How to nail founder-led marketing in 2025 - A Fireside Chat w/ Nomiki Petrolla
For early-stage founders, the most powerful growth engine isn’t a big ad budget, it’s you. Founder-led marketing can be the fastest way to build trust, generate traction, and stand out in a crowded market.
In this fireside chat, Nomiki Petrolla(Techstars mentor) will share her playbook for turning your story, expertise, and unique perspective into a marketing advantage.
You’ll learn:
How to authentically market your product as a founder
Strategies for building credibility and momentum early
Lessons from working with AI-native platforms and Techstars portfolio companies
Whether you’re launching your first product or scaling your startup, you’ll leave with actionable ideas to grow faster without losing sight of what makes your brand human.
About the guest:
Nomiki Petrolla is a Techstars mentor and founder of Theanna, a SaaS accelerator that helps first-time women tech founders grow from idea to $1M in revenue. She’s an expert in product design, strategy, and founder-led marketing, with a track record of guiding early-stage startups and AI-native platforms to market success.
About the host:
Sharath is a repeat founder who has built and sold two SaaS products. He previously led community at Product Hunt and now hosts Undefeated Underdogs, a podcast where he interviews ambitious founders and VCs. Sharath is deeply embedded in the startup ecosystem—curious, candid, and always building. Currently he is a fractional community lead at Thera.