VC Roundtable: GTM by Design: Aligning Talent, Comp & Culture from Seed to Scale by Bluebird and EquityPeople
This breakfast session, co-hosted by Bluebird and EquityPeople, is designed for VCs supporting the growth of GTM teams across their portfolio companies.
Join us for a roundtable, conversational style event exploring how GTM structures evolve across funding stages from Seed to Series B and how investors can support founders in making the right executive hiring decisions.
We will discuss when companies should hire a CRO versus a VP Sales or VP CS, how to avoid common hiring mistakes that slow growth, and how to design compensation structures that align incentives across founders, executives and investors.
The session is designed to be highly interactive, creating space for peer discussion and practical insight sharing across the VC ecosystem.
How GTM evolves and how to prevent common mistakes in hiring executives by Machiel Kunst (Bluebird)
How GTM structure changes by funding stage (Seed to Series B)
When to hire a CRO vs VP Sales or VP CS
Common hiring missteps in early-stage GTM and how to avoid them
Compensation plans for GTM & Execs: base, variable, equity by Tamas Varkonyi (EquityPeople) & Jelle van Jaarsveld (Bluebird)
Structuring comp across GTM and executive roles (CRO, VP Sales, VP CS) and how to align it with your culture
When to flex on base/variable vs offer more equity
Flexible comp models: Should candidates be able to trade cash for ownership?
Case studies: Real examples of comp structures that worked — and didn’t
Agenda:
9.00-9.30 arrival, coffee & tea
9.30-11.00 round table conversation with breakfast
11:00-11:30 stick around for more networking & coffee
Bluebird is a specialist recruitment and executive search partner for VC-backed SaaS companies. Our consultants are former SaaS professionals who assess talent with a deep understanding of the roles, ensuring fast, high-quality outcomes. We help founders scale GTM and product teams from Seed to Series C, typically delivering the hire you’ll end up making within just 7 working days. With a network of 25,000+ vetted candidates and a structured, candidate-first approach, we combine speed, credibility, and an exceptional experience to drive repeatable hiring success. We proudly partner with over 40 leading VCs across the UK and Europe to support their portfolio companies in building world-class teams.
EquityPeople helps people leaders turn compensation into their strategic edge. We began as equity specialists: repairing misaligned equity plans, building high impact allocation strategies and turning equity from a misunderstood perk into a reason your best people stay. But equity alone isn’t enough. Today, we design total reward strategies that bring together cash, equity and performance incentives to drive retention, motivation and investor confidence. Whether you're rebalancing your equity post-raise, preparing for VC/PE diligence, or competing with public and mature tech companies for senior talent, we help you align rewards with your growth story. We support founders. We advise CFOs. And we help People leaders become indispensable to both.