Overview & Objectives

This capstone module is the culmination of the Growth Marketing course, where you will synthesize and apply frameworks from all previous modules into a single, practical growth strategy. You will step into the role of Head of Growth for a B2B SaaS business and develop a comprehensive Growth Marketing Plan that addresses real-world challenges. The capstone is designed to be deeply practical and creative – prioritizing strategic thinking and clear communication over perfect data or polish. By completing this project, you will:

• Apply course concepts (GTM strategy, full-funnel marketing, experimentation, team design, etc.) in a real or simulated business context.
• Create an end-to-end growth marketing plan that aligns with business goals and is ready to present to executives and stakeholders.
• Demonstrate your ability to think strategically across go-to-market, demand generation, channel planning, forecasting, and cross-functional alignment.
• Receive feedback (peer and/or instructor) on the clarity, logic, alignment, and creativity of your plan, mirroring real executive review.

Key Objective: Develop a presentation-ready growth strategy that convincingly addresses the selected business’s growth challenge, using frameworks and insights from previous modules (e.g., TAM/SAM analysis, double-funnel strategy, ICP definition, A/B testing, personalization, ABM, etc.).

Capstone Project Options

You have two ways to approach the capstone, depending on your context and interest:

Option 1: Apply to Your Own Company – If you work at a B2B SaaS company (or one you’re familiar with), you may create a growth marketing plan for your actual business. Ensure you can access enough information about your company’s product, market, and performance to ground your strategy in reality. This option lets you tackle a real challenge your company faces, making the project immediately relevant to your work. (Example: You choose your startup which is struggling with user retention, and you craft a plan to improve it using course frameworks.)

Option 2: Solve a Fictional Company Scenario – Alternatively, choose from one of five fictional B2B SaaS company scenarios provided below. Each scenario represents a different stage and challenge (entering a new market, launching a product, declining retention, etc.) to test your ability to adapt frameworks to diverse situations. Pick the scenario that interests you most. Assume the role of Head of Growth for that company and use the given context to build your strategy. (Example: You pick a scenario about a SaaS with plateauing growth and create a plan to find new growth levers.)

Available Fictional Scenarios (Option 2):

(Each scenario includes background context and a unique growth challenge. You can further embellish details as needed.)

• Scenario A: FinTech SaaS Entering a New Market – FinCred is a mid-stage fintech SaaS offering credit risk analytics to banks. After success in North America, they plan to enter the European market. Challenge: Develop a GTM strategy for a new region with different regulations and competitors. There’s pressure to generate pipeline quickly in this unfamiliar market.
  • Background: Established NA customer base, strong sales-led motion, considering a partner channel in Europe.
  • Primary Goal: Achieve first-year ARR of $5M in Europe by building brand awareness and local partnerships.
• Scenario B: HR Tech SaaS Launching a New Product – TalentHub provides an HR platform for SMBs. They’re launching a new AI-powered recruiting module. Challenge: Create a product launch growth plan that drives adoption of the new module among existing customers and new prospects.
  • Background: Product-led growth to date with freemium model; now expanding product suite.
  • Primary Goal: Successfully cross-sell the module to 30% of current customers within 6 months and acquire 100 new customers for the module.
• Scenario C: Cybersecurity SaaS with Declining Retention – SecureIt Co. sells cybersecurity monitoring software to mid-market companies. They’ve seen churn rates rising over the last 2 quarters. Challenge: Devise a retention and expansion focused growth strategy to improve customer lifetime value (LTV) and reduce churn.
  • Background: Strong inbound pipeline and new customer growth, but customer success and product usage are lagging.
  • Primary Goal: Reduce churn from 15% to 8% annually and increase upsell revenue by 20% by improving customer engagement and support.
• Scenario D: Marketing Analytics SaaS Plateauing in Growth – MarketMetrics is a marketing analytics SaaS that experienced rapid growth in its first 3 years but has now hit a growth plateau. Challenge: Identify new growth levers and channels to reignite acquisition and reach a new segment or market.
  • Background: Core user base in tech startups via content marketing and SEO; considering moving upmarket to enterprise clients.
  • Primary Goal: Increase monthly lead volume by 50% and penetrate the enterprise segment (closing at least 5 enterprise deals in the next year).
• Scenario E: Collaboration SaaS Facing Stiff Competition – TeamSync offers team collaboration and project management tools. A larger competitor’s entry has started eroding their market share. Challenge: Re-position and differentiate TeamSync in the market and adjust the growth strategy to defend against the competitor.
  • Background: Historically sales-led with a focus on a niche (creative agencies); competitor is product-led and aggressive on pricing.
  • Primary Goal: Protect existing customer base (no net revenue churn) and win 50 new customers from competitor in the next 2 quarters through differentiated positioning and targeted campaigns.

Feel free to tailor additional details for your chosen scenario (e.g., assume size of team, budget constraints, specific product features) to inform your strategy. The more you “own” the scenario, the more concrete your plan will be.

