How to rock your GTM strategy

Melanie Gabriel & Christian Woese
October 29, 2024 • Read time: 4 minutes

Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

With Q4 in full swing, it’s time to think about your 2025 targets. If you're ready for a little inspiration (or humility), take a look at cybersecurity upshot Wiz who is aiming for $1bn in ARR for 2025— just 6 years post launch. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s crew of humanoid robots might need a dose of humility, too. Turns out his “robots” were not so robotic after all, but “human-assisted” with a motion-capturing actor steering the robotic body remotely. But hey, what tech company is not overselling, right? Follow the Gradient and stay tuned.

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Your talk track for this week’s cocktail party

Born in Europe, raised in the US?

London based Gen-AI venture 11x announced the full relocation of its operations to the US - taking employees, operations and their tax payments with them. Building AI-based virtual employees for Sales teams, the startup was seen as one of the few gems on Europe’s Gen-AI horizon. After skyrocketing growth and a $24m funding round last month, the firm names three reasons for its move: capital, talent and “America’s willingness to build the future”. What a punch in the face for the Old World.

Norway raises social media age to shield kids from algorithms

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre aims to raise the social media age limit to 15 to protect minors from harmful content and addictive algorithms. Updates to the Personal Data Act would require age verification, giving parents added support in setting online boundaries. Despite enforcement challenges, Norway joins countries like Australia and France in putting children’s digital safety first, as new studies show a connect between social media use and rising mental health problems of adolescents.

What do you meme?

Food for thought

Founder wellbeing is more than a matter of personal health

A staggering 70% of founders acknowledge burnout as a major issue, finds a new study by Balderton. Yet, 78% still feel pressured to prioritize work over personal health. For startups, this isn't just a personal issue—it's a business risk. Founders who burn out underperform, impacting growth and innovation. The industry needs to normalize and destigmatize founders asking for help and to take wellbeing seriously—not just for the sake of health, but for long-term business success.

Excel - a strong competitor to go up against?

Excel can drive you mad, yet it has been a widely successful product and can be a hell of a competitor for B2B startups to go up against. The Economist makes a case on why AI assistants will make Excel even stronger.

When is the best time to join a startup?

The best time to join a startup isn’t necessarily after a big funding round—much of the upside will then be priced into your equity. Instead, aim for stages where key risks are being resolved. Startups navigate five critical risks: technology (can the product work?), market (do people want it?), scaling (can it reach a large audience?), business model (is it profitable?), and defensibility (can it maintain its market position?). Ideal entry points are right after product-market fit or during the scaling phase when profitability is emerging.