Dave Gerhardt

Hey I'm Dave Gerhardt. I created Exit Five, which has turned into the top community for B2B marketing professionals. Before starting Exit Five I had a 10 year career in marketing and grew from PR intern to CMO. I even once had hair! My wife says I'm more handsome now though, and she's quite pretty so that means a lot -- but the internet just boxes me in as the typical bald guy tech bro. So oh look, another bald tech guy writing on LinkedIn! whoopty freaking do.

Anyway. Where was I... OH. Receipts! I wanted to talk about receipts, because in a world of fluff and online influencers, I actually have some receipts and I want to tell you about them here because it signals power, credibility, and makes it seem like I'm super rich, so: I used to be pretty good at marketing, and my work as a marketer played a key role (at least I think so) in helping two software companies to successful exits: Drift for $1B+ and Privy for $100M+. I certainly helped the founders make a bunch of money, and I was able to comfortably purchase a brand new Toyota Sienna minivan for my family in 2021.

Today I spend my time working on Exit Five, and it's actually been super fun and given me a bunch of purpose. We're a team of six full-time team members now, and we have a private online community and host in-person events around the world. Plus there's a popular podcast and newsletter for marketers. We reach something like 20 MILLION marketers with our content every year, and we've got a pretty special thing going on. I hope to keep it going. You can learn more about it all at exitfive.com.

I spent most of my life in the Boston area but now live in the woods in Vermont with my wife, two kids, two cats, and one dog.

You can reach me at dave@exitfive.com if you want, but TBD if I reply. Depends on the message. But please don't send me any more swag or books. But if for whatever reason you do want to send me something, I play the ProV1x golf ball and like the low numbers.

PS. Find my podcast “The Dave Gerhardt Show” on Spotify

Founder & CEO

Exit Five is a media company focused on B2B marketing. We help B2B marketers build successful careers through our content and community. Learn more at exitfive.com

The CEO should put the Product team and Marketing team together. 

In lock step. 

To drive momentum and success for the company. 

I see so much about Sales and Marketing. 

Not enough about Product and Marketing. 

There should be a vision. And a roadmap. And regular launches. Some small. Some big. And this becomes the operating system for the company. 

You can CREATE momentum for your company by doing this. Deadlines drive actions. 

These regular launches give Marketing and Sales regular opportunities to talk to new customers. 

The CEO should be in the middle of this.

PS. If this topic lands with you and you're a CMO: we've been running a super secret group for CMOs / VP Marketing doing $25M+ ARR at Exit Five over the last few months and we're now accepting new members. Community is more important now than ever and it's all about who is in the room. We have curated the right room for you. If you want a peer group like this you can apply for a spot here: tinyurl.com/23h2c5eh

Founder: Exit Five. Community Builder. Former CMO. Building the top community for B2B marketers right now at exitfive.com

I didn't want my team to publish this talk. It was too good. Should have only been for the memory of the people that went to Drive this year.

But I'm also a marketer and understand the power of social media and free content, so fine. 

We published my pal Harry Dry's talk from Drive 2025 yesterday, and if you missed it he gave a masterclass in storytelling.

The long lost art of conflict and emotion in the world of AI, PLEASE GO LISTEN TO THIS MAN.

The first line of this clip says it all "You should know so much about your category you could write a book on it."

You're not creating a category to fit into Gartner or G2. You are creating a category because you are literally inventing a new of way of doing things!

That's the opportunity.

I'll put the recording in the comments (audio only)

Founder: Exit Five. The top community for B2B marketers.

Vector 👻

Product Marketing

Virdical

I partner with founders, CMOs, and teams at B2B start ups and B2C companies early stage products or companies / startups to refine brand, messaging, and positioning to build authentic connections with audiences.

Expert in:
> messaging & storytelling
> pricing & packaging 
> enablement & GTM team alignment
> naming & branding
> GTM strategy & roadmap prioritization

Oh, and I sell vintage glass ✨

Connect with me:
🗺️ Website - virdical.com
📅 Calendar: calendly.com/alexandra-virden
🏺 Etsy - etsy.com/shop/TwinThriftVintage


I promise I won't sell you anything, unless you're looking for vintage glass.

Product Marketing & GTM Advisor

Metadata

Hired as the founding product marketer (aka building product marketing from the ground up). I did a little bit of everything. I overhauled Metadata's launch process, pricing, and enablement strategies while managing eight full-time and contracted team members. 

I consistently hit marketing-sourced pipeline targets, driving ARR growth to $15M with over 75% sourced from Marketing efforts.

Director of Product Marketing

PatientPop Inc.

Hired to rebuild the product marketing function post-COVID and reported to the VP of Marketing. 

I owned the launch process for PatientPop's biggest feature push and drove GTM alignment throughout the merger with Kareo that formed Tebra.

Head of Product Marketing

EVERFI

Hired at EVERFI to run product marketing for the Community Engagement portfolio, which included over 21 products, 100k end users, and customers like the NFL, UnityPoint Health, Kroger Health, MassMutual, The Anti-Defamation League, Beyond Meat, Northwell Health, Walmart, Altice, and the Entertainment Software Association.

Head of Product Marketing, Community Engagement

Head of Demand Generation, Community Engagement

Celerity

Marketing Manager - Product Marketing & Demand Generation

Access Intelligence

Demand Generation Manager

Blue Water 

Growth Marketing Manager

Warschawski

Marketing Communications Associate

Revenue-focused Product Marketing Leader | GTM Pro | Mentor

👋 Hi, I'm Alex!

I'm a fractional product marketing leader with 12+ years of experience in driving growth for B2B companies across diverse sectors like healthcare, technology, SaaS, start ups, education, and HR. 

I help companies clarify their product positioning, launch with impact, and build high-performing teams. I blend strategic vision with hands-on execution, balancing quick wins with long-term success.

What I bring to the table:
✔️ Growth-driven leadership: My background in demand generation and growth marketing keeps my "product marketing eye" on generating revenue, building brand, and executing key go-to-market plays.
✔️ Brand champion: Whether it’s speaking to a packed room of execs or crafting a compelling narrative, I know how to advocate for a brand.
✔️ Team player (and builder): I thrive on creating strong connections across product, marketing, and sales, ensuring everyone’s rowing in the same direction.
✔️ Leader and mentor: I’m all about empowering teams to stay focused, motivated, and collaborative—and seeing them succeed.
✔️ Numbers-driven: I’m a pro at tracking ROI, spotting what’s working, and adjusting course when needed.

I'm always up for a chat and am currently open to both fractional roles and full-time leadership opportunities in product marketing. 

Let's connect:
https://calendly.com/alexvirden/30min

Outside of product marketing, I run Twin Thrift Vintage, a vintage glass store. 
Check it out here: instagram.com/twin.thrift.vintage

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Dave Gerhardt

👾 Alex Virden

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