Post-investment, portfolio companies face immediate pressure to accelerate growth. But most don't have the GTM infrastructure, team, or playbook to execute at the pace the investment thesis demands. We build and run go-to-market engines that deliver results within fund timelines.

The Problem

Post-investment growth expectations outpace the company's GTM capability

The investment thesis assumes growth acceleration, but the portfolio company's go-to-market motion was built for a different scale. Channels that worked for the first $5M in revenue don't work for the next $20M. The team knows how to sell to early adopters but hasn't built the systems for repeatable, scalable customer acquisition. Operating partners see the gap between the growth plan and the company's actual GTM capability, but closing it requires expertise the team doesn't have.

No clear GTM playbook exists, so every deal and campaign is improvised

Without a documented go-to-market playbook, every sales cycle is different, every marketing campaign is built from scratch, and there's no systematic way to understand what's working. Reps close deals through individual heroics rather than repeatable process. Marketing generates leads but can't tell you which activities produce revenue versus noise. This lack of system makes growth unpredictable — exactly what PE/VC investors can't afford.

The company is entering new segments or geographies without a proven GTM approach

PE/VC investment theses often include expansion into new customer segments, verticals, or geographies. But the company's existing GTM motion was optimized for its current market. New segments have different buyers, different sales cycles, different competitive dynamics, and different channel preferences. Entering them with the old playbook wastes budget and time — both of which are limited in a PE/VC context.

Sales and marketing are misaligned, creating pipeline friction and wasted spend

Marketing generates leads that sales doesn't follow up on. Sales complains about lead quality. Marketing can't get feedback on which messaging resonates with actual buyers. This misalignment is common at the growth stage, but PE/VC portfolio companies can't afford the revenue leak it causes. Every month of pipeline friction is a month of missed growth targets, and missed targets in a PE/VC context have consequences that compound toward exit.

How We Help

We start with a GTM diagnostic that maps your current customer acquisition process end-to-end. This means analyzing your ICP definition, lead sources, sales process, conversion rates at every stage, channel performance, messaging effectiveness, and the handoff between marketing and sales. We talk to your sales reps, your marketing team, and your customers to understand what's actually happening versus what's assumed.

From the diagnostic, we build a go-to-market plan that's specific to your portfolio company's stage, market, and investment thesis. This isn't a generic GTM framework — it's a plan that says exactly which segments to target, through which channels, with what messaging, at what price point, and with what sales motion. Every element is based on data from the diagnostic and aligned to the growth targets your operating partners expect.

Execution is where we differentiate from strategy consultants. We don't hand off a deck and wish you luck. We help build the GTM infrastructure: sales enablement materials, campaign playbooks, lead scoring models, pipeline dashboards, and the operational cadence that keeps sales and marketing aligned. We work alongside your team to launch initial campaigns, close early deals, and iterate the playbook based on real market feedback.

For portfolio companies entering new segments or geographies, we run structured market entry sprints. These are 6-8 week focused efforts that test positioning, messaging, and channels in the new market before committing significant budget. We use small-scale experiments to validate assumptions, then scale what works. This approach reduces the risk of expensive GTM failures that set back growth timelines.

Sales and marketing alignment is baked into every engagement. We build shared definitions (what counts as a qualified lead, what constitutes a sales-ready opportunity), shared metrics (pipeline coverage, conversion rates, cycle times), and shared cadences (weekly pipeline reviews, monthly strategy sessions). When sales and marketing operate from the same playbook, pipeline velocity increases and cost per acquisition decreases.

For PE/VC firms, we develop GTM playbooks that can be adapted across portfolio companies. The core framework stays consistent — ICP definition, channel strategy, sales enablement, measurement — while the specifics are tailored to each company's market. This gives operating partners a standardized approach to GTM acceleration that reduces the time and cost of spinning up growth at each new investment.

Measurement runs through everything we do. We track leading indicators (pipeline creation, conversion rates, sales cycle length) and lagging indicators (revenue, CAC, LTV) from day one. Monthly reports show what's working, what's not, and where to invest next. No guesswork — just data-driven GTM execution.

What we deliver

GTM diagnostic with ICP analysis, channel performance review, and pipeline mapping
Go-to-market playbook with segment-specific positioning, messaging, and channel strategy
Sales and marketing alignment framework with shared metrics and operational cadence
Campaign execution and pipeline reporting infrastructure

The difference between a PE/VC portfolio company that hits growth targets and one that doesn't is almost never the product — it's the go-to-market system.

