This page is for Princeton Keller Center founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

For Princeton Keller Center Founders

You built something through the Princeton Keller Center with serious intellectual depth behind it. Now let's make sure the B2B marketing story converts.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for Princeton Keller Center 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 Keller Center 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 Keller Center founder profile

You came through the eLab Summer Accelerator or Innovation Forum with a validated idea The Keller Center programs push you through customer discovery and pitch development. Now the question is what does a repeatable commercial motion look like. This session is for that gap.
You're building something technically hard and the commercial story isn't landing yet Princeton engineering and science founders often have genuinely novel technology. Turning that novelty into a buyer conversation that moves deals forward is a specific skill. That's what this session covers.
You're a first-time founder without a marketing background You don't need to know marketing. You need to understand who your buyer is, what they need to hear, and what your first pipeline motion looks like. This session helps you build that clarity.
You're pre-Series A and haven't made your first marketing hire yet You need someone who has been in this seat and will give you an unfiltered read on your commercial story before you build a team on top of it.

If you're a Keller Center 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 Princeton ecosystem

A few companies with Princeton roots

Princeton alumni have built some of the most recognized companies in tech and enterprise. A few you'll know.

Cloudflare

Internet security and performance platform co-founded by Princeton alum Michelle Zatlyn. Went public in 2019 and became one of the most important B2B internet infrastructure companies in the world.

Princeton Alumni

Jet.com

E-commerce platform co-founded by Princeton alum Marc Lore. Grew rapidly and was acquired by Walmart in 2016 for $3.3B, one of the largest e-commerce acquisitions at the time.

Princeton Alumni

Aquabyte

AI-powered aquaculture analytics platform. Princeton Alumni Entrepreneurs Fund-backed company using computer vision to improve salmon farming operations.

Princeton AEF

PolyGone Systems

Industrial-scale microplastics capture technology started in the Keller Center eLab accelerator. Launched the world's first pilot to intercept microplastics at the source.

Keller Center eLab

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

Princeton produces founders with unusual precision: technically rigorous, methodical about problem framing, and often the most intellectually disciplined people in the room. The challenge I see most often is that the same precision that makes them exceptional researchers sometimes produces commercial stories that are too accurate to be persuasive. A buyer doesn't need a complete picture. They need to feel the urgency of the problem right now. That's the gap this session is for.

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 Princeton Keller Center 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 Keller Center because I get as much out of the conversations as the founders do. Princeton produces some of the most rigorous founders I work with, and these sessions keep me sharp. The only ask is a real question.

I just finished the Keller Center eLab Summer Accelerator. Is this the right time for a GTM session?

Post-accelerator is the right time. You've done the validation work. Now the question is how to build a commercial motion that repeats. This session helps you get the pipeline structure right while the learning is fresh.

How is this different from the mentorship the Keller Center already provides?

The Keller Center's mentors cover a wide range: business model, fundraising, legal, product. 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 deep tech or a hard science startup through the Keller Center. Will a marketing conversation help?

It helps most for exactly that kind of company. The technology is real. The challenge is that the people who fund and buy technical products don't evaluate them the same way researchers do. Turning technical depth into buyer urgency is what this session is for.

What's the difference between this session and ongoing advisory work after the Keller Center program?

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 the Princeton Keller Center. 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.