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

For UMD Dingman Center Founders

You built something at Maryland that's ready for market. Now let's build the B2B marketing motion around exactly who's buying it.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for UMD Dingman 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 Dingman 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 Dingman Center founder profile

You've been through Pitch Dingman or the Terp Startup Accelerator and you're ready to go to market The program gave you validation and early feedback. Now you need to turn that into a repeatable pipeline, not just a pitch deck.
You're building B2B software and your ICP still feels broad You know who could use your product. You're not sure who will actually buy it, at what price, on what timeline. That's the conversation.
You're getting traction but can't explain why certain deals close and others don't You have some customers. The pattern isn't clear yet. Understanding what's actually driving conversion is worth more than any marketing campaign right now.
You're pre-Series A and don't need a full marketing team yet You need someone who has been in this seat before and will give you an unfiltered read on what they see.

If you're a Dingman 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 Terp ecosystem

A few companies with UMD roots

Maryland alumni have built some of the most recognizable companies in tech and beyond. A few you'll know.

Under Armour

Founded by Kevin Plank out of the UMD football program. Started with $17K in sales to NFL teams and grew to a multi-billion dollar global sportswear brand.

UMD Alumni

Squarespace

Founded by Anthony Casalena from his UMD dorm room in 2003. Went public in 2021 at a valuation over $6 billion.

UMD Alumni

IonQ

Quantum computing company with deep UMD research roots. Went public via SPAC in 2021 and is one of the leading quantum hardware companies in the world.

UMD Research

Healthier Forms

B2B SaaS platform for MRI safety screening built by a Dingman Center founder. Automates patient screening and safety decision-making for imaging centers.

Dingman Center

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

The DC and Baltimore region has a deep bench of early-stage B2B companies that don't get the same attention as Silicon Valley or NYC startups. I've spent my career in that world: operators who are building real pipelines with limited budgets, in markets that require actual proof before a buyer signs. The Dingman Center sits right in the middle of that ecosystem, and these sessions are my way of giving back to it.

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 in the DC/Maryland area 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 Dingman Center founders? What's the catch?

Yes. Fully free. No pitch, no invoice. I do a small number of these for DC and Maryland founders specifically because I'm local and believe in the regional startup ecosystem. I get as much out of these conversations as the founders do. The only thing I ask is that you show up with a real question.

I just finished the Terp Startup Accelerator. Is it too early for this kind of conversation?

Post-accelerator is actually a great time. You've validated the idea, you have some momentum, and now the question is what does the first real go-to-market motion look like. That's where most founders stall. The accelerator sharpens the pitch. This session sharpens the pipeline.

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

Dingman's EIRs and mentors cover a wide range: business model, fundraising, operations, legal. This is specifically about go-to-market: positioning, ICP, early pipeline, and whether your commercial story is working. I've been VP of Marketing at five startups. That's the one thing I focus on, and it's usually the one thing generalist mentors don't have the depth to work through in detail.

I'm building B2B SaaS out of the Dingman Center. Is that your sweet spot?

Yes. B2B SaaS at the early stages is exactly where I've spent my career. The questions I help founders work through: who is the actual economic buyer, what does the buying process look like, how do you price and package for early customers, and what does the first pipeline look like before you hire a sales team. If those are the questions on your whiteboard, this session will be useful.

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

The session is one conversation. You bring a problem, I give honest feedback, you leave with something you can act on. Advisory work is ongoing: embedded in the business part-time, attending team meetings, working through GTM strategy over months, accountable to pipeline. The session is the right starting point. Ongoing work is for founders who want to keep going.

I heard about this through the Dingman Center. What actually happens when I reach out?

Send me an email with one sentence on what you're building and one sentence on the specific thing you want to think through. I'll reply within 48 hours. The session is 30-60 minutes over video call. No deck, no prep. Show up ready to talk through the problem.