Hi there and welcome to The GTMnow E-newsletter – the media model of VC agency, GTMfund. Construct, scale and make investments with the very best minds in tech.
By deconstructing an organization’s go-to-market technique and execution, you uncover:
- The choices behind their breakout progress.
- The errors that nearly derailed them.
- The hidden levers that aren’t apparent from the surface.
It’s a shortcut to sample recognition, so founders and operators don’t must study each lesson the laborious means.
ClickUp constructed an organization across the rhythm of pure velocity. In 2017, a tiny group shipped into beta in June, out of beta by September, and landed a primary paying buyer in November. The product wasn’t polished a lot as in movement and customers may really feel it. By October 2019, “ClickUp 2.0” arrived, the sort of launch that tells a group: this factor is rising new rooms each week.
What adopted is the story of three eras: (i) the PLG basis, (ii) layering gross sales on prime of it, and (iii) systemizing for scale.
Let’s deconstruct the machine.
ApolloNEXT is going on Oct. 9 in San Francisco and is shaping as much as be one of many largest GTM gatherings throughout SF Tech Week.
This one-day, free occasion is your likelihood to step into the following technology of GTM. Find out how main groups are utilizing AI to unlock quicker income progress, discover actionable methods, and listen to contemporary views from Anthropic, Glean and different business pioneers. Plus, Company Bro will likely be internet hosting!
Community with different leaders, study from a number of the greatest, and get tactical AI functions to assist your gross sales group do what they do greatest — promote.
Register free at this time, to affix a whole lot of others, together with the GTMfund group. Hope to see you there!
ClickUp’s GTM: The Three Eras
Period 1: The PLG basis (2017–2020)
The primary period consisted of well-executed bottoms-up progress.
The objective was easy: construct one thing individuals couldn’t assist however share.
They operated in public with a relentless cadence. Zeb Evans (Founder & CEO) set the tone: “You need to be capable to see ClickUp get higher each week.” They shipped over 200 options in a yr, which was considerably above common at that cut-off date. The velocity of transport cadence constructed belief and educated customers to count on progress.
Compounding mechanisms have been the underlying progress lever:
- The Template Middle wasn’t only a characteristic, it was a content material engine and a time-to-value reducer.
- The Import Hub wasn’t only for onboarding, it was a direct assault on incumbents, disguised as a seamless transition.
- The Free Teaching Program wasn’t a gross sales tactic, it was a person retention technique, catching groups at their most susceptible second.
Beneath all of it sat a transparent Hierarchy (Areas → Folders → Lists → Duties) that mapped to how work truly occurs, making it straightforward for utilization to unfold from one individual to a complete division.
The content material engine ran on the identical tempo. In 2020 alone, 227 weblog posts shipped, comparability pages intercepted consumers in the meanwhile of selection, and how-tos plus templates compounded natural visitors. Assist moved simply as quick: 396,904 tickets resolved in 2020 alone.
Throughout this foundational PLG period, ClickUp demonstrated that the best “advertising” is a set of mechanisms designed to cut back time-to-value and make product progress unmistakable.
Period 2: Layering gross sales on prime of PLG (2020–2021)
The product machine was buzzing. However then, a brand new sign emerged: hand-raisers.
Admins from giant domains, already utilizing the product, have been asking for assist. They wanted assist to roll out ClickUp at scale. These weren’t small groups, the offers have been typically 10x the LTV of self-serve customers.
An necessary half to notice right here is that they layered on gross sales not a a strategic selection, however a response to demand. This strategy is constantly echoed by corporations that efficiently went upmarket, together with Vanta. You possibly can hear their CRO, Stevie Case, share how demand dictated Vanta’s upmarket growth on this dialog.
ClickUp’s first gross sales rent wasn’t to outbound upmarket, they have been an inbound rep to fulfill demand that was already effervescent up contained in the product.
This led to the true innovation of this period: Product-Led Gross sales (PLS). They fused product and gross sales, the place utilization occasions turned triggers.
- A sudden spike in seat depend? That’s a PQL.
- A brand new admin created? That’s a PQL.
