This page is for UT Austin Texas Venture Labs and Longhorn Startup founders looking for free GTM feedback from a B2B SaaS marketing operator with five startup VP of Marketing roles.

For UT Austin Texas Venture Labs Founders

You're building in the fastest-growing startup city in the US. Let's make sure your Texas Venture Labs GTM motion is as strong as your market opportunity.

Free 30-60 minute GTM session for UT Austin Texas Venture Labs 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 Texas Venture Labs or Longhorn Startup 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 Texas Venture Labs founder profile

You came through Longhorn Startup or the SEAL Accelerator with real validation The UT programs push you hard on customer discovery and business model design. The gap most founders hit next is building a commercial motion that repeats beyond the initial cohort connections.
You're building B2B software and Austin's enterprise market is your first target Austin has one of the fastest-growing concentrations of enterprise software buyers in the US. Getting the commercial story sharp before you saturate your local network matters more than most founders realize.
You're getting traction through UT alumni networks but conversion is inconsistent Warm intros close some deals. A repeatable pipeline motion closes the rest. This session is about understanding the difference and building the latter.
You're pre-Series A in a capital-efficient Texas ecosystem Austin's startup culture rewards scrappy execution over optics. This session is designed to give you specific, actionable feedback, not strategy frameworks.

If you're a Texas Venture Labs or Longhorn Startup 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 Longhorn ecosystem

A few companies with UT Austin roots

UT Austin alumni have built remarkable companies across enterprise software, robotics, and consumer tech. A few you'll recognize.

Whole Foods Market

Founded by UT Austin alumnus John Mackey out of Austin. Grew from a single natural foods store to a national chain acquired by Amazon for $13.7B in 2017.

UT Austin Alumni

Apptronik

Human-centered robotics company founded by UT alumni. Raised significant venture funding to build commercial humanoid robots for enterprise and industrial applications.

UT Austin / SEAL

Ordoro

E-commerce operations and inventory management platform for online sellers. SEAL Accelerator alumnus that grew into a profitable B2B SaaS company serving thousands of online merchants.

SEAL Accelerator

Favor

On-demand delivery platform founded by UT alumni. Acquired by HEB, one of the largest grocery chains in Texas, as a strategic asset for regional delivery infrastructure.

UT Austin Alumni

About Tom

Five startups. Marketing Leadership.

Austin's startup ecosystem is unlike almost anywhere else: a major research university, a fast-growing enterprise software market, and a culture that genuinely rewards founders who execute over founders who pitch well. Texas Venture Labs and Longhorn Startup have built some of the best early-stage infrastructure in the country for that kind of founder. This session is my contribution to that ecosystem.

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 Texas Venture Labs and Longhorn Startup founders? What's the catch?

Yes. Fully free. No invoice, no pitch. I do a small number of these for founders in programs like Texas Venture Labs because the conversations keep me sharp on what early-stage B2B founders are actually dealing with. Austin produces some of the most execution-focused founders I work with. The only ask is a real question.

I'm in the SEAL Accelerator or Longhorn Startup program. Is this the right time for a GTM conversation?

Active program is the ideal time. The commercial decisions you make while you have structured support around you are the easiest to revise. This session helps you sharpen ICP and pipeline story before Demo Day.

How is this different from the mentorship Texas Venture Labs already provides?

TVL mentors cover a wide range: due diligence, fundraising, financial modeling, 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 how to sell what you've built, this is where you get depth.

I'm building B2B SaaS in Austin and competition is heating up. Can this session help me differentiate?

Yes. Differentiation in a competitive B2B market starts with positioning: who you're for specifically, what problem you solve that competitors don't address, and why a buyer should act now. That's the core of what this session covers.

What's the difference between this session and working with you ongoing after the TVL 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 Texas Venture Labs or Longhorn Startup. 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.