Fame Host (https://fame.so) Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast https://podcasts.fame.so/built-not-born-the-startup-go-to-market-podcast https://feeds.fame.so/built-not-born-the-startup-go-to-market-podcast Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. Copyrights © 2025 All Rights Reserved by Venture Guides en Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:45:25 +0000 Sat, 14 Mar 2026 09:19:59 +0000 https://content.fameapp.so/uploads/7w16k84q/0c919960-0afc-11f0-ba0e-93a3b46e0cba/0c91ae70-0afc-11f0-bc3e-a7d8d2d15722.jpg Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast https://podcasts.fame.so/built-not-born-the-startup-go-to-market-podcast Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. Venture Guides Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. No No episodic Venture Guides Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. pre seed funding, startup marketing, startup funding, startup investors, venture capital funding, insight venture management, insight venture, vc firms, venture capital business, vc, startup, revenue growth management, startup marketing agency, Leigh Moore team@fame.so No No No 172 Rejections Later: How Stuart Lombard Built ecobee Into a Smart Home Leader https://podcasts.fame.so/e/28xz40z8-how-stuart-lombard-built-ecobee-into-a-smart-home-leader 172 Rejections Later: How Stuart Lombard Built ecobee Into a Smart Home Leader 13 No No 60mkr6k0 What if getting rejected 172 times was the best thing that could happen to your startup? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Stuart Lombard, co-founder and former CEO of ecobee, to unpack the grit and strategic clarity required to build a lasting company. After 172 investor rejections, Stuart transformed ecobee into a trusted smart home brand competing against giants like Google and Nest. He shares how founders must develop the judgment to filter advice, balance hardware’s operational rigidity with software’s agility, and recognise true product-market fit before scaling. Stuart also explains why culture, transparency, and mission-driven leadership aren’t soft ideals but competitive advantages. From navigating hardware complexity to building a 600-person organisation, this conversation reveals how resilience, focus, and long-term thinking turn scrappy startups into market leaders. What if getting rejected 172 times was the best thing that could happen to your startup? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Stuart Lombard, co-founder and former CEO of ecobee, to unpack the grit and strategic clarity required to build a lasting company. 

After 172 investor rejections, Stuart transformed ecobee into a trusted smart home brand competing against giants like Google and Nest. He shares how founders must develop the judgment to filter advice, balance hardware’s operational rigidity with software’s agility, and recognise true product-market fit before scaling. 

Stuart also explains why culture, transparency, and mission-driven leadership aren’t soft ideals but competitive advantages. From navigating hardware complexity to building a 600-person organisation, this conversation reveals how resilience, focus, and long-term thinking turn scrappy startups into market leaders.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to filter venture capital advice without becoming dismissive of it
  • Why hardware and software require fundamentally different operational cultures
  • The leadership reinvention framework for scaling from 10 to 600+ employees
  • How to identify and exploit a competitor's structural weaknesses
  • The two non-negotiable signals before scaling aggressively
  • Why transparency and mission-driven culture are competitive advantages

Stuart Lombard is co-inventor and former CEO of ecobee, and an accidental entrepreneur whose career began after quitting a comfortable job to start one of Canada’s largest internet service providers. An engineer by training and former venture capital partner, he has built and scaled companies at the intersection of hardware and software. Passionate about sustainability, culture, and customer insight, Stuart believes businesses are community citizens. Under his leadership, ecobee became a globally loved smart home brand, helping save over 30 terawatt hours of energy.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1701 What if getting rejected 172 times was the best thing that could happen to your startup? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Stuart Lombard, co-founder and former CEO of ecobee, to unpack the grit and strategic clarity required to build a lasting company. After 172 investor rejections, Stuart transformed ecobee into a trusted smart home brand competing against giants like Google and Nest. He shares how founders must develop the judgment to filter advice, balance hardware’s operational rigidity with software’s agility, and recognise true product-market fit before scaling. Stuart also explains why culture, transparency, and mission-driven leadership aren’t soft ideals but competitive advantages. From navigating hardware complexity to building a 600-person organisation, this conversation reveals how resilience, focus, and long-term thinking turn scrappy startups into market leaders. What if getting rejected 172 times was the best thing that could happen to your startup? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Stuart Lombard, co-founder and former CEO of ecobee, to unpack the grit and strategic clarity required to build a lasting company. After 172 investor rejections, Stuart transformed ecobee into a trusted smart home brand competing against giants like Google and Nest. He shares how founders must develop the judgment to filter advice, balance hardware’s operational rigidity with software’s agility, and recognise true product-market fit before scaling. Stuart also explains why culture, transparency, and mission-driven leadership aren’t soft ideals but competitive advantages. From navigating hardware complexity to building a 600-person organisation, this conversation reveals how resilience, focus, and long-term thinking turn scrappy startups into market leaders. transparency, mission-driven culture, leadership reinvention, hardware complexity, culture, transparency, mission-driven leadership, ecobee, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No Transforming physical product development with Brian Lindauer and VibeIQ https://podcasts.fame.so/e/r874mx4n-transforming-physical-product-development-brian-lindauer Transforming physical product development with Brian Lindauer and VibeIQ 12 No No k08yw3y1 What if your product development cycle could be compressed from 12 months to weeks? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation focuses on unpacking why physical product companies struggle to move fast and how they can build agility into their DNA. Host Sage Nye sits down with Brian Lindauer, Founder and CEO of VibeIQ, as Brian shares lessons from two decades across retail and product development, explaining how fragmented systems, unstructured data, and siloed teams quietly slow decision-making and inflate inventory risk. The conversation explores how true product-line understanding can compress development cycles from months to weeks, and why AI’s real power isn’t just automation, but prediction to help teams assess feasibility, margins, and manufacturability earlier in the process. Brian also dives into building enterprise tools people actually want to use, scaling go-to-market strategies for physical goods, and hiring A-players who thrive in ambiguity. It’s a practical, grounded discussion for founders and operators looking to turn product development from a bottleneck into a strategic advantage. What if your product development cycle could be compressed from 12 months to weeks?  In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation focuses on unpacking why physical product companies struggle to move fast and how they can build agility into their DNA.

