Mark Donnigan has spent decades helping deep tech and video technology startups translate complex products into commercial traction. In this conversation, we cover why early stage companies must stay lean, how to diagnose GTM confusion, and what AI first marketing looks like in practice.

We also dig into the new buyer journey in B2B, why content is a serious competitive advantage, and why founder led marketing is becoming non negotiable for technical startups.

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👤 About Mark Donnigan

Mark Donnigan is a virtual CMO who specializes in helping early stage technology companies design and execute GTM systems for scale. He blends a technical background with marketing strategy, and has worked closely with deep tech, infrastructure, and video technology companies across the US and beyond. Mark also hosts his own podcast where he covers the intersection of engineering, GTM, and startup growth.

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💡 Key Takeaways

• Small teams outperform large teams because they adapt faster and avoid siloed decision making

• Most early marketing hires fail because they come from companies with fully established ICPs and playbooks

• The new B2B buyer journey is committee based and nonlinear

• Founders must articulate pain, value, and narrative before marketing can be effective

• AI tools create leverage but still require human curation

• Content is not optional; it is a revenue accelerant

• The best marketing starts with mapping actual buying behavior, not assumptions

• Technical founders can outperform junior marketers with AI workflows

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🎓 What You Will Learn

• How to avoid the early stage marketing trap

• Why small GTM teams win in dynamic markets

• How to map buying journeys in modern B2B

• How to use AI to generate content, frameworks, and GTM assets

• The difference between buyers, influencers, and blockers

• How to build trust and shorten sales cycles through content

• Why founder storytelling is more important than ever

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⏱️ Episode Highlights and Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and intro

02:00 Mark’s background as both technologist and creative

06:00 Why great technology fails without great marketing

07:30 The trap of hiring big company marketers too early

10:45 Why small teams win in early GTM

14:00 The missing skill in most marketing hires

17:00 How to know if the market actually needs your product

20:00 Understanding the real buyer versus the visible buyer

23:00 Buying committees, decision blockers, and internal politics

27:00 Why founders misread senior titles in enterprise sales

30:00 Mapping the buyer journey with precision

32:00 The underrated power of content and use case clarity

36:00 Where founders should start if they have no content

38:00 The role of documentation in technical sales

40:00 What AI first marketing looks like in action

43:00 Founders using PRDs to generate full GTM assets

47:00 What should always stay human in AI powered marketing

51:00 Human tone, emotions, and authenticity versus perfect AI output

55:00 Why social algorithms reward provocation, not perfection

58:00 Features vs benefits in modern marketing

01:02:00 Final insights and where to follow Mark

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Mark Donnigan website: https://GrowthStage.Marketing

• Mark Donnigan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdonnigan/

• Tools referenced: Gemini, ChatGPT 5.1, Claude, Perplexity Pro

In this conversation, Mehmet is joined by Gerald Beuchelt and Subu Rao, two cybersecurity leaders from Acronis, to unpack the evolving threat landscape, the rise of AI in both offense and defense, and why cyber resilience has become a board-level priority.

They break down what CISOs need to know, how MSPs can create new value, and what frameworks actually work in the real world. If you want a clear and practical blueprint for building resilience, this episode is for you.

👤 About the Guests

Gerald Beuchelt

Chief Information Security Officer at Acronis, with more than 14 years of experience securing global environments across multiple industries. Gerald leads cybersecurity, IT infrastructure, and corporate security strategy, with deep knowledge in AI-driven defense, risk management, and enterprise resilience.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beuchelt/

Subu Rao

Senior Manager of Cybersecurity Solutions Strategy at Acronis, focused on cyber resilience for MSPs and mid-market organizations. Subu brings over 15 years of experience in identity security, cloud security, and resilience engineering across global security vendors.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/raos/

https://www.acronis.com/en/

💡 Key Takeaways

• Cyber resilience and cybersecurity are not the same. One focuses on protection, the other on recovery and adaptation.

• AI is already used by attackers and defenders. Ignoring it increases risk.

• MSPs have a major opportunity to monetize resilience, not just protection.

• Most breaches still start with basic failures like weak passwords and unpatched systems.

• Boards do not want CVE numbers. They want business risk in plain language.

