Kathleen Estreich and Emily Kramer are the co-founders of MKT1. They advise founders, recruit and advise marketers, and invest in SaaS startups, and join Dave on this episode of the Exit Five podcast to talk about early-stage marketing strategy and hiring (Kathleen and Emily have held roles at Facebook, Box, Intercom, Scalr, Asana, Carta). They also have strong opinions about marketing compensation and how to understand your comp and equity package if you're a Seed or Series A marketing leader.
Timestamps
- (00:00) - Intro
- (07:40) - Guest Intro: Kathleen Estrich and Emily Kramer, co-founders of MKT1
- (12:40) - Early Stage Marketing Compensation and Benchmark Insights
- (17:40) - Hiring First Marketers: Traits and Skills to Look For
- (22:40) - Building a Marketing Team: From Hiring to Scaling
- (29:34) - Equity Compensation: Understanding and Negotiating Your Stake
- (34:34) - The Role of a Marketing Leader: Hiring, Building a Brand, and Setting Strategy
- (39:34) - MKT1's Mission: Supporting Marketers in the Startup Ecosystem
- (44:34) - The Future of Startup Marketing and Compensation Trends
- (49:34) - Advice on Career Growth and Navigating Startup Challenges
Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership
***
Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.
Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?
You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.
That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.
AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:
– Cut down on back-and-forth
– Automate content, research, and reporting
– Eliminate busywork
– Make space for strategy
We’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.
Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.
Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.
***
Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
- They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
- Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
- Visit hatch.fm to learn more