Journey of Early Stage Startups: From Go-to-Market Strategy to Winning First Customers

In this episode of 'Go-to-Market Kickback,' we bring you an insightful conversation with Brent Xu, a principal at Blockchain Founders Fund. Brent shares his wealth of experience in consulting early-stage founders and working with niche startups to devise their go-to-market strategies and win their first customers.

He discusses the vision of Blockchain Founders Fund and reveals how startups transition from zero to a hundred, and then to a million. Brent stresses the importance of starting small, identifying low-hanging fruit, and focusing on customer retention. From fundraising to market segmentation, Brent provides valuable advice for founders and talks about the role of salespersons in early-stage startups. Tune in to learn about achieving scalable success and setting the foundation for a successful entry into the go-to-market journey.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:55 Guest Background and Blockchain Founders Fund02:07 The Scale of Blockchain Founders Fund04:27 Pre-Investment Considerations05:48 Understanding the Customer and Market10:10 The Journey from Zero to Million in Revenue15:10 The Importance of Sales Skills in Early Stage Startups23:37 Aligning Go-to-Market Success with Follow-on Rounds31:53 Final Thoughts and Advice for Founders