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, talent partners, and people leads focused on scaling GTM teams in their portfolio companies. Join us for a roundtable, conversational-style event as we explore how GTM structures evolve across funding stages from Seed to Pre-IPO and uncover the strategic hiring decisions that can make or break growth trajectories. Gain insights into when to hire a CRO vs. VP Sales or VP CS, how to avoid common hiring missteps, and how to structure effective compensation and equity plans for GTM and executive roles. This is an opportunity to engage with industry experts in an open, interactive format and walk away with actionable strategies to optimise your executive hiring approach.
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 pre-IPO)
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
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 20 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.