The GTMnow Podcast
GTMnow
The GTMnow Podcast interviews well-known tech executive, VC, and founders - the expert operators in the trenches who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Sophie Buonassisi to dissect their stories, revealing expert insights around what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of GTMfund - sharing insight on go-to-market from working with hundreds of portfolio companies backed by over 350 of the best go-to-market executives. GTMfund is an early-stage VC fund focused on investing in the most exciting, up-and-coming B2B SaaS companies across the world. The LP network consists of VP and C-level Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success leaders from companies like DocuSign, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Snowflake, Okta, Zoom, and many more.Visit gtmnow.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletter and other content resources.
Episodes
Mentioned books
14 snips
Nov 16, 2025 • 1h 7min
VC 1: Inside the New Exit Economy: IPOs, Secondaries & AI with Meritech’s Alex Clayton
In this discussion, Alex Clayton, a General Partner at Meritech Capital known for his expertise in IPOs and AI-driven investments, shares insights on today's capital landscape. He explains why GAAP revenue and cash burn are the key metrics governing businesses. Alex predicts a surge in secondaries, even rivaling IPOs, and discusses how AI is transforming growth rates and pricing models. He also reveals strategies for effective S-1 teardowns and emphasizes the importance of founder intent before going public.
30 snips
Nov 11, 2025 • 51min
GTM 170: 0 Customers → $4B: Inside Snowflake’s GTM Machine with Chris Degnan
Chris Degnan, former Chief Revenue Officer of Snowflake, shares an incredible journey of scaling the company from zero customers to over $4 billion in ARR. He delves into the early days of selling a stealth startup, teaching listeners how to identify gritty sales talent with unique interview techniques. Degnan discusses the importance of sales-marketing alignment, pivotal moments like a near-fatal outage, and the strategy of relentless new logo acquisition. He also explores insights on AI's role in business and shares key lessons for early-stage founders from his new book, Make It Snow.
Nov 4, 2025 • 48min
GTM 169: How Airbyte Hit $1B: The Open-Source, Community-First Playbook
Michel Tricot, co-founder and CEO of Airbyte, shares insights from over 15 years in data infrastructure. He discusses why Airbyte launched as an open-source platform, focusing on community contributions to meet connector demand. Michel differentiates project-market fit from product-market fit, emphasizing the importance of community building. He highlights the role of AI as data consumers and Airbyte's evolution beyond analytics. Challenges like hiring and cloud complexities are also explored, all while maintaining a commitment to transparency and control for users.
19 snips
Oct 28, 2025 • 51min
GTM 168: How ZoomInfo Built a $1B RevOps Engine, The Operating Cadence Behind Breakout Growth | Tessa Whittaker
Tessa Whittaker, VP of Revenue Operations at ZoomInfo, leads a 70-person team powering a $1B revenue engine. She discusses her innovative personal operating system, emphasizing the importance of mapping vision to actionable goals. Tessa also shares strategies for creating a predictable operating rhythm in RevOps and the counterintuitive approach of automating down-market tasks to free up resources for high-value enterprise accounts. Additionally, she highlights the role of clean data in deploying AI and democratizing tool adoption through internal hackathons.
Oct 22, 2025 • 1h 9min
GTM 167: Competing with Giants: Inside You.com’s Battle Against OpenAI & Google | Peter Grant
Peter Grant, Chief Revenue Officer at You.com and a seasoned go-to-market leader, discusses the revolutionary potential of generative AI. He shares insights from his experiences with legends like Tom Siebel and Marc Benioff, emphasizing the need for elite talent in sales. Peter explains You.com’s unique strategy to compete with giants like OpenAI and Google by focusing on accuracy and real-time data integration. He also delves into the importance of speed, trust, and AI literacy in a rapidly evolving landscape, all while managing his personal productivity through innovative agent systems.
6 snips
Oct 14, 2025 • 18min
BONUS: ‘I joined Meta at 900, left at 90,000’ — Rick Kelley on Building and Scaling International Sales Teams
Rick Kelley, former SVP at Meta, shares insights from his remarkable journey of scaling the company from 900 to 90,000 employees. He reveals a data-driven approach to market prioritization, centralizing early-stage sales teams for flexibility, and the emergence of gaming as a new global region. Kelley emphasizes the importance of strategic headcount planning before hiring, the role of AI in sales efficiency, and the need for strong leaders who can adapt as organizations grow. His experience offers valuable lessons for startups aiming for global expansion.
18 snips
Oct 7, 2025 • 35min
GTM 166: SEO → AEO: The Next Big Shift in How People Discover Your Product
Guy Yalif, Chief Evangelist at Webflow and a seasoned B2B marketing expert, dives into the evolution from SEO to AEO, focusing on AI-driven optimization. He highlights the shift from keywords to clusters of questions for improved content strategy. Guy shares Webflow’s AEO framework, emphasizing the importance of FAQs and schema for enhancing organic traffic. He also discusses the risks of ignoring AEO, the significance of brand presence in AI searches, and how to measure AEO effectively. Quick wins and actionable strategies are provided for founders looking to adapt.
76 snips
Sep 30, 2025 • 49min
GTM 165: Vibe prompting, AI fluency, and the new rules of go-to-market | Kieran Flanagan
Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot and co-host of Marketing Against the Grain, dives deep into the transformative impact of AI on go-to-market strategies. He discusses the importance of prompting and context engineering, revealing how 'vibe prompting' can enhance learning with LLMs. Kieran outlines a three-part framework for building AI fluency in teams, introduces the concept of everyone managing AI interns, and predicts a shift towards personality-led growth in B2B marketing. Curiosity and persistence are emphasized as key traits for success in this AI-driven landscape.
21 snips
Sep 23, 2025 • 59min
GTM 164: 28th at Stripe → Billions: Cristina Cordova’s GTM Playbook (Linear, Notion)
Cristina Cordova, a seasoned operator and COO at Linear, shares her invaluable insights from her tenure at Stripe and Notion. She reveals how she joined Stripe despite not knowing what an API was and details her bold moves to salvage a crucial partnership with Shopify. Cristina discusses Notion's community-driven growth strategy and emphasizes the importance of investing in brand early. She also talks about her frameworks for spotting exceptional founders and the role of AI in prioritizing opportunities. Tune in for her tips on transformative leadership!
63 snips
Sep 16, 2025 • 1h 9min
GTM 163: From $2M to $50M ARR to Unicorn: How Owner Scaled with AI & Talent Density | CRO Kyle Norton
Kyle Norton, Chief Revenue Officer at Owner, shares insights from his journey scaling the restaurant SaaS platform from $2M to over $50M ARR. He candidly discusses firing half the sales team early on to prioritize talent quality and the importance of cultural fit. Norton emphasizes early investments in RevOps, reducing churn by being selective with customers, and leveraging AI with a solid data foundation rather than flashy tools. His servant leadership approach and lessons on hiring effectively shape strategies for sustainable growth.
