by Gia Scinto, Partner at The Cole Group and one of the most seasoned go-to-market talent experts in tech. Gia has helped build out executive teams at category-defining startups like Stripe, Airbnb, Datadog, Canva, and Confluent — and previously led talent at Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz.

Gia shares hard-earned lessons from years of recruiting top-tier GTM leaders and partnering directly with founders at every stage, from pre-seed to IPO. In this conversation, she breaks down how to hire your first sales leader, how to evaluate candidates for stage fit and values alignment, and how to avoid common hiring pitfalls that can cost startups months of momentum.

From sales methodology and hiring frameworks to founder mindset and onboarding tactics, this episode is packed with tactical insights for founders, operators, and investors alike.

Here’s what’s covered:

02:34 Building the First GTM Talent Function in VC
06:25 From a16z to YC: Supporting Founders Across Stages
09:42 First Sales Hire vs. Later-Stage Leadership
13:38 The Anatomy of a Great Recruiting Process
22:26 Best Interview Questions for Sales Roles
29:45 How to Pitch Senior Candidates at Early Stage
33:39 What GTM Leaders Want to Hear
44:35 Why Sales Hires Fail — and How to Avoid It
47:36 Systems, Team Design & Ops from 0 to $10M
51:42 Advice for GTM Candidates: How to Pick Your Next Role

VC | E487 | Building GTM Teams with Gia Scinto, Talent Partner at The Cole Group [Path to Market – Seedcamp Series]

EUVC