Host Sage Nye sits down with Brian Lindauer, Founder and CEO of VibeIQ, as Brian shares lessons from two decades across retail and product development, explaining how fragmented systems, unstructured data, and siloed teams quietly slow decision-making and inflate inventory risk.

The conversation explores how true product-line understanding can compress development cycles from months to weeks, and why AI’s real power isn’t automation, but prediction to help teams assess feasibility, margins, and manufacturability earlier in the process.

Brian also dives into building enterprise tools people actually want to use, scaling go-to-market strategies for physical goods, and hiring A-players who thrive in ambiguity. It’s a practical, grounded discussion for founders and operators looking to turn product development from a bottleneck into a strategic advantage.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • Why physical product companies struggle to achieve a 12+ month GTM cycle 
  • How to build enterprise software users actually *want* to adopt instead of resisting
  • The expansion revenue playbook for infrastructure products
  • How to identify your ICP and go-to-market playbook without losing early momentum
  • Why AI's biggest leverage in product development isn't automation, it's prediction and agility
  • The non-negotiable leadership principle: hire relentlessly for character and culture

Brian Lindauer is the co-founder of VibeIQ and a longtime leader in merchandising and product development for consumer and retail brands. After two decades helping teams build assortments that drive revenue, reduce markdowns, and deepen customer loyalty, Brian saw how outdated, siloed data slowed critical decisions. In 2020, he launched VibeIQ, the first assortment lifecycle platform unifying real-time product data and visuals, helping teams collaborate earlier, move faster, and turn assortment complexity into clarity.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1751 What if your product development cycle could be compressed from 12 months to weeks? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation focuses on unpacking why physical product companies struggle to move fast and how they can build agility into their DNA. Host Sage Nye sits down with Brian Lindauer, Founder and CEO of VibeIQ, as Brian shares lessons from two decades across retail and product development, explaining how fragmented systems, unstructured data, and siloed teams quietly slow decision-making and inflate inventory risk. The conversation explores how true product-line understanding can compress development cycles from months to weeks, and why AI’s real power isn’t just automation, but prediction to help teams assess feasibility, margins, and manufacturability earlier in the process. Brian also dives into building enterprise tools people actually want to use, scaling go-to-market strategies for physical goods, and hiring A-players who thrive in ambiguity. It’s a practical, grounded discussion for founders and operators looking to turn product development from a bottleneck into a strategic advantage. What if your product development cycle could be compressed from 12 months to weeks? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation focuses on unpacking why physical product companies struggle to move fast and how they can build agility into their DNA. Host Sage Nye sits down with Brian Lindauer, Founder and CEO of VibeIQ, as Brian shares lessons from two decades across retail and product development, explaining how fragmented systems, unstructured data, and siloed teams quietly slow decision-making and inflate inventory risk. The conversation explores how true product-line understanding can compress development cycles from months to weeks, and why AI’s real power isn’t just automation, but prediction to help teams assess feasibility, margins, and manufacturability earlier in the process. Brian also dives into building enterprise tools people actually want to use, scaling go-to-market strategies for physical goods, and hiring A-players who thrive in ambiguity. It’s a practical, grounded discussion for founders and operators looking to turn product development from a bottleneck into a strategic advantage. enterprise tools, ICP, go-to-market, go-to-market playbook, strategic advantage, go-to-market strategies, hiring A-players, AI, VibeIQ, product development cycle, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No When the Internet Breaks: Building Infrastructure Resilience with Edward Tsinovoi https://podcasts.fame.so/e/mn4l92zn-building-infrastructure-resilience-with-edward-tsinovoi When the Internet Breaks: Building Infrastructure Resilience with Edward Tsinovoi 11 No No x06rm5x0 What if a single internet outage could take down your entire business? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation unpacks a growing but under-discussed risk in modern infrastructure: edge fragility. Host Sage Nye sits down with Edward Tsinovoi, Co-founder and CEO at IO River, to discuss that as digital businesses scale, the risk of a single CDN outage can cascade into massive financial and operational damage. Edward draws on decades of experience in deep-tech infrastructure to explain why edge resilience has become mission-critical in 2026, and how multi-CDN strategies can be implemented without months of custom engineering. The conversation spans both technology and leadership, covering vendor lock-in, fault-tolerant system design, and the importance of decoupling edge infrastructure from application services. Edward also shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a deep-tech company, from assembling world-class teams to creating products that move from “nice-to-have” to truly indispensable. What if a single internet outage could take down your entire business? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation unpacks a growing but under-discussed risk in modern infrastructure: edge fragility.

Host Sage Nye sits down with Edward Tsinovoi, Co-founder and CEO at IO River, to discuss that as digital businesses scale, the risk of a single CDN outage can cascade into massive financial and operational damage. Edward draws on decades of experience in deep-tech infrastructure to explain why edge resilience has become mission-critical in 2026, and how multi-CDN strategies can be implemented without months of custom engineering.