Your Role: Acting as Head of Growth

No matter which option you choose, you are assuming the role of Head of Growth for the company. You’ll be responsible for developing a comprehensive growth marketing strategy that addresses the company’s challenges and goals. Imagine you will ultimately present this plan to the company’s executive team (CEO, CMO, Head of Sales, etc.) and key stakeholders to get their buy-in.

Think of this as both a strategic exercise and a communication exercise:

• Strategic Thinking: Use data and frameworks to inform your decisions. Apply concepts from previous modules explicitly – for example, use the TAM/SAM/SOM approach from the GTM module to size your market, the double-funnel model for balancing demand generation vs. capture, the ICE framework for prioritizing experiments, ABM tactics for high-value accounts, personalization strategies for engagement, etc. This is your chance to connect the dots from everything in the course.
• Communication: Structure your plan in a clear, persuasive way. Aim to tell a story: define the problem, propose solutions using evidence or logic, and show how these solutions tie to the company’s objectives. You’ll likely create a slide deck or written narrative that could be handed to an executive – so focus on clarity, brevity where possible, and impact. Executives should quickly grasp your key points and see the reasoning behind your strategy.

Important: Don’t worry if you don’t have “perfect” information for forecasts or if certain assumptions have to be made (especially in fictional scenarios) – state your assumptions and focus on the why behind your choices. We’re evaluating your thought process and how well you leverage course concepts, not whether your revenue number is exact.

Capstone Deliverables & Framework

Your comprehensive growth marketing plan will span seven key dimensions (sections). Below is a breakdown of each required component, including what to cover, suggestions for format, and links to relevant frameworks from earlier modules. You can structure your final output (deck or document) with one section per component. Aim to integrate them into one cohesive strategy – each part should relate to and support the others (for example, your ICP informs your channel choices; your experiments test assumptions in your GTM strategy; etc.).

Plan Assembly Checklist (Scaffolded Build)

Use this as your step-by-step assembly flow. Treat each item as a “save point” you can complete and review before moving on.

• Choose Option 1 (your company) or Option 2 (scenario A–E)
• Define ICP + positioning (Section 1)
• Build full-funnel strategy (Section 2)
• Draft experimentation roadmap (Section 3)
• Define team + operating model (Section 4)
• Map channels + campaign tactics (Section 5)
• Do funnel math + forecast (Section 6)
• Create executive narrative + deck outline (Section 7)
• Final pass: alignment + consistency check (does every section reinforce the same ICP and objective?)

Presentation Option (Video)

Optional: Record a 10–15 minute walkthrough of your deck (screen recording + voice). The goal is executive-level clarity and narrative, not perfect production.

1. Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy

Define who you’re targeting and how you will approach the market. This section sets the foundation for your plan by clarifying the market opportunity and your strategic focus. Leverage what you learned in the GTM modules about TAM analysis, segmentation, and GTM models. Include:

• TAM, SAM, SOM: Define your Total Addressable Market, Serviceable Available Market, and Serviceable Obtainable Market for the product. If using a scenario, make educated estimates. Format Tip: Present this as a few bullet points or a simple table – e.g., “TAM: 50,000 mid-market companies globally ($5B/year); SAM: focusing on 5,000 in Europe ($500M); SOM: aim to capture 200 ($20M) in 1-2 years.”
• Segmentation & ICP: Identify your key segments within that market and outline your Ideal Customer Profile(s). Who are the best-fit customers (industry, company size, buyer persona, etc.)? Tie this to the scenario’s context or your company’s current best customers. Format Tip: Provide a short profile for 1-2 ICPs (e.g., “IT Directors at mid-market banks (500-1000 employees) seeking better risk analytics”). This should explicitly connect to what was learned about segmentation and ICP in earlier classes (remember the ICP worksheet and TAM segmentation frameworks).
• Positioning & Value Proposition: Craft a clear positioning statement or key messaging for your product in this market. How will you differentiate (especially if the scenario involves competition)? Ensure this aligns with the pain points of your ICP. (One or two sentences or bullets on your core value prop and tagline are enough.)
• GTM Motion: State the primary Go-to-Market approach you’ll use: e.g., product-led growth (PLG), sales-led, marketing-led, or a hybrid. Based on your target customer and product, justify why this motion fits. (Recall Module 1’s discussion of product-led vs. sales-led strategies; for instance, a low-price, self-serve tool might go PLG with free trials, whereas an enterprise solution might need a sales-led ABM approach.) Mention if you’ll use inside sales, field sales, channel/partner sales, or self-serve as part of your motion.

Ensure your GTM strategy logically sets up the rest of your plan. For example, if you identify two ICP segments (say, SMB and Enterprise), your channel mix and team structure later should address how you’ll market to both.