- SSO/API turned on? That’s a PQL.
The machine was now fueled by each self-serve adoption and data-driven outreach. Extra on how Clickup blends PLG and sales-assist right here.
The gross sales layer greater than labored, it exploded.
Income grew ~9x in 2020. The person base doubled within the again half of the yr. The corporate went from a $35M Sequence A to elevating $100M after which $400M a yr later.
The machine was firing on all cylinders. However that sort of velocity may also be a recipe for chaos.
Development uncovered seams:
- Inner friction. The group jumped from ~200 to 500+ individuals. Processes couldn’t sustain. The chaos of a startup wasn’t a sustainable mannequin for a scale-up.
- The “eight-layer cake.” Clients felt overwhelmed. An SDR, an AE, a CSM—all overlapping, all reaching out. The seamless, product-led expertise was getting muddled.
Period 3: Systemizing for scale (2022–current)
After two years of a rocket experience, the mission modified. The working query shifted from “What labored?” to “What’s incremental?”
Issues shifted from progress in any respect prices to allocation of {dollars}, touches and time.
Budgets have been re-cut, the media combine was optimized, and first-party information turned probably the most precious asset. The outcome? CAC fell by ~3X.
They rebuilt all the GTM as a single income system, organized throughout three clear segments:
- Self-serve SMB.
- Gross sales-assisted Business.
- Enterprise.
Every had a transparent objective, however all of them labored beneath one plan.
The ultimate evolution was orchestration. They launched Mission Constellation, a systems-first strategy to GTM. It used product and account indicators to prioritize actions throughout gross sales, success, and advertising. It was a single mind, a unified nervous system.
The outcomes communicate for themselves: ARR from ~$85M to $250M+. CAC down 50-66%.
Frameworks, psychological fashions and playbooks
These are a number of the frameworks, psychological fashions and playbooks that ClickUp used all through the three eras of progress.
Psychological fashions (the way to assume)
Enter KPI > Output KPI
Make transport each week the conduct that drives progress (as a substitute of chasing lagging outputs).
You possibly can implement this by beginning a Friday Ship Log – each group posts one shippable enchancment.
Incrementality > Attribution
Fund what strikes outcomes versus a management, not what a platform “credit.”
Use this when advert spend is excessive, CAC is fuzzy, channels declare the identical wins. To implement, run a 2-week holdout in your greatest channel; reallocate to the very best incremental elevate.
Indicators > Opinions
Let product/account occasions name the play (not intestine really feel).
To implement this, outline 4 starter indicators (seat spike, SSO on, giant import, utilization drop) and route actions.
Mechanisms > Moments
Compounding packages (templates, imports, teaching, weekly releases) beat one-off launches.
To implement, choose one mechanism to construct this month (e.g., Template Library v1).
Complexity Tax Index
A examine towards “too many touches.” Cap homeowners per account.
To implement, cap to ≤3 lively homeowners on prime accounts, and suppress conflicting touches.
Frameworks (the way to construction)
Three-Lane Funnel (Creation / Harvesting / Retention)
One GTM system cut up into three lanes with distinct targets and homeowners.
To implement, tag each initiative to a lane. Then, pause something untagged.
Payback by Phase
CAC payback thresholds by SMB/Business/Enterprise.
To implement, set thresholds, similar to SMB <9 mo, Business <12 mo, ENT <18 mo; pause packages above threshold.
Guardrails + Main
One final result per lane, plus 2–3 guardrails that stop dumb wins.
To implement, publish a traffic-light dashboard: Main + Guardrails per lane.
Playbooks (the way to execute)
Indicators → Playbooks → SLAs (Mission Constellation)
Flip indicators into the following greatest motion with timeboxes and controls.
Use when follow-ups are sluggish or alternatives or dangers slip by way of cracks.
To implement, activate 4 guidelines with SLAs (e.g., seat spike → AE in 48h; utilization drop → CSM in 72h) + holdouts.
PQL-First Territory
Prioritize accounts by product-qualified rating, not firmographics.
