This Much I Know - The Seedcamp Podcast

• Path to Market: From Zero to Market Leader, A CRO’s GTM Playbook

  Our “Path to Market” series continues with a new episode in which our Director Natasha Lytton and her co-host Micah Smurthwaite, Partner at Pipeline Ventures, delve into the intricacies of go-to-market strategies with seasoned CRO, Tim Bertrand. Tim shares his extensive experience scaling organisations like Acquia, Project 44, and HAProxy, offering actionable insights for founders and sales leaders on building sales teams, effective onboarding practices, the fundamentals of discovery and qualification in sales, and the nuances of pricing strategies for early-stage companies. Tim also discusses the significance of deal reviews and the evolving landscape of sales tactics, emphasizing the value of compelling events and robust qualification processes. The discussion also covers: - the dynamics of building sales teams; - identifying customer pain points; - the significance of practical sales methodologies like MEDDICC and BANT; - fostering cross-functional collaboration; - the role of open-source communities; - and more. Key takeaways: - Understand product intricacies; - Leverage economic buyers in sales cycles; - Align organizational culture with company values for success; - Make the right hire according to the company’s growth stage. Show notes: Tim Bertrand – linkedin.com/in/timbertrand Natasha Lytton – linkedin.com/in/natasha-lytton Micah Smurthwaite – linkedin.com/in/micah-smurthwaite-2283b49 Overview: 00:00 Understanding Customer Pain Points 00:22 Introduction to Path to Market Podcast 01:00 Interview with Tim Bertrand: Scaling Startups 01:39 Tim Bertrand's Journey: Acquia to HAProxy 05:07 Advice for Founders on Sales Playbooks 08:11 Hiring the Right Sales Team 16:29 Onboarding Sales Reps: Best Practices 18:31 Effective Sales Execution and Discovery 23:29 Creating Urgency in Sales 23:34 The Role of Compelling Events 25:18 Evolving Sales Tactics 28:53 Effective Deal Reviews 31:03 Pricing Strategies for Startups 32:59 Building a Strong Sales Culture 35:58 Cross-Functional Collaboration 39:17 Open Source Business Models 43:05 Sales Methodologies for Founders 44:30 Hiring the Right CRO 45:47 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

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• Path to Market: How to Build Highly Effective Go-To-Market Teams

  In the latest episode of our “Path to Market” series, our Director Natasha Lytton and her co-host Micah Smurthwaite, Partner at Pipeline Ventures, speak with Gia Scinto, a partner at Cole Group, specializing in go-to-market executive hires for renowned startups like Airbnb and Stripe. Gia shares her extensive experience in building go-to-market teams for top startups across her different roles, including as the first talent leader at Y Combinator and as an executive talent partner at Andreessen Horowitz. She emphasizes the importance of metrics in recruitment, the founder's role in hiring, and key considerations for early-stage companies hiring their first sales leaders. Gia also provides actionable advice on running an effective recruiting process, including aligning on job requirements, conducting thorough interviews, and ensuring a successful onboarding process. Key takeaways: - Set a minimum experience threshold for the role - In the first interviewing rounds, assess the candidate against the main goals of their roles - Set clear expectations and establish attainable goals in the initial months to facilitate a seamless onboarding into the company. Show notes: Gia Scinto – linkedin.com/in/giascinto Natasha Lytton – linkedin.com/in/natasha-lytton Micah Smurthwaite – linkedin.com/in/micah-smurthwaite-2283b49 Overview: 00:00 Introduction to Gia and Her Extensive Experience 00:54 Working with founders at Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator 08:13 Advice for Early-Stage Sales Hiring 12:25 Running a Successful Recruiting Process 20:35 Interview Questions for Sales Leaders 24:35 Assessing Culture Fit in Early-Stage Companies 26:31 Hiring Challenges and Lessons Learned 28:17 Pitching to Senior Candidates in Startups 29:09 Importance of Product Differentiation 30:03 Segmentation and Market Strategy 34:09 Onboarding and Setting Expectations 38:03 Back-channeling and Reference Checks 41:16 Onboarding Best Practices for Success 43:17 Common Pitfalls in Hiring 46:40 Building Go-to-Market Systems 50:41 Advice for Go-to-Market Candidates

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• Navigating Growth: Sales and Scaling Strategies from Ryan Lieber, Snowflake’s First SDR

