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Adam is an EIR, working with M13's portcos to craft and navigate go-to-market strategies and accelerate growth. Previously, Adam held multiple roles at Unilever, S.C. Johnson and Target with a track record of success accelerating, expanding globally and turning around brands and businesses.

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Mariah brings deep expertise in executive search from True Search & Daversa Partners, where she’s helped build executive and founding teams for early-stage venture-backed companies. She's passionate about building diverse, high-impact teams for mission-driven companies changing our everyday lives. 

Mariah Lang

Operator

Mariah brings deep expertise in executive search.

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Mariah Lang | M13

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As Director of Product, Mary brings her experience as a former co-founder to help portfolio companies strategically design, develop, and optimize the user journey. Mary takes pride in building meaningful relationships with founders and sharing her passion for product design, innovation, and creativity. She’s always excited to collaborate with startups and help them achieve their goals.

Mary Lara

As Director of Product, Mary brings her experience as a former co-founder to help portfolio companies strategically design, develop, and optimize the user journey.

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Mary Lara | M13

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As portfolio operations analyst, Amelia supports M13 portfolio companies in their growth and expansion. Prior to M13, Amelia was corporate partnerships and marketing manager at Stampede Ventures, where she built and led marketing launches for new companies developed from joint ventures. Amelia also worked for CAA, HBO, and NBCUniversal. 

Amelia Zack

As portfolio operations analyst, Amelia supports M13 portfolio companies in their growth and expansion.

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Amelia Zack | M13

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As an Investor Relations Analyst, Jennifer provides support, insight and analysis to M13. Prior to M13, Jennifer spent four years in investor relations in real estate private equity, most recently at Waterloo Associates and prior to that at Thrive FP.

Jennifer Fetterman

As an Investor Relations Analyst, Jennifer provides support, insight and analysis to M13.

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Jennifer Fetterman | M13

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Adrianna is the Office Coordinator for M13 East. Prior to this role, she worked as a Community Associate for WeWork, but has a background in the hospitality industry. Adrianna has a passion for people and building community. 

Adrianna Cooper

Mission Control

Adrianna is the Office Coordinator for M13 East.

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Adrianna Cooper | M13

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Brent Murri is a Partner at M13 where he leads early-stage investments in consumer technology companies. Brent joined M13 from Battery Ventures where he focused on growth-stage enterprise software investments. Prior to Battery, he worked in strategy & business development for Samsung NEXT, where he developed and executed strategies around Samsung’s consumer software and services initiatives.

Brent Murri

Partner

As a principal at M13, Brent leads investments across the firm's consumer investment themes. Prior to joining M13, Brent was an investment Associate at Battery Ventures...

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Brent Murri | M13

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As M13's community program coordinator, Samantha aligns with M13’s commitment to creating an inclusive community through authentic experience, dedication to innovation, and creativity. Samantha was previously the development associate for outreach and programming at Rockefeller University.

Samantha Hughes

As M13's community program coordinator, Samantha aligns with M13’s commitment to creating an inclusive community.

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Samantha Hughes | M13

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Karl is the Managing Partner at M13. Karl was previously the COO of DigitalOcean, where he helped scale the business from first product over six years and prepared it for its eventual IPO (NYSE: DOCN). During his full 20 year operating career, Karl also co-founded and ultimately exited two other technology companies as CEO.

Karl Alomar

As DigitalOcean's COO, Karl built the business from first product to >500 employees & $250M ARR over six years and prepared it for its eventual IPO (NYSE: DOCN). Having...

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Karl Alomar | M13

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As Chief of Staff at M13, Julia oversees the annual planning process and quarterly tracking of OKRs. Her previous roles include Account Manager at Conde Nast and Executive Assistant at Compass.

Julia Daniel

Julia was previously an account manager at Conde Nast and an executive assistant at Compass.

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Julia Daniel | M13

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Sarah was previously the VP of marketing and investor relations at Arlon Group and has served in IR roles at StepStone Group and Citi Private Equity. She is a public company board member, co-founded the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, and has served on numerous non-profit boards.

Sarah Tomolonius

Sarah was previously the VP of marketing and investor relations at Arlon Group and has served in IR roles at StepStone Group and Citi Private Equity. She is a public company...

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Sarah Tomolonius | M13

__I received some advice early in my career to focus on relationships__ rather than just deliverables and outcomes. While not wildly unconventional to some, it was nice “permission” when I was first starting my career with a very left-brain focus architecture and finance.

 __Ultimately, it’s the relationships I’ve developed__ that have not only opened doors, but also made work more rewarding.

 __Although it has “consumer” right there in the name,__ investors in the “consumer / consumer tech” industry tend to spend most of their time thinking about the product, the technology, the financing, and so on. In this landscape, it’s easy for the human factor to get left behind even though we’re all consumers ourselves.