2. Full-Funnel Revenue Strategy (Demand Creation & Demand Capture)

Outline your plan to generate and capture demand across the entire funnel, from awareness to closed deal (and even expansion if relevant). This is where you detail how you will attract leads (top-of-funnel) and how you will convert them (mid- and bottom-of-funnel) – tying marketing efforts to sales outcomes. Leverage the “double funnel” framework from the GTM module (one funnel for awareness/demand gen and one for demand capture). Cover:

• Demand Creation (Top-of-Funnel): Describe strategies for building awareness and interest in your target market. How will you create demand among your ICP? Consider content marketing, thought leadership, PR, webinars, social media, partnerships, etc. If applicable, mention an always-on marketing approach (continuous campaigns) or big-bang product launches, depending on the scenario. Format Tip: A bulleted list of key programs is fine (e.g., “1) Launch a content hub and SEO strategy around topics X and Y, 2) Host quarterly webinars addressing pain point Z, 3) Co-market with partner companies to tap into their audience.”).*
• Demand Capture (Mid & Bottom-of-Funnel): Explain how you’ll capture active demand and nurture interested leads towards purchase. This often includes performance marketing (SEM/search ads targeting high-intent keywords, remarketing), strong CTAs on your site, lead nurturing email sequences, free trial or demo programs, and sales outreach for qualified leads. Connect this with the sales process: e.g., define the journey from an MQL (marketing-qualified lead) to SQL (sales-qualified) to opportunity. Format Tip: You might present a simple flow or list: “Inbound funnel: traffic -> content download (MQL) -> nurture emails -> qualification call (SQL) -> sales pipeline. Outbound funnel: target account list -> outreach sequence -> meeting booked (SQL)...”*
• Integration & Alignment: Briefly note how you will align these two “funnels” or sets of activities. For instance, ensure your brand-awareness campaigns (demand creation) are feeding the retargeting and sales follow-ups (demand capture). Refer to earlier lessons on aligning marketing and sales – perhaps you set up regular meetings or shared KPIs to ensure smooth hand-offs. If using both product-led and sales-led tactics, clarify how they support each other (e.g., a free trial (PLG) that is followed up by a sales call for enterprise users).

Remember to ground this in the scenario: e.g., if the challenge is entering a new market, demand creation might focus heavily on brand awareness in that region; if it’s declining retention, your “funnel” might extend into customer success and expansion (post-sale touchpoints). Show that you can tailor the full-funnel approach to the company’s specific needs.

3. Experimentation Plan (Testing Roadmap & Metrics)

Growth marketers continuously test and learn. In this section, lay out an experimentation roadmap: key experiments or initiatives you plan to test in order to validate assumptions and optimize results across the funnel. This demonstrates a data-driven, iterative mindset (as emphasized in the Performance Tracking and Growth Levers modules). Include:

• Key Experiments or Hypotheses: Identify at least 3-5 specific experiments you want to run. These could be related to any part of your strategy – e.g., “Test a new onboarding email sequence to improve free-trial-to-paid conversion,” “A/B test homepage messaging emphasizing X vs Y value proposition,” “Experiment with a referral program to drive viral growth,” or “Test LinkedIn Ads targeting a new segment to gauge response.” Each should tie to a metric (what are you trying to improve or learn?).
• Metrics & KPIs for Tests: For each experiment, state the key metric or KPI you will measure. This might be conversion rate, click-through rate, CAC, retention rate, etc., depending on the test. These should connect to the core metrics you learned about in the analytics module (e.g., CAC, LTV, MQL-to-SQL conversion). If relevant, mention setting up dashboards or using analytics tools to track these (reflecting the data-driven decision making lessons).
• Prioritization & Roadmap: Explain how you’ll prioritize and schedule these experiments. You might reference the ICE framework (Impact, Confidence, Effort) from the Growth Levers module to rank ideas, focusing first on high-impact, low-effort tests. Present a rough timeline or order – e.g., “Q1: run pricing page A/B test and new webinar campaign (to drive early pipeline); Q2: double down on winner + test new channel (partner webinar)...” etc. The idea is to show a continuous improvement plan, not just one-off efforts.
• Learning Plan: (Optional) Note how you will document learnings and iterate. For example, “If the LinkedIn Ads test yields a CAC under $X, we will scale that channel; if not, we’ll pivot those resources to SEO.” This ensures your plan is not static, but adaptive – a key mindset from the course.

Format Tip: You can summarize the experiments in a small table or bullet list: each experiment with its hypothesis, metric, and expected timeframe. Emphasize an agile approach: testing ideas in small pilots, measuring results, and scaling what works (just as you’ve practiced in module exercises).

4. Cross-Functional Growth Team Design

Describe how you would design the growth team and cross-functional collaboration needed to execute this plan. Growth doesn’t happen in isolation – this section shows you understand the roles, responsibilities, and handoffs between teams (marketing, sales, product, customer success, etc.). Tie this to the GTM operating model concepts and alignment frameworks discussed previously (for instance, recall how we looked at aligning Sales & Marketing, or how ABM requires tight coordination). Include:

• Team Structure & Roles: Outline the key members or skill sets on your growth team and broader supporting team. For example: “Growth Team will consist of a Growth Lead (you), a Content Marketing Manager, a Demand Gen Specialist, and a Data Analyst. We will also work closely with Sales (one SDR and one Account Executive dedicated to this campaign) and Product for technical support (e.g., implementing in-app prompts).” If the scenario is larger, you might involve Customer Success Managers (for retention efforts) or Partner Managers (if using partner channels).
• Responsibilities & Ownership: Clearly state who owns what part of the funnel. E.g., “Marketing owns top-of-funnel lead generation (MQL targets), Sales owns mid-funnel conversion (SQL to Closed Won), Product owns in-app engagement metrics. We define a Service Level Agreement: Marketing will deliver X qualified leads per month, Sales will follow up within 48 hours,” etc. If doing ABM (Account-Based Marketing) for instance, mention the joint ownership of target accounts by sales and marketing. Use concepts from the team alignment and ABM modules – such as shared KPIs or an account squad approach for big clients.
• Handoffs & Collaboration: Describe the processes for cross-functional work. How will Marketing and Sales coordinate on leads? How will feedback from Sales or CS get back to Marketing to adjust campaigns? Perhaps you’ll have weekly Growth stand-up meetings, shared dashboards (from the analytics module) that all teams monitor, or a project management tool to track campaign execution (as discussed in the campaign management module). The goal is to ensure nothing falls through the cracks – every lead, experiment, or customer touchpoint has someone accountable.
• Culture of Experimentation: (Optional, but shows maturity) Note how you’ll foster a mindset of learning in the team. For example, “We will institute a bi-weekly ‘growth experiment review’ meeting with marketing, sales, and product to review results and brainstorm new ideas”. This highlights course themes of cross-team learning and continuous improvement.

Format Tip: You could illustrate this section with an org chart or a simple diagram showing teams and handoffs, or just use sub-bullets by team (Marketing Team, Sales Team, etc. with their roles). The key is that an executive can see you’ve thought about who will execute the plan and how they’ll work together, not just what to do. This is crucial for stakeholder confidence.

5. Channel Mix & Campaign Tactics

Specify the marketing channels and tactics you will use to reach your audience and achieve your goals – and how you’ll tailor your approach in those channels (including any personalization or innovative tactics). This section translates your strategy into concrete action plans in each marketing channel. It should reflect learnings from modules like Managing Campaigns & Channels, Personalization at Scale, and even Partnership & Ecosystem Growth if relevant. Include:

• Primary Channel Selection: List the main channels you will invest in and why they make sense for your ICP and goals. For example: Content Marketing/SEO, LinkedIn Ads, Email Marketing, Webinars, Partner Marketing, Account-Based Marketing outreach, Community/Events, etc. If the scenario is enterprise-focused, you might include ABM and events; if it’s PLG with a broad market, maybe SEO and viral loops. Tie back to your earlier segmentation: e.g., “Our target buyers spend time on LinkedIn and industry forums, so we’ll focus on those; plus, our SEO keyword research shows an opportunity to capture demand via search.”
• Channel-by-Channel Tactics: For each chosen channel, give 1-2 key tactics or campaign ideas. For instance:
  • Content: “Publish 1 thought leadership article per week addressing [ICP pain point], share via LinkedIn.”
  • Email: “Nurture sequence of 5 emails for new leads, with personalized case studies by industry.”
  • Paid Ads: “Run retargeting ads offering a free trial to site visitors (personalize ads by use-case).”
  • Partners: “Co-host a webinar with {Partner Company} to tap into their audience, sharing leads.”
  • Personalization: “Implement dynamic website content: recognize returning prospects and show them case studies relevant to their industry (drawing on Personalization at Scale module tactics).”
  • Highlight any innovative or creative tactics to show your creativity (maybe an unconventional channel like a niche community, a referral incentive program, an interactive tool as a lead magnet, etc.). Keep it realistic to the scenario’s context.
• Media Plan & Budget Allocation: (High-level) If applicable, mention how you would allocate budget or effort across channels. E.g., “60% of budget to LinkedIn Ads targeting our ICP, 20% to content creation, 20% to events/partner marketing”. This shows you can prioritize. If you have limited budget in the scenario, indicate where you’ll focus for best ROI.
• Personalization & Segmentation Strategy: Explain how you will tailor messages to different segments or stages of the buyer’s journey. For instance, “Using segmentation, we’ll personalize email content by industry (as learned in Personalization module) and use behavior triggers – e.g., if a lead views the pricing page twice, trigger a personalized outreach.” The goal is to avoid one-size-fits-all marketing and demonstrate intelligent use of data for relevance (echoing the personalization and automation concepts covered earlier).
• Channel Integration: Note how these channels will work together. Multi-channel campaigns are more effective when synchronized. For example, “After a prospect attends our webinar (event channel), they enter a tailored email nurture, and our sales team gets notified to follow up personally – a coordinated 1-2 punch.” If you plan an Account-Based Marketing approach, mention how multiple touches (ads, email, LinkedIn messages, direct mail perhaps) coordinate for those target accounts. This integrates knowledge from the ABM strategy module about multi-touch campaigns.

Format Tip: This section can be presented as a bullet list of channels with sub-bullets for key tactics. You could also make a table with columns for “Channel”, “Tactics”, “Owner” (tying back to the team), and “Goal/KPI”. For example: Channel = SEO Content, Tactic = 5 new articles targeting keywords X (Owner: Content Marketer, KPI: Organic traffic + blog signups). Keep it readable and focused on the most important channels (3-5 channels is fine; you don’t need to cover every possible channel, just the ones that matter and why).

