Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr, emphasized the importance of hiring the right VP or Head of Marketing for startups after launching their Minimum Sellable Product (MSP) and securing initial customers. Lemkin highlighted that the key criterion for this hire is having owned a revenue number in the sales pipeline, a requirement critical to driving lead generation and customer acquisition, according to saastr.com.
Lemkin explained that B2B marketing generally falls into three categories: Corporate Marketing, Product Marketing, and Demand Generation. In large software companies, Corporate Marketing dominates, Product Marketing plays a secondary role, and Demand Generation is often considered a junior function. However, for startups, hiring the wrong type of marketer—often those focused on corporate branding—can result in ineffective outcomes, such as promotional giveaways without meaningful customer growth.
The guidance is aimed at startups transitioning from early product launches to scaling customer acquisition. Lemkin’s advice underscores the need for marketers who can directly impact sales pipeline metrics rather than focusing solely on brand awareness. This approach contrasts with larger enterprises where brand presence is established, and demand generation plays a lesser role. The insight aligns with broader SaaS growth strategies emphasizing measurable revenue impact from marketing hires.
Lemkin’s tweet on August 2, 2026, serves as a timely reminder for startups to prioritize marketers with demand generation experience who can own pipeline numbers. This focus on measurable marketing impact is expected to influence hiring practices among early-stage SaaS companies aiming to accelerate growth beyond their initial customer base.