THE GTM MACHINE
Workshop timer

Rules of the game

Keep this open during the simulation.

Your task

You have 60 minutes to build a GTM launch plan for Vela AI from the perspective of your function. At the end, each group presents their plan. There will be a plot twist mid-way — adapt accordingly.

What you need to answer

Each function should be able to answer these three questions when your group presents:

  • Priority: What is your function's single most important action in the first 4 weeks?
  • Dependencies: What do you need from two other functions to do your job?
  • Risk: What is the most likely reason your plan fails?

Your brief has more detailed guidance — use it as a starting point, not a strict checklist.

How to present

You have 5 minutes to present as a group. Be creative — there is no requirement to use slides. You could sketch on a whiteboard, walk us through a written plan, roleplay a board meeting, or anything else that communicates your thinking clearly. What matters is that all 6 functions are represented.

Shared constraints

  • Marketing budget: €20K total
  • No new hires — work with the existing team of 35
  • Product is demo-ready at Week 6 (not before)
  • Goal: €50K MRR within 90 days of launch
  • Must integrate with Salesforce and HubSpot at launch

Do's

  • Talk to other functions — this is required, not optional
  • Make realistic trade-offs — you can't do everything
  • Ask hard questions of other teams
  • If you're a team of 2, divide the work and reconvene
  • Be creative in how you present your plan
  • Write things down — you'll need to present

Don'ts

  • Work in isolation within your function
  • Ignore the constraints — they exist for a reason
  • Over-engineer the plan — focus on what actually matters
  • Let one person do all the work if you're a team of 2

You're not expected to have all the answers. You're expected to think like a GTM professional.