Hey, I’m Hema.

Hema padhu, Startup marketing leader and storyteller

DocSend

〰️

Maze

〰️

OctoAI

〰️

Orange Charger

〰️

MadKudu

〰️

Userflow

〰️

Sunfish

〰️

Liveblocks

〰️

Tilt

〰️

Vouch

〰️

Wordware

〰️

DocSend 〰️ Maze 〰️ OctoAI 〰️ Orange Charger 〰️ MadKudu 〰️ Userflow 〰️ Sunfish 〰️ Liveblocks 〰️ Tilt 〰️ Vouch 〰️ Wordware 〰️

I'm a startup marketing leader with a passion for storytelling.

I help founders establish a clear positioning, differentiated brand, and a defensible GTM strategy.

I've worked with 25+ startups including HoneyBook, Maze, DocSend (Dropbox), OctoAI (NVIDIA), Userflow, and more.

Let's Talk
Let's Talk

Helping startups stand out and win.

Interim/Fractional CMO

Need a seasoned marketer to build the foundation, lead the team, and find the right hire? I bring the functional expertise, best practices, and leadership chops to get it done.

Positioning, messaging and brand

Create a new category or reinvent a tired, old one? I’ve done it all. I excel at positioning that wins minds and branding that wins hearts.

GTM Strategy and Plan

Great products fail without a strong GTM strategy. I help startups build an actionable GTM strategy and marketing plan to achieve their goals.

Get in touch
Get in touch
  • White heart inside a wavy white border on a black background.

    Invested in founder success

    Impact-driven and hands-on

  • Icon of three people inside a badge or seal

    High ROI

    You work directly with me. Zero overhead.

  • Black computer cursor arrow icon inside a white scalloped badge on a black background.

    Deep Fuctional Expertise

    Worked with 25+ startup founders

DocSend Dropbox

Repositioned and re-branded DocSend for stronger growth .

Learn More

Startup Stories

Maze

Redefining an old, tired category and establishing Maze as the leader.

Learn More

Orange

Standing out in a crowded EV charging category.

Learn More

Founder Words

“The positioning work we did with Hema was foundational. It helped us get clarity, share a coherent message, and ultimately raise our Series A.”

— Jonathan Widawski, CEO and Co-founder, Maze

“I deeply valued Hema’s insights and marketing expertise. She has the highest level of integrity, humility, and courage. I strongly recommend her.”

— Oz Alon, CEO and Co-founder, Honeybook

“Hema laid the groundwork for the Sunfish brand. I was impressed by how quickly she delivered high-quality work while helping me think strategically about our marketing. ”

— Angela Rastegar, CEO and Founder, Sunfish

Let’s Work Together.