AMA Boston - Getting Your First Customers: The Startup Marketing Playbook

Every startup faces it: no brand recognition, no case studies, no marketing budget to speak of and a runway that demands customers now. So how do the companies that make it actually land those first crucial deals?

Join AMA Boston for a candid panel conversation on what really works in early-stage marketing, from founder-led selling and scrappy demand generation to knowing when (and how) to build a real marketing engine. Whether you're launching a startup, joining one, or advising founders, you'll leave with a practical playbook for going from zero to traction.

Topics will include:

• Finding and validating your first customers when nobody knows you
• Founder-led marketing vs. hiring your first marketer: timing and trade-offs
• Demand generation that works on a budget
• How to build a brand, work with influencers, and grow revenue

Our panelists have lived this from both sides of the growth curve:

Leah Itzkovich is Head of Marketing at mabl, the Boston-based leader in AI-powered test automation, where she has risen through the demand generation ranks — from account-based marketing specialist through marketing programs leadership to head of demand gen — building pipeline for a high-growth SaaS startup at every stage. Known for driving measurable, ROI-obsessed marketing, her team has pursued an ambitious 15:1 pipeline ROI goal, and she brings a practitioner's view of what actually converts when every dollar counts.

Menaka Thillaiampalam is Chief Marketing Officer of Hitachi Digital Services, where she drives strategic marketing including building a revenue-generating function and establishing the brand as a future-tech leader. She previously served as CMO of Lionbridge and Banking Circle Group, with marketing leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, LinkedIn, Accenture, and Dell Technologies. She is a member of the Forbes Communications Council, Co-President of the Boston Chapter of the CMO Collaborative, and recipient of the 2022 OnCon Icon Marketer of the Year Award. Menaka knows what it takes to build marketing functions from the ground up — and how early customer acquisition choices shape everything that follows.

Brian Alves is a Senior Marketing Leader and AI-driven marketing strategist who turns creative ideas into measurable results. As a co-founder of MarketingNerds.ai, he empowers small business owners with AI-powered marketing solutions. With nearly two decades of experience in digital marketing, video production, and media buying, he describes himself as a "Generative AI video architect" who breaks the rules that hold growth back. He is a "Shark Tank survivor" and has managed over $600 million in ad spend throughout his career

The conversation will be moderated by Christina Inge, EdD — founder, startup mentor, and marketing educator. She is the founder of Thoughtlight, a judge and mentor for MassChallenge, and leads the Spark Incubator at Brandeis University, where she guides new ventures from first idea to first customers. Christina also created and teaches the AI in Marketing microcertificate at Harvard Division of Continuing Education and is the author of two marketing analytics and AI books.