Embedded CMO · B2B SaaS · Seed · Series A/B

Your CMO.
Until you hire
a full-time one.

You have a product that works and a pipeline that doesn't grow fast enough. I come in as your CMO or Marketing Advisor, two to three days a week, set the GTM strategy, run your marketing team, and own the pipeline number. We agree on that number before day one, and I report against it every month. If the strategy isn't working, I change the strategy.

Start a conversation See how we work →
On Accountability
Before day one, we agree on the numbers I will move: pipeline, SQLs, ARR. I build the roadmap around those. I report against them every month. And if the strategy isn't working, I change the strategy, not the reporting. I keep my client list short on purpose.
25+
Years in B2B SaaS marketing, from Seed through IPO
3×
First marketing leader hired: built the function from zero
Where Founders Get Stuck

Three situations.
Same root cause.

01
Your marketing hire is good. That's actually the problem.

You hired the right person for where you were. They work hard and execute well. But nobody above them is setting GTM direction, making the big calls, or connecting their work to revenue. A year in, the function is busy but not strategic.

02
PLG is working. Enterprise is not.

Self-serve signups come in. Enterprise deals stall. Those are two different motions and most early-stage marketers only know one of them. You need someone who has built both, at the same time, without breaking the engine that's already running.

03
You just raised. Now marketing needs to become a real function.

You've been running it yourself, or leaning on a freelancer. That got you here. It won't get you to the next round. The first hire and the first 90 days either build the right foundation or cost you a year fixing it. Sequence matters more than budget.

Tom Berger, Embedded CMO
What I Actually Do

In the seat.
Owning the number.

I'm in your leadership meetings. I own the marketing KPIs. I run or mentor your marketing team and make the calls a CMO makes. I don't deliver a framework and leave you to figure out the execution.

And here's something most founders don't expect: your existing marketing hire usually gets sharply better once there's senior direction above them. You hired a capable person. They've just been operating without a map.

The Mentor Layer

Most founders hire a growth marketer or a demand gen person based on what hurts most right now. That person is good at their job. The problem is their job doesn't include setting the GTM strategy or managing up to the CEO. So they optimize what they know and leave the hard stuff unaddressed.

I sit above that layer. I set the direction, connect the dots across the funnel, and give them something to execute against. You end up with two people performing well instead of one person executing without context.

Companies That Look Like Yours

Results at your stage,
not at someone else's scale.

DigitalOcean
Developer Infrastructure · Growth Stage · Nasdaq-listed

Led mid-market demand gen alongside the existing developer community motion: two different buyer audiences, one team, without breaking the self-serve engine that was already working.

Sift
Hardware SaaS · Series A/B · First Marketing Hire

First marketing leader: built the function from zero, established positioning, stood up demand gen, and structured the team ahead of the Series B. Starting point was 0. One marketer, founder, and a website.

BioRender
Scientific SaaS · Series A · PLG to Enterprise

Ran the PLG self-serve program and the emerging enterprise motion in parallel: different buyers, different sales cycles, different content. The goal was to build the enterprise layer without slowing the organic growth that was already compounding.

How We Engage

Where do
you start?

Most founders are in one of four places. Find yours.

Marketing Audit
"I know something is off. I'm not sure what."

Four weeks, fixed scope, $6,000 flat. I look at your positioning, messaging, funnel, and team and tell you clearly what's broken, what isn't, and what to fix first. A written report and a 90-minute debrief. That is the scope, before you make a bigger decision.

Marketing Audit →
GTM Sprint
"I know what's broken. I need a plan to fix it."

The GTM Sprint goes further. Same four-week structure, but you leave with a 90-day execution roadmap with named owners, not just findings to interpret. Most clients use it as the starting point before Embedded CMO.

GTM Sprint →
Embedded CMO
"I need someone in the seat running marketing."

Two to three days a week, inside your company. I own the KPIs, run the team, and report directly to you. We agree on the numbers before day one. Month-to-month after the first 90 days.

Embedded CMO →
Marketing Advisor
"I have a marketer. They need a senior voice above them."

One strategy session per month, async access in between, one major deliverable reviewed. Senior GTM judgment applied to your specific situation, at $2,000 a month.

Marketing Advisor →
Background & Recognition
Harvard Business School
Speaker
Forbes
E-volution Award
Optimizely
Optie Award
Demandbase
Roadshow Speaker
CIO
Business Award
Carnegie
Mellon
Design
From the Blog

GTM thinking for founders

View all posts →
Go-To-Market
The Series A CMO Hiring Mistake

Most Series A companies that hire a full-time CMO regret it within 12 months. Not because they hired the wrong person. Because the company wasn't ready.

May 2025 · 7 min read
Team Building
The First Marketing Hire at a Series A Company

The failure isn't usually the person. It's the job. Most founders write the wrong description before they post a single role. Then spend the next year paying for it.

April 2025 · 6 min read
AI Strategy
The AI Marketing Stack That Actually Pays Back

72% of B2B marketers are using AI tools. Only 41% can point to improved ROI. The problem isn't the tools. It's the sequence.

March 2025 · 5 min read

Let's talk.
30 minutes. No agenda.

Tell me where you are. I'll tell you honestly if I think I can help. That's the whole call.

Email
[email protected]
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/tberger