Panel: Beyond the Check: Maximizing Marketing Impact with Your VC Partners

1:55 pm
-
2:45 pm

Venture capital partners are more than just a source of funding—they’re strategic allies with deep networks, industry insight, and marketing muscle. But are you fully leveraging that relationship? In this session, we’ll explore how cybersecurity marketers can turn their VC partnerships into powerful marketing engines.

From co-branded campaigns and thought leadership initiatives to event collaborations and product launches, we’ll cover real-world strategies for working with your investors to amplify reach, build credibility, and drive growth. We’ll also dive into best practices for communication, alignment, and setting mutual expectations—so you’re not just asking for help, you’re building a true marketing partnership.

Whether you're an early-stage startup or scaling fast, this session will give you actionable ideas and frameworks to bring back to your next VC check-in.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to Leverage Your VC’s Marketing Resources - Discover the often-overlooked marketing assets VCs bring to the table—from content distribution channels to brand credibility—and how to tap into them effectively.
  • Frameworks for Collaborative Campaigns - Learn how to co-create content, events, and PR initiatives with your VC partners to extend your reach and amplify your message.
  • Best Practices for Communication and Alignment - Get actionable tips on how to structure updates, set expectations, and keep your VC partners engaged as strategic marketing allies—not just investors.
  • Real-World Examples of High-Impact Partnerships - See case studies of cybersecurity companies that have successfully teamed up with their investors for impactful marketing outcomes.

Session Agenda

  • How to Leverage Your VC’s Marketing Resources - Discover the often-overlooked marketing assets VCs bring to the table—from content distribution channels to brand credibility—and how to tap into them effectively.
    ‍
  • Frameworks for Collaborative Campaigns - Learn how to co-create content, events, and PR initiatives with your VC partners to extend your reach and amplify your message.
    ‍
  • Best Practices for Communication and Alignment - Get actionable tips on how to structure updates, set expectations, and keep your VC partners engaged as strategic marketing allies—not just investors.
    ‍
  • Real-World Examples of High-Impact Partnerships - See case studies of cybersecurity companies that have successfully teamed up with their investors for impactful marketing outcomes.

Speakers

Megan Fredericks Dubofsky

Operating Partner and CMO

Ten Eleven Ventures

Megan Fredericks Dubofsky

Operating Partner and CMO

Ten Eleven Ventures

Megan Dubofsky leads marketing strategy and execution at Ten Eleven Ventures, where she partners closely with founders to elevate positioning, define categories, and accelerate go-to-market success. She works hands-on with portfolio companies to shape messaging, build brand awareness, drive demand, engage analysts and press, and support other go-to-market efforts.

Before joining Ten Eleven, Megan spent more than a decade advising companies on marketing strategy as a consultant. She began her career in finance as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley. Megan holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a BA from Williams College, where she also played lacrosse. She lives in Boulder, Colorado—just a few blocks from both the foothills and the office—with her husband and two children.

Sarah Kuranda Vallone

VP Marketing

NightDragon

Sarah Kuranda Vallone

VP Marketing

NightDragon

Michelle Kincaid

VP of Marketing & Platforms

Ballistic Ventures

Michelle Kincaid

VP of Marketing & Platforms

Ballistic Ventures

Michelle Kincaid is the Vice President of Marketing and Platforms at Ballistic Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating innovations in cybersecurity. She has spent her career helping early-stage cyber companies find their voice, define their brand, and engage the audiences that matter most. At Ballistic, she works closely with founders and their teams to shape go-to-market strategies, establish trusted narratives, and accelerate growth.

Prior to Ballistic, Michelle led communications and customer marketing at Kentik, a network security startup. Earlier in her career, she covered cybersecurity as a freelance reporter, giving her a unique perspective on the gaps between public and private sector cybersecurity. Passionate about the intersection of storytelling and cyber, Michelle brings both startup and media expertise to helping companies cut through the noise and connect with their communities.