Making The Grade

• The 5 Silent Killers of Go-To-Market with Keji Mustapha

  Every founder thinks they’re focused on growth. But too often, hidden mistakes in their go-to-market (GTM) strategy quietly erode their chances of success.In this Making The Grade episode, we’re joined by Keji Mustapha, CMO at Partech, to unpack the 5 Silent Killers of Go-To-Market. From undefined ICPs and premature scaling, to misaligned leadership and ignoring the voice of the customer, Keji shares practical advice founders can use today to avoid costly mistakes and scale more wisely.If you’re a founder, operator, or investor looking to understand why so many companies fail to “make the grade” and why their GTM strategy has a lot to answer for, then this episode will be the one for you. Episode Chapters01:40 - Keji’s unconventional journey from law to tech and venture capital05:10 - The day-to-day of a CMO in venture07:30 - The biggest challenges founders face in 202509:15 - The 5 Silent Killers of GTM15:40 - The misalignment trap18:50 - Why hiring for shiny logos often backfires23:45 - How to build customer obsession into your culture 28:00 - Keji’s predictions for GTM 32:40 - What really needs to change to improve startup graduation rates  Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

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• Capital-Efficient Growth in 2025: James Bagan’s Playbook for GTM Success

  Too many startups hire ahead of demand, invest in the wrong leaders, or scale sales without a clear ICP - all mistakes that can cost millions and kill momentum.Today’s Making The Grade guest knows exactly how to avoid those pitfalls.We’re joined by James Bagan, Investor at Frog Capital, Chair and GTM advisor for investors. James has been on both sides of the scaling journey. He’s built world-class sales functions, turned around broken go-to-market engines, and led multiple exits. In this episode, James joins Tom to unpack what it really takes to build a GTM engine that lasts. From the shift to capital-efficient growth, to why RevOps is the unsung hero of scaling, to the leadership traits VCs should be hiring for, but so often overlook.Whether you’re a founder, CRO, or investor, you’ll walk away from this conversation with practical strategies to help you scale sustainably and avoid the most expensive mistakes.  Episode Chapters:01:30 - James’ unconventional path to multiple exits05:30 - How GTM has changed: the shift from growth at all costs to sustainable growth08:40 -  The 3 biggest mistakes founders make when building GTM teams14:30 - Why RevOps is the ultimate GTM alignment tool (and when to hire them)19:40 - Finding the right fit: fractional vs full-time RevOps teams 22:30 - The underrated traits of top GTM leaders in 202529:30 - Leadership stage-fit: the danger of hiring for tomorrow’s problems instead of today’s35:20 - The number 1 skill every commercial leader must have (hint: it’s not closing deals) Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

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• When it’s time to step down: Robert Newry’s transition from CEO to Chief Explorer at Arctic Shores

  Too many founders stay in the CEO seat for too long. Often to the detriment of their company, their teams and themselves. It’s not about giving up. It’s about knowing when you are no longer the best person to lead the business into its next chapter. One example of a founder who knew the time was right and made that leap with clarity and intention is today’s Making The Grade guest, Robert Newry. After 11 years as CEO of Arctic Shores, Robert chose to step aside and take on a brand new role as Chief Explorer, allowing him to focus on the things that energise him most: thought leadership, customer evangelism and rethinking how we assess human potential. In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to scale a venture-backed company sustainably, and why sometimes the boldest thing a Founder can do is to let go. Whether you’re a founder thinking about what’s next for you, or you’re currently going through the trenches, fundraising, this episode is packed with lessons on resilience, reinvention and scaling wisely.  Episode Chapters:01:30 - Robert’s early failures and family roots in entrepreneurship03:50 - Learning from failure: Hong Kong’s startup mindset05:30 - The origin story behind Arctic Shores08:10 - Rethinking psychometrics: uncovering potential beyond the CV13:00 - Designing AI-resilient hiring tools in the age of ChatGPT18:00 - Why stepping down as CEO wasn’t a failure — but a growth move21:00 - Creating the role of Chief Explorer & transitioning out of CEO36:00 - What founders need to stop doing when they raise capital Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

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• Not a Unicorn? Not a problem. Eyal Malinger & Oren Peleg on building a VC alternative

  While VC news often dominates the headlines, more often than not, the VC route isn’t the best fit for a business. So, what do you do if venture capital isn’t the right path for your start-up?In today’s Making The Grade episode, we’re unpacking the evolving world of start-up funding and why VC might not be the best fit for every founder or business. To help us do that, we’re joined by Eyal Malinger and Oren Peleg, the co-founders of Resurge Growth Partners - a new kind of investment firm pioneering a model they call venture equity, blending the best of venture capital and private equity to better serve ambitious, capital-efficient founders. From investor dynamics and growth expectations to exit strategies and go-to-market missteps, we’ll be challenging the traditional narrative and exploring what alternative paths to scale could look like in 2025 and beyond. Episode Chapters: 01:30 - From PE & Consulting to building a new investment model03:30 - The gap between VC expectations and real-world business performance  05:10 - Introducing Venture Equity & the huge opportunity it presents 10:30 - Funding beyond VC & the silent deal killers 18:10 - Lazy marketing, broken models & other founder mistakes 21:30 - The metrics that really matter 30:00 - What it takes to be a successful early-stage founder & what’s really at stake 34:15 - Where to start if you want a successful exit in 2025  Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

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• Building for a Smart Exit - Scaling Lessons from Serial Entrepreneur Justin Fitzpatrick

  What does it really take to graduate from seed to exit in today’s start-up climate?In our first episode of our Making the Grade Podcast, we’re joined by serial founder and currently CEO of ESG Book, Justin Fitzpatrick, to unpack the real story behind startup growth. From the messy pivots, M&A strategies, co-founder dynamics, and what it really looks like when you fall off the VC track, Justin shares his first-hand experience of growing and exiting multiple businesses, and leaves us with plenty of practical advice to help you scale more wisely.Episode Chapters: 02:04 - Justin’s career journey as a serial entrepreneur 04:55 - From scaling pains to pivoting and product-market-fit reality checks 09:42 -  Finding the right co-founder 15:15 - Why poor win rates aren’t always a sales problem 17:34 - Building resilience as a CEO 21:41 - M&A lessons from the trenches & what makes an acquisition work 28:40 - Falling off the VC Track & finding alternatives 31:42 -  What founders actually need to graduate to the next round 33:54 - Why sustainable growth is smarter growth Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

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