A go-to-market strategy is the bridge between a product and revenue. Without a realistic GTM plan, even a great product stays a side project. Here's how to evaluate whether a startup actually knows how to reach customers.

Start with the customer, not the channel

The first question isn't "how will you market this?" It's "who exactly is the buyer, and how do they currently solve this problem?"

Strong founders can describe their ideal customer with specificity. Not "SMBs" but "marketing managers at B2B SaaS companies with 20-50 employees who currently track campaigns in spreadsheets."

If the founder can't describe the buyer in concrete terms, the GTM strategy is built on sand.

Look for evidence of customer conversations

Ask: "How many potential customers have you spoken to in the last 30 days?"

The answer tells you whether the GTM strategy is theoretical or grounded. A founder who's talked to 50 prospects and can tell you their top three objections has real market intelligence. A founder who's been building in isolation for six months has assumptions.

Evaluate the sales motion

Every startup needs a primary way to convert prospects into customers. The three common motions:

Self-serve: Customer signs up, uses the product, and pays without talking to anyone. Works for low-price, high-volume products.

Sales-assisted: Customer discovers the product, then talks to a salesperson before buying. Works for mid-market deals ($5K-$50K ACV).

Enterprise sales: Long cycles, multiple stakeholders, custom pricing. Works for large contracts ($50K+).

The red flag is when the startup's pricing says "self-serve" but the product complexity says "enterprise sales." Mismatched sales motions burn cash fast.

Check the channel strategy

Ask: "What are your top two acquisition channels, and what's the cost per lead in each?"

Founders who know their numbers have tested their channels. Founders who say "we'll figure it out after fundraising" are asking you to fund an experiment.

Effective early-stage channels typically include:

Direct outreach to a defined list of prospects
Content that addresses a specific pain point
Partnerships with companies that already serve the target customer
Community presence where buyers spend time

"We'll do a bit of everything" is not a channel strategy.

Watch for the pricing trap

Pricing tells you a lot about GTM maturity. Red flags:

No pricing page ("contact us" for everything at pre-seed stage)
Pricing that's 10x lower than competitors with no clear reason
Pricing that hasn't been tested with real customers

The best founders have talked to at least 10 prospects about pricing and can tell you what people are willing to pay and why.

The bottom line

A strong GTM strategy doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to be specific, tested, and realistic about the timeline to revenue. If the founder can walk you through the path from "stranger" to "paying customer" with concrete numbers at each step, they've done the work.