Welcome to GTM Vault — trusted by 20,000+ GTM leaders building the future of revenue.
This week’s guest is Branca Ballot — a GTM leader who has scaled growth for startups and global brands alike. Most recently, as VP of Marketing at Glide, she grew monthly signups 5x, increased sales-assisted ACV 10x, and launched 5 AI agents in just 40 days.
Before Glide, Branca led marketing at GoDaddy, scaling global teams across multiple business units, and held growth and operations roles at Zenefits, KKR, Capstone, and BCG.
Her sweet spot? Turning complex products and fragmented markets into high-performing, scalable GTM machines—especially at the intersection of PLG, AI, and high-velocity sales.
“Don’t think of go-to-market as step two after product. It’s the same step. Start earlier, and you’ll build differently.”
This one’s for founders shaping their first GTM motion, PLG teams adding sales, and operators looking to align marketing to pipeline without losing creativity.
In This Episode
Why GTM is no longer “sales + marketing”—and how to design it from day one
The zero-to-one cycles every scaling company must repeat
Inside Glide’s growth model: self-serve, partner-led, and sales-led
How SEO (and LLM optimization) became a compounding engine
Agencies as force multipliers for PLG growth
The right way to align marketing to revenue without killing creativity
The myth that PLG companies don’t need sales—and when to add it
Why specialization unlocks sales-assisted pipeline
RevOps as the accelerator for GTM model shifts
How Branca’s team shipped 5 AI agents in 40 days—and why speed mattered
Where AI adds the most value in GTM today (and where it still fails)
How leadership style evolves from teams of 5 to 80
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro — GTM strategies in 2025
(00:59) Defining Go-To-Market Today
(02:29) From Zero to Infinity: Growth Strategies
(03:45) Underestimating the Zero to One Phase
(04:48) Building a GTM Engine at Glide
(05:59) Aligning Marketing with Revenue Goals
(07:27) Effective Channels and Surprising Successes
(08:31) Myths About PLG Companies Adding Sales
(09:42) Transitioning to Sales-Assisted Revenue
(10:44) The Role of RevOps in GTM Evolution
(11:34) Rapid Execution: Launching AI Agents
(13:17) Measuring Success of AI Solutions
(14:22) AI's Value in GTM Workflows
(16:25) Adapting GTM Approaches by Team Size
(17:55) Marketing Leaders Beyond Campaign Performance
(19:02) Exploring Future Opportunities in GTM
Listen & Subscribe
5 GTM Takeaways to Steal
GTM Is Product Design
Start early—your growth model should shape how you build.
Reinvention Is the Growth Loop
From one to infinity means going back to zero repeatedly.
Ecosystem Marketing Compounds
Agencies, consultants, and experts can be your distribution and advocacy engine.
Specialize Sales Early
Even lightweight SDR, AE, and RevOps splits can multiply close rates.
Speed Wins in AI Launches
Package the problem, cut decision-makers, and launch fast to get signal.
Extras
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.
Connect
Follow Branca Ballot: LinkedIn
Follow Rick Koleta: LinkedIn
Build GTM engines that compound—and adapt to every stage. Catch up on all GTM Vault episodes →
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