The conversation spans both technology and leadership, covering vendor lock-in, fault-tolerant system design, and the importance of decoupling edge infrastructure from application services. Edward also shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a deep-tech company, from assembling world-class teams to creating products that move from “nice-to-have” to truly indispensable.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • Why the CloudFlare outage exposed a critical business risk
  • How to build a "must-have" product instead of a "nice-to-have."
  • The framework for building a tier-A team without compromising
  • How to stay engaged in sales without micromanaging
  • The power of decoupling bundled services on the edge
  • Why 2026 is the inflection point for edge resilience
  • Building for the long term, not the quick fix

Edward Tsinovoi is the Co-founder and CEO of IO River, and a deep tech entrepreneur and infrastructure expert with 20+ years building the backbone of the internet. Previously leading engineering initiatives at industry giants like Akamai and Dell, Edward co-founded IO River to redefine content delivery across the edge through a next-generation virtual edge and multi-edge infrastructure platform. His work directly addresses one of the internet's most critical vulnerabilities: single points of failure in CDN infrastructure, a challenge brought into sharp focus by recent major outages like the Cloudflare incident.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1566 What if a single internet outage could take down your entire business? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation unpacks a growing but under-discussed risk in modern infrastructure: edge fragility. Host Sage Nye sits down with Edward Tsinovoi, Co-founder and CEO at IO River, to discuss that as digital businesses scale, the risk of a single CDN outage can cascade into massive financial and operational damage. Edward draws on decades of experience in deep-tech infrastructure to explain why edge resilience has become mission-critical in 2026, and how multi-CDN strategies can be implemented without months of custom engineering. The conversation spans both technology and leadership, covering vendor lock-in, fault-tolerant system design, and the importance of decoupling edge infrastructure from application services. Edward also shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a deep-tech company, from assembling world-class teams to creating products that move from “nice-to-have” to truly indispensable. What if a single internet outage could take down your entire business? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation unpacks a growing but under-discussed risk in modern infrastructure: edge fragility. Host Sage Nye sits down with Edward Tsinovoi, Co-founder and CEO at IO River, to discuss that as digital businesses scale, the risk of a single CDN outage can cascade into massive financial and operational damage. Edward draws on decades of experience in deep-tech infrastructure to explain why edge resilience has become mission-critical in 2026, and how multi-CDN strategies can be implemented without months of custom engineering. The conversation spans both technology and leadership, covering vendor lock-in, fault-tolerant system design, and the importance of decoupling edge infrastructure from application services. Edward also shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a deep-tech company, from assembling world-class teams to creating products that move from “nice-to-have” to truly indispensable. building and scaling, CDN infrastructure, nice-to-have, must-have, CloudFlare outage, custom engineering, multi-CDN strategies, Built Not Born, IO River, Venture Guides No No UK CIO of the Year, Ian Penny: Why Great Tech Strategies Start with Customer Problems https://podcasts.fame.so/e/28xzm248-why-tech-infrastructure-is-your-real-competitive-advantage-with-ian-penny UK CIO of the Year, Ian Penny: Why Great Tech Strategies Start with Customer Problems 10 No No 60mk5mr0 Infrastructure decisions rarely feel glamorous, but they often determine whether a company scales or stalls. In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation centres on how technology choices, leadership, and customer focus intersect under real-world pressure. Host Sage Nye sits down with Ian Penny, a global technology leader with over two decades of experience stabilising and scaling complex systems across organisations like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Hiscox. Ian shares why the most effective technology strategies start with customer problems, not platforms, and how reframing infrastructure as a business enabler changes executive buy-in. Together, they unpack the trade-offs between startup and enterprise software, the long-term cost of unchecked technical debt, and the leadership habits that help teams consistently deliver. From communicating infrastructure value in human terms to building teams that prioritise impact over novelty, this episode offers practical insight for leaders making high-stakes technology decisions while building organisations designed to last. Infrastructure decisions rarely feel glamorous, but they often determine whether a company scales or stalls. In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation centres on how technology choices, leadership, and customer focus intersect under real-world pressure.

Host Sage Nye sits down with Ian Penny, a global technology leader with over two decades of experience stabilizing and scaling complex systems across organisations like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Hiscox.

Ian shares why the most effective technology strategies start with customer problems, not platforms, and how reframing infrastructure as a business enabler changes executive buy-in. Together, they unpack the trade-offs between startup and enterprise software, the long-term cost of unchecked technical debt, and the leadership habits that help teams consistently deliver. 

From communicating infrastructure value in human terms to building teams that prioritize impact over novelty, this episode offers practical insight for leaders making high-stakes technology decisions while building organizations designed to last.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to reframe platform shifts around customer problems, not technology features
  • Why infrastructure software is your silent foundation for revenue, not a cost center
  • The three-horizon framework for deciding between quick fixes and long-term solutions
  • When to buy from innovative startups versus battle-tested enterprise vendors
  • The biggest mistake startups make in enterprise pitches
  • Leadership is about people first, strategy second

Ian Penny is a globally recognised technology and operations leader with 25 years of experience driving large-scale digital transformation across leading financial institutions. A former UK CIO of the Year and ECB/PRA/FCA Approved Executive (SMF24), he has held senior roles including CIO at Hiscox and COO of Luminor Group, delivering major cost reductions, resilience improvements, and cloud-led modernisation. Ian combines deep operational control, strategic board advisory experience, and geopolitical and AI foresight to help organisations align technology investment with sustainable growth.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1430 Infrastructure decisions rarely feel glamorous, but they often determine whether a company scales or stalls. In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation centres on how technology choices, leadership, and customer focus intersect under real-world pressure. Host Sage Nye sits down with Ian Penny, a global technology leader with over two decades of experience stabilising and scaling complex systems across organisations like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Hiscox. Ian shares why the most effective technology strategies start with customer problems, not platforms, and how reframing infrastructure as a business enabler changes executive buy-in. Together, they unpack the trade-offs between startup and enterprise software, the long-term cost of unchecked technical debt, and the leadership habits that help teams consistently deliver. From communicating infrastructure value in human terms to building teams that prioritise impact over novelty, this episode offers practical insight for leaders making high-stakes technology decisions while building organisations designed to last. Infrastructure decisions rarely feel glamorous, but they often determine whether a company scales or stalls. In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation centres on how technology choices, leadership, and customer focus intersect under real-world pressure. Host Sage Nye sits down with Ian Penny, a global technology leader with over two decades of experience stabilising and scaling complex systems across organisations like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Hiscox. Ian shares why the most effective technology strategies start with customer problems, not platforms, and how reframing infrastructure as a business enabler changes executive buy-in. Together, they unpack the trade-offs between startup and enterprise software, the long-term cost of unchecked technical debt, and the leadership habits that help teams consistently deliver. From communicating infrastructure value in human terms to building teams that prioritise impact over novelty, this episode offers practical insight for leaders making high-stakes technology decisions while building organisations designed to last. sustainable growth, infrastructure value, reframing infrastructure, customer problems, global technology leader, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No 90% of Startups Fail: What $100m Sales Teams Do Differently with Ethan Schechter https://podcasts.fame.so/e/4n9mzm7n-what-100m-sales-teams-do-differently-with-ethan-schechter 90% of Startups Fail: What $100m Sales Teams Do Differently with Ethan Schechter 9 No No v07rkr61 Leadership in high-growth environments comes with moments of pressure, complexity, and rapid change. For go-to-market executives, your approach in those moments sets the tone for the entire team. In this episode of Built Not Born, Ethan Schechter shares how he keeps teams laughing through the lows, turns competition and collaboration into motivation, and helps build startups that endure when many don’t. Sage Nye sits down with Ethan Schechter, a go-to-market leader and SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo, to discuss what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams from the ground up. Ethan shares how to balance structure with creativity, foster accountability, and turn failure into growth. From his “Passion, Mastery, Accountability” hiring framework to practical insights on cross-functional selling and customer success alignment, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling revenue engines that endure the chaos of startup growth. Leadership in high-growth environments comes with moments of pressure, complexity, and rapid change. For go-to-market executives, your approach in those moments sets the tone for the entire team. In this episode of Built Not Born, Ethan Schechter shares how he keeps teams laughing through the lows, turns competition and collaboration into motivation, and helps build startups that endure when many don’t.


