Julian Rauch · GTM · B2B · Commercial
I build
demand.
Then I convert it.
Founder operator with a GTM focus. I build go-to-market for B2B companies. Brand, community, revenue processes that scale.
~€1M
Revenue generated
13
Events organized
€850k
Pre-seed raised
Brands & Partners
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Portfolio
Selected Work.
14 cases across 3 contexts. As a founder, as an employee, as a freelancer.
Community · Demand Creation
Event Series
From 100 people at the first event in 2022 to 1,200+ at the Founders League Conference in 2024. Community as the primary demand engine. No cold outbound.
Partnerships · Revenue
Enterprise Sponsorship
Built an enterprise sponsorship program from zero. Low six-figure total volume. Deals in the €20–30k range with partners including American Express, Polestar and Alibaba.
Performance · Funnel · Revenue
Consulting Funnel
€250k in 12 months through a multi-channel funnel. Meta, LinkedIn and Events feeding one sales process. Done-With-You coaching for e-commerce founders.
Investor Relations · Strategy
Pre-Seed Fundraising
€850k pre-seed raised from 40+ angels via CLA. Built the deck, led every conversation, closed the round.
Content · Distribution · Reach
Social Media & Content
30,000+ followers across LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Individual clips reaching 400K+ views. Built the full content engine: strategy, production and distribution. No agency.
Co-Producer · Brand Launch · Editorial Partnership
BIANCO Berlin × Forbes Launch
Co-produced the launch of BIANCO Berlin, the new brand by Pamela Reif and Younes Zarou, at Delphi Filmpalast. Forbes as editorial partner, €50K+ in sponsorships, multi-million reach across creator and press.
Content · Campaign
VfL Wolfsburg
Content campaign for the men's and women's first team, including Media Day production. Full project coordination as freelancer.
Content · Event
Cupra
Direct client. Content production and aftermovie for a Cupra event. Full creative execution as freelancer.
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Performance Marketing · D2C
6040
Meta performance marketing for a D2C wine spritzer brand. Built the paid channel from scratch. Six-figure revenue generated.
Performance · Creative Strategy
E-Commerce Funnels
Meta ad creative and funnel builds for D2C e-commerce brands. Multiple clients. Supplements, lifestyle products, sustainable goods. Ads, landing pages, full-funnel execution.
Personal Brand · Hosting
On-Camera Content
On-camera as the operator, not behind it. Hosting, panel moderation, personal content across LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok. Built credibility that converts into business outcomes.
Partnerships · Launch Strategy · D2C
Rolltop Relaunch + Mystery Box
Developed the launch strategy for the GOT BAG Rolltop relaunch. The offer: Rolltop + Mystery Box with products from 20+ sustainable brands. 250+ bundles sold in 16 hours.
Performance · Paid Media
Creative Strategy
Systematic creative testing on Meta at €10–50k/month spend. CTR consistently above 2%, overall CTR +45%, CAC –25%.
Coming soon
Brand · Art Direction
Content Production
AI & Work
How I work with AI.
The question isn't whether AI replaces us. It's who adapts faster. I've been building with it. Not just prompting it. This site was built entirely with Claude Code. I write my own tools, build my own automations and apply all of it directly to GTM work.
What changed in the last few months isn't the concept. It's the capability. Things that needed a developer, an agency or a three-week sprint now take an afternoon. That changes how fast a small GTM team can move.
ICP analysis in hours, not weeks
Customer interview synthesis, competitive positioning, messaging frameworks. Work that used to take weeks now takes a day. The thinking is still mine. The grunt work isn't.
One idea, ten formats
A LinkedIn post becomes a newsletter, a script, a hook framework, an ad variant. I build the system once and run it. No agency, no coordinator.
Building tools I used to commission
Landing pages, lead scoring logic, CRM automations, reporting dashboards. Things that needed a developer six months ago. I build them myself now. With Claude Code.
n8n workflows for GTM ops
Lead enrichment, Slack alerts on pipeline movement, automated follow-up sequences, weekly performance digests. The ops layer runs without manual input.
Tools I use
How I Work
What you can expect.
Not a list of soft skills. A few things that are actually true about how I operate.
Revenue first, not marketing first
I measure everything against pipeline and revenue. Brand, content and community are inputs. Closed deals are the output.
Structure before scale
I don't pour budget into a channel until I understand why it works. Nail the unit economics first, then push.
Systems over sprints
One-off campaigns don't compound. I build processes, playbooks and automations that keep working after I set them up.
Founder-speed execution
I move fast and make decisions with incomplete information. That's what early-stage requires. I've been that founder.
Remote-ready by default
Clear documentation, async decisions, written processes. I don't need a daily standup to stay aligned.
I build with AI, not around it
Claude Code, n8n, automations. I build tools myself that used to need a developer. It changes how fast a small team can move.
Recommendations
What people said.
"For me the biggest win of Founders League: Julian's growth. He had by far the toughest challenge of the four of us. Getting Benjamin, Marcus and me on the same page is no small thing. And Julian still pulled it off. Got the thing live."
Johannes Kliesch
CEO, Snocks Group
"Julian shaped Founders League like no one else. He is the face of it. I could always count on him. Without him, Founders League wouldn't be where it is today."
Marcus Diekmann
CSO, Sanicare
"Founders League was my first investment. The fit was perfect. Connecting startups with investors is exactly what I was looking for. I learned an enormous amount through it. A big part of that I owe to Julian."
Luca Waldschmidt
Professional Footballer, 1. FC Köln · Angel Investor
GTM Framework
How I think about GTM.
Not tool by tool. As a system. From first question to first million.
ICP & Positioning
Who actually buys? Why? What problem do we solve better than everyone else?
Demand Creation
Build demand without cold outbound. Through brand, community and content.
Demand Capture
Intercept existing demand and convert it into pipeline.
Revenue & Conversion
Close the funnel with a structured sales process that runs without the founder.
First 90 Days
What happens when I start.
No onboarding theater. Structured execution from day one.
Day 1–30
Understand.
Before I build anything, I understand the situation.
- → Sharpen the ICP: who are the best 20% of customers and why?
- → Audit existing channels and funnel performance
- → Map the buyer journey from first touch to close
- → Test messaging: what actually resonates?
- → Understand the competitive position
Day 31–60
Build.
Structure before scale.
- → Define the demand strategy: which channels, in which order
- → Run first performance tests (paid or content)
- → Set up CRM and tracking properly
- → Design and implement funnel architecture
- → Structure and document the sales process
Day 61–90
Optimize.
Learn, iterate, scale.
- → Review first conversion data and adjust the model
- → Document GTM Playbook v1
- → Define team setup and next hiring decisions
- → Align on Q2 roadmap with the founding team
About
I come from marketing.
I think in revenue.
I didn't learn GTM from a textbook. I built it under real revenue pressure. Zero brand, no budget, no guarantee it would work. That's where I learned what actually drives demand: brand, community, content. Not cold calls.
Before founding Founders League, I worked at GOT BAG building partnerships and running performance campaigns. Before that, internships at Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Schmidt Media. Brand activations at Berlinale and Rio Olympics. Since 2016, parallel freelance work for companies like VfL Wolfsburg and Cupra.
Education
University of London
Postgraduate · with distinction
Mainz University of Applied Science
B.A. Business Administration · 1.7
Outside work
Certified snowboard instructor
Road cycling · CrossFit · Football
Let's talk.
You're building demand. Not with an SDR team. With a system. Let's figure out if I'm the right person to build it.