GTM 157: How ClickUp Scaled 17x and Cut CAC 3× — GTM Systems, Building Incrementally and Going from PLG to SLG | Gaurav Agarwal

Gaurav Agarwal is the COO of ClickUp, where he’s helped scale the company 17x in two years and cut CAC by 3x—all while leading across marketing, product, sales, and services. Formerly in banking and product roles, Gaurav brings a rare systems-oriented mindset to growth. He’s known for connecting the dots across GTM, scaling PLG engines, driving incrementality with rigor, and building cultures of experimentation, ownership, and speed.Discussed in this episodeWhy growth is more about systems than marketingHow ClickUp scaled 17x while reducing CAC by 3xThe cultural shifts required to align GTM teamsIncrementality testing vs. attribution modelingBuilding a true sales motion on top of PLGInput KPIs as a driver of experimentation speedHow ClickUp is using AI across marketing and salesThe concept of GTM as demand creation vs. harvestingEpisode Highlights00:00 — Everyone is doing all the work—but you're winning by chance, not by design02:01 — Gaurav on seeing growth as a systems function, not just marketing13:33 — Culture alone delivered roughly half of the 3× CAC reduction at ClickUp15:53 — Gaurav defines incrementality testing vs. flawed attribution models29:27 — Setting input KPIs so squads deliver a “win every week” keeps momentum high32:53 — AI is being embedded across PLG + GTM workflows—from content briefs to deal signalsRecommended BooksShareholder Letters by Jeff Bezos ReferencedClickUp:https://clickup.com/• Gong: https://www.gong.io/• Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/• Robinhood: https://robinhood.com/Guest Links (Gaurav Agarwal):LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravragarwal/Host Speaker Links (Sophie Buonassisi):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):Website: https://gtmnow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Twitter/X: https://x.com/GTMnow_YouTube: /@gtm_nowThe GTMnow Podcast (on all major directories): https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Thanks to our Sponsor: QualifiedPiper is the #1 AI SDR on G2.AI SDR agents are changing the future of sales. And Piper is leading the way.Piper is the top-ranked AI SDR on G2, trusted by hundreds of high-growth GTM teams — including many in the GTMfund community. She works around the clock to follow up with every lead, book meetings, and qualify prospects, all by reading real buying signals.That means your team spends less time chasing and more time closing.Piper isn’t just automating repetitive work — she’s transforming pipeline generation at scale.Discover how AI SDRs like Piper can help you build pipeline faster at qualified.com.The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.