GTM lessons from the edges: how two startups reached the customers everyone else overlooks

Luna co-founder Jas Schembri-Stothart and Untapped Solutions founder Andre Peart share how they cracked go-to-market for audiences most startups avoid. In this episode of Build Mode, they reveal the guerrilla tactics, trust-building strategies, and creative experiments that helped them reach teenage girls and formerly incarcerated workers—from crashing Taylor Swift concerts to keynoting re-entry conferences.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
03:15 Getting Grilled by Teens: Luna’s School Roadshow
05:04 The Ambassador Army That Designed the App
06:11 When Teen Content Goes Viral on TikTok
07:32 Untapped’s Origin: From Prison to Building Solutions
11:03 The Power of Storytelling in B2B Sales
14:02 Navigating Data Privacy with Sensitive Populations
15:29 The Challenge of Dual Audiences: Teens and Parents
17:43 Why Word of Mouth Beats Any Ad Campaign
19:41 The Taylor Swift Concert That Almost Got Shut Down
22:15 Key Takeaways for Any Founder
22:41 Field Notes: Creative Go-to-Market from the Community

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New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.