Eric Lay

Virio

Virio is a GTM startup trusted by top VCs & B2B execs at LinkedIn, a16z, MappedIn & more. 

We help B2B companies get in front of niche enterprise buyers through executive led content. For clients in our ICP we consistently deliver a min of 3X ROI on their GTM spend with us.

Co-Founder & CEO

Toronto Tech Fest

Toronto Tech Fest in 2024 was the biggest decentralized 'unconference' week in Toronto. 2024 brought out 10,000+ RSVPs, 3000+ attendees, 85+ events across 255+ collaborators between May 21-24.

Co-Founder

EZ Media Group

The EZ media team has created content that has grown multiple channels from 0-100k, 0-500k and 0-1m+ followers, generating 2B+ views for clients across YouTube, Instagram & TikTok.

Founder

Elventus

Gamified esports coaching platform, empowering gamers to develop real life skills and habits through competitive video games.

League of Legends

#1 Ranked LoL coach in North America. Started a private coaching practice & became one of the top 3 highest grossing esports coaches in North America & Europe.

Professional Esports Coach  

Ranked Top 30 (0.01%) in North America for League of Legends

Pro League of Legends Player

ryujinclo

Built a streetwear fashion/e-commerce brand that grew to 1.3M followers & has generated 1B+ impressions per month on Instagram through organic growth strategies.

founder & ceo | b2b gtm for vertical saas

Everyone wants to generate more leads for their B2B business, and we cracked the code.

In 2014: I dropped out of school to pursue a pro gaming career
In 2015: I founded EZ Media to produce & manage content for some of the largest gaming influencers
In 2018: I cofounded Ryujinclo, a media & fashion brand that grew to over 1.3M followers
In 2023: I built one of Canada's largest startup communities and launched Toronto Tech Fest
In 2025: Founded virio.ai to help B2B companies create content that actually drives pipeline

I've helped countless companies transform their marketing through proven b2b content strategies that actually drive revenue. Here's how I can help you:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn (It's free, and comes with daily growth insights!)
2. Join one of my highly curated events, exclusively for top gtm executives & b2b founders lu.ma/virio
3. Book a free GTM consultation at virio.ai

And if you're not ready yet! Welcome to my profile anyway, I share insights on B2B GTM, lead generation, startups, and building highly curated communities.

Want to work with me to turn your LinkedIn into a GTM machine? Email eric@virio.ai

Founding Partner

Hosting private dinners, socials & events for Toronto's top VC backed founders. Partnerships with companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Collision, Elevate, Inovia VC, Forum VC & many more!

After 10 years of failed startups, I’ve finally found my life’s work.

Introducing Virio — the world’s first AI marketer for enterprise.

As a teen I built content that did 1B+ views/month…
…and made <$10K.

That is when I learned the hard truth:
Views ≠ Pipeline
Likes ≠ Revenue

I realized the problem wasn’t creating attention..
It was turning that attention into revenue.

Virio is built to solve exactly that.
1) Track your sales pipeline & marketing initiatives
2) Plan targeted content across your GTM team
3) Deploy messaging tailored to each decision maker

We’re giving away our 16,456-word playbook that has generated $50M+ in enterprise pipeline:
1) High-performing content broken down to the atomic level
2) GTM performance optimization
3) Step-by-step B2B content systems

Comment "Virio" below + connect with me and I’ll share it with you!

CEO @ Virio | b2b marketing for enterprise sales

I refused to refund a client $110K. 
Even though we didn’t deliver the service.

…is what I would’ve done, if I weren’t building for the long game.

Instead, I wired every dollar back.
Most founders wouldn’t. 

They would look for a loophole in the contract, keep the cash, patch something together, and call it “close enough.”

Here’s the truth: I never even took the payment.

The client wanted to work with us and offered $110K up front.

Most founders would’ve said yes for the money.
And I get it. Early on, cash flow feels like life or death.

But I said no. Because they wanted things done their way, not ours.

