In this episode of Path to Market, Seedcamp’s Natasha Lytton and Pipeline Ventures’ Micah Smurthwaite are joined 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