Founding Growth Marketer

Marketing Role at Spine AI

Spine AI is an unlimited canvas where users think and create with the power of 300+ AI models. We're building a new paradigm for thought and creation – allowing product managers, designers, marketers, and students to go from idea to final artifact (reports, slide decks, prototypes) faster than ever before. We're a small, ambitious YC S23 team, and we need a passionate marketer to build our growth engine from zero.

The Role

As our first marketing hire, you are the founding architect of Spine AI's brand and growth strategy. This is a true 0-to-1 opportunity where you won't just run campaigns – you'll talk to our first users, craft our core message, experiment across every channel, and build the entire marketing function from scratch. You're a storyteller, community builder, and growth driver rolled into one.

What You'll Do

Translate Power into Value

• Take abstract concepts like "AI-amplified thinking" and turn them into concrete, compelling benefits
• Show a product manager how to turn user feedback into a full product brief in minutes, not hours
• Create "recipes for success" by developing and marketing our templates (Competitive Analysis, Product Launch Plan) to demonstrate immediate value

Show, Don't Tell

• Create engaging content that captures the magic of the Spine AI canvas—short videos, GIFs, tutorials demonstrating branching, context passing, and parallel model execution
• Build scrappy, high-impact assets: social posts, newsletters, blog content, landing pages, case studies
• Publish 3-5 pieces per week across LinkedIn, Twitter, email, and our blog

Own the Channels & Drive Pipeline

• Build and manage our presence across social media, blogs, and community forums
• Launch 2-3 simple lead magnets and capture emails
• Run targeted outbound: 50-100 DMs/emails per day to our ICP, booking 5-10 qualified meetings per week
• Execute scrappy paid experiments with small budgets ($500-$2,000 tests)

Launch & Iterate

• Plan and execute go-to-market strategies for new features
• Run growth experiments across acquisition, activation, and retention
• Track metrics (signups, CAC, conversion rates) and report weekly on what's moving the needle

Be the Voice of the Customer

• Conduct user research to deeply understand our ICP (product managers, designers, PMMs, students)
• Partner with founders on product-market fit insights from customer conversations
• Refine messaging and positioning based on user feedback

Who You Are

A Scrappy Executor

• You have a "roll-up-your-sleeves" mentality and can pass the "button-clicker test"
• Comfortable with ambiguity and ruthless prioritization
• Biased to action—you ship imperfect v1s and iterate fast
• Self-directed with high ownership—you don't need hand-holding

An Exceptional Communicator

• Strong writer and editor who can craft clear, concise, compelling copy
• Can turn raw inputs into crisp posts, emails, and scripts that resonate with sophisticated users
• Visually inclined with a good "eye for design"—handy with Spine, CapCut, and other tools to create appealing materials quickly

Deeply Curious & Data-Driven

• Eager to learn and experiment across various marketing channels
• Data-curious but also creative—you can analyze funnels and write compelling copy
• Quick learner who can demo the product credibly

Experience & Background

• 0-3 years experience (recent grad or early career switcher) with a builder mentality
• Bonus: Experience with developer tools, SaaS, or AI products
• Nice-to-haves: Ran a personal newsletter, community, or social presence; startup internship experience; basic SEO, Webflow, HubSpot/Mailchimp/Apollo knowledge

What Success Looks Like

Within 7 Days (Launch Week):

• Launch execution: Drive awareness and signups for Monday's launch across all channels
• Content blitz: Publish 10+ pieces of launch content (social posts, demo videos, email campaigns)
• Outbound surge:100+ targeted DMs/emails to ICP during launch week
• Early traction: Generate 50+ signups from launch activities and book 15+ qualified calls

Within 30 Days:

• Launch momentum sustained: Execute 2-3 additional feature launches with coordinated GTM campaigns
• Channel foundation: Publishing cadence established (3-5 pieces/week), analytics live, repeatable outbound system running
• Pipeline building:20+ qualified calls per week consistently, first enterprise conversations initiated
• User growth: Contribute to 500+ new signups through coordinated launch and growth activities

Within 60 Days:

• Repeatable growth engine: 2-3 channels showing consistent results with clear ROI metrics
• Enterprise pipeline:5-10 enterprise prospects in active conversations with clear next steps
• Content library:50+ pieces of high-quality content demonstrating product value across use cases
• User milestone progress: On track to hit 2,500+ total users (25% of year-end goal)

Within 90 Days:

• Predictable pipeline system: Content + outbound + community generating 30+ qualified calls/week
• Enterprise traction:3-5 enterprises in pilot/onboarding phase with clear path to full deployment
• Launch playbook: Proven repeatable process for feature launches that drives measurable user growth
• User milestone achievement:5,000+ total users (50% of year-end goal) with clear path to 10K
• Brand presence: Spine AI recognized in target communities (Product Hunt, LinkedIn, design/PM circles) as the go-to AI thinking workspace

Key Metrics to Track Weekly:

• Signups: New user registrations (target: 200+/week by end of Q1)
• Enterprise pipeline: Number of enterprise prospects in each stage (target: 10+ active conversations by end of Q1)
• Engagement: DAU/MAU ratio, canvas creation rate, template usage
• Content performance: Views, engagement rate, conversion to signup
• Outbound efficiency: Response rate, meeting booking rate, cost per qualified lead

What We Offer

• Equity: 0.75-1.25% with 4-year vesting, 1-year cliff
• Salary: $90K-$120K base (SF)
• High Impact: Shape our brand and GTM strategy as employee #7
• Direct Founder Access: Work closely with the founding team daily
• YC Network: Access to the YC ecosystem for learning and growth

How to Apply

Apply on Work at a Startup or email founders with subject "Founding Growth Marketer - [Your Name]". Include:

• Resume
• 1-2 examples of your hustle (social campaign, content piece, side project)
• One paragraph on why you'