--- source_url: "https://www.samawezec.com/?utm_source=openai" title: "Sam Awezec | Fractional Product & Growth Leader | PLG + AI Strategy for B2B SaaS" mirrored_at: 2026-08-05T01:34:26.021Z host: www.samawezec.com cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/www.samawezec.com/index__q__utm_source_openai" --- > **Original source:** https://www.samawezec.com/?utm_source=openai [Sam Awezec](#) Available for advisory engagements ## I help B2B SaaS companies build _self-serve growth engines_ that actually convert Fractional product and growth leadership combining PLG strategy with AI-native product design. 12+ years at HubSpot, GitLab, and Astronomer, turning free users into millions in ARR. ![Sam Awezec](https://www.samawezec.com/headshot.jpg) 3 Successful exits Track Record Results _delivered_ 3 Exits Part of 3 successful exits: 2 IPOs and 1 acquisition HubSpot, GitLab, OnScale $0 to 100M+ Built ARR from zero to nine figures through product-led growth At HubSpot +200% Activation Lifted new-user activation and free-to-paid conversion by +300% At Astronomer 300% Trial Volume Increased trial volume by redesigning the self-serve funnel At GitLab 90-Day Analytics Stood up end-to-end product analytics in under 90 days, winning C-level adoption At Astronomer Pricing & Packaging Drove multi-million dollar revenue impact through pricing model changes and new GTM motions Across engagements Portfolio Featured _companies_ Founding Team, Product Division Founding team member of the internal startup that became HubSpot's freemium product, now the Sales Hub and free CRM. Built the original PQL motion, launched the community platform, and managed a 10-person team across support and onboarding. Part of the team from zero to $100M+ in ARR. Director of Product, Growth Led a 10-person growth squad across acquisition, activation, conversion, and expansion. Built the company-wide experimentation framework, designed the PQL motion connecting usage signals to sales, and partnered with the C-suite to launch a new free-user GTM model. Featured on the Nasdaq billboard at IPO. Senior Director of Product, Growth Owning the PLG roadmap with a 4-person squad. Lifted activation by +200% and conversion by +300% through onboarding and paywall redesign. Deployed product analytics in under 90 days. Currently leading a cross-functional initiative to build a new AI product to expand TAM. Growth Advisor At Reforge, designed a PLG system linking product engagement signals to sales and marketing workflows, enabling data-driven expansion revenue. At OnScale, built the self-serve acquisition funnel and PLG playbook that accelerated customer growth ahead of a successful acquisition by Ansys. Advisory Services How I can _help_ The PLG playbook has changed. Users expect value in seconds, not sessions. I work with B2B SaaS teams to design the systems that make that happen: the GTM architecture, the PQL engine, the self-serve conversion path, and the AI-native experiences that compress time-to-value. 01 PLG Strategy & Activation End-to-end product-led growth design: freemium architecture, trial optimization, onboarding flows, and the activation metrics that matter. I find where users get stuck and build the systems that keep them moving. 02 AI-Native Product Strategy Integrating AI into the core product experience as infrastructure, not a feature checkbox. AI-powered onboarding, intelligent in-app guidance, agentic workflows, and products architected to work within AI platforms and agent ecosystems. 03 Product-Led Sales & PQLs Bridging self-serve and sales-assist. I've built PQL motions at HubSpot and GitLab that connect usage signals directly to sales, increasing rep efficiency while compressing deal cycles. The modern version layers AI-driven scoring on top. 04 Experimentation & Analytics Standing up product analytics and experimentation infrastructure. Helping teams move from gut-feel to data-driven growth with the right instrumentation, frameworks, and culture to run experiments that compound. 05 Monetization & Pricing Navigating the new economics of SaaS, especially AI products with real COGS. Credit-based pricing, usage metering, freemium-to-paid paths, and expansion revenue strategies that grow revenue without confusing users. 06 GTM Model Design Designing go-to-market motions that balance open-source community, self-serve growth, and enterprise sales. I've done this at scale for companies where getting it wrong means millions in lost revenue or a fractured user base. Engagement Model How I _work_ 01 Diagnostic A 30-day deep dive into your funnel, activation metrics, and product experience. I map what you have against PLG benchmarks, identify the highest-leverage opportunities, and deliver a prioritized roadmap. 02 Execute Ongoing embedded advisory. Weekly syncs, async collaboration through Slack and Notion, and hands-on work alongside your PM, engineering, and data teams. Typically 10 to 15 hours per month per engagement. 03 Scale As results compound, I help you build internal capability: hiring the right people, establishing the experimentation culture, and creating the frameworks your team will use long after the engagement ends. Ideal Clients Best _fit_ **Series A through C SaaS companies** building or scaling a product-led growth motion and looking for senior leadership without a full-time VP hire. **Teams adding AI to their product** who need someone who has actually shipped agentic architecture, not just theorized about it. **Sales-led companies moving to hybrid** that want to layer self-serve revenue on top of existing enterprise motions without breaking what works. **Growth teams without a senior leader** who need strategic direction, an experimentation framework, and someone to hold the growth function accountable. About A bit about _me_ I've spent my career at the intersection of product, growth, and go-to-market. It started on the founding team of HubSpot's freemium product, where I learned what product-led growth looks like when you're inventing it in real time. Then at GitLab, where I led growth through IPO and built the systems that turned open-source users into paying customers at scale. Most recently at Astronomer, I've been combining PLG fundamentals with AI-native product strategy, lifting activation and conversion while leading a new AI product initiative that expands what the company can offer. Outside of advisory work, I'm actively building and exploring new AI-native B2B products. It keeps me hands-on with the same agentic architecture, automation systems, and AI-first product thinking I bring to client engagements. I believe the best advisors are the ones still shipping. I take on 2 to 3 advisory clients at a time. That's intentional. I go deep with every engagement because surface-level strategy doesn't move metrics. Location East Coast, USA Education B.S. Entrepreneurship, Lasell University Recognition GitLab IPO, Nasdaq Billboard Award U.S. Dept. of Defense ESGR Patriot Award Building AI-native B2B products Let's Connect Let's build your _growth engine_ Whether you're scaling your team, refining strategy, or navigating AI transformation, I'd love to hear about what you're working on. I typically respond within 24 hours.