Our Methodology

Our GTM engagements follow a 90-day sprint model built for the urgency PE/VC portfolio companies face. Days 1-30 focus on diagnostic and strategy: we map the current GTM motion, identify gaps, interview stakeholders and customers, and build the go-to-market plan. We present findings and strategy to operating partners and leadership for alignment before moving to execution.

Days 30-60 are about infrastructure and initial execution. We build sales enablement materials, launch initial campaigns, set up pipeline tracking, and implement the sales-marketing alignment framework. The team starts executing against the playbook with close support from our GTM strategists. Weekly reviews ensure rapid iteration.

Days 60-90 focus on optimization and scale. We analyze what's working, double down on winning channels and messaging, cut what isn't performing, and refine the playbook. By day 90, the portfolio company has a documented, tested GTM playbook, a functioning pipeline infrastructure, and a team that knows how to execute it. The operating partner has a clear framework for evaluating GTM performance going forward.

How We Work

GTM engagements start with a 2-week diagnostic phase that includes customer interviews, sales team ride-alongs, marketing performance analysis, and competitive assessment. We present a GTM plan with specific recommendations, timelines, and success metrics.

Weeks 3-8 focus on building and launching. Our team includes a GTM strategist who owns the overall plan, a demand generation lead who builds and runs campaigns, and a sales enablement specialist who creates the tools and training reps need. This team embeds directly with your sales and marketing teams through daily standups and shared project management.

From month 3, we shift to optimization and knowledge transfer. We refine the playbook based on results, train your team on ongoing execution, and establish the reporting cadence that keeps the GTM engine running after our engagement ends.

Clients should expect honest feedback about their current GTM motion. If your ICP is wrong, your pricing is off, or your sales process has structural problems, we'll say so directly. The 90-day timeline doesn't allow for polite avoidance of hard truths.

Pipeline creation and revenue acceleration
Customer acquisition cost reduction
Sales and marketing alignment improvement

If your pe/vc portfolio companies company needs go-to-market leadership, we should talk.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does go-to-market cost for PE/VC portfolio companies?

GTM engagements typically range from $30,000 to $80,000 per month depending on scope — whether it's strategy only, strategy plus execution, or a full GTM buildout including campaign spend management. That's less than the fully loaded cost of a VP of Marketing and delivers faster time-to-value because we bring proven playbooks from day one. For PE/VC firms deploying GTM support across multiple portfolio companies, we offer portfolio pricing.

How long before we see results from go-to-market?

Pipeline activity improvements — more qualified leads, better conversion rates, faster sales cycles — typically appear within 30-45 days of launching the new GTM motion. Revenue impact takes longer, usually 60-90 days depending on your sales cycle length. The full GTM system, with optimized playbooks and trained internal teams, is operational within 90 days. We set clear milestones at 30, 60, and 90 days so progress is visible throughout.

How does the go-to-market team integrate with our existing portfolio company staff?

We embed directly into your sales and marketing teams. Our GTM strategist joins pipeline reviews, our demand gen lead coordinates with your marketing team on campaigns, and our sales enablement specialist works with your reps on messaging and tools. We use your CRM, your project management tools, and your communication channels. The goal is to operate as part of the team, not alongside it.

What makes Winston Francois different from a traditional go-to-market agency?

Most agencies focus on either strategy or execution. We do both because a GTM plan without execution is just a deck, and execution without strategy is just activity. We also understand PE/VC dynamics — compressed timelines, operating partner expectations, board reporting, and the need to build systems that increase company value rather than create agency dependency. We build your GTM engine and teach your team to run it.

How do you measure ROI from a go-to-market engagement?

We track pipeline metrics (creation, velocity, conversion) and revenue metrics (new ARR, CAC, LTV, payback period) from day one. We establish baselines before changing anything so improvements are measured against real starting points. Monthly reports connect GTM activities to business outcomes with clear attribution. Operating partners can see exactly how GTM investment translates to growth.

What type of PE/VC portfolio company is the right fit for this service?

The best fit is a portfolio company at a growth inflection point — post-investment, post-product-market-fit, needing to scale revenue faster than the current GTM motion can support. Companies entering new markets, launching new products, or trying to move from founder-led sales to a repeatable process benefit most. If your portfolio company has product-market fit but can't scale customer acquisition predictably, that's the signal.