Fractional CMO for Climate Tech &  B2B Tech Startups: Clare Bennett

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Professional Spotlight: Clare Bennett, Fractional CMO for B2B & B2G Tech & ClimaTech Startups

Professional themes:  Brand Strategy, Climate Tech, CleanTech Marketing Leadership, Digital Storytelling, Cross Functional Collaboration, Data Driven Decision Making, Organizational Scaling, B2B

Digital Reference's Summary of Why Clare Bennett Standouts as a Fractional CMO & Head of Marketing

In today’s world of fast-moving technology and mission-driven startups, Clare Bennett stands out as a marketing leader who turns complex ideas into clear, compelling strategies that drive real growth. Clare brings over a decade of experience helping early-stage B2B/B2G tech companies scale their marketing and communications functions from the ground up. She understands the unique challenges startups face, from building brand strategy to generating qualified leads, and she knows how to translate complex technologies into narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. Her work in sectors like water tech, renewable energy, and decarbonization positions her to help mission-driven companies communicate their impact while achieving measurable business growth.

Beyond her technical and strategic skills, Clare’s professional values make her uniquely effective in modern work environments. She brings radical candor, extreme ownership, and a commitment to continuous learning to every engagement, cultivating collaboration and trust across teams. For companies in complex, fast-moving industries especially those in water tech or other emerging technologies. Clare provides not just leadership, but a blueprint for building marketing and communications functions that are agile, resilient, and impact-driven.

📌 Get in Touch:
Connect with Clare via LinkedIn

The Art of Brand & Growth: A Conversation with B2B & B2G Fