GTM at the Edge: Scaling AI, Crypto, robotics & Deep Tech Products + Start Up Pitches
GTM at the Edge: Scaling AI, Crypto & Deep Tech Products
Monthly panels with founders & operators who’ve actually built, launched, and scaled breakthrough technology.
GTM at the Edge is a monthly gathering for operators, founders, and ecosystem builders building at the frontier of technology — AI, crypto, robotics, autonomy, and emerging compute.
We focus on the hard part:
Distribution and adoption where the playbook doesn’t exist yet.
Where teams are creating new categories, educating markets, shaping user behavior, and guiding products from early believers to mainstream adoption.
Each month, we feature operators who have done the work — the people who have built GTM motions in ambiguous, zero-to-one frontier environments — sharing what’s actually working, what’s not, and what they’ve learned scaling products at the edge.
Program
6:00 - 6:30 PM
Arrival & Networking
Check-in • 6:30 - 6:45 PM
Opening Remarks
Welcome and context setting
6:45 - 7:45 PM
Panel Discussion: What's Actually Working in Frontier Tech GTM
Tom Stephenson – Operating Partner at Gaia Ventures, Senior Advisor McKinsey.
Former McKinsey Senior Partner (20 years )
-Emily Calderon
Lead, Global Crypto GTM @ PayPal1 more speaker(s) yet to be confirmed
7:45 - 8:45 PM
Startup Pitch & Feedback Session (Apply here)
3 frontier tech startups pitch their GTM strategy
20 minutes per startup (7-min pitch, 13-min feedback)
8:45 - 9:00 PM Food & Drinks
Open Networking
🎙️ Panel Speakers: Tom Stephenson Operating Partner @ Gaia Ventures Former McKinsey Senior Partner (20 years) Former Chief Commercial Officer @ Zymergen Interim CRO @ SandboxAQ Tom focuses on acceleration and value creation with Gaia Ventures' portfolio companies—B2B software powered by next-gen AI. He sits on the investment committee and has spent his career helping businesses scale revenue through go-to-market innovation across biotech, software, and frontier tech.
Emily Calderon
Lead, Global Crypto GTM @ PayPal
Former Manager, Stablecoin Growth @ PayPal
Former Senior GTM Consultant @ Propeller (F100/F500 clients)
Former Investor @ Vitalize Venture Capital
Emily specializes in building and scaling go-to-market strategies for emerging technology in complex, regulated environments. At PayPal, she leads global GTM for crypto products including stablecoins and crypto payments, navigating the intersection of mainstream fintech adoption and breakthrough technology. Previously, she designed and led GTM transformations for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies at Propeller, and has deep operational experience from Stitch Fix and Altria
WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING
The conversation:
✦ What's Actually Working
Real GTM plays from operators at the edge (not generic startup advice)
✦ Scaling Frontier Tech
How AI, crypto, and deep tech companies move from early adopters to mainstream
✦ Why Early GTM Breaks
The patterns that kill momentum and how to fix them before it's too late
✦ Navigating Complexity
Lessons from regulated markets, global adoption, and stakeholder management (PayPal crypto scaling, portfolio company patterns)
✦ Building Early Signals
How to create GTM momentum in AI, autonomy, and infrastructure before you have obvious traction
✦ Distribution at the Edge
What works when you're creating a category vs entering an established market
✦ The Investor Lens
What makes frontier tech GTM credible to people who write checks (from an investment committee member)
WHO THIS IS FOR
This is built for:
Who Should Attend
Operators & Founders:
Building GTM for AI, crypto, robotics, or deep tech companies
Figuring out how to cross from early adopters to mainstream
Navigating market education, category creation, or regulatory complexity
Roles: Product Marketers, Growth Leads, BizOps, DevRel, Ecosystem Builders, Founders
Investors:
Angels and VCs investing in frontier tech
Looking to support portfolio companies with GTM strategy
Want to meet operators and founders at the edge
You'll get the most value if you're:
Building at the edge (frontier tech, not established SaaS)
Creating a category or fundamentally changing behavior
Crossing from early adopters to mainstream
Navigating regulatory complexity or market education
Figuring out distribution where the playbook doesn't exist
SPONSOR THIS SERIES
GTM at the Edge is looking for partners who want to support the frontier tech community in SF.
Sponsorship opportunities:
Event sponsor
Series sponsor (quarterly)
Reach out: [email protected]
What does "at the edge" mean?
Building breakthrough technology that doesn't fit existing playbooks—AI agents, crypto infrastructure, robotics, deep tech, autonomy. Technology that requires market education, behavior change, or category creation.
Is this only for AI and crypto?
No—it's for any frontier tech (robotics, biotech, quantum, climate tech, infrastructure). The GTM challenges are similar: educating markets, crossing to mainstream, building where distribution isn't obvious.
Do I need to be a founder?
No. This is for anyone working on GTM at frontier tech companies—operators, GTM leaders, ecosystem builders, investors.
Can I bring someone?
Yes, if they're relevant to the community (operator, founder, or investor in frontier/deep tech). Have them register separately so we can track capacity.
Will this be recorded?
Panel discussion may be recorded for highlights and shared with permission. Networking and Q&A are not recorded to allow for candid conversation.
Is food provided?
Yes—light food and drinks provided by event sponsors.
How often does this run?
Monthly at Ethereum House. Same format, different operators and themes each month.
Apply to Pitch
🚀 Startup Pitch & Feedback
3 frontier tech startups get real-time advice on scaling
Each startup gets:
7 min to pitch (product, traction, GTM approach)
13 min of live feedback from Tom, Emily, and the room
Tactical advice on specific GTM challenges
Post-event intros to relevant people
Apply if you're:
Building in AI, crypto, robotics, or deep tech
A product (early stage - growth and )
Have measurable traction (users, revenue, signals)
This event is hosted at the Frontier Tower:
We are transforming a 16-floor tower in San Francisco into a self-governed vertical village—a hub for frontier technologies and creative arts. Tier-one labs presenting AI, Ethereum, biotech, neuroscience, longevity, robotics, human flourishing, and arts & music. These floors will house innovators and creators pushing the boundaries of human potential in a post-AI-singularity world.
Apply here for founding citizenship: https://frontiertower.io/apply
Why should I become a citizen?
Be part of creating the first self-governed vertical village
Connect with the most creative people in the city
Get access to all floors, free event space & movement floor
Website: https://frontiertower.io/
Need more reading? Visit https://frontiertower.notion.site/