1 min lesson
Stages 5-6 - Cross-functional panel & founder/values round
Work through this case: "The panel round explicitly tests 'voice-of-customer' instincts. What's the strongest way to demonstrate that in the room?" Say what you would do and why.
Step 1 of 2
The last two rounds decide whether the team wants to build the GTM org with you. The panel checks how you partner; the founder round checks whether you genuinely care.
Use this stage map to decide what evidence belongs in each round. Memorizing the order is the shallow version. For every stage, prepare one artifact, one story and one question that shows how you reason in the role.
The cross-functional panel may include GTM peers, sales engineering and Product. They're watching for a rep who multiplies the team, not a lone wolf who closes in isolation and leaves a mess for SEs and Product.
How you partner with sales engineering on technical evals
How you channel field feedback into the product roadmap
A time cross-functional teamwork won (or saved) a deal
That you'd share signal, not hoard it on a small team
Patterns you'd flag from lost deals and objections
How you'd turn a recurring buyer ask into a roadmap input
Why honest feedback beats happy-path anecdotes
An example where customer truth changed a product or pitch
The founder / values round screens for genuine passion, raw talent, curiosity and high agency on a flat, talent-dense team. Generic enthusiasm fails here. Sharp, specific opinions on Cursor and the AI-coding market are the currency.