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

For Purdue Foundry Founders

You built something at the Purdue Foundry rooted in serious engineering or life sciences research. Now let's make sure you have the B2B marketing and GTM motion to take it to market.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for Purdue Foundry 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 Purdue Foundry 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 Purdue Foundry founder profile

You're spinning out technology from Purdue research and the commercial story is still forming Purdue Foundry works with faculty, students, and alumni commercializing hard science and engineering. The technology is real. Building the commercial story for a buyer who didn't do the research is the work this session is for.
You're in agriculture tech, life sciences, defense, or industrial software These are Purdue's deep strengths. They're also markets where buying cycles are long, stakeholders are many, and the ROI case needs to be built for a non-technical economic buyer.
You've received Startup Foundry funding and now need to prove commercial traction The Black and Gold Awards give you validation and capital. The next milestone is building a pipeline that demonstrates commercial viability to outside investors.
You're pre-Series A and the GTM side still feels like guesswork You need someone who has built from zero and will give you a specific, honest read on your commercial approach.

If you're a Purdue Foundry 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 Purdue ecosystem

A few companies with Purdue roots

Purdue has launched hundreds of spinouts with $400M+ in funding. These are a few from the ecosystem you may recognize.

Endocyte

Cancer-targeted drug delivery platform co-founded by Purdue Distinguished Professor Philip Low. Acquired by Novartis for $2.1B in 2018, one of the largest Purdue spinout exits.

Purdue Research

On Target Laboratories

Tumor-targeted fluorescent dye platform helping surgeons visualize cancer cells during surgery. Purdue spinout founded by Philip Low and son Stewart Low.

Purdue Foundry

High Alpha

B2B SaaS venture studio co-founded by Purdue-connected operators. Partners with founders to build enterprise software companies from the ground up in Indianapolis.

Purdue Alumni

Aerovy Mobility

Advanced air mobility platform awarded Purdue Startup Foundry funding. Building commercial UAM solutions for enterprise and cargo customers.

Purdue Foundry

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

Purdue produces founders with unusual technical depth: engineers, scientists, and researchers who understand their technology at a level most founders never reach. The Purdue Foundry is doing important work in helping those founders bridge the gap to the market. This session is my contribution to that bridge, specifically on the commercial story side.

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 Purdue Foundry 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 Purdue Foundry because the conversations are useful to both of us. Purdue produces technically deep founders and these sessions keep me sharp on what early-stage commercialization looks like. The only ask is a real question.

I'm in the Startup Foundry or the Purdue Incubator. Is this the right time for a GTM session?

Active program is the right time. The commercial decisions you make while you have the Foundry's support around you are the easiest to revise. This session helps you build the right ICP and pipeline story before you move further down the commercialization path.

How is this different from the mentorship the Purdue Foundry already provides?

The Foundry's professionals cover IP, commercialization strategy, investor readiness, and startup operations. 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 spinning out deep tech or life sciences from Purdue. Will a marketing conversation move the needle?

It moves the biggest needle for exactly that kind of company. The technology is real. The challenge is that buyers in ag tech, life sciences, and industrial software evaluate products very differently from how researchers describe them. Getting the commercial story right early changes your timeline to revenue.

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

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 Purdue Foundry. 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.