the scarcest resource: color-coding calendars to goals.20:05 — The RevOps operating rhythm at ZoomInfo (and how AI slots in).21:48 — Going upmarket? Automate downmarket first to free resources.31:19 — Intake agent: collapsing 10–15 hours of back-and-forth into one interaction.36:48 — Democratizing creation: internal agent hackathons and a usage leaderboard.44:30 — The Alchemist and reframing growth: get uncomfortable to keep climbing.This episode is brought to you by our sponsorsThe best talent isn’t actively job hunting. Pursuit helps companies hire elite go-to-market talent on a non-retainer basis. As a key GTMfund partner, they equip sales and marketing teams with top performers.If you’re hiring for sales or marketing roles, reach out to Pursuit at pursuitsalessolutions.com/gtm or message a GTMfund team member.Guest links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-whittaker-44903940Where to Find GTMnowWebsite: https://gtmnow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/X (Twitter):https://x.com/GTMnow_YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_nowThe GTM Podcast: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Peter Grant is the Chief Revenue Officer at You.com, the AI search and productivity platform reshaping how people find and create information. A veteran GTM leader, Peter has built and scaled revenue engines at some of tech’s most iconic companies — from Siebel Systems to Salesforce to C3.ai — working directly under legends like Tom Siebel and Marc Benioff. Today, he’s leading You.com’s charge against giants like OpenAI and Google, bringing precision, storytelling, and speed to the most transformative era in technology.Discussed in this episodeHow Peter defines “the biggest opportunity of our lifetime” in AILessons from working under Tom Siebel, Marc Benioff, and Rishi KhoslaHow to hire SEAL-Team-Six-level GTM talentWhy belief and speed are non-negotiables when competing with giantsYou.com’s differentiation strategy against OpenAI and GoogleHow to operationalize AI literacy and agentic workflowsThe ROI gap in generative AI adoption, and how to fix itBuilding products that stand on truthEpisode Highlights00:14 — The biggest opportunity in technology this century05:25 — Lessons from working directly with Thomas Siebel06:41 — How to hire “SEAL Team Six” sales talent10:24 — Why “train hard, fight easy” defines great enablement20:08 — The new sophistication bar for AI literacy in sales25:14 — How You.com differentiates against OpenAI & Google30:00 — Peter’s personal AI productivity system: 40 agents40:12 — Speed, truth, and trust: You.com’s go-to-market culture48:30 — The “war room” story: building a sales plan overnight59:45 — No easy days: why startup life mirrors special forcesThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor: BoomPopA quick pause to spotlight a partner that helps GTM teams actually connect—BoomPop.Your next big unlock might not come from another meeting… it’s from getting your team in the same room. BoomPop makes that happen with end-to-end offsite planning all in one place.They handle everything from venues to experiences, so you can focus on the delights of meeting in person, not the logistics.And as a listener of GTMfund, you’re eligible for full-service event planning for just $99 per person (terms apply).Head to boompop.com/gtmfund to start planning your offsite.Guest LinksLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/peterkgrantCompany: you.comRecommended BooksThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben HorowitzElephants Can’t Dance by Louis V. Gerstner Jr.The Master Algorithm by Pedro DomingosNo Easy Day by Mark Owen — a favorite for its lessons on grit and resilienceThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

This bonus episode dives into how Rick Kelley helped scale Meta’s global sales organization (from 900 employees to 90,000) and the playbook behind building high-performing international teams.Rick Kelley is the former SVP of Gaming and App Monetization Solutions at Meta and Managing Director of Meta Ireland, where he led a $1B+ revenue organization and played a pivotal role in building out Meta’s go-to-market teams across North America and EMEA. Over his 15-year career at Meta, Rick was instrumental in driving international expansion, especially across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—helping to localize strategy, scale high-performing sales teams, and bring new ad products to market. Today, he advises founders on global GTM execution, sales hiring, and how AI is reshaping the future of commercial organizations.This is a clip from the full episode with Rick, an inside look at how Meta built its $1B EMEA business and the lessons every GTM leader can apply to scale globally.Discussed in This Clip:The exact framework Rick used to decide which EMEA markets to enter firstHow Meta built a $1B+ regional business from just three salespeopleThe power of centralization in early-stage go-to-marketWhy you should plan every headcount allocation before hiringCreating “optionality” in your sales org to weather changeHow gaming became Meta’s fifth global regionWhen to localize sales teams versus staying centralizedWhy AI can make sales more efficient—but can’t replace relationshipsHighlights00:12 — Scaling Meta: from 900 to 90,000 employees01:22 — How Rick Kelley built Meta’s mid-market sales org from scratch02:15 — The data-driven framework Meta used to prioritize global markets04:50 — Why startups should build expansion plans before executing07:52 — Centralized vs. in-country hiring: Rick’s take for startups09:49 — The importance of sales ops and forecasting discipline13:32 — Hiring leaders who scale with you, not limit you14:59 — How AI will reshape (but not replace) sales relationships16:09 — From zero to $1B: lessons in efficiency, cost, and cultureThis Episode Is Brought to You ByZoomInfo is the GTM Intelligence Platform built for sales, marketing, and RevOps. By unifying data, workflows, and insights into a single system, ZoomInfo helps revenue teams find and engage the right buyers, launch go-to-market plays faster, and drive predictable growth. With industry-leading accuracy and depth of data, it gives your team the intelligence advantage to win in competitive markets.It’s trusted by the fastest-growing companies and has become the category leader in GTM Intelligence.Learn more at zoominfo.com.Follow Rick KelleyLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickkelley/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.