Marketing

I sat through another investor panel yesterday where everyone kept talking about how to "support" their portfolio companies.Things like reviewing board decks, troubleshooting hiring issues, jumping into pipeline reviews, or offering feedback on positioning.A few years ago, I would've nodded along. It all sounds helpful.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

Every week, I see the same problem play out. As an investor, you get handed overly complicated marketing plans and struggle to make sense of them. It feels like a tangled mess of strategies, channels, and projections. I know that feeling because I’ve been there. After reviewing over 50 go-to-market plans in due diligence over the last four years, one truth stands out: there is a luxury in doing less.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

It’s a question I hear often from portfolio companies. Founders believe that scaling is about adding more fuel (especially wanting to create the “marketing machine”)—bigger budgets, more hires, new tools. But the truth is, scaling doesn’t happen by doing more of what worked at $1M ARR. Scaling happens when marketing leads the business.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

The other day, I reviewed a portfolio company's 2025 strategy deck. Although the deck used all the right buzzwords—AI transformation, vertical SaaS expansion, and product-led growth—something felt off. That's when I realized we're all at risk of making a classic mistake: following someone else's "proven strategy" instead of trusting our strategic instincts. 

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

If you're an investor or CEO of a scaleup, you probably hear at every board meeting or in general that you have a pipeline problem—it's a top-of-funnel issue. We don't get enough leads, or our pipeline is flat. If we had more leads, we'd close more business—a linear relationship, right? As the CEO, you could communicate that to investors, or the CEO might get that narrative from the CMO / CRO. 

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

Over the last three years, I've had the pleasure of advising, doing due diligence over 10+ during the previous 24 months, and coaching, advising, and working with CEOs and chairs in the UK and US. As part of that process, I've learned a lot about the acute go-to-market challenges most scale-ups have, from a starting revenue of $2 million to $25 million.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

Most scaling companies in a VC portfolio will have an apparent tension. That tension is that they want to grow fast with investment, but their brand is developing and needs more awareness.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

Be “data-driven.” It’s the most cliched recommendation from “investors, thought leaders and CEOs to the CMO.” However, while everyone recommends being data-driven, few do it well. I’d love to know how data-driven certain CMOs or thought leaders are when running their teams.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor

Amidst the buzz that AI might replace marketers, a nuanced understanding of its role in go-to-market (GTM) strategies is essential.‍AI doesn’t replace marketers; it redefines how GTM strategies are executed.‍AI helps average CMOs stay average.

Edwin Abl, SaaS GTM Expert & B2B SaaS Advisor