Sage Nye interviews Ethan Schechter, a go-to-market leader and SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo, to discuss what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams from the ground up. Ethan shares how to balance structure with creativity, foster accountability, and turn failure into growth. From his “Passion, Mastery, Accountability” hiring framework to practical insights on cross-functional selling and customer success alignment, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling revenue engines that endure the chaos of startup growth.


Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to identify and respond to early failures quickly while maintaining team morale
  • The "Passion, Mastery, Accountability" framework for hiring early-stage sales talent
  • Why collaboration and competition aren't mutually exclusive, and how to leverage both
  • Structuring cross-functional alignment with sales, marketing, and customer success
  • The importance of breaking down processes into measurable, celebratable milestones
  • How to balance data-driven decision making with relationship-focused selling
  • Why team selling is crucial for enterprise deals and how to orchestrate multiple stakeholders
  • The critical balance between maintaining rapid growth and sustaining operational excellence
  • How to create effective handoffs between sales and customer success teams


Ethan Schechter is a seasoned go-to-market and sales leader, currently serving as SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo. With over two decades of experience in scaling high-growth SaaS and developer tool businesses, he has helped multiple organizations grow from early stage to $100M+ in revenue. Known for his expertise in developer tooling and his hands-on approach to early-stage market development, Ethan has been at the forefront of selling to developers "before it was cool." His experience includes being the first sales leader at four consecutive companies, where he successfully built and scaled commercial engines from the ground up.


Episode Resources:


Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1601 Leadership in high-growth environments comes with moments of pressure, complexity, and rapid change. For go-to-market executives, your approach in those moments sets the tone for the entire team. In this episode of Built Not Born, Ethan Schechter shares how he keeps teams laughing through the lows, turns competition and collaboration into motivation, and helps build startups that endure when many don’t. Sage Nye sits down with Ethan Schechter, a go-to-market leader and SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo, to discuss what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams from the ground up. Ethan shares how to balance structure with creativity, foster accountability, and turn failure into growth. From his “Passion, Mastery, Accountability” hiring framework to practical insights on cross-functional selling and customer success alignment, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling revenue engines that endure the chaos of startup growth. Leadership in high-growth environments comes with moments of pressure, complexity, and rapid change. For go-to-market executives, your approach in those moments sets the tone for the entire team. In this episode of Built Not Born, Ethan Schechter shares how he keeps teams laughing through the lows, turns competition and collaboration into motivation, and helps build startups that endure when many don’t. Sage Nye sits down with Ethan Schechter, a go-to-market leader and SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo, to discuss what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams from the ground up. Ethan shares how to balance structure with creativity, foster accountability, and turn failure into growth. From his “Passion, Mastery, Accountability” hiring framework to practical insights on cross-functional selling and customer success alignment, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling revenue engines that endure the chaos of startup growth. operational excellence, customer success teams, startup growth, scaling revenue engines, Passion, Mastery, Accountability, Qodo, go-to-market leader, go-to-market, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No Relationships over Transactional Sales: The Secret to Lasting Growth with Miguel Navarro https://podcasts.fame.so/e/182rkp08-relationships-over-transactional-sales-miguel-navarro Relationships over Transactional Sales: The Secret to Lasting Growth with Miguel Navarro 8 No No 2099xmq0 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank, to unpack why authentic relationships outlast transactional sales and why genuine passion beats chasing quick profits. From cold calls in Times Square to leading in AI and emerging tech, Miguel shares how deep immersion, curiosity-driven learning, and reusable customer relationships built on mutual trust create lasting impact. Tune in for practical insights on building meaningful companies and scaling with purpose. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank, to unpack why authentic relationships outlast transactional sales and why genuine passion beats chasing quick profits. From cold calls in Times Square to leading in AI and emerging tech, Miguel shares how deep immersion, curiosity-driven learning, and reusable customer relationships built on mutual trust create lasting impact. Tune in for practical insights on building meaningful companies and scaling with purpose.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to transform necessity into innovation: From limited resources to programming games and building mobile apps
  • Why deep customer relationships trump transactional sales approaches 
  • The "People, Process, Tools" framework for evaluating and implementing any solution
  • How to approach AI adoption through hands-on experimentation 
  • Why impact and passion should drive career choices 
  • The importance of creating reusable relationships in your professional network 
  • How to balance maintaining personal time while scaling impact with mentorship
  • The power of embracing and learning from difficult moments rather than avoiding them
  • Why strong teams and genuine relationships matter more than individual achievements
  • The critical difference between wanting to make money versus wanting to build a meaningful company