  In a new episode of Path to Market, our Director Natasha Lytton and her co-host Micah Smurthwaite, Partner at Pipeline Ventures are joined by Ryan Lieber, an experienced Go-to-Market Leader and one of Snowflake’s earliest employees and its first SDR. Together they discuss Snowflake's impressive growth trajectory, the challenges and strategies of category creation, key sales methodologies like MEDDPICC, the best approaches for scaling internationally, and cross-functional sales efforts. Ryan shares his experiences from joining Snowflake when it was an unknown startup in 2014 to its current status as a data giant with over 7,000 employees and a market capitalization of over $50 billion. He also delves into when and how founders should hire their first SDRs and sales leaders, the metrics for measuring their success, and the role of marketing alignment in scaling sales. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of understanding regional cultural and communication nuances, and how to leverage partnerships in new markets. Key takeaways: - taking an iterative approach to the sales process enables you to transition from broad outreach to focusing on sales-qualified opportunities; - hiring SDRs earlier rather than later is not only cost-effective, but it also enables founders to focus on product development; - choose a sales leader who isn't afraid to "get their hands dirty" and is willing to adapt to the dynamic needs of a growing startup. They are in touch with the pulse of the market and the realities faced by their teams; - international expansion is not a uniform process and differs significantly by region. This is why understanding cultural nuances, leveraging regional partners, and ensuring the market is ripe for entry are essential considerations; - taking a partnership approach to scaling accelerates growth and embeds credibility in the customer’s eyes. Show notes: Ryan Lieber – linkedin.com/in/ryan-lieber-8aa59a62 Natasha Lytton – linkedin.com/in/natasha-lytton Micah Smurthwaite – linkedin.com/in/micah-smurthwaite-2283b49 Overview: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 01:00 Ryan’s Early Days at Snowflake 03:59 Career Growth and Opportunities 05:01 Building the EMEA Team 07:08 Challenges and Learnings 08:19 Finding the Ideal Customer Profile 13:57 Sales Methodology: MEDDPICC 19:30 Hiring and Building a Sales Team 21:48 The Daily Grind of an SDR 22:01 Key Traits for Sales Success 23:30 Red Flags in Sales Hiring 27:07 Effective SDR Metrics 32:09 Hiring Your First Sales Leader 34:54 The Power of Marketing in Sales 36:49 Scaling Internationally 42:26 Snowflake's Startup Program 45:02 Final Thoughts and Advice

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• Path to Market: Defining and Validating Your Ideal Customer Profile with Alicia Carney

  In this insightful episode, our Director Natasha Lytton and co-host Micah Smurthwaite, Partner at Pipeline Ventures are joined by Alicia Carney, a seasoned product marketing expert with extensive experience at high-growth startups like Deliveroo. Together, they dive deep into identifying and validating Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) in pre and post product-market fit stages. Alicia shares her insights on navigating early market fit through to scaling operations post-product market fit. Key takeaways: - Define and validate ideal customer profiles (ICP) through market needs and user research - Be intentional and thoughtful about who you are serving and the value you offer - Focus on empirical metrics and continuous customer engagement. Show notes: Alicia Carney - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciacarney Natasha Lytton - linkedin.com/in/natasha-lytton Micah Smurthwaite - linkedin.com/in/micah-smurthwaite-2283b49 Interview guide link: http://bit.ly/3tJubmC  ​​Establishing an ideal customer profile (ICP) by Notion VC Market research platforms: userinterviews.com, pollfish.com, gong.io, grain.com

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• Path to Market: The art and science behind effective GTM strategies for startups and scale-ups

  We are excited to announce the launch of our new podcast series, "Path to Market," where our Director Natasha Lytton and co-host Micah Smurthwaite, Partner at Pipeline Ventures dissect the art and science behind effective go-to-market (GTM) strategies for startups and scale-ups. The introductory episode explores essential elements of go-to-market planning, real-world examples of startups overcoming market-entry challenges, and practical advice on avoiding common pitfalls. Highlights include: - understanding the balance between art and science in sales; - the importance of a focused market entry; - the critical nature of making the right hire. What to Expect from “Path to Market” Future episodes will cover an array of topics, from defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to choosing between sales development representatives and product-led growth motions. Whether you’re embarking on your startup journey or are further along, there’s something beneficial for every stage. The podcast series will feature seasoned marketing, sales, and product experts who have worked for companies such as Stripe, Snowflake, and Deliveroo.

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