Seed to Centaur: A Prescriptive GTM Playbook from a Cyber CMO Who Just Kept Showing Up

10:40 am
-
11:15 am

Only one in every 1,000 venture-backed enterprise software companies reaches $100M ARR. Even fewer get there with the same marketing leader in the seat from seed to centaur. I’ve been lucky—with a healthy dose of stubborn optimism—to be one of them.

This isn’t a story about brilliant overnight success. It’s about the long game: showing up every day, evolving with the company, and learning how to build a marketing org that can scale without collapsing under its own growth. Because in cybersecurity, a lot has to go right—and a lot is just staying consistent through the chaos.

In this candid and prescriptive session, I’ll share the GTM lessons forged over six years as CMO of Semperis—from scrappy startup to nine-figure ARR. You’ll walk away with stage-specific insights on:

The shift from marketing leader to Chief Market Officer—and what that really means:

Whether you’re a founder hiring your first marketer or a CMO trying to grow without burning out, this session is for anyone scaling go-to-market with clarity, staying power, and just enough duct tape to keep things moving.

Session Agenda

  • What actually changes at $2M, $20M, and $100M ARR.
    ‍
  • The early GTM bets that worked (and the ones that didn’t).
    ‍
  • How to scale a marketing org without losing your mind (or your job).
    ‍
  • Why brand, demand, and product marketing must evolve in sync.

Speakers

Thomas LeDuc

Chief Marketing Officer

Semperis

Thomas LeDuc

Chief Marketing Officer

Semperis

Thomas LeDuc joined Semperis in 2019 and serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), responsible for all aspects of the company’s global marketing efforts, including strategy and integrated marketing programs across brand, corporate, product, and customer marketing, demand generation, analyst relations, field and channel marketing activities, and sales development.

Equal parts marketing strategist and growth hacker, LeDuc is a high-energy executive with deep experience in category creation for high-growth cybersecurity startups. Before joining Semperis, Thomas held management roles at various cybersecurity companies, including Verodin, the pioneers of continuous security validation (acquired by FireEye), and Securonix, a three-time Gartner Magic Quadrant leader for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).

Outside of his professional life, LeDuc is an award-winning independent filmmaker, world traveler, and dog lover.

About this Session's Track

GTM, Strategy & Exec Leadership

Hear from seasoned executives on crafting go‑to‑market strategies, aligning cross‑functional teams, and leading transformative growth initiatives.