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Founding Marketing Manager

Founding Marketing Manager Role

March 2026

This is an equity-eligible role based in New York City, with the intention of transitioning into a salaried position as the company scales.

We are a technical team of Columbia University students, hiring someone who wants to build something from the ground up. You want to create real value for society, you communicate clearly and persuasively, you're naturally organized, and you're ready to lead. If that's you, keep reading.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Around is building NYC's first transactional marketplace for local creative services, like photographers, DJs, personal trainers, dog birthday party planners, fake paparazzi, and all fun and weird services in between. We're a team of Columbia students on a mission to preserve human creativity in a world shifting toward an AI-dominant economy.

We need a sharp, resourceful marketing mind to help us pull it off. This is not a corporate marketing role. There is little budget.

WHAT WE’RE BUILDING

Around is transforming from an app directory into a full marketplace where NYC’s creative service providers can list services, receive bookings, track analytics, and get paid.

Our GTM strategy is built on one core insight:

Our creators are our marketing. Every unique service provider we onboard is a story that spreads.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

Creator acquisition
Pre-launch buzz
Launch week activation
Post-launch growth
Community & partnerships
Guerrilla marketing

WHO YOU ARE

You understand NYC’s creative ecosystem.
You’re a prolific communicator.
You think in systems. You don’t just do outreach, you build outreach machines with tracking, templates, and feedback loops.
You’re comfortable with ambiguity.
You’re metrics-driven. You care about conversion rates, referral rates, and repeat booking rates, not vanity metrics.
You have strong social media instincts

TIME COMMITMENT

15–25 hours/week during pre-launch (flexible schedule)
Full availability during launch week
10–20 hours/week during post-launch growth phase

This role is remote-friendly, and candidates based in NYC are strongly preferred. You might need to attend in-person events with the team, visit local businesses, and be embedded in the city’s creative scene.