Drummond

Drummond Gilbert

Helping early-stage founders navigate messy go-to-market challenges to unlock scalable growth
AI-First Growth & Marketing Leader at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Areas of expertise

I help early-stage and scaling startups navigate the chaos between product-market fit and sustainable growth. Founding teams often struggle with unclear positioning, scattered go-to-market efforts, and systems that break under scaling pressure. Common challenges include messaging that confuses rather than converts, growth experiments that waste resources without clear learning, cross-functional teams pulling in different directions, and investor expectations that don't align with market realities. Teams frequently know they need "marketing" but can't pinpoint what's actually broken or where to focus first. I cut through the noise by diagnosing root causes behind surface symptoms, reframing growth problems into actionable priorities, and helping founders make confident decisions when everything feels urgent but resources are limited.

About Me

I'm an AI-First Growth & Marketing Leader who helps early-stage and scaling startups turn messy go-to-market challenges into sharp strategies that drive results. As a Fractional CMO, I work hands-on with founding teams to build the right systems, positioning, and performance playbooks fast. I've helped startups achieve major milestones: implementing marketing strategies that secured critical investment rounds at Mind Foundry, Signol, and Cuvva; developing go-to-market strategy ahead of Curious AI's exit to Apple; and 60x-ing MRR in 9 months at Mojo. My focus is on positioning that resonates with both customers and investors, building scalable growth engines, and leading cross-functional marketing sprints. As an experienced founder myself and mentor at Oxford University, Royal Academy of Engineering, and ICE programmes, I understand the unique challenges startups face and deliver practical solutions that work.

Available for ongoing retainers, fractional roles, and on-call advisory

Send Me a Message

Typically responds within 1 day

Intro Call

30 minutes

A quick introductory call to discuss your needs and see if we're a good fit to work together. No commitment required.

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Details

Level of Experience

Director

Years of Experience

22 Years

Country

United Kingdom

Website

http://www.drummondgilbert.com

Qualifications
Executive Diploma, Artificial Intelligence for Business Saïd Business School, University of Oxford 2021 - 2022
New Venture Creation Program, Business Administration and Management, General Cass Business School 2010 - 2010
MA HONS: (2:1), Economics The University of Edinburgh 2001 - 2005
AI For Everyone DeepLearning.AI 2020 - 2020
Agentic AI and AI Agents: A Primer for Leaders Vanderbilt University 2025 - 2025
Social Links

  • 60X Revenue Growth in 9 Months

    Scaled monthly recurring revenue from startup baseline to significant scale SaaS platform

  • Created marketing strategy that led to an exit to Apple

    Developed and executed marketing strategy leading to acquisition by Apple (Curious AI)

  • Multiple Investment Round Success

    Implemented growth strategies that secured funding rounds across three portfolio companies

Specialties and Expertise

Areas of Expertise

Marketing

Advisory

AI & Data Consulting

Specialties

AI roadmap creation Ethical and safe AI guidance Risk analysis for AI adoption Define value proposition Analyse retention signals Prioritise product bets Define target ICP Craft GTM narrative Review GTM performance

Sessions

Intro Call

A quick introductory call to discuss your needs and see if we're a good fit to work together. No commitment required.

30 min
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Common Questions

I help early-stage founders turn messy go-to-market challenges into scalable growth engines. This means fixing unclear positioning, building repeatable sales and marketing processes, and creating the internal systems that enable consistent growth.

This is a good fit for early-stage and scaling startups who have product-market fit but struggle with inconsistent growth, unclear messaging, or need to build marketing systems that can scale without constant founder involvement.

Clear positioning that resonates with customers and investors, scalable marketing systems and playbooks your team can execute, and measurable growth metrics that support fundraising or exit goals.

We dig into your current go-to-market challenges, assess what's working and what's broken, and determine whether you need strategic guidance, hands-on execution, or both to unlock your next growth phase.

I work as a Fractional CMO, which means hands-on execution alongside your team rather than just advice. This includes leading marketing sprints, building internal playbooks, and implementing systems that drive measurable results within months, not quarters.