And if you let one client dictate your product roadmap, you stop building a company.
You start building custom services. You become an agency.

So yes, my bank account took a hit.
But I sleep better knowing I put the company’s vision first.

And funny enough, that same client came back later with referrals.

At the end of the day, we’re building a company that delivers the best results for all of our clients.
If that means turning some down in the short term, I’m okay with that.

Because revenue is temporary. Trust is permanent.
And in business, trust is what creates money.

As founders and as teams, you have to trust your product and cut the noise.

We spent $2,500 on imported Dubai chocolate bars.
And handed them out to strangers outside Salesforce Tower…

People thought we’d lost it. Security told us to leave.
But we weren’t there to sell chocolate, we were there to sell attention.

The night before launch, our team slept at the office.
Cards were maxed. We were editing, coding, and planning till 3 AM.

By sunrise, we were running through downtown San Francisco with arms full of chocolate, in shirts that said: “This shirt gets more views than your content.”

We hit Salesforce, Linkedin, Asana, and Brex.
Two kicked us out, but all of them noticed us.

What happened next was wild.

Our launch video hit 600+ reposts, 2,000+ comments, 3,000+ likes, and over 1 million views across LinkedIn and Twitter.

But that wasn’t even the best part. The best part was the Inbound meetings from the exact execs we built this for - CMOs, Heads of Marketing, GTM leaders at top B2B companies.

The ROI wasn’t in the chocolate.

It was in the content that came from doing something bold enough to be remembered.
Everyone optimizes CAC. We optimize for moments.

Because in B2B, field marketing IS the second-best thing after content for demand gen.

And when done right it becomes the content.

🚨 We are paying $500k-$1.5M TC for a role that has never existed until now.

We are calling it the Forward Deployed Content Engineer.

When Palantir scaled, they pioneered forward deployed engineers. Operators who sat inside customer organizations to turn software into outcomes.

We are applying the same idea to content.
Content is no longer just a marketing function. 
In B2B SaaS, it is the engine that drives pipeline. 

The Forward Deployed Content Engineer role is a hybrid of strategist, operator, and creator who can:
- Spot what the ICP cares about
- Turn founder voices into pipeline
- Work across AI systems and human taste

They’re part strategist, part operator, part creator. 
They’re directly tied to revenue and the compensation reflects that. 

We are paying $500K to $1.5M OTE for this role. 

And the range is wide because outcomes are wide. 
Strong operators can consistently turn content into pipeline. 
Generational talent can create millions in ARR and change the trajectory of a company. 

We pay for impact.

If you have built content engines on LinkedIn, YouTube, or anywhere B2B SaaS leaders pay attention, Let’s talk.

Most people have no idea what CMOs actually do.

It is not running ads or posting on social media.
It is holding together some of the hardest playbooks in SaaS.

They are the ones who:
- Make tough calls on where to double down and where to cut.
- Manage product marketing, demand generation, paid, and brand at the same time.
- Tie forecasts directly to pipeline and revenue.
- Recruit, onboard, and build world-class teams.
- Manage agencies, budgets, and sales alignment under constant pressure.

The best marketing execs are not loud about it because they don't need to.

They are in the trenches scaling companies, absorbing context, making high stakes decisions every day.

That is what a real marketing executive does.

-

PS. Shoutout to the top B2B SaaS marketing executives in the Bay Area:
Emily He, Justin Wolz, Kexin Chen, Paloma Ochi, Emma Chalwin, Bruno Estrella, Matt "Kix" Kixmoeller, Tanya Littlefield, Shannon Sullivan Duffy, Denis Scott, Arabella Hallawell, Junie Dinda, Sydney Sloan, Mike Boyarski, Cameron Coles, Layla Revis, Nicole Baer, Jennifer Anselmo, Cristin Balog, Manish Gupta, David Rich, Keri Brooke, Julien Sauvage 🥖, Sam Gong, Rasool Aghatehrani

founder & ceo | b2b marketing for enterprise sales

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