Proof Over Promises

Work That Moved the Needle

Case studies, products, and results from 20+ years building growth for fintech, Web3, and emerging technology companies.

Growth Stories Worth Reading

Five engagements where strategy met execution. Numbers are real. Placeholder quotes are marked | live testimonials coming shortly.

Chief Marketing Officer
Hivello
Dec 2024 – Feb 2026  ·  DePIN Aggregator  ·  Amsterdam (Remote)
100K
Active nodes
<6mo
Time to reach
0
Starting from
"[Placeholder] Neil came in with no playbook and built one. The node growth we saw in the first six months was unlike anything we'd planned for."
, [Name], [Title], Hivello · Replace before publishing

The Challenge

  • Zero users. Zero brand. New category (DePIN aggregation) with no existing audience
  • Needed to acquire and activate hardware node operators | a technically savvy, sceptical audience
  • No established playbook for this type of product in the market

What I Did

  • Built the full growth function from scratch: brand, acquisition, community, content, and retention
  • Designed multi-channel acquisition: KOL partnerships, community-led growth, performance marketing, and earned media
  • Directed multi-launchpad IDO/TGE strategy across global markets, coordinating with Product, Sales, and Finance
  • Set growth KPIs and reporting frameworks; weekly C-suite reporting on north-star metrics
User AcquisitionCommunity GrowthTGE StrategyCross-functionalDePIN
Creator & Host
DePIN Coffee Hour
Feb 2025 – Present  ·  Independent Podcast / Livestream
4M+
Total views
10mo
To reach 4M
100K+
Per episode avg
"[Placeholder] The DePIN Coffee Hour became essential listening for anyone serious about the space. Neil's ability to pull real insight from founders is rare."
, [Name], [Title], [Project] · Replace before publishing

The Context

  • Built from zero with no budget, no team, and no existing audience in a niche vertical
  • DePIN was an emerging category with no dominant media voice
  • Content strategy needed to serve as both audience-building and door-opening for partnerships

What I Built

  • Weekly founder-interview livestream format: authentic long-form conversation, not scripted content
  • Built distribution system across YouTube, Spotify, X, LinkedIn, and Telegram
  • 2–3 founder interviews per week for sustained 10 months, creating compounding authority in the space
  • Used as strategic door-opener: lead with value, create reciprocity, build warm network of founders
Audience BuildingContent StrategyDistributionB2B BrandOwned Media
Chief Marketing Officer
UpBots GmbH
Jun 2020 – Nov 2021  ·  Automated Trading Platform (SaaS)
10×
Token valuation
90sec
IEO sold out (FTX)
1→11
Team built
"[Placeholder] The campaign Neil ran for our IEO was textbook. Every element of the pre-launch sequence was firing | we sold out in 90 seconds."
, [Name], [Title], UpBots GmbH · Replace before publishing

The Challenge

  • Pre-launch phase for an automated trading SaaS targeting retail and semi-professional crypto traders
  • Needed to build an engaged community and investor base ahead of a competitive IEO on FTX
  • Market was saturated with trading bots | needed a differentiated narrative and genuine following

What I Did

  • Scaled marketing team from 1 to 4 FTEs, plus a community support team of 7
  • Built pre-launch sequence using gamification, NFT campaigns, and performance channels
  • IEO on FTX oversubscribed in 90 seconds
  • Achieved 10× token valuation during tenure | from launch through sustained community investment
  • Owned full funnel: awareness → activation → retention, with direct CEO and board reporting
IEO LaunchSaaS MarketingCommunity GrowthTeam BuildingFintech
Chief Marketing Officer
Loop Markets
Mar 2022 – Jan 2023  ·  DeFi Platform
5
Products launched
30+
Team across 4 continents
"[Placeholder] Managing the launch of five distinct products simultaneously across a globally distributed team | Neil made it look straightforward. It wasn't."
, [Name], [Title], Loop Markets · Replace before publishing

The Challenge

  • Multi-product DeFi launch: DEX, NFT Marketplace, NFT Launchpad, soft token launch, and airdrop programme | all in parallel
  • Global team of 30+ across 4 continents with no central marketing infrastructure
  • Crowded DeFi market required sharp differentiation across each product line

What I Did

  • Directed global marketing across the full DeFi product suite simultaneously
  • Built cross-functional coordination system across Product, Engineering, BD, and Community in 4 time zones
  • Executed multi-channel campaigns across paid, organic, KOL, and community for each product launch
  • Designed and executed airdrop strategy to build initial liquidity and user base
Multi-product LaunchGlobal MarketingCross-functionalDeFiAirdrop Strategy
Fractional CMO
Monetum
Jul – Dec 2024  ·  B2B Fiat-Crypto Payment Infrastructure
B2B
Market focus
SME
Primary ICP
"[Placeholder] Neil cut through the noise immediately | within weeks we had a positioning framework and demand gen playbook that actually made sense for our market."
, [Name], [Title], Monetum · Replace before publishing

The Challenge

  • B2B positioning for a fiat-crypto payment bridge targeting SMEs and online businesses
  • Complex product with compliance requirements | needed to make it simple and compelling to non-crypto buyers
  • Needed to define ICP clearly and build an inbound demand pipeline from scratch

What I Did

  • Defined ideal customer profile (ICP) and built messaging framework tailored to SME decision-makers
  • Created inbound demand generation playbook: content, SEO, and partner channel strategy
  • Positioned the product against traditional payment rails and pure-crypto alternatives
  • Delivered B2B GTM strategy and sales enablement materials for the commercial team
B2B MarketingDemand GenerationGTM StrategyFintechSME Acquisition

Built From Scratch in 2026

Proof that operator instincts extend beyond marketing into product ideation, build, and launch.

Live
Token Verdict
tokenverdict.com
Independent pre-TGE token assessment service. Built the brand, methodology, product, and sales funnel end-to-end. Scores early-stage tokens across tokenomics, team, market fit, community, and launch readiness using a Claim vs Verify framework.
⏱ Built in 2 weeks
📋 100-point methodology
🔐 Crypto-native payments
Visit tokenverdict.com →
Live
Million Dollar Mission
milliondollarmission.xyz
Build-in-public experiment: $100 starting capital, target $1M, documented daily. Part content strategy, part growth experiment, part proof of concept for AI-augmented operator productivity. Neil + AI as co-pilot.
🟢 Live
📊 Daily tracking
🤖 AI-native workflow
Visit milliondollarmission.xyz →

Owned Channels & Appearances

Distribution built, not rented. The DePIN Coffee Hour is the largest independently produced show in its category.

🎙️
DePIN Coffee Hour
Podcast & Livestream · 4M+ views
Weekly founder interviews. Guests from Helium, DIMO, Hivemapper, peaq, Nodle, GEODNET, and 50+ others.
Listen on Spotify →
📺
YouTube Channel
DePIN Coffee Hour · Full episodes
Episodes regularly exceeding 100,000 views. Full interview archive available.
Watch on YouTube →
𝕏
X (Twitter)
@neilsisson
Commentary, hot takes, and DePIN market analysis. Active daily.
Follow on X →
💼
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/
Long-form marketing and Web3 growth content. B2B audience.
Connect on LinkedIn →
🏗️
GitHub
github.com/Shad0r
Products built in public: Token Verdict, Million Dollar Mission. AI-native operator workflow.
View on GitHub →
📓
MBA in Progress
ENEB Business School · Currently enrolled
Formal business education complementing 20 years of hands-on operator experience.

Seen Enough?

If you need a growth leader who ships with urgency and reports in results, let's talk.

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