I have a confession – when Amplify created our Build Team we didn’t have a grand plan to hire all these amazing people. The Build Team grew organically as we listened to and observed areas where our Founders appeared to need the most help. As we networked in the wild and met talented people we always kept our eyes open for people who are true difference makers.  Some roles, like helping with Sales and Recruiting, are nearly ubiquitous problems that we knew needed to be solved. Some are less obvious.

Over the last few years, we’ve watched as marketers have adjusted their “pitch” to individual technical users and buyers. Trade shows, SEO, billboards, and impersonal corporate marketing just aren’t enough anymore. Startups need to meet their users where they are and speak to them directly and authentically. This shift has led to an explosion of blog posts, tweets, product documentation, and user meetups — all under the banner of  “developer marketing” or “community building”. However, this skillset hasn’t existed for long, and there are only a handful of people who truly stand out in this field.

As we thought about who best embodied this new generation of marketing, one person stood out above all others. A witty, Seinfeld-loving New Yorker working at Retool – Justin Gage. Whenever we had a portfolio company who needed help thinking about Developer Marketing, we found ourselves introducing them to Justin. Our founders loved him and his work was fantastic, so when we had the opportunity to add Justin to the Build Team, we jumped.

At Amplify, Justin will work with our founders on growth and marketing. Whether it is building a website, starting a blog, refining messaging and positioning, designing documentation, gathering your early community, or crafting strong technical content, Justin works side-by-side with our founders to set them on the best possible path to engaging with their audience.

At Amplify we consistently talk about the importance of the few, true “difference makers” whose work can change the trajectory of a company. Justin fits that mold to a tee. I’m so excited to have him join our team and ensure that @itunpredictable will predictably respond to my tweets!

Welcome Justin!