How is brand valuated in the eyes of a VC?

What unique role does brand play in making an emerging startup successful?

This episode features Gary Survis, Operating Partner at Insight Ventures, and it's one of the most insightful conversations I've had on branding in my life. Straight up.

Gary discusses his extensive career in marketing, starting from his early days at American Express, to focusing on sustainability, to becoming a fractional CMO.

Gary emphasizes the importance of product-market fit for brand success, sharing the two sides ofcategory creation, and the necessity of integrating brand strategy into business goals.

He also shares the transformative impact of AI on marketing, highlighting the enduring value of authentic brand communication as more and more marketing conversations become dominated by GenAI.

Key topics include the role of brand in market penetration, the importance of brand experience, and how successful brands differentiate themselves from the competition.

This is a masterclass in the deep, strategic significance of brand inside a startup. Listen and enjoy.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

04:25 Gary Survis' not-so-typical career journey

07:30 What makes a brand successful

12:35 Category design is not for everyone. Two types of categories

18:10 The value of brand in the eyes of the business

31:28 AI's impact on marketing

39:39 The brands that are doing it right