GTM Advisor for Columbia Startup Lab Founders | Fractional CMO

This page is for Columbia Startup Lab founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

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 a Columbia Startup Lab 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 Columbia Startup Lab founder profile

You're building in fintech, enterprise SaaS, or media tech in NYC The Columbia Startup Lab attracts founders in some of the most complex and competitive B2B markets in the world. Getting the commercial story right here matters more, not less.
You have access to NYC's investor and customer network but aren't converting it New York puts you in the same room as enterprise buyers and VCs. What happens in that room depends on how well you've sharpened your positioning and pipeline story.
You're a multi-disciplinary founder who thinks across business, law, policy, and tech Columbia's cross-school cohort produces founders with unusual depth. The challenge is often synthesizing that into a simple buyer conversation.
You're pre-Series A or early Series A You don't need a full marketing team yet. You need someone who has built B2B pipeline from scratch and will tell you what they actually see.

If you're a Columbia Startup Lab 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 Columbia ecosystem

A few companies with Columbia roots

The Columbia Startup Lab has been home to over 600 startups. Columbia alumni have also built some of the most recognized companies in consumer and enterprise tech.

Refinery29

Digital media and fashion platform co-founded in 2005 by Columbia College alum Philippe von Borries. Vice Media acquired the company in 2019 at a $400M valuation.

Columbia Alumni

Text IQ

AI-powered data risk and e-discovery platform built on research from Apoorv Agarwal's Columbia University PhD. A Columbia Startup Lab company, it was acquired by legal tech firm Relativity in 2021.

Startup Lab Alumni

CoinOut

Receipt-scanning cash back app founded by Jeff Witten while completing Columbia's joint JD/MBA program. A Columbia Startup Lab Cohort 1 company that grew to millions of users before being acquired by IRI in 2021.

Startup Lab Alumni

Amper Music

AI-powered music composition platform co-founded by Drew Silverstein (Columbia Business School '16). Raised over $9M in venture funding before being acquired by Shutterstock in 2020.

Columbia Alumni

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

New York produces a specific kind of founder: someone who moves fast, has sharp market instincts, and is surrounded by potential customers and investors from day one. The challenge I see most often in NYC-based B2B founders isn't access. It's message. The city gives you the room. What you say when you're in it is what determines whether you get the next meeting.

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. I'm a short train ride from the Columbia Startup Lab. The free sessions sit outside my paid work. 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 Columbia Startup Lab founders? What's the catch?

Yes. Fully free. No invoice, no pitch at the end. I do a small number of these for founders in programs like the Columbia Startup Lab because the conversations are genuinely useful to both of us. I stay sharp on what early-stage founders are actually dealing with. You leave with something you can act on. The only ask is that you show up with a real question.

I just joined the Columbia Startup Lab cohort. Is it too early for this kind of GTM conversation?

Early cohort is actually a good time. The positioning decisions you make before you've been repeating the wrong story for six months are the easiest to change. If you're still figuring out who you're selling to and why they should buy now, this session helps you sharpen that before it calcifies. You don't need a marketing plan to have this conversation.

How is this different from the mentorship the Columbia Startup Lab already provides?

The Lab's mentors cover a wide range: fundraising, legal, product, operations. This is specifically about GTM: how you're positioned, who your ICP actually is, and what your first pipeline motion looks like. I've been VP of Marketing at five startups. That's all I focus on. If the question is about go-to-market, that's where I can go deeper than a generalist mentor typically will in a 30-minute conversation.

I'm building in fintech or enterprise SaaS in NYC. Is that your wheelhouse?

Yes. Fintech and enterprise SaaS in New York is where I've spent a significant part of my career. The buying process in financial services is long, involves compliance and procurement layers, and requires a commercial story that speaks to multiple stakeholders. Getting that story right early changes how fast you move through deals. That's what we'd work through.

What's the difference between this free session and working with you ongoing after the Startup Lab year?

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

I heard about this through the Columbia Startup Lab. What happens when I email you?

Send one sentence on what you're building and one sentence on what you want to think through. I'll reply within 48 hours to find a time. The session is 30-60 minutes over video call. No deck, no prep. Just show up ready to talk through the problem.

You built something in one of the world's best startup cities. Now let's make sure your GTM motion is as sharp as your idea.