This page is for NYU Leslie eLab founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

For NYU Leslie eLab Founders

You built something at NYU and survived the Summer Launchpad. Now let's make sure you have the B2B marketing motion to sell it.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for NYU Leslie eLab 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 NYU Leslie eLab 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 Leslie eLab founder profile

You came through the Startup Sprint or Summer Launchpad with real momentum The eLab programs pushed you hard on customer discovery. Now you need to turn what you learned into a pipeline motion that actually converts.
You're building in a fast-moving NYC market and the competitive noise is loud Whether it's B2B SaaS, fintech, or a digital-first platform, NYC founders deal with more competition and faster-moving buyers than almost anywhere else. Clear positioning is not optional.
You know your customer from the Sprint but your conversion still isn't there Customer discovery tells you the problem is real. It doesn't always tell you how to make a buyer feel urgency about solving it today. That gap is what this session is for.
You're pre-Series A or early Series A You don't need a marketing team yet. You need someone who has built from zero and will tell you exactly what they see.

If you're an NYU Leslie eLab 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 NYU ecosystem

A few companies with NYU roots

The NYU Innovation Venture Fund has backed over 30 companies. NYU alumni have also built some of the most recognized companies in B2B and consumer tech.

Clarifai

Enterprise AI vision platform that grew out of the NYU ecosystem. One of the first companies to bring scalable computer vision to B2B customers at enterprise scale.

NYU Alumni

Brooklinen

DTC bedding brand backed by the NYU Innovation Venture Fund. Grew from a Kickstarter campaign to a multi-hundred million dollar direct-to-consumer brand.

NYU Venture Fund

Revelio Labs

B2B workforce analytics platform backed by NYU's Innovation Venture Fund. Provides labor market intelligence to enterprise HR and finance teams.

NYU Venture Fund

Kinvolved

EdTech platform for school attendance and family engagement. NYU-backed and acquired by PowerSchool, one of the largest K-12 SaaS companies in the US.

Leslie eLab Alumni

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

NYU produces founders from twelve different schools, which means the Leslie eLab cohort is unusually diverse: engineers, policy thinkers, artists, finance people, and scientists all building startups in the same space. What I've found is that the GTM challenge is often the same regardless of background: you know the problem, you know the user, and you struggle to make a stranger feel the urgency to buy it right now. That's the conversation I want to have.

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 from Washington Square Park. 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 NYU Leslie eLab 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 Leslie eLab because I get as much out of the conversations as the founders do. It keeps me sharp on what early-stage teams are actually wrestling with. The only ask is that you show up with a real question, not a test of whether I'll pitch you.

I just finished the NYU Startup Sprint. Is it too early for a GTM session?

Post-Sprint is actually an ideal time. You've done the customer discovery work. Now the question is: how do you turn what you learned into a pipeline? That transition from insight to motion is where most founders get stuck. This session is specifically for that gap.

How is this different from the coaching the NYU Leslie eLab already provides?

The eLab's coaches cover a wide range: customer discovery, business model validation, pitch prep, team building. This session is specifically about go-to-market: your ICP, your positioning, your first pipeline motion, and whether the commercial story you're telling will convert. I've been VP of Marketing at five startups. That's all I focus on. If the question is about GTM, this is where you get depth.

I'm building a B2B SaaS or fintech product through the Leslie eLab. Is that your wheelhouse?

Yes. B2B SaaS and fintech are where I've spent most of my career. NYC is one of the best markets in the world for both, which also means competition is fierce and buyers are sophisticated. Getting your positioning sharp before you scale your outreach matters more here than almost anywhere else. That's what we'd work through.

What's the difference between this free session and working with you as an advisor after the eLab program?

The session is one conversation. You bring a problem, I give honest feedback, you leave with something concrete to act on. Ongoing advisory work means I'm embedded part-time in the business: attending team meetings, working through GTM strategy over months, accountable to pipeline results. The session is the right place to start. Advisory work is for founders who want to keep going after that first call.

I heard about this through the NYU Leslie eLab. 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. Just show up ready to talk through the problem.