How To Build A Growth Marketing Team On A Startup Budget
What does a growth marketing team actually cost to build right in 2026? The answer depends entirely on who you hire first.
Jason Shafton is a 20+ year veteran in growth, where he built billion-dollar businesses at Google, Paramount, and DaVita and scaled startups like Headspace, Soothe, and Heal (acquired by Humana).
At Google, he scaled the Google Ads platform and launched Google Music and Google Play. He also spent time leading marketing at Comedy Central, where he launched new seasons of South Park and The Daily Show as well as new franchises Broad City, Drunk History and Inside Amy Schumer.
After co-founding Heal where he helped thousands of families get access to better health, he ran growth marketing both at Soothe and Headspace, scaling those businesses to millions of global users.
Finding himself on speed dial with some of the top tech founders, investors, and CEOs asking for growth marketing support, he now acts as founder of growth consulting firm, Winston Francois (named after his dogs Winston and Frank). Winston Francois works with brands to provide strategic guidance across product, growth, marketing, management, and organizational design to support sustainable value creation.
What does a growth marketing team actually cost to build right in 2026? The answer depends entirely on who you hire first.
AI is reshaping growth audits, turning weeks of manual analysis into actionable 90-day roadmaps that prioritize execution over documentation.