• Capital is flowing, but the bar to capture it is higher.
• AI is not a differentiator, but it is an expectation.
• Growth requires a scalable model, efficient capital use, and a path to profitability.
• Larger checks over fewer deals signals a preference for mature businesses.

Great companies don’t grow by chance; they grow by design, aligning vision with execution and creativity with data.

Behind every thriving business lies a powerful go-to-market (GTM) playbook, one that blends strategy, storytelling, and scale into a seamless growth engine. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about translating numbers into narratives that move people and markets. When strategy meets powerful storytelling, brands connect more deeply, teams perform with greater clarity, and growth becomes inevitable. This is how leaders build momentum that lasts, turning every market challenge into a new opportunity for expansion.

In this episode of the Extraordinary Pursuits podcast by BIP Ventures, Groove GTM founder Grayson Leverenz shares how a stunning career journey through marketing, sales, and partner success now informs a 360-degree view of what it truly takes to scale. She offers a masterclass in aligning teams, strategy, and storytelling for sustainable growth.

If you’re seeking practical GTM guidance to fuel hypergrowth, this episode is for you.

Time Stamps:

• 03:16 Grayson’s career journey and key turning points
• 07:47 The four pillars of Groove GTM’s client framework
• 11:14 Who to hire first: strategist or executionist
• 14:45 Using storytelling and AI to create a cohesive GTM strategy
• 19:43 The “Yes, and” exercise and how it drives creative marketing
• 24:29 Setting and measuring KPIs to optimize resources
• 30:08 Revisiting what worked and reinventing for new growth
• 31:04 Why SEO and organic content are declining—and what’s working
• 35:11 How to learn more about Grayson and Groove GTM

• “When founders have product-market fit, know their customer, and they are ready to scale, they can either start to build an internal marketing team or work with people in an operating partner or fractional capacity.” [08:20]
• “You need a strategic thinker who can roll up their sleeves and get things done when you are at 1-10 million and looking to scale.” [12:45]
• “Make sure you’re connecting as an entrepreneur or a marketing leader as humanly as possible, whether that is in person or in the digital world.” [32:57]

About Grayson Leverenz:

Grayson Leverenz is a go-to-market (GTM) leader who has built and scaled strategies across marketing, sales, and partner success. She began in market research at Universal Studios, earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, and managed a $14M marketing budget for a Johnson & Johnson brand.

In 2008, as digital marketing took off, Grayson launched her first venture, which led her into SaaS sales and later into joining startup Spiffy as VP of Marketing. She helped to grow the company from $1M and two cities to $70M and a nationwide presence. Today, as the founder of Groove GTM, Grayson helps companies make the right hires and build strategies that fuel sustainable growth.

• Listen to more episodes of Extraordinary Pursuits
• Follow BIP Ventures on LinkedIn
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What holds a team together—and what causes it to fracture? In this mini-episode of the Extraordinary Pursuits podcast from BIP Ventures, host Rachelle Kuramoto talks with Mohamed ("Mo") Massaquoi, organizational psychologist, former NFL wide receiver, and founder of VESSOL. Mo draws on lessons from the football field, the finance industry, and his own entrepreneurial journey to explain how great teams sustain high performance, even in times of stress and rapid change.

He shares practical insights on how leaders can:

• Recognize the subtle signs that cracks are forming in a team’s foundation
• Balance daily oversight with empowering others to lead
• Build a culture of consistent communication and feedback
• Create alignment around mission, values, and goals

For startup leaders wearing many hats, this is clear and useful advice that can help you manage team dynamics without burning out or letting cracks turn into fractures.

Learn more about Mohamed Massaquoi and hear the full episode here.

• Listen to more episodes of Extraordinary Pursuits
• Follow BIP Ventures on LinkedIn
• Watch Extraordinary Pursuits on YouTube