6. Forecasting & Goal Setting

Now that you’ve outlined the strategy and tactics, translate them into concrete goals and a simple forecast. This section should provide quantifiable targets (and the assumptions behind them) for key metrics like pipeline generated, conversion rates, and ultimately revenue. The aim is to show the expected impact of your plan and ensure it’s aligned with the company’s business targets (as a Head of Growth, you must connect marketing plans to revenue outcomes). Include:

• Pipeline & Revenue Targets: Based on the company’s objectives (given in scenario or your own company’s goals), set targets for what your plan will deliver. E.g., “Generate 500 MQLs in Q1, of which we expect 150 to become SQLs and 50 to convert to customers, resulting in $1M in new ARR for the quarter.” If retention or expansion is part of the strategy (Scenario C, for example), include targets like “Improve renewal rate to 92% this year, adding $500k in upsells.” Make sure these numbers tie back to your TAM/SOM and overall goals stated earlier.
• Key Metrics & Funnel Assumptions: Outline the key metrics you will track and the assumptions used to arrive at the targets. This might look like: “Assuming a 2% visitor-to-lead conversion on our website and a 20% lead-to-customer conversion with an average deal size of $10k, we forecast… (the resulting revenue).” List assumptions for conversion rates at each funnel stage, CAC, or marketing spend needed. If you have historical data (for your real company option) or industry benchmarks, use those to justify your assumptions. For example, “Historically our webinar campaigns convert 10% of attendees to pipeline, so using that benchmark…”. This demonstrates data-driven planning as covered in the Performance Tracking module (e.g., using CAC, LTV, funnel metrics to plan).
• Timeline & Milestones: Indicate the time frame for these goals and any interim milestones. A common approach is quarterly goals or a 6-12 month timeline for the strategy rollout. For example: “By Month 3, achieve first 10 paying customers from the new product launch; By Month 6, have 30 customers and $200k ARR; By end of Year, reach $1M ARR from this initiative.” If multi-phase, you might say Phase 1 (first 3 months) focus on X, Phase 2 scale Y. Include any key review points (e.g., “After Q2, re-evaluate channel mix based on results.”).
• Stretch Goals or Scenarios (Optional): To show strategic thinking, you could mention a best-case vs base-case scenario. E.g., “Base goal = $1M ARR in 12 mo; Stretch goal = $1.5M if our product-led funnel accelerates beyond expectations.” This isn’t required, but it demonstrates you understand forecasting is not exact and you’re prepared to adjust.

Format Tip: Presenting a simple funnel math or goal table can be effective. For example: a table or slide listing # Leads -> # Opportunities -> # Deals -> Revenue with conversion percentages at each step. Or a few bullet points with the numeric goals. Remember to keep the focus on the logic: even if your numbers are estimates, show how they align with the strategy and the business target (executives will look for this alignment!).

7. Executive & Stakeholder Alignment Plan

Finally, outline how you will align with stakeholders and present your strategy for buy-in. Essentially, this is about packaging your work into a compelling presentation or narrative and planning for any stakeholder engagement needed to execute it. This section draws on your communication skills and understanding of internal alignment (something touched on in many modules, since any strategy needs buy-in from sales, execs, etc.). Include:

• Executive Summary & Narrative: Plan to create a presentation deck or document that summarizes all the above sections in a clear, executive-friendly way. Typically, this would be a slide deck (around 10-15 slides) or a written narrative (4-6 pages) that you could present in ~15 minutes. Ensure it tells a cohesive story: start with the challenge, then your analysis (market, ICP), your strategy (what you’ll do), and the expected results & ask (what you need, or what success looks like). Format Tip: Mention that you will have a “presentation-ready deck”; you might even list the tentative outline of your presentation in bullets (it shows planning). For instance: Slide 1 – The Opportunity & Challenge, Slides 2-3 – Market & ICP insight, Slides 4-6 – Strategy Overview (with GTM, funnel, channels), Slide 7 – Experimentation & Team, Slide 8 – Forecast Outcomes, Slide 9 – Next Steps/Requests.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Identify any key stakeholders and how you will involve or align them. For example, “Work closely with the Head of Sales to set the SQL criteria and sales playbook (so they are bought in), and present the plan to the Executive Team to secure approval for the budget. Also loop in Customer Success lead regarding the retention tactics.” Essentially, describe the steps you’d take to ensure cross-functional agreement: maybe you’ll circulate a draft to sales/product leaders for input (so you incorporate their feedback before the big meeting), or hold a workshop with the team to refine tactics. This shows emotional intelligence and leadership – you’re not just dropping a plan on people, you’re bringing them along (a concept implicit in the stakeholder alignment theme of the course).
• Final Deliverable Format: State how you will deliver the plan in the course context. Options include: a slide deck submission, a live presentation (via video call or recording) to the class/instructor, or a detailed document. We recommend a concise slide deck with speaking notes for clarity. If you are working in a team, you may choose to do a live pitch to the instructors/peers for added realism, with each team member speaking to their part of the plan. Clarify what format you’ll use.
• Narrative and Storytelling: (Optional guidance) Remember to use storytelling techniques from our marketing training even in this internal presentation: e.g., start with a compelling insight or vision (“Imagine if… we could achieve 3X growth by entering Europe…”), use visuals or charts for emphasis (perhaps a graph of projected growth, or a visual of your funnel), and pre-empt questions (like risks or alternatives considered). Demonstrating strong communication will boost stakeholder confidence in your plan.

