On this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, hosts Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Parm Uppal, Chief Revenue Officer at Chainguard, to unpack what it actually takes to become a "first-pick" CRO, the person VCs and founders call first when they need world-class go-to-market leadership. Parm shares hard-won lessons from his career at AppDynamics, DataRobot, Benchling, Luminary, and now Chainguard, covering:
- Why "develop down" beats "manage up" and how strong foundations make everything else easier
- Building internal champions and followship the right way
- The 3-stage framework for scaling revenue teams: product-market fit → repeatability → scale
- The "elephant, deer, and rabbits" method for structuring sales territories
- How his personal CRO scorecard cuts through inflated pipeline data in board meetings
- Mistakes made chasing hype cycles and picking startups at the wrong stage
- Why coachability and character are the hardest things to interview for
- Building a genuine CFO-CRO partnership and a common language with the board
- Why open-source software security is the next seismic shift as AI coding tools accelerate
If you're a sales leader, aspiring CRO, or founder building your go-to-market org, this conversation is a masterclass in leadership, hiring, and scaling with intention.
This episode is sponsored by Aurasell—intelligently automate every aspect of your sales cycle with the first AI-native, full-stack GTM platform. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with top revenue leaders and operators.
#SalesLeadership #CRO #GoToMarket #B2BSales #StartupGrowth #RevenueLeadership #SalesStrategy #Chainguard #VentureCapital #TechSales #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #OpenSourceSecurity #Leadership
Timestamps:
0:00 — Trailer
1:25 — Introduction & Guest Overview
2:07 — What Makes You a "First-Pick" CRO
3:52 — Authenticity, Internal Champions, and Developing Talent
12:29 — The Elephant, Deer, and Rabbits Framework
17:02 — Your Key Priorities in the First 90 Days
22:01 — Pain Now vs. Pain Later
25:08 — Hiring for Coachability and Character
29:47 — Balancing Managing Up and Managing Down
31:20 — Learning From Your Biggest Mistakes at DataRobot
34:47 — Why You Built Your Own CRO Scorecard
43:52 — Building Relationships With VCs and Boards
47:56 — What Makes Someone a True Internal Champion
51:36 — "Develop Down": The Philosophy Behind Everything
52:25 — Why You Left Benchling for Chainguard
59:59 — Closing & Final Thoughts