Miguel Navarro is Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank and Chief Digital & AI Officer at Educate to Protect. From programming video games in the Philippines to pioneering early mobile apps, Miguel has built a career at the intersection of innovation, fraud prevention, and customer-centric technology. A passionate mentor and thought leader in AI, Web3, and emerging tech, he champions collaboration, authentic relationships, and community impact while guiding teams and founders through the complexities of digital transformation.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1484 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank, to unpack why authentic relationships outlast transactional sales and why genuine passion beats chasing quick profits. From cold calls in Times Square to leading in AI and emerging tech, Miguel shares how deep immersion, curiosity-driven learning, and reusable customer relationships built on mutual trust create lasting impact. Tune in for practical insights on building meaningful companies and scaling with purpose. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank, to unpack why authentic relationships outlast transactional sales and why genuine passion beats chasing quick profits. From cold calls in Times Square to leading in AI and emerging tech, Miguel shares how deep immersion, curiosity-driven learning, and reusable customer relationships built on mutual trust create lasting impact. Tune in for practical insights on building meaningful companies and scaling with purpose. digital transformation, scaling with purpose, necessity into innovation, People, Process, Tools, reusable customer relationships, curiosity-driven learning, deep immersion, AI, KeyBank, go-to-market strategy, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No From Problem to Product: How Andrios Robert Solved Engineering's Biggest Bottleneck https://podcasts.fame.so/e/68r740ln-from-problem-to-product-andrios-robert From Problem to Product: How Andrios Robert Solved Engineering's Biggest Bottleneck 7 No No 805r9n81 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye interviews Andrios Robert, founder and CEO of Hoop.dev, on his journey from engineer to security startup leader. Andrios shares how firsthand frustrations with infrastructure bottlenecks sparked Hoop.dev’s creation, eliminating VPNs and shared credentials. He reflects on navigating early pivots, securing product-market fit, and targeting enterprise customers effectively. Listeners will gain insights into building high-performance hybrid teams, balancing culture across remote and in-office setups, and why selecting investors goes beyond chasing the highest valuation. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

In this episode, host Sage Nye interviews Andrios Robert, founder and CEO of Hoop.dev, on his journey from engineer to security startup leader. Andrios shares how firsthand frustrations with infrastructure bottlenecks sparked Hoop.dev’s creation, eliminating VPNs and shared credentials. He reflects on navigating early pivots, securing product-market fit, and targeting enterprise customers effectively. Listeners will gain insights into building high-performance hybrid teams, balancing culture across remote and in-office setups, and why selecting investors goes beyond chasing the highest valuation.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to identify product-market fit through real-world pain points 
  • The critical transition from bootstrapping to securing first customers and funding
  • Why targeting the right organizational level is crucial for enterprise sales success
  •  How to balance remote and in-person team dynamics while building company culture
  • The framework for choosing investors beyond valuation
  • Why founders must actively lead change rather than delegating initiatives
  • The importance of building with customer feedback rather than engineering in isolation
  • How to structure hybrid teams for maximum collaboration and information exchange

Andrios Robert is the founder and CEO of hoop.dev, a venture-backed startup transforming infrastructure access security for engineering teams. With over a decade in financial services and software engineering, he was an early employee at Pismo, contributing to its billion-dollar exit. Inspired by firsthand challenges managing secure access at scale, he launched hoop.dev to eliminate VPNs and shared credentials while enhancing security. A technical founder and hands-on sales leader, Andrios offers deep expertise in startup execution, product development, and B2B go-to-market strategies.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1201 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye interviews Andrios Robert, founder and CEO of Hoop.dev, on his journey from engineer to security startup leader. Andrios shares how firsthand frustrations with infrastructure bottlenecks sparked Hoop.dev’s creation, eliminating VPNs and shared credentials. He reflects on navigating early pivots, securing product-market fit, and targeting enterprise customers effectively. Listeners will gain insights into building high-performance hybrid teams, balancing culture across remote and in-office setups, and why selecting investors goes beyond chasing the highest valuation. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye interviews Andrios Robert, founder and CEO of Hoop.dev, on his journey from engineer to security startup leader. Andrios shares how firsthand frustrations with infrastructure bottlenecks sparked Hoop.dev’s creation, eliminating VPNs and shared credentials. He reflects on navigating early pivots, securing product-market fit, and targeting enterprise customers effectively. Listeners will gain insights into building high-performance hybrid teams, balancing culture across remote and in-office setups, and why selecting investors goes beyond chasing the highest valuation. startup leaders, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No Hockey Stick Effect: The Customer-Obsessed Framework for Exponential Growth with Naj Husain https://podcasts.fame.so/e/x8121pxn-scaling-lessons-from-naj-husain Hockey Stick Effect: The Customer-Obsessed Framework for Exponential Growth with Naj Husain 6 No No 713rwlj0 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Najaf (Naj) Husain, four-time founder and CEO of Elastio, to unpack how startups can stay relentlessly customer-focused while pushing the boundaries of innovation. With over 25 years of experience in building software companies, Naj shares hard-earned lessons on building defensible IP, validating ideal customer profiles, and navigating investor dynamics. Whether you're scaling in cybersecurity or any tech field, this episode offers strategic insights on scaling with purpose, transparency, and a deep customer connection. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Najaf (Naj) Husain, four-time founder and CEO of Elastio, to unpack how startups can stay relentlessly customer-focused while pushing the boundaries of innovation. With over 25 years of experience in building software companies, Naj shares hard-earned lessons on building defensible IP, validating ideal customer profiles, and navigating investor dynamics. Whether you're scaling in cybersecurity or any tech field, this episode offers strategic insights on scaling with purpose, transparency, and a deep customer connection.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to maintain unwavering customer focus while scaling a startup 
  • The strategic framework for identifying and validating your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) 
  • Why building strong core IP provides the foundation for a sustainable advantage
  • How to balance strategic versus tactical moves execution
  • How the "disclosure sets you free" principle builds trust with investors and the team 
  • Why choosing the right venture partner matters more than the highest valuation term sheet
  • How to build and leverage customer advisory boards 
  • Why focusing on one market segment deeply yields better results than spreading efforts across multiple verticals