The end goal is that you have a polished strategy and presentation that could be delivered to a C-level executive audience. For this capstone submission, ensure your slides or document are well-structured, not cluttered, and highlight the most important points of each section you developed. If this were a real job scenario, you’d be seeking approval and resources to execute – so make the ask clear (e.g., budget required, or simply buy-in to proceed). In our course, this final presentation is how your work will be evaluated, so put effort into making it both informative and persuasive.

Execution Guidelines (Team vs Individual, Format, Tools, Timeline)

Individual or Team Work: You may complete the capstone individually or in a team (2-4 participants per team recommended). If you work in a team, treat it as a mini growth team:

• Coordinate and divide the work: for example, one person can lead on GTM research, another on channel tactics, another on forecasting, etc., then collaborate on integrating everything and the final presentation. Ensure everyone contributes and understands all parts (you might simulate a cross-functional team with one acting as “marketing lead”, one as “data analyst”, etc.).
• Schedule regular check-ins to share progress (just like a real team aligning marketing and sales, keep yourselves aligned!). Use collaborative docs or a shared Notion page to build the content together.
• In the final presentation, each team member can present the portion they worked on. This can make the presentation engaging and also mirror how different department leads might present their part of a strategy.
• Important: Teams should still cover all required components thoroughly. Working together doesn’t mean splitting into silos; rather, use each other’s strengths to improve the overall plan. If working alone, you simply do all these tasks yourself – but you might seek feedback from a colleague or peer as you go (peer feedback is part of the process either way).

Recommended Deliverable Format: We encourage delivering your final capstone as a slide deck (e.g., in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Notion deck) because it forces clarity and conciseness. A deck also is easily reviewed by peers/instructors, and you can use speaker notes to elaborate points as needed. Aim for about 10-15 slides as a guideline (it’s okay if a few more, but avoid unnecessary fluff). If you prefer, a written report is acceptable (approx. 5-10 pages not counting images/appendices), but ensure it’s well-structured with clear headings (following the 7 components above) and maybe some visuals or charts to break up text. In either format:

• Use headings and subheadings (as we have outlined) to clearly label each section of your plan.
• Include visuals if they add value: e.g., charts of TAM, a funnel diagram, an org chart for your team, etc. (Not required, but a simple graphic can convey a lot. If you’re comfortable, create basic diagrams or use templates provided.)
• Be executive-friendly: use short, impactful statements rather than long paragraphs on your slides. In a written format, keep paragraphs short and use bullet lists for readability (much like this brief!). You can assume the audience (instructors/peers) is familiar with marketing concepts, so you don’t need to re-explain basic terms – focus on your application of them.
• Ensure the final deliverable itself is presentable: proof-read for clarity, check any numbers for consistency, and make sure formatting is clean. This is a chance to showcase professional communication skills.

Optional Tools & Templates: To help you execute quickly, you can leverage templates or tools (feel free to adapt any from earlier modules or your own resources):

• TAM/SAM/SOM Calculator: A simple spreadsheet template to plug in numbers and get market size estimates. (We provided one in Module 2 – you can reuse that for market sizing.)
• ICP Persona Template: Use the worksheet from the ABM module to outline your Ideal Customer Profile (key attributes, pain points, messaging).
• Experiment Tracker: A template (like a Google Sheet or Notion table) with columns for Hypothesis, Test, Owner, Metric, Results – use this to plan and, if applicable, simulate results of your experiments.
• Channel Plan or Calendar: Consider using a calendar template for the 30-day campaign (as done in one exercise) to visualize when each tactic will run. It’s optional, but it can help ensure you have an actionable timeline.
• Forecast Model: We shared a “Growth Forecasting Worksheet” in the Capstone prep materials – use that or a similar spreadsheet to model your funnel (you might include a screenshot of the key part of this in your presentation to support your numbers).
• Presentation Template: If design isn’t your forte, use a clean slide template to plug in your content. We care more about substance than design, but a well-organized slide can help communicate your point. (Notion also has toggle lists and headings if you choose to write it here – just make sure it’s easy to follow.)

Using these tools is optional – they are there to make your life easier. The focus is on your thinking and strategy, not the specific template.

