This page is for Arizona State University Edson Institute founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

For ASU Edson Institute Founders

You're building through the ASU Edson Institute in one of the fastest-growing innovation economies in the country. Let's make sure the B2B marketing story is ready for market.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for ASU Edson Institute founders. Honest feedback on your positioning, messaging, and early pipeline. No prep required. No pitch from me.

Request Your Free Session

Why this exists

I got help early. This is how I return it.

I have been VP of Marketing at five early-stage startups. Every one of them was built by people sharper than me on the technical side. What I could do that they couldn't, at least not yet, was take a complex product and turn it into a message that made a buyer say yes.

People gave me their time when I needed it most. That changed where I ended up. These sessions are how I build the bridge behind me.

The session is free because I think the right way to work with early-stage founders is to be useful before anything else. Some of those conversations turn into ongoing work. Most don't, and that's fine. The goal is that you leave with something you can act on that week.

If you're an ASU Edson Institute founder trying to figure out how to sell what you've built, that's the conversation I want to have.

Who this is for

Built for the ASU Edson Institute founder profile

You're commercializing research or technology from ASU's top-ranked research enterprise ASU is one of the most innovative research universities in the US. Skysong Innovations and the Edson Institute are working to turn that research into commercial ventures. The gap between breakthrough technology and a buyer who can act on it is where this session lives.
You're building in sustainability, health tech, semiconductors, or enterprise software These are Arizona's emerging strengths, and ASU's research enterprise is particularly deep in them. They're also markets where the commercial story needs to be built for non-technical buyers with long procurement cycles.
You've received Edson funding or Skysong support and you're moving toward your first commercial customers The Edson and Skysong programs give you capital and infrastructure. The commercial milestone, a repeatable pipeline, requires a different kind of work. This session helps you build it.
You're pre-Series A and the Phoenix market is your first commercial beachhead Phoenix is an emerging B2B market with a growing concentration of enterprise buyers. Getting the commercial story sharp for that market early is worth the time.

If you're an Edson Institute founder and at least two of those land, this session was built for you.

What we cover

30-60 minutes. One problem. Real feedback. Really free.

Positioning and messagingWhy your current language isn't turning technical depth into buyer urgency, and what to change first.

ICP sharpnessWhether your ideal customer is actually buyable at your stage, or whether you're aimed at a segment that can't move fast enough to matter right now.

Early pipeline structureHow you're generating demand, where the drop-off is, and what a realistic first GTM motion looks like with what you actually have.

First marketing hireWhether you're ready to hire, what to look for, and how to avoid the hire that looks right on paper and sets you back six months.

Your specific questionBring the thing that's been sitting on your whiteboard for three weeks. That's usually where we start.

No prep required. No slides. No pitch deck. Just show up and we'll dig in.

The ASU ecosystem

A few companies with ASU roots

ASU has become one of the most innovative research universities in the US. These are a few companies from the ecosystem.

Axon Enterprise

Public safety technology company co-founded by ASU alum Rick Smith. Built the market-leading Taser and body camera platform for law enforcement and went public at a multi-billion dollar valuation.

ASU Alumni

GoDaddy

Web hosting and domain registration platform co-founded with strong Arizona roots. Became the world's largest domain registrar before going public in 2015.

Arizona Ecosystem

SolarEdge

Solar energy optimization technology with significant ASU research roots. Went public on Nasdaq and became one of the leading solar inverter and power optimization companies globally.

ASU Research

Lucid Motors

Electric vehicle manufacturer with strong ASU engineering alumni involvement in its founding and development team.

ASU Alumni

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

ASU has done something genuinely rare: built one of the most innovative research universities in the country while staying deeply committed to access and regional economic development. The Edson Institute and Skysong Innovations are building the commercial infrastructure to match that research ambition. This session is my contribution to the commercial side of that work.

I've been VP of Marketing at five B2B SaaS startups, from pre-revenue through Series B. The job was always the same: take a technically strong product, figure out who actually needs to buy it, and build the smallest marketing motion that proves the thesis before you scale it.

I run a Portfolio CMO practice with a small number of Series A and B companies. The free sessions sit outside that. No sales agenda.

More about my background

What comes after

Most sessions end at the session.

The session stands on its own. You'll leave with feedback you can act on. No follow-up pitch, no invoice.

A small number of founders want to keep going after the session. Some are trying to hire their first marketing leader and want a thought partner through that process. Some are a few months from a Series A and need someone in the room while they build the GTM motion. For those conversations, I work as an advisor or a senior marketing leader embedded in the business on a part-time basis, without the overhead of a full-time executive hire.

If that's relevant after we talk, I'll tell you what it looks like. If it's not, the session still stands. More on how I work with founders.

Common questions

Frequently asked

Is this really free for ASU Edson Institute founders? What's the catch?

Yes. Fully free. No invoice, no pitch. I do a small number of these for founders in programs like the Edson Institute because the conversations are genuinely useful to both of us. ASU produces some of the most ambitious founders I work with, and these sessions keep me sharp. The only ask is a real question.

I received Edson funding or Skysong support and I'm moving toward commercial customers. Is this the right time?

Post-funding is exactly the right time. You have the capital to prove the commercial thesis. Now the question is how to build a pipeline that repeats. This session helps you figure out what that motion should look like before you spend three months building the wrong one.

How is this different from the support ASU Edson Institute and Skysong Innovations already provide?

Skysong's team covers IP, licensing, venture development, and investor readiness. This session is specifically about GTM: your ICP, your positioning, and your first pipeline motion. I've been VP of Marketing at five startups. If the question is about selling what you've built, this is where you get depth.

I'm building in sustainability, semiconductor, or health tech through ASU. Will a marketing conversation help?

Yes, and it helps most for exactly those markets. The buyers in sustainability, semiconductors, and health are sophisticated, slow-moving, and require a commercial story tailored to multiple stakeholders. Getting the story right early changes your timeline to revenue.

What's the difference between this session and working with you as an ongoing advisor after the Edson Institute?

The session is one conversation. You bring a problem, I give honest feedback, you leave with something concrete. Advisory work means I'm embedded part-time: team meetings, GTM strategy over months, accountable to pipeline. The session is the starting point. Advisory is for founders who want to keep going.

I heard about this through ASU Edson Institute or Skysong. What happens when I reach out?

Send one sentence on what you're building and one sentence on what you want to think through. I'll reply within 48 hours. The session is 30-60 minutes over video call. No deck, no prep.