Najaf Husain is a four-time founder and the CEO of Elastio. He brings over 25 years of experience in leading high-growth, venture-backed software companies. He previously founded AppAssure, which became the fastest-growing backup company recognized by Inc. Magazine. At Elastio, he focuses on zero-day ransomware protection and assured data recovery. Naj holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland. Outside of work, he enjoys investing in startups, competitive car racing, and attending polo matches with his family.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1611 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Najaf (Naj) Husain, four-time founder and CEO of Elastio, to unpack how startups can stay relentlessly customer-focused while pushing the boundaries of innovation. With over 25 years of experience in building software companies, Naj shares hard-earned lessons on building defensible IP, validating ideal customer profiles, and navigating investor dynamics. Whether you're scaling in cybersecurity or any tech field, this episode offers strategic insights on scaling with purpose, transparency, and a deep customer connection. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Najaf (Naj) Husain, four-time founder and CEO of Elastio, to unpack how startups can stay relentlessly customer-focused while pushing the boundaries of innovation. With over 25 years of experience in building software companies, Naj shares hard-earned lessons on building defensible IP, validating ideal customer profiles, and navigating investor dynamics. Whether you're scaling in cybersecurity or any tech field, this episode offers strategic insights on scaling with purpose, transparency, and a deep customer connection. ICP, Ideal Customer Profile, deep customer connection, navigating investor dynamics, validating ideal customer profiles, building defensible IP, Elastio, go-to-market strategy, Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No Leadership Lessons from Corey Thomas: Scaling Rapid7 from Startup to IPO https://podcasts.fame.so/e/2nxzxk2n-leadership-lessons-from-startup-to-ipo-corey-thomas Leadership Lessons from Corey Thomas: Scaling Rapid7 from Startup to IPO 5 No No 61mkj7m1 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. What does it really take to scale a cybersecurity company from startup to IPO? On this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye interviews Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of Rapid7. Corey shares hard-earned leadership lessons from his 16-year journey, from navigating international expansion and acquisitions to building elite teams and mastering product-market fit. Whether you're a founder or an executive, this episode delivers real-world strategies for scaling with discipline, crafting winning narratives, and making smart, sustainable growth decisions. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

What does it really take to scale a cybersecurity company from startup to IPO? On this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye interviews Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of Rapid7. Corey shares hard-earned leadership lessons from his 16-year journey at Rapid7, from mastering product market fit and building high-performing GTM teams to international expansion and start-up acquisition strategy.  Whether you're a founder, an executive, or a rising go-to-market leader, this episode delivers real-world strategies for scaling with discipline, crafting winning narratives, and making smart, sustainable growth decisions.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to evaluate startup opportunities beyond the product
  • Why cross-functional experience is crucial for early-stage leadership 
  • The framework for building high-performing teams 
  • How to manage feature requests from enterprise customers 
  • Why the highest-priced term sheet isn't always the best choice
  • The "Gratitude Principle" for managing team transitions 
  • How to balance funding needs to maintain operational discipline without losing focus
  • Why great products need greater stories
  • The importance of engagement over appeasement when handling customer feedback 

Corey Thomas is the Chairman and CEO of Rapid7, a cybersecurity company he has scaled from startup to successful IPO, now serving over 11,000 customers globally. With extensive experience across marketing, operations, and executive leadership, he has guided Rapid7 through critical growth phases, market shifts, and cultural evolution. Thomas has served as Chairman of the Boston Fed and holds board positions at LPL Financial, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Vanderbilt University.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 2337 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. What does it really take to scale a cybersecurity company from startup to IPO? On this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye interviews Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of Rapid7. Corey shares hard-earned leadership lessons from his 16-year journey, from navigating international expansion and acquisitions to building elite teams and mastering product-market fit. Whether you're a founder or an executive, this episode delivers real-world strategies for scaling with discipline, crafting winning narratives, and making smart, sustainable growth decisions. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. What does it really take to scale a cybersecurity company from startup to IPO? On this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye interviews Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of Rapid7. Corey shares hard-earned leadership lessons from his 16-year journey, from navigating international expansion and acquisitions to building elite teams and mastering product-market fit. Whether you're a founder or an executive, this episode delivers real-world strategies for scaling with discipline, crafting winning narratives, and making smart, sustainable growth decisions. successful IPO, customer feedback, Gratitude Principle, sustainable growth decisions, go-to-market leader, acquisition strategy, GTM teams, Venture Guides, Rapid7, go-to-market strategy, Built Not Born No No Practitioner to Founder: How Stas Bojoukha Is Reinventing IT GRC with Compyl https://podcasts.fame.so/e/m84lpzx8-practitioner-to-founder-stas-bojoukha Practitioner to Founder: How Stas Bojoukha Is Reinventing IT GRC with Compyl 4 No No x16ryxl1 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Stas Bojoukha, founder and CEO of Compyl, to unpack his transition from CISO to compliance tech founder. Stas shares practical insights on identifying product-market fit, scaling a distributed team, and evolving from founder-led sales to a structured GTM engine. With lessons on hiring, fundraising, and selling complex enterprise solutions, this conversation is a must-listen for technical founders navigating the compliance space. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. 

