Cello and Lightspeed Announce the Winners of the GTM10 Awards — Honoring the World’s Best GTM Leader in Software

SAN FRANCISCO: #awards--Cello and Lightspeed Venture Partners today proudly unveiled the 50 winners of the GTM10 Awards 2025, the first global program recognizing the best Go-To-Market (GTM) leaders across Marketing, Sales, Growth, Customer Success, and Partnerships in software. The winners were selected by an esteemed jury of GTM legends, including Kyle Poyar (Growth Unhinged and Operating Partner, Tremont), Mark Roberge (Founding CRO, HubSpot), and Heidrun Luyt (CGO, Qonto) - each bringing decades of experience in scaling high-growth software companies.

After reviewing 806 nominations from 24 countries, the jury selected a diverse cohort of leaders redefining what it means to bring technology to market in 2025.

Explore the full list of winners: www.thegtm10.com/winners

The Five Functions Driving Modern GTM

Each category had its competitive dynamics, with Marketing being the most contested. Below are some standout winners from all categories:

• Marketing: Ren Lee (SVP Marketing, Dataiku) transformed Dataiku’s GTM strategy through demand generation-focused programs, from a high-converting Exec Connect series for senior leaders to a revamped webinar engine to engage business and builder personas alike. Her KPI-driven approach to pipeline and intent enablement set a new standard for enterprise marketing in the competitive AI space.
• Sales: Nick Feeney (VP Revenue, Loom) transformed Loom’s enterprise motion by implementing a lean, AI-enabled sales model and a data-driven outbound engine. His focus on simplicity, automation, and high-talent density drove significant ARR growth and established a repeatable, scalable GTM framework.
• Growth: Alexander Berger (Chief of Staff, Bolt.new) led a high-stakes company pivot, transforming StackBlitz into Bolt.new, an AI-powered website builder that reached $20M ARR in just two months. His first-principles approach to GTM and unique “Influencer Board of Advisors” concept helped scale the product into a category leader in the AI tools space, setting a new standard for capital-efficient growth in SaaS.
• Customer Success: Cait Keohane (Chief Customer Officer, Airtable), led a customer journey redesign to tackle experience fragmentation amid rapid growth. Anchored in data-driven feedback loops, her approach led to significant improvements in retention and satisfaction, raising the bar for scalable, customer-centric success in SaaS.
• Partnerships: Alexis Zhu (Head of Global Partnerships, Stripe) transformed how Stripe partners with major payment providers by launching a new distribution model that doubled merchant adoption. Her scalable framework, leveraging strategic alliances and cross-functional “Tiger Teams,” is now a playbook for partnership-led growth in fintech.

“The best GTM leaders today aren’t just delivering results—they’re building repeatable, scalable frameworks that others follow,” said Kyle Poyar, GTM10 jury member and operating partner at Tremont. “This cohort represents the future of our craft.”

The Shared GTM Challenges of 2025

Across all categories, this year’s nominees consistently tackled a shared set of challenges:

• Scaling with Constraints: Many operated with limited resources, yet delivered exceptional pipeline and revenue growth.
• Breaking Through Noise: Honorees redefined GTM storytelling to stand out in saturated markets.
• Driving Efficiency at Scale: From PLG to AI-driven enablement, leaders implemented systems that multiplied impact without bloated headcount.
• Orchestrating Global Expansion: Several winners unlocked new markets while maintaining operational precision and cultural relevance.
• Integrating AI and Automation: Nearly all winners innovated with AI, reimagining onboarding, lead scoring, and customer engagement in real-time.

“Being recognized by peers and industry leaders for the work my incredible team at Gusto delivered is truly an honor,” said Jason Ing, GTM10 award winner and CMO at Typeface.ai (formerly CMO at Gusto). “We started with a clear vision of what we wanted our customers to understand and feel — and we’re proud of how powerfully it landed and the impact it had on the business. This award isn’t just a milestone — it’s a reflection of the high standards, creativity, and relentless effort required to win in today’s GTM landscape.”

The Selection Process

Winners were chosen by a panel of world-class judges, including GTM veterans from HubSpot, Shopify, Asana, and Databricks, alongside investors from Sequoia, a16z, Balderton, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Judges assessed candidates based on:

• Impact – tangible revenue growth or strategic outcomes
• Innovation – breakthroughs in motion, channel, or structure
• Visibility – community contribution and industry leadership

Recognition and What Comes Next

Winners received:

• Nasdaq Times Square recognition
• Featured profiles across industry media and GTM10.com
• Exclusive membership in the GTM10 Leaders Circle – a prestigious community of top Go-To-Market professional, including invitations to regular invite-only events happening globally

About Cello

Cello is the all-in-one referral platform that helps SaaS companies launch user and partner referral programs with no-code simplicity. Trusted by category leaders like Miro, Typeform, and VEED, Cello is redefining how viral growth scales in SaaS.

About Lightspeed Venture Partners

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm with $30B in AUM. It backs category-defining companies in enterprise, consumer, and fintech, such as Snap, Anthropic, and Rubrik.

Fonte: Business Wire