• The right balance between risk appetite and risk tolerance shapes the entire security program.

• Backups alone are not enough. Tested, measurable recovery plans are essential.

• Availability is often the forgotten piece of the CIA triad.

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🎧 What Listeners Will Learn

• The current global threat landscape

• How AI is changing cyber offense and defense

• The difference between cybersecurity and cyber resilience

• What MSPs should do today to serve customers better

• How CISOs can communicate risk to non-technical boards

• Practical frameworks for resilience and business continuity

• Why regional exposure influences risk strategy

• The most common mistakes companies still make in 2025

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⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and welcome

01:00 Meet Gerald and Subu

04:00 The real state of cyber threats today

05:30 Why basic hygiene failures still cause most breaches

08:30 How attackers are using AI

10:00 The future of automated SOCs

12:00 Are threat patterns different by geography

15:00 Why every company is a target

16:00 Cybersecurity vs cyber resilience explained in simple terms

18:00 How to build resilience without enterprise budgets

21:00 MSPs and the opportunity to lead resilience consulting

24:30 Understanding crown jewels and business impact

26:00 How Acronis-style failover models change the game

29:00 Where boards should start with security frameworks

32:00 Risk appetite vs risk tolerance

36:00 Why security cannot decide in isolation

40:00 Compliance, mandates, and real world frameworks

45:00 How MSPs can craft resilience offerings

48:00 Final advice for CISOs and MSPs

51:00 Closing thoughts and wrap up

In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking, to explore why OKRs and traditional performance frameworks often collapse under the realities of modern work. Radhika introduces OLA, a new approach built on puzzle-solving, continuous learning, and adaptability — designed for today’s fast-moving product, engineering, and startup environments.

Together, they break down the hidden “product diseases,” the dangers of vanity metrics, the myth of extrinsic motivation, and why teams need clarity instead of big, fluffy vision statements. This conversation is a mindset reset for anyone leading teams, building products, or trying to scale sustainably.

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👤 About Radhika Dutt

Radhika Dutt is the author of Radical Product Thinking, an engineer by training, and a two-time founder. She built her first startup out of her MIT dorm room and has since become a leading voice on vision-driven product development. Radhika works with organizations around the world to help them escape the trap of short-term targets and build meaningful, world-changing products.

Find more about Radhika’s work here:

https://rdutt.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/

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✨ Key Takeaways

• Why OKRs work in theory but fail in most modern organizations

• How goal-driven cultures create “performance theater” instead of real progress

• The difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation

• Why fluffy vision statements confuse teams instead of inspiring them

• How to define real problems before jumping into solutions

• The OLA framework: objectives, hypotheses, learnings, adaptations

• How OLA drives alignment, clarity, and honest learning

• Why founders should stop copying big-company playbooks

• How to communicate results to investors without vanity metrics

• Why adaptation speed is the true competitive advantage

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🎧 What You’ll Learn

• How to replace rigid goal-setting with dynamic puzzle-solving

• How to build a product culture that values curiosity and experimentation

• How to avoid the biggest traps that kill innovation

• How AI hype influences bad decision-making and how to course-correct

• How leaders can create clarity without micromanaging

• How to apply OLA even if your company still uses OKRs

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⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome and intro

01:00 — Radhika’s early story and the mistakes that inspired Radical Product Thinking

06:00 — Why motivation systems today actually kill motivation

08:00 — The problem with fluffy, generic vision statements

11:00 — Why OKRs create the wrong incentives

14:00 — How OKRs evolved from 1940s manufacturing

18:00 — Why modern work requires a different approach

23:00 — Introduction to OLA and how puzzle-setting works

26:00 — How to apply OLA in sales, product, and engineering

34:00 — Using OLA to bring clarity and innovation

39:00 — Speed, experimentation, and continuous learning

44:00 — How to communicate progress to boards and investors

49:00 — Why founders must drop ego and embrace honesty

54:00 — Final advice and how to connect with Radhika

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📚 Resources Mentioned

• Radical Product Thinking — Radhika’s book

• Free toolkits https://www.radicalproduct.com/

• OLA Toolkit (formerly OHL)