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

For Illinois EnterpriseWorks Founders

You're building through Illinois EnterpriseWorks with one of the deepest engineering and computer science talent pools in the world behind you. Let's make sure the B2B marketing story is ready for market.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for Illinois EnterpriseWorks 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 EnterpriseWorks 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 EnterpriseWorks founder profile

You're commercializing UIUC research in AI, semiconductor, enterprise software, or health tech UIUC is one of the most technically elite universities in the world. EnterpriseWorks has helped over 250 startups commercialize that research. The gap most founders hit is translating deep technical work into a commercial story that moves a buyer.
You're building B2B software and the Chicago market is your first commercial target UIUC's location between Champaign and Chicago gives you access to one of the largest concentrations of enterprise B2B buyers in the Midwest. Getting the commercial story sharp for that market before you start outreach is worth the time.
You've received SBIR funding or Illinois Ventures support and you're building toward your first commercial customers Non-dilutive funding gets you to the next technical milestone. The commercial milestone, a first paying customer, requires a different kind of work. This session helps you build it.
You're pre-Series A and the Chicago to Champaign corridor is your ecosystem The Midwest ecosystem rewards capital-efficient execution and real commercial traction. This session is designed to give you specific, actionable feedback on how to build that traction.

If you're an EnterpriseWorks 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 Illinois ecosystem

A few companies with UIUC and EnterpriseWorks roots

Illinois alumni have built some of the most impactful companies in enterprise software and consumer tech. A few from the ecosystem.

Motorola

Telecommunications giant co-founded by UIUC alumnus Paul Galvin. Pioneered mobile communications and became one of the defining companies of the 20th century technology wave.

UIUC Alumni

Paylocity

Cloud HR and payroll software platform founded by UIUC alumnus Steve Sarowitz. Went public in 2014 and became a leading mid-market HR SaaS company.

UIUC Alumni

PhotoniCare

Medical device company using light-based technology to diagnose ear infections. EnterpriseWorks-supported company bringing clinical diagnostics to pediatric care.

EnterpriseWorks

Rithmio

Fitness wearable software platform. iVenture Accelerator winner that went on to receive venture funding and build motion analytics software for consumer and enterprise applications.

iVenture / Illinois

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

UIUC produces more venture-backed undergraduate startup founders than any other Illinois university, and EnterpriseWorks sits at the center of that pipeline. The Illinois Research Park in Champaign is one of the most unique innovation environments in the country: a world-class engineering university embedded in a research park with direct connections to Chicago's B2B market. This session is my contribution to what that community is building.

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 Illinois EnterpriseWorks founders? What's the catch?

Yes. Fully free. No invoice, no pitch. I do a small number of these for founders in programs like EnterpriseWorks because the conversations are genuinely useful to both of us. UIUC 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'm in the EnterpriseWorks incubator or the iVenture Accelerator. Is this the right time for a GTM session?

Active program is the right time. The commercial decisions you make while you have structured support around you are the easiest to revise. This session helps you build the right ICP and pipeline story while you still have EnterpriseWorks' resources behind you.

How is this different from the mentorship Illinois EnterpriseWorks already provides?

EnterpriseWorks covers business consultation, SBIR assistance, commercialization strategy, 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 AI, semiconductor, or enterprise software through UIUC. Is that your area?

Yes. Enterprise software and AI are where I've spent my career. UIUC's CS and engineering programs produce founders with genuinely world-class technical depth in both. The commercial challenge is consistent: the technology is real, and the language used to describe it needs to change before it reaches a buyer. That's what this session is for.

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

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 Illinois EnterpriseWorks or Illinois Ventures. 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.