 __By bringing a strong consumer perspective to my role at M13,__ I’m able to help our team appreciate the true needs of people and translate those into something that others aren’t just willing, but excited, to buy. On top of that, I’ve been lucky to accumulate strategic and operational experience across many different stages of company growth from inception to billions in revenue.

 __One of our core values at M13 is community—__ meaning that we’re in it for each other, and we’re all mutually responsible for the health of our ecosystem. I love this because it not only sets a clear road map for decision making and prioritization of work, but also helps to create a warm, enjoyable culture.

 __When it comes to my life before M13,__ I’m quite proud of the work we did while I was leading Dove Men + Care. We progressed the national conversation around what modern masculinity looks like and the role of fatherhood today, all while generating massive returns to the business.

 __I’m passionate about making others’ lives more enjoyable,__ which requires really getting to know people. At work that means building brands, products, and businesses to address things that people need (or don’t yet know they need). And outside of work that means baking bringing joy via butter and sugar!

 __Founders will spend most of their time ‘selling’—__ selling their vision to investors, advisers, and employees, and selling their product to customers so strong communication, integrity, and empathy make all the difference.

Adam Domian

Lizzie Francis

Founders frequently use the terms “go-to-market plan” or “go-to-market strategy,” but it can mean very different things depending on who you talk to. 
At the highest level, your go-to-market strategy brings together all of the key elements that drive your business: brand development, consumer insights, competitive understanding, sales and marketing, pricing, and distribution. It’s a living, breathing thing that evolves as your learnings deepen and your business evolves. 
In this six-step guide, we’ll walk you through how to:
<NumberedBullet number="1" highlight="Define your marketplace" />
<NumberedBullet number="2" highlight="Identify your target audience" />
<NumberedBullet number="3" highlight="Clarify your offering" />
<NumberedBullet number="4" highlight="Fine-tune your brand positioning" />
<NumberedBullet number="5" highlight="Focus on your channels, distribution, and marketing" />
<NumberedBullet number="6" highlight="Create an effective marketing strategy" />
There’s value in taking the time to learn and master these six steps. After all, you can apply this iterative thinking to new business and product launches as well as existing products and services that aren’t quite landing the way you’d hoped. You can also turn to these steps whenever you need to pivot based on consumer, category, or competitive changes. 
Let’s begin!

From launches to pivots, elevate your go-to-market strategy by turning to these six tried-and-true steps.

GTM header

The Ultimate Go-to-Market Guide for Startups

Whether you’re ready to launch a new product or needing to pivot, M13’s six-step guide can help you take your startup’s go-to-market strategy to the next level.

The Ultimate Go-to-Market Guide for Startups | M13

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Customer acquisition, as the name implies, is the process of gaining new consumers. It involves identifying, finding, and ultimately persuading people to hand over their hard-earned money in exchange for your product or service. The customer acquisition strategy you develop and the tactics you employ should be measurable, repeatable, and scalable. 
There are specific activities, resources, and dollars you will commit to bring in new customers. However, there’s an entirely separate set of activities, resources, and dollars you must budget to keep your customers coming back and buying more from you. Some of the tactics you use to acquire and retain customers overlap, but these activities are distinct enough that we’ve covered [customer retention in a separate guide](https://m13.co/guide/how-to-drive-customer-acquisition-with-paid-owned-earned-media). 
To efficiently gain new customers, here’s why your business needs a thoughtful strategy for customer acquisition:
<DotBullet highlight="Content generation is expensive." text="In the last five years, the cost of acquiring new customers has increased by over 50%. It’s very easy to waste money if your strategy is not well-thought-out and tested."/>
<DotBullet highlight="Finding the “right” cost to acquire a customer is a combination of market research and hypothesis-driven experiments." text="Your goal is to find the channels, message, or creative that can yield high-quality customers at the lowest possible cost to your business."/>
In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of customer acquisition:
<NumberedBullet number="1" highlight="Analyzing the customer journey"/>
<NumberedBullet number="2" highlight="Measuring the success of your customer acquisition strategy"/>
<NumberedBullet number="3" highlight="Leveraging paid, owned & earned media"/>
<NumberedBullet number="4" highlight="Embracing the customer acquisition ecosystem"/>
<NumberedBullet number="5" highlight="7 inspiring case studies"/>
<NumberedBullet number="6" highlight="Resources we love"/>
<NumberedBullet number="7" highlight="Takeaways & next steps"/>

Measure, repeat, and scale your customer acquisition strategy with these tips and tools.

NOVI, M13's astronaut mascot, is illustrated thinking about how to acquire customers, visually represented by a cloud of different social media logos and work tools. 

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How to Drive Customer Acquisition with Paid, Owned & Earned Media

Use M13’s customer acquisition guide to learn why startup founders should leverage paid, owned, and earned media to acquire customers.

Driving Customer Acquisition with Paid, Owned & Earned Media | M13

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Adam is an EIR, working with M13's portcos to craft and navigate go-to-market strategies and accelerate growth. Previously, Adam held multiple roles at Unilever, S.C. Johnson...

