Ian Brodie is the co-founder and CEO of Levanta, the leading Amazon affiliate platform helping sellers connect with revenue-driving creators.
Before Levanta, he co-founded Grovia (acquired in under 2 years), led GTM at Acceleration Partners, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for his work in affiliate and influencer-led growth.
In this episode, Ian breaks down what most teams get wrong about affiliate, how AI is reshaping partner-led GTM, and the real shifts he made the second time around as a founder.
“Affiliate isn’t paid media. It’s relationship-driven. If you treat it like a budget channel, it will fail.”
This one’s for operators building marketplaces, ecosystems, or partner-led motions—and founders navigating GTM in a noisy AI-first world.
In This Episode:
Why affiliate-led GTM is growing again—and what’s driving the shift
The biggest mistakes companies make with affiliate programs
What a modern affiliate engine looks like in 2025 (hint: it’s not “set and forget”)
How Levanta powers performance and brand without burning capital
How AI helps recruit, segment, and activate sellers and creators
The new playbook for marketplace cold-starts via partner agencies
Why founders should delegate faster—and where Ian wishes he’d hired sooner
Levanta’s evolving GTM system: multi-channel, ecosystem-led, and AI-augmented
Audio:
Ian on how affiliate is evolving post-SEO, the hidden power of agency networks, and how AI helps scale trust—not just outreach.
If you’re building with partners, this episode will help you do it better.
Or search “GTM Vault” in your podcast app.
5 GTM Takeaways to Steal:
Affiliate Is Not Paid Media
It’s relationship-based. You’re asking creators to take media risk—so you better earn their trust.AI Is Great for Outreach, Not Activation
Use AI to scale discovery and messaging—but real trust still needs a human layer.Agencies Can Be Distribution AND Enablement
The best partners don’t just bring leads—they bring publishers, support, and compounding value.Invest Early in Ops + Finance
If you’re doing back-office work as a founder, you’re not scaling. Hire earlier than you think.Let Your Team Run
Autonomy reveals talent—or the lack of it. You’ll learn more by stepping back than hovering.
Sponsor Spotlight: ZoomInfo
You might know ZoomInfo for contacts and emails — the fuel behind SDR teams. But ZoomInfo has quietly rebuilt itself into something much more powerful: a system that automates your entire GTM motion.
Signals come in. Outreach goes out. The list gets worked. Plays get triggered. Automatically.
ZoomInfo calls it GTM Intelligence. It’s not enrichment. It’s execution.
Thanks to our sponsors who help keep this email free and high-signal. Want to reach 20,000+ GTM leaders? Explore sponsorship options here.
Extras:
In AI, GTM Is the Only Moat That Lasts
In a world of commoditized models, your only edge is motion that compounds.The GTM Debug Framework Every AI Startup Should Know
How to trace growth problems back to their source — and fix them.AI Won’t Replace You. But a Rep Who Uses It Will.
Why blending automation with human insight is now table stakes.Scaling GTM Alignment Across Sales, Marketing, Product, and Success
How mid-market SaaS teams can turn experiments into momentum — and align global GTM functions through proof, not theory.Build a Modern Revenue Engine—Fast
The 10-chapter GTM Strategy Course for founders and early GTM hires.
Don’t just optimize affiliate. Build a partner system that compounds.
→ Catch up on all GTM Vault Podcast episodes
Connect:
Follow Ian Brodie:
LinkedIn: Ian Brodie
Company: levanta.io
Follow Rick Koleta:
LinkedIn: Rick Koleta
Share this post