Arielle Jackson

Marketer in Residence at First Round Capital

Former Google marketer who grew Gmail from a side project to hundreds of millions of users, one of the first marketers at Square, has worked with 100+ early-stage companies on brand strategy, and teaches a popular course on startup branding.

The Growth Architect The Operator

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 60%

Execution & Craft 50%

Data & Experimentation 20%

Growth & Distribution 70%

Team & Leadership 30%

User Empathy & Research 70%

Key Themes

startup naming strategy brand purpose positioning personality startup PR tactics brand building for early companies marketing at scale (Gmail) naming principles

Episode Summary

Arielle Jackson, who grew Gmail from side project to hundreds of millions of users and was one of Square's first marketers, shares practical frameworks for startup brand strategy. She covers naming strategies (explaining that great names are filled with meaning over time), her three-pillar brand framework of purpose, positioning, and personality, and tactical advice for getting PR coverage as an early-stage startup.

Leadership Principles

→ A bad name won't kill a good company — Disney doesn't mean magic on its own, the company made it mean that
→ Brand framework has three pillars: purpose (why you exist), positioning (how you're different), personality (how you sound)
→ Great brand names are just vessels — the company's marketing and product fill them with meaning over time

Notable Quotes

"Disney means magic today. Volvo means safety. Those names are not good. No one would pick them from a spreadsheet. A bad name with a great company and great marketing is going to be great over time."
— On why startup founders shouldn't agonize over the perfect name

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