This page is for Georgia Tech CREATE-X founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

For Georgia Tech CREATE-X Founders

You launched through Georgia Tech CREATE-X with one of the best engineering foundations in the country. Now let's make sure you have the B2B marketing motion to sell it.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for Georgia Tech CREATE-X 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 a CREATE-X founder trying to figure out how to turn a strong product into a repeatable pipeline, that's the conversation I want to have.

Who this is for

Built for the CREATE-X founder profile

You went through Startup Launch and now you need to build a commercial motion CREATE-X gives you seed funding, mentorship, and 12 weeks of intensive support. The commercial question most founders face at the end is: how do I build pipeline that doesn't depend on Demo Day?
You're a technical founder who knows the problem but the commercial story isn't landing CREATE-X produces some of the most technically capable founders I've seen. The gap is almost always the same: the product is real and the commercial language is still written for engineers, not buyers.
You're building B2B enterprise or deep tech and the sales cycle is longer than you expected Georgia Tech founders often build products that require complex, multi-stakeholder selling. Getting the commercial story right for that kind of buyer is a specific skill. This session is for that.
You're pre-Series A and want to build the right pipeline before you hire for it You need someone who has built from zero and will give you an honest read on your commercial approach before you build a team on top of it.

If you're a CREATE-X 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 CREATE-X ecosystem

A few companies that came out of Georgia Tech CREATE-X

CREATE-X has launched over 650 startups with $2.4B in portfolio valuation and produced 8 Forbes 30 Under 30 founders. These are a few standouts.

Stord

Supply chain logistics platform co-founded by Georgia Tech students through CREATE-X. Reached a $1.3B unicorn valuation in 2022 and became one of the most successful CREATE-X companies.

CREATE-X Alumni

Pindrop Security

Voice fraud prevention and authentication platform. Georgia Tech spinout that raised $75M from Google Capital and became the leading voice security platform for enterprise call centers.

Georgia Tech Spinout

FIXD

Automotive diagnostic platform that connects to car OBD sensors via a consumer app. CREATE-X alumni company that grew to millions of users and significant revenue.

CREATE-X Alumni

Memora Health

AI-powered chronic care management platform. Georgia Tech ecosystem company that raised significant venture funding to automate care coordination for health systems.

GT Ecosystem

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

Georgia Tech produces a specific kind of founder: technically exceptional, relentlessly execution-focused, and often the most prepared person in the room on product. CREATE-X has built one of the best early-stage programs in the country for exactly that kind of founder. The gap I help close is the one between a technically strong product and a commercial story that converts buyers who don't share your engineering background.

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 Georgia Tech CREATE-X founders? What's the catch?

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

I just finished CREATE-X Startup Launch. Is this the right time for a GTM conversation?

Post-Startup Launch is the ideal time. You've done the customer discovery and built an early product. Now the question is how to build a pipeline motion that repeats beyond Demo Day. That transition is where most founders need the most help.

How is this different from the mentorship CREATE-X already provides?

CREATE-X mentors cover a wide range: product development, fundraising, team building, technical challenges. 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 go deeper.

I'm building enterprise software or deep tech through CREATE-X. Will a marketing conversation help?

Yes, and it helps most for exactly that kind of company. The technology is real. The challenge is that enterprise buyers evaluate products very differently from how engineers build them. Turning that gap into a commercial story is what this session is for.

What's the difference between this session and working with you as an ongoing advisor after CREATE-X?

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 Georgia Tech CREATE-X. 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.