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We're a different breed. We were built for an environment of leaner funding, risk-averse investors, and fierce global competition. This reality, which has always been our normal, is now the new global standard—a harsh environment where Unicorns simply can't survive. Welcome to the age of the Mammoth.
Seed Funding Plunges 47% to $510M as VCs Go Risk-Averse
Early-stage startups fight for scraps as investors demand proven traction
The age of the Mammoth
The world has changed.
A rising interest rate environment has ushered in a new economic landscape, fundamentally altering the dynamics for consumers, businesses, and investors. Many VCs have gone out of business – and the rest are under pressure to deliver market-beating returns. As a result, remaining VCs are more risk-averse than ever.
The current situation is particularly difficult for Silicon Valley-style startups, where the predominant model is to raise unicorns by subsidizing customer acquisition with a large amount of "free" VC money.
Many are not prepared.
The hillock. method
So, how can startups and innovators of all stripes not just survive, but truly thrive in these conditions?
1. Find your signal in the noise
You don't have the budget for guesswork. While others move towards their market-fit with brute force, you must move with surgical precision.
Jobs-to-be-Done Interviews & Research
Everyone says "talk to customers," but unstructured conversations don't provide the clarity needed for capital efficiency. We use JTBD to capture the exact words customers use to describe their problems, discover your real competition, and uncover what really motivates their choices. We then turn these findings into differentiated messaging, a clear product direction, and a scalable go-to-market strategy that resonates deeply and converts consistently.
2. Win with your story, not just your product
A great product isn't enough. If customers and risk-averse investors can't instantly grasp the problem you solve and why it matters, you've already lost.
Strategic Positioning & Messaging
Most companies think they have a product-market fit issue when the real problem is language-market fit. We help you find the language that makes customers and investors *get it* instantly, articulating your value with a clarity that cuts through the noise and addresses the root cause: your positioning.
3. Build growth engines, not "hacks"
Don't do random acts of marketing. You need to engineer a scalable, repeatable way to find customers that doesn't require setting piles of cash on fire.
Scalable Go-to-Market Engineering
Many companies find product-market fit but still fail to achieve scale-up growth. Their customer acquisition is sporadic and painfully disproportionate to their marketing spend. We design scalable GTM motions that work within your real-world constraints, creating predictable growth that is both efficient and sustainable.
A marketing agency based in Toronto
We know this because we've lived it. We've launched, grown, and exited a dozen companies and created billions of dollars in enterprise value. We're creatives, writers, engineers, and executives who have been in the trenches. Our advice doesn't come from a textbook; it comes from experience.
Our style is not for everyone. We are direct. We push when we see potential. We partner with you to eliminate go-to-market trial-and-error, so you can build the predictable pipeline your business can count on.
We’re actually here to help. Your ICPs have the words. We find them.
Strategic messaging isn't marketing fluff—it's the difference between burning cash on ads or sales efforts that don't convert and building a growth engine that scales.