M13SharePeople-AdamDomian

Adam Domian | M13

We recently hosted [HelloAdvisr](https://helloadvisr.com/) CEO [Ed Lee](https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardslee1/) for an exclusive conversation on pricing with founders from M13’s portfolio. A growth consultancy working with startup leadership teams, HelloAdvisr draws on extensive experience from industries including e-commerce/retail, software, and consumer goods.  
Having held leadership roles with LG Electronics and Simon-Kucher & Partners, Ed shares a framework for designing high-impact pricing strategies.  
Get Ed’s answers to some top questions about pricing and pricing models, or watch the full webinar for his comprehensive deck and insights: 
## How do you frame pricing as a startup?
Pricing is an exercise that requires a leadership team to be intellectually honest about how well you know your customer, your business, and your product. Pricing is an intersection of those three elements. How well we know those elements is a reflection of how much work to put into pricing. 
Questions to ask yourself: 
<DotBullet highlight="Are you helping your customers understand what the product or service is worth? " text="Do you understand as a founder how to communicate value and price accordingly?" />
<DotBullet highlight="Does your pricing need to adapt to reflect changes in the market?" text="You need to understand the need for your product or service in the market, especially during a year like 2020 where consumer needs have shifted dramatically." />
## How can founders understand pricing and value in their target market?
Very rarely does a customer not connect a product or service to a price. More times than not, there is an association and contextualization of your brand to a price. 
What you’re trying to do with pricing is really trying to unlock all levers available in order to capture more value in the market. 
Finding profitability is about defined balance. It’s always helpful to understand customer acquisition costs, which are going up anywhere from 50-70% depending on the industry.
<PullQuote author=""
text="If you’re able to improve 1% in price, you can get anywhere from 3-5x greater impact on your bottom line. Pricing improvements go straight to the bottom line. It’s important to keep that in mind when thinking about the levers you have available to you." />
## How does the perceived value impact your business overall?
Pricing is integral in the feedback loop. Pricing isn’t siloed in your organization, but instead should interplay with different areas of your business. 
Given that pricing influences marketing and sales, here’s what you’ll need to figure out:
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What kind of customers are you going after? " />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What are the marketing assets you’re going to create?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What kind of communication will be developed in the marketplace?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What kind of elements of your pricing need to be modified when receiving feedback from the market? " />
Communicate with your audience to better understand the perceived value of your product or service. 
## What are the primary principles of unlocking value?
**Pricing is about people.** Before algorithms and models, pricing is about people—and a test for how well we know our customers and community. Listening and learning from your customer base allows you to unlock the value of your product or service. 
**Pricing is a series of decisions.** The price itself is usually the last question because we’re trying to understand various dimensions. 
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Why are we pricing the way we’re pricing? " />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What is the pricing and decisions we’re trying to make today? " />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What is that going to help achieve? " />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Who are the targets? " />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What is driving them to equate our product to their use case?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="When are we going to monetize? " /> 
**Think about your pricing as something designed,** almost like a product. Some questions to consider:
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What’s involved in getting your customers to go from one level to the next? " />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What are people willing to pay, and how much loss are you willing to gamble for those who don’t want to enter into a higher pricing tier?" />
<PullQuote author=""
text="Defend your value and design your pricing with the purpose of defending the innovation and creativity you’ve spent countless hours dedicating your life to." />
## Do pricing promotions have an impact on value?
<DotBullet highlight="Discounts can come in different forms." text="Discounting can go beyond price, like free samples for anyone on a mailing list during exclusive promotional periods. You can also create exclusive promotions on a time limit to show appreciation for your customers’ loyalty." />
<DotBullet highlight="Not all promotions need to be discounted." text="Some companies will choose to increase prices and donate the excess to charitable causes, driving sales from a socially conscious perspective." />
<DotBullet highlight="Set clear objectives for promotions." text="Promotions are expensive in terms of potential revenue loss and for the promotion marketing itself. However, 60% of startups feel their promotions and discounts are effective." /> 
<YoutubeVideo video="https://youtu.be/9ebO9QzPGnI"/> 
Armed with this pricing framework, we hope you’re ready to design—or update—your own high-impact pricing strategies. If you’re interested in receiving additional guides and resources on this topic as well as other effective strategies for building your business, [please subscribe to our newsletter here](http://www.m13.co/newsletter/).

Get answers to your top questions about pricing models for startups. 

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How to Design High-Impact Pricing Strategies

In this webinar, HelloAdvisr CEO Ed Lee gives helpful tips to early-stage startup founders in M13’s portfolio about pricing and pricing models. 

Adam Domian

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The Ultimate Go-to-Market Guide for Startups

How to Drive Customer Acquisition with Paid, Owned & Earned Media

How to Design High-Impact Pricing Strategies

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