Project Timeline & Time Management: This capstone is meant to be a substantial project. We recommend breaking your work into stages and budgeting your time for each component, so you’re not rushed at the end:

• Stage 1: Choose Scenario & Gather Inputs (10%) – Day 1: Decide on Option 1 (own company) or which Scenario from Option 2. If needed, do quick research on the industry or gather internal data (e.g., current funnel metrics from your company, competitor info from scenario context). Time: ~2-3 hours (including reading the scenario and related course notes).
• Stage 2: Market & Strategy Definition (25%) – Days 2-3: Focus on Sections 1 & 2 (GTM Strategy and Full-Funnel Strategy). These set the direction, so spend ample time formulating your ICP, positioning, and how you’ll drive demand. Time: ~4-5 hours. You might iterate here – e.g., define ICP, then brainstorm demand gen ideas, then refine ICP, etc.
• Stage 3: Tactics & Team Design (25%) – Days 4-5: Develop Sections 3, 4 & 5 (Experimentation Plan, Team Design, Channel/Tactics). This is detailed work – list experiments, outline team roles, and choose specific channel plays. Time: ~4-5 hours. You may split this stage: one session for experiments, one for team, one for channel mix. If working in a team, each member can draft one part then review together.
• Stage 4: Forecasting & Goals (15%) – Day 6: Build out Section 6. Open up your spreadsheet and crunch the funnel math based on your strategy. Try different assumptions if needed to make sure goals are ambitious yet plausible. Time: ~2-3 hours. Don’t forget to double-check that the numbers make sense with what you proposed (e.g., if you said you’d do high-touch ABM to 50 accounts, don’t forecast 500 new customers in one quarter).
• Stage 5: Prepare Presentation & Narrative (20%) – Days 7-8: Create your slides or write up the document, incorporating all sections in a logical flow. Aim to finish a draft of the presentation. Time: ~4 hours to assemble content into slides and another ~2 hours to refine. This is where you make sure each section ties together well, and add visual aids or charts as needed.
• Stage 6: Review & Polish (5%) – Day 9: Step away then re-read your plan with fresh eyes (or have a peer/friend review it). Refine for clarity, fix any inconsistencies, and ensure it addresses the original challenge well. Time: ~1-2 hours. If in a team, rehearse who says what if you’ll present live. If individual, practice explaining your slides out loud – it often reveals any confusing parts to fix.

(The above is a general guide for pacing – adjust as needed based on your schedule. The key is to not leave any major component to the last minute. Each section builds on the previous, so tackling them in order helps, but you can overlap tasks if inspiration strikes earlier for a later section.)

By following a structured approach and managing time, participants typically spend 15-20 hours total on the capstone project spread over one to two weeks. Remember, quality is better than quantity: it’s fine if your final deck is brief as long as it hits all the points with well-thought-out analysis.

Evaluation Criteria and Review Process

Your capstone will be evaluated on how effectively you’ve applied course concepts and how well you communicate your strategy. Both peers and instructors (depending on course setup) will review your work. Below is the grading rubric and the peer feedback framework to guide those reviews:

Grading Rubric

Your submission will be assessed on several dimensions. Use this rubric as a checklist before submitting to ensure you’ve covered everything. Each criterion will be rated on quality, typically on a scale (for example 1-5, where 5 = exceeds expectations). The main areas of focus include:

• Clarity of Communication: Is the growth plan presented in a clear, concise, and coherent manner? Reviewers will look for a logical structure (did you follow the requested outline?), easy-to-follow visuals or arguments, and an ability to distill complex ideas into clear takeaways. Tip: An exec should grasp your strategy quickly. Avoid jargon without explanation and ensure each section of your plan clearly answers “what are we doing and why”.
• Strategic Logic & Depth: Are your recommendations well-reasoned and backed by frameworks, data, or logical assumptions? This covers the critical thinking aspect – e.g., did you use TAM data to justify focusing on a segment, or cite a conversion rate assumption from industry benchmarks? Are the tactics chosen likely to achieve the goals stated? Reviewers will check for alignment between problem and solution (e.g., if retention is the issue, did you allocate enough strategy toward customer marketing?), and whether you demonstrated understanding of best practices from the course (like balancing demand gen vs demand capture, using the right KPIs, etc.). Essentially, how strong is the why behind each part of your plan?
• Completeness & Alignment: Does the plan cover all seven required components comprehensively, and do those components align with each other? This is about the holistic nature of the strategy. The rubric will reward submissions that show consistency (for example, ICP, messaging, channels, and metrics all target the same strategic goal). Missing or underdeveloped sections will affect this score. Think of alignment also as connecting to the scenario: a great plan directly addresses the scenario’s challenge and company context at every step, rather than just generic ideas.
• Creativity & Innovation: Does the plan demonstrate creativity in approach, and an ability to think beyond “cookie-cutter” solutions? We value original ideas – whether it’s a clever campaign concept, an inventive way to leverage a channel, a novel experiment, or a unique positioning angle. Being creative also means tailoring known frameworks to your specific situation in an innovative way (not just copying examples from class). Surprise us with at least one memorable or well-differentiated idea that shows you thought deeply about how to make the strategy stand out. Note: Creativity should still be realistic – pie-in-the-sky ideas need solid justification – but don’t be afraid to propose something new as long as it ties back to the strategy.
• Impact & Feasibility: (Secondary, but considered) Does the plan, if executed, seem likely to drive significant growth for the business? And is it realistic given the company’s stage/resources (as described)? While we won’t have actual outcomes, reviewers will judge if your goals are appropriately ambitious yet attainable and if the scope of work seems manageable. For example, a plan that promises 10x growth via a single channel with no clear execution plan might be marked down on feasibility, whereas a plan that targets, say, 50% growth with well-distributed efforts will seem more credible. This criterion ties together the forecasting with the strategy – showing you set smart goals.
• Presentation Quality: (for live or deck presentations) Is the final artifact professional and engaging? This includes slide design or document formatting, flow of the presentation, and how well key points are emphasized. Since this is a capstone on marketing, communication quality matters. Even if you aren’t a designer, organization and consistency (fonts, colors, avoiding typos) will be noted. If doing a live presentation, factors would include delivery, timing, and how you handle Q&A (if applicable). For a submitted deck, it’s more about the readability and visual clarity.

