Marketing for the AI Founder
Marketing for the AI Founder: Creating a Playbook for New-Age Founders.
AI has changed how products are built. It's also changing how they need to be marketed.
Join Hive Minds for an evening of practical marketing, founder conversations, and collaborative problem-solving designed for founders and builders navigating an AI-first world.
Whether you're figuring out your first go-to-market strategy, trying to build an audience, or wondering how AI should change your approach to marketing, you'll leave with practical ideas, new perspectives, and a room full of people to continue the conversation with.
🎤 Fireside Chat with Brian Tomlinson
We're excited to welcome Brian Tomlinson, a marketing and leadership strategist with 20+ years of experience across marketing, communications, digital products, and content operations.
Brian has worked with organisations including Hapag-Lloyd, Engel & Völkers, and Staffbase, and today advises founders and marketing leaders on building content systems that earn trust and drive business results.
Hosted by Shruthi Balachandran, Founder of Hive Minds and BEEING.
We'll explore:
What has fundamentally changed about marketing in the AI era?
How should early-stage founders approach positioning and GTM?
What actually builds trust when everyone can generate content?
Where should founders use AI, and where shouldn't they?
How can small teams compete with companies 10x their size?
🧠 The Growth Room
A 45-minute hands-on marketing challenge facilitated by Anugrah
Forget listening to another marketing presentation.
You'll work in small groups to tackle a real startup marketing scenario and make the decisions founders face every day:
Who is the customer?
What's the positioning?
Where do you find them?
What should you say?
And where can AI actually give you an edge?
You'll build the beginnings of a marketing playbook together, then compare your thinking with other founders and marketers in the room.
🤝 Meet the Hive
We'll close with open networking and conversations with founders, marketers, builders, and industry practitioners from across Berlin's startup ecosystem.
Come for the ideas. Stay for the people.
Who is this for?
Early-stage founders figuring out product-market fit, positioning, or go-to-market
Marketers looking to rethink their strategy in an AI-first world
Business owners looking for smarter ways to generate attention and demand
Builders and operators curious about how AI is changing growth
Anyone responsible for getting a product, company, or idea in front of the right people
👤 About the Speakers & Facilitators
Shruthi Balachandran | Host
Shruthi is the CEO of BEEING and Founder of Hive Minds, with 10+ years of experience across B2B and D2C marketing. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and execution, helping businesses build brands, acquire customers, and create scalable growth engines.
Anugrah | Workshop Facilitator
Anugrah brings 6+ years of experience in growth marketing across B2B, B2C, and D2C, working with clients across global markets. He specialises in building marketing systems, scaling paid acquisition, and automating customer journeys.
🐝 About Hive Minds
Hive Minds brings founders, builders, creatives, and ambitious minds together to learn, collaborate, and create opportunities.
Because the best ideas rarely grow in isolation.
Collaborate. Co-create. Elevate.
📍 Venue Partner
GISMA University of Applied Sciences (Please come to the new Neukolln campus at Donaustrasse 42)
🗓️ Schedule
4:00 PM | Doors Open & Welcome
4:20 PM | Hive Minds Welcome
4:30 PM | Fireside Chat with Brian Tomlinson
5:15 PM | Audience Q&A
5:30 PM | The Growth Room: Hands-on GTM Challenge
6:15 PM | Group Shareback
6:30 PM | Meet the Hive + Networking
7:00 PM | Close