This page is for USC Viterbi Startup Garage founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

For USC Viterbi Startup Garage Founders

You're building in Silicon Beach through the USC Viterbi Startup Garage. Let's make sure your B2B marketing story is as strong as your engineering.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for USC Viterbi Startup Garage 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 Viterbi Startup Garage 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 Viterbi Startup Garage founder profile

You're a Viterbi engineering founder with a strong product and an early commercial story USC Viterbi produces technically strong founders. Translating engineering excellence into a commercial story that a buyer can act on is a different skill set. This session is for that gap.
You're building in AI, deep tech, or enterprise software in the LA market Silicon Beach is a growing hub for B2B software and deep tech. Getting the commercial story sharp before you scale your outreach into LA's enterprise market matters more than most founders realize at this stage.
You've been through the Startup Garage residency and you're ready to go to market The Garage gives you co-working, mentorship, and a strong LA network. Now the question is what does the repeatable commercial motion look like beyond the incubator.
You're pre-Series A and haven't hired a marketing leader yet You need someone who has built from zero and will give you an honest read on what they see in your commercial approach.

If you're a Viterbi Startup Garage 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 USC ecosystem

A few companies with USC Viterbi roots

USC alumni have built significant companies across enterprise software, cloud, and consumer tech. A few you'll recognize.

Box

Cloud content management platform co-founded by USC alum Dylan Smith. Went public in 2015 and became one of the leading enterprise file sharing and collaboration platforms in the world.

USC Alumni

DISQO

B2B audience insights and market research platform co-founded by USC Marshall MBA alumni. Provides consumer behavior data to brands and media companies via API.

USC Alumni

Deepcell

AI single-cell analysis platform for cancer diagnostics co-founded by USC Viterbi alumnus Mahyar Salek. Raised significant venture funding to bring AI to clinical cell biology.

USC Viterbi Alumni

Shogun

E-commerce page builder and experimentation platform for Shopify and BigCommerce. USC ecosystem-connected B2B SaaS company that raised $35M and serves major DTC brands.

USC Ecosystem

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

USC Viterbi produces a specific kind of founder: technically deep, close to the commercial applications of their research, and situated in one of the most diverse startup ecosystems in the country. Silicon Beach is genuinely under-appreciated as a B2B market. The entertainment tech, health tech, and enterprise software opportunities in LA are significant, and the Viterbi Startup Garage is one of the best early-stage infrastructure programs for founders working in those spaces.

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 USC Viterbi Startup Garage 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 Viterbi Startup Garage because the conversations are genuinely useful to both of us. The only ask is a real question.

I'm in the Startup Garage residency program. Is this the right time for a GTM session?

Active residency is the right time. The commercial decisions you make while you have the Garage's support around you are the easiest to revise. This session helps you build the right ICP and pipeline story before you leave the program.

How is this different from the mentorship the USC Viterbi Startup Garage already provides?

The Garage's IIRs and mentors cover a wide range: product development, revenue models, fundraising. 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 or deep tech through the Viterbi Startup Garage. Will a marketing conversation actually help?

It helps most for exactly that kind of company. The technology is real and impressive. The challenge is that buyers evaluate AI and deep tech products very differently from how engineers describe them. Getting the commercial story right is what this session is for.

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

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 USC Viterbi Startup Garage. 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.

Ready when you are

One conversation. Something concrete to act on.

Send a quick email with what you're building and what you want to think through. I'll get back to you within 48 hours.

[email protected] Subject line: Free GTM Session -- USC Viterbi Startup Garage