Cristina Cordova’s GTM Playbook

Cristina Cordova’s GTM Playbook, refined across her roles at Stripe, Notion, and Linear, is built on a philosophy that prioritizes exceptional people, a beloved product, and execution-oriented leadership.

Her playbook can be broken down into three core components:

1. Build Around Exceptional Talent and Long-Term Vision

Cordova looks for these qualities at the earliest stages of a company:

• Exceptional Founders (Spikiness): She prioritizes joining companies where the founders are demonstrably excellent in their core domain (e.g., world-class designers or engineers). This exceptionalism, or "spikiness," translates into a drive to build an exceptional company.

• Brand as a Long-Term Investment: She values founders who invest in the brand and design early on, as this signals a commitment to long-term quality and durability, rather than just quick wins.

• Hiring "Founder Mode" Operators: When scaling, she hires leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset who identify problems and execute solutions without being asked. The job of a leader is to be strategic and execute, making the founders' lives easier.

2. Identify a Beloved Product and Own the Wedge

The product must be intrinsically valuable to its initial audience before scaling efforts begin:

• Seek Product Love Over Revenue: Her biggest filter for a business is a product that is "beloved" by its users. She looks for evidence (e.g., discussions on Hacker News, Twitter) that people love the product so much they organically talk about it on the internet.

• Focus on the Wedge: Every successful company starts with a small, targeted wedge (like developers at startups for Stripe). The initial GTM strategy must resonate perfectly within this defined wedge before expanding to larger markets like mid-market or enterprise.

3. Scale Through Unique Distribution Engines

Cordova built distinct distribution channels tailored to the product and audience:

Stage 1: People & Vision

Prompt:
“Evaluate the founding team of {{company_name}}. Are the founders demonstrably exceptional in their core domains (e.g., {{founder_domain}})? Does {{company_name}} show evidence of early brand and design investment that signals long-term durability? Identify whether the current operators at {{company_name}} display a ‘founder-mode’ mindset by solving problems proactively and freeing up the founders.”

Stage 2: Product & Wedge

Prompt:
“Analyze the product {{product_name}} from {{company_name}}. Do users show obsessive love for {{product_name}}, as evidenced by organic conversations on {{channels}}? What is the precise initial wedge audience (e.g., {{wedge_audience}}), and how does {{product_name}} uniquely resonate with them? Outline a potential expansion path from {{wedge_audience}} into {{next_market_stage}}.”

Stage 3: Distribution Engines

Prompt:
“Design a distribution strategy for {{company_name}} and its product {{product_name}}. Which distribution engine best aligns with the audience {{target_audience}}: partnerships, community-led growth, customer-centric sales, or AI-enhanced filtering? For the chosen engine, describe the core mechanism (e.g., {{engine_mechanism}}) and the key insight that will differentiate {{company_name}}’s GTM strategy.”

Stage 4: AI as GTM Lever

Prompt:
“Recommend AI-driven enhancements to {{company_name}}’s GTM strategy. How can AI help filter inbound signups for {{product_name}}, identify high-value opportunities within {{target_audience}}, and surface emerging champions (e.g., {{community_advocates}})? Provide concrete AI use cases for lead qualification, sales enablement, partnership prioritization, and community insights.”