Each area can be scored, but more importantly, qualitative feedback will be given to help you understand strengths and areas to improve. The rubric’s emphasis is roughly: Clarity & Logic (40%), Alignment & Completeness (30%), Creativity (20%), Professional Delivery (10%). (These percentages are guidelines – the idea is clarity of thought and sound strategy are the most important parts.)

Peer Feedback Guidelines

After submissions, you will exchange projects with peers for review (if applicable in this course format). Providing constructive feedback is a great way to solidify your own understanding and help your classmates. When reviewing a peer’s capstone, use the rubric above and consider the following questions to structure your feedback:

• Clarity: Could you easily grasp the core strategy and recommendations? Note any sections that were confusing or lacked explanation. For instance, “The GTM strategy was clear, but the channel mix section felt a bit disconnected from the ICP – maybe adding a rationale for choosing those channels would help.” Highlight where they communicated well too (“The funnel diagram on slide 5 made the lead flow very easy to follow.”).
• Logic & Alignment: Do the recommendations make sense given the company’s challenge? Check if each part of the plan reinforces the goal. If something seems off (e.g., they focused on acquisition but the challenge was retention), politely point that out. Also, mention if they leveraged course frameworks well: “Great use of the ICE framework to prioritize experiments – it showed why you’d tackle onboarding first.” Or if something wasn’t backed up: “Consider explaining why you set the revenue goal at $2M – is that based on TAM or a past trend?”
• Creativity: What stood out as an innovative idea? Acknowledge any unique tactics or insights (“I loved the idea of a customer advisory board as part of the retention strategy – very creative way to engage users!”). If the plan feels too generic, suggest one creative addition. Encourage them to take a bit more risk or think differently where appropriate.
• Strengths & Areas for Improvement: Summarize one or two areas you thought they did exceptionally well (e.g., “Your presentation was extremely well-structured and easy to read – the executive summary at the start set the stage nicely.”) and one or two areas that could be improved (“Perhaps add a slide on potential risks and mitigation – an exec might ask about competition or budget constraints.”). Always be respectful and supportive – the goal is to help your peer improve, not to find faults for the sake of it.
• Questions: If something important is unclear or you’re curious about a choice they made, ask a question. This can prompt them to elaborate. For example, “How did you decide on focusing only on LinkedIn and not trying Google Ads? I was wondering if that was due to budget or past performance.” Questions can be a gentle way to point out a gap (if they didn’t address it, they’ll realize it’s a question to answer in their plan).

When giving feedback, frame it in a constructive way – use “I” statements and relate to your perspective (e.g., “As a reader, I found myself wanting more detail on X…”). Remember, you’ll also be receiving feedback, so treat others how you want to be treated. We have provided a peer review form (on Notion or a separate sheet) with these criteria to fill out for each peer review you do.

Incorporating Feedback: After peer review, you’ll have a chance to refine your project before final evaluation (if schedule permits). Pay attention especially to any common points raised by multiple reviewers. It’s not mandatory to implement all feedback, but consider it seriously – part of stakeholder alignment is responding to feedback constructively. Even simply clarifying a point in your presentation notes can address a peer’s comment.

Conclusion & Next Steps

This capstone is designed to be both a learning exercise and a portfolio-worthy deliverable. On completion, you should have a thorough growth strategy that you could actually use in a real company scenario. More importantly, you will have practiced the art of combining analytical thinking with creative strategy and communicating it effectively – which is the hallmark of a great growth marketer.

Remember: The focus is on strategic thinking and clear communication. We are less concerned with whether your plan “makes the company millions overnight” and more interested in why you chose your path and how you articulate it using course concepts. Use this opportunity to flex your strategic muscles, be bold with ideas, and have fun applying what you’ve learned to a realistic challenge.

When you’re ready, submit your final deck or document (export or share the Notion page as instructed) by the deadline. If doing a live presentation, ensure you sign up for a slot and have your materials ready to share. We look forward to seeing the creative growth plans you come up with!

Good luck, and let’s grow! 🚀

Final Project 22.1: Capstone Submission - Evaluation Framework & Peer Review

Workshop 22.1: Kickoff - Understanding the Capstone & Scenario Selection

Workshop 22.2: Strategy Foundation - GTM, Market Analysis & Full-Funnel Planning

Workshop 22.3: Tactical Execution - Experiments, Team Design & Channel Strategy

Workshop 22.4: Business Planning - Forecasting, Goals & Stakeholder Alignment

Workshop 22.5: Preparation & Polish - Execution Guidelines & Review Readiness