To implement, ship a easy PQL rating (weights for seats, admin, SSO, imports, collab occasions) and route ≥ 7.
Weekly Win Manufacturing unit
Each lane ships one enchancment every week (cadence throughout GTM, not simply product).
To implement, commit 1 ship/week/lane (template, sequence, activation play) and evaluate on Fridays.
Incrementality Take a look at Pack
A repeatable strategy to show which channels/performs really add income.
To implement, choose one channel, outline holdout and success metric, and transfer 20–30% price range to winners.
AI Adoption Loop (Substitute / Reinforce / Reimagine)
A easy sequence so as to add AI the place it improves payback.
To implement, select 3 workflows to (1) substitute handbook steps, (2) reinforce present flows, (3) reimagine an expertise.
Tag @GTMnow so we are able to see your takeaways and assist amplify them.
Extra in your eardrums
Jenny He is the Founder & Normal Companion at Place Ventures, an early-stage fund backing startups with communications that truly transfer the needle. Earlier than investing, she ran comms at Sq. and has since helped a whole lot of founders earn protection in shops like TechCrunch and Forbes.
Her take: PR isn’t nearly getting your title within the press. It’s about setting the narrative early so that you construct credibility and momentum from day one. She reveals founders and operators the way to:
- Get the order proper — positioning → storytelling → PR
- Keep away from the launch errors that sink belief
- Deal with PR as a progress engine, not a facet mission
Hear on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts by looking out “The GTMnow Podcast.”
Startups to observe
UserEvidence acquired Zealot and raised $7M, bringing its complete funding to $21M. This helps product improvement and powering a full-funnel buyer advocacy engine. With advocacy workflows, AI reference matchmaking, and burnout safety baked in, GTM groups can now deal with buyer proof as a dependable progress lever as a substitute of a last-minute scramble.
Extra in your eyeballs
Workflows are the brand new databases. Within the AI period, the actual bottleneck isn’t mannequin efficiency, it’s execution. Sturdy workflow engines are rising because the invisible spine of AI apps, similar to relational databases underpinned SaaS.
The GTM Engineer function didn’t exist 18 months in the past. Now OpenAI, Ramp, and Webflow are racing to rent them. Maven and Clay teamed as much as showcase what the highest 1% GTM Engineers are constructing.
Linear accomplished a young supply as a part of its Sequence C, giving present and former staff liquidity at a $1.25B valuation. It’s a part of “Linear Infinity,” their strategy to long-term possession and retention.
Hottest GTM jobs of the week
- Vice President, Gross sales at Amper (Distant – USA)
- SDR, Specialty Gross sales at Vanta (Hybrid – New York)
- Regional Gross sales Director – Central at Atlan (Distant – USA)
- Mid-Market Account Government at Noibu (Hybrid – Ottawa, ON)
- Mid-Market Buyer Success Supervisor at Author (Hybrid – London, UK)
See extra prime GTM jobs on the GTMfund Job Board.
In case you’re trying to scale your gross sales and advertising groups with prime expertise, we couldn’t suggest our companion Pursuit extra. We work carefully collectively to have the ability to present the highest go-to-market expertise for corporations on a non-retainer foundation.
GTM Business Occasions
Upcoming occasions you received’t wish to miss:
- INBOUND 2025: September 3-5, 2025 (San Francisco, CA)
- GTMfund Dinner (non-public registration): September 10, 2025 (San Francisco, CA)
- Pavilion GTM Summit: September 23-25, 2025 (Washington, DC)
- Nationwide Mall Stroll with GTMfund: September 25, 2025 (Washington, DC)
- Dreamforce: October 14-16, 2025 (San Francisco, CA)
- GTMfund Dinner (non-public registration): October 22, 2025 (Austin, TX)
- GTMfund Dinner (non-public registration): November 18, 2025 (Toronto, ON)
- GTMfund Dinner (non-public registration): November 19, 2025 (New York, NY)
- GTM x Founder Occasion (non-public registration): November 20, 2025 (New York, NY) – when you’re an AI-focused founder in NYC, hit reply to get the small print
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