In this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Stas Bojoukha, founder and CEO of Compyl, to unpack his transition from CISO to compliance tech founder. Stas shares practical insights on identifying product-market fit, scaling a distributed team, and evolving from founder-led sales to a structured GTM engine. With lessons on hiring, fundraising, and selling complex enterprise solutions, this conversation is a must-listen for technical founders navigating the compliance space.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to identify product-market fit by solving your own operational pain points 
  • Why compliance has evolved from an optional to a must-have for modern businesses
  • The framework for building trust with enterprise customers 
  • How to transition from founder-led sales to a scalable go-to-market machine 
  • Why proximity matters: Strategies for building and managing distributed teams
  • The "People First" principle for hiring and maintaining high-performing startup teams
  • How to choose the right investment partners beyond just evaluating valuations
  • Why stealth mode can be valuable for complex technical products 

Stas Bojoukha is the Founder and CEO of Compyl, an information security and compliance automation platform. With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, Stas has held leadership roles including CISO and Head of Information Security. Known for his hands-on expertise and business-positive approach, he has built and led high-performing teams across risk management, compliance, and incident response. A trusted advisor to executives and boards, Stas is recognized for his technical acumen, strategic insight, and commitment to protecting enterprise data.

Episode Resources:
Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1742 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Stas Bojoukha, founder and CEO of Compyl, to unpack his transition from CISO to compliance tech founder. Stas shares practical insights on identifying product-market fit, scaling a distributed team, and evolving from founder-led sales to a structured GTM engine. With lessons on hiring, fundraising, and selling complex enterprise solutions, this conversation is a must-listen for technical founders navigating the compliance space. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Stas Bojoukha, founder and CEO of Compyl, to unpack his transition from CISO to compliance tech founder. Stas shares practical insights on identifying product-market fit, scaling a distributed team, and evolving from founder-led sales to a structured GTM engine. With lessons on hiring, fundraising, and selling complex enterprise solutions, this conversation is a must-listen for technical founders navigating the compliance space. protecting enterprise data, startup teams, People First principle, go-to-market, complex enterprise solutions, compliance space, GTM engine, Compyl, Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No From IC to CEO: Steve Corndell on Scaling Sales in Infrastructure Startups https://podcasts.fame.so/e/r874p63n-scaling-sales-in-infrastructure-startups-steve-corndell From IC to CEO: Steve Corndell on Scaling Sales in Infrastructure Startups 3 No No k08y5271 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Steve Corndell, CEO of env0, to reveal what it takes to build and scale a high-performing technical sales team. Steve shares lessons from his own journey in enterprise sales leadership, including developing non-traditional sellers, leading through tough quarters, and creating a learning-driven culture. Whether you're a founder or sales leader, you'll gain practical strategies for building resilient, effective go-to-market teams in technical and infrastructure startups. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Steve Corndell, CEO of env0, to reveal what it takes to build and scale a high-performing technical sales team. Steve shares lessons from his journey in enterprise sales leadership, including developing non-traditional sellers, leading through tough quarters, and creating a learning-driven culture. Whether you're a founder or sales leader, you'll gain practical strategies for building resilient, effective go-to-market teams in technical and infrastructure startups.

Here’s what you will learn:
  • Transitioning from individual contributor to sales leader with technical expertise
  • The "Both-And" principle for sales success
  • Why pipeline inspection must be meticulous and systematic
  • How to build a sales team culture through transparent performance metrics 
  • The "Customer-Centric Learning" approach
  • Why technical founders should prioritize team chemistry over sales experience when hiring
  • How to maintain sales team momentum through market shifts 
  • The "Velocity Framework" for scaling deal sizes

Steve Corndell is the CEO of env0, a leader in infrastructure as code management. With an extensive background in enterprise sales and go-to-market strategy, he has scaled multiple high-performance sales teams from the ground up, most notably at Turbonomic before its successful acquisition by IBM. Known for his technical sales expertise and ability to build customer-centric teams, Steve has transformed organizations from early-stage startups to enterprise-level operations.

Episode Resources:

Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Wed, 21 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 2940 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Steve Corndell, CEO of env0, to reveal what it takes to build and scale a high-performing technical sales team. Steve shares lessons from his own journey in enterprise sales leadership, including developing non-traditional sellers, leading through tough quarters, and creating a learning-driven culture. Whether you're a founder or sales leader, you'll gain practical strategies for building resilient, effective go-to-market teams in technical and infrastructure startups. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Steve Corndell, CEO of env0, to reveal what it takes to build and scale a high-performing technical sales team. Steve shares lessons from his own journey in enterprise sales leadership, including developing non-traditional sellers, leading through tough quarters, and creating a learning-driven culture. Whether you're a founder or sales leader, you'll gain practical strategies for building resilient, effective go-to-market teams in technical and infrastructure startups. enterprise-level operations, market shifts, Both-And, Velocity Framework, Customer-Centric Learning, infrastructure startups, effective go-to-market teams, enterprise sales leadership, env0, go-to-market strategy, startup leaders, early-stage founders, Podcast, Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No Beyond Capital: How Venture Guides is Redefining the Venture Playbook https://podcasts.fame.so/e/2n610xq8-redefinig-the-venture-playbook-ben-nye Beyond Capital: How Venture Guides is Redefining the Venture Playbook 2 No No j022yqr0 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. in this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Ben Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, to explore the strategy behind their newly launched Fund II. Ben explains why Venture Guides takes a hands-on, founder-first approach, from investing in fewer companies to embedding go-to-market support at every level. He shares how today’s startups can scale smarter in 2025 by staying customer-obsessed, avoiding common hiring pitfalls, and partnering with investors who offer more than capital. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

in this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with  Ben Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, to explore the strategy behind their newly launched Fund II. Ben explains why Venture Guides takes a hands-on, founder-first approach, from investing in fewer companies to embedding go-to-market support at every level. He shares how today’s startups can scale smarter in 2025 by staying customer-obsessed, avoiding common hiring pitfalls, and partnering with investors who offer more than capital.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Why Venture Guides is going lean, with only 15 portfolio companies per fund
  • How to know if your startup is really working (hint: it’s about time horizons)
  • The customer-first mindset that every founder needs in 2025
  • What to avoid when hiring your first go-to-market leader
  • Why the best funding offer isn’t always the highest valuation
  • How co-locating startups can speed up execution

Ben Nye is the Managing Partner at Venture Guides, a focused execution-first venture capital firm specializing in early-stage infrastructure software investments. As a six-time Midas list investor and former operator and CEO, Ben brings over 25 years of experience in building and scaling successful software companies, including notable exits like Rapid7, SolarWinds, Dynatrace, and Turbonomic. His unique approach combines deep technical expertise with hands-on operational guidance, maintaining an impressive 81% success rate across portfolio companies.

Episode Resources:



Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1417 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. in this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Ben Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, to explore the strategy behind their newly launched Fund II. Ben explains why Venture Guides takes a hands-on, founder-first approach, from investing in fewer companies to embedding go-to-market support at every level. He shares how today’s startups can scale smarter in 2025 by staying customer-obsessed, avoiding common hiring pitfalls, and partnering with investors who offer more than capital. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. in this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Ben Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, to explore the strategy behind their newly launched Fund II. Ben explains why Venture Guides takes a hands-on, founder-first approach, from investing in fewer companies to embedding go-to-market support at every level. He shares how today’s startups can scale smarter in 2025 by staying customer-obsessed, avoiding common hiring pitfalls, and partnering with investors who offer more than capital. avoiding common hiring pitfalls, customer-obsessed, Fund II, software investments, go-to-market leader, portfolio companies, go-to-market support, go-to-market strategy, startup leaders, Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, Built Not Born, Venture Guides No No The Five Pillars of Strategic Leadership: Lessons from Paul Cormier, Red Hat’s Chairman https://podcasts.fame.so/e/rnkmk1mn-the-five-pillars-of-strategic-leadership-lessons-from-paul-cormier-red-hat-s-chairman The Five Pillars of Strategic Leadership: Lessons from Paul Cormier, Red Hat’s Chairman 1 No No 70w7z570 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Scaling a company from $50M to $4B takes more than vision—it demands execution. On Built Not Born, host Sage Nye speaks with Paul Cormier, Chairman and former CEO of Red Hat, about the bold leadership decisions that propelled Red Hat’s meteoric rise. Paul breaks down his five pillars of strategic leadership, the art of making tough calls, and how to align teams in fast-growing companies. Tune in for practical insights on scaling leadership, maintaining culture, and building high-performance organizations. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.


Scaling a company from $50M to $4B takes more than vision—it demands execution. On Built Not Born, host Sage Nye speaks with Paul Cormier, Chairman and former CEO of Red Hat, about the bold leadership decisions that propelled Red Hat’s meteoric rise. Paul breaks down his five pillars of strategic leadership, the art of making tough calls, and how to align teams in fast-growing companies. Tune in for practical insights on scaling leadership, maintaining culture, and building high-performance organizations.


Here’s what you will learn:
  • How to develop and execute a true business strategy versus aspirational goals
  • The five pillars of strategic leadership that drive organizational alignment and growth
  • Why culture must be lived and reinforced daily rather than documented in handbooks
  • How to balance technical expertise with people management when scaling leadership
  • The framework for building and maintaining alignment across remote and hybrid teams
  • Why investor relationships should extend beyond capital to include strategic guidance
  • How to screen and hire go-to-market leaders who can execute on company strategy
  • The process for identifying and addressing leadership team dysfunction early


Paul Cormier is the Chairman and former CEO of Red Hat, where he played a pivotal role in transforming the company from a small Linux distributor to a multibillion-dollar software enterprise leader over 24 years. With over 40 years of experience in technology, Paul spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives, including the launch of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and led the company through its historic $34 billion acquisition by IBM. Under his leadership, Red Hat grew from 140 employees to 22,000 and scaled revenue from $50 million to $4 billion.


Episode Resources:



Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 1951 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Scaling a company from $50M to $4B takes more than vision—it demands execution. On Built Not Born, host Sage Nye speaks with Paul Cormier, Chairman and former CEO of Red Hat, about the bold leadership decisions that propelled Red Hat’s meteoric rise. Paul breaks down his five pillars of strategic leadership, the art of making tough calls, and how to align teams in fast-growing companies. Tune in for practical insights on scaling leadership, maintaining culture, and building high-performance organizations. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Scaling a company from $50M to $4B takes more than vision—it demands execution. On Built Not Born, host Sage Nye speaks with Paul Cormier, Chairman and former CEO of Red Hat, about the bold leadership decisions that propelled Red Hat’s meteoric rise. Paul breaks down his five pillars of strategic leadership, the art of making tough calls, and how to align teams in fast-growing companies. Tune in for practical insights on scaling leadership, maintaining culture, and building high-performance organizations. Sage Nye, Paul Cormier, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, technology, building high-performance organizations, maintaining culture, scaling leadership, five pillars of strategic leadership, Red Hat, Built Not Born, go-to-market strategy, startup leaders, Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, Venture Guides No No Trailer https://podcasts.fame.so/e/68rr0268-trailer Trailer 0 No No 8056n7v1 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.

Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way.

Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last.

Ready to scale? Let’s get to work.

Want to be a guest on The Dental Economist Show?

If you’re a growth-focused leader in the dental business world or someone shaping its future through technology, consulting, or innovation—we want to hear from you.

Submit your interest here: https://forms.gle/BjAmyYLsFgNJBf8f8

Whether you’re leading a DSO, building the next big dental SaaS tool, or redefining patient experience, this show is where the smartest minds in dental business come to talk strategy!

Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so 
]]> Wed, 02 Apr 2025 14:30:00 +0000 Venture Guides Venture Guides 91 Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast—the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Sage Nye, Managing Partner at Venture Guides, each episode dives into candid conversations with technical founders, investors, and GTM experts. You’ll get real talk, proven playbooks, and no-fluff advice on how to land your first customers, build a repeatable sales motion, and scale your startup the right way. Forget the hype. This is the go-to resource for founders serious about getting to market, growing revenue, and building companies that last. Ready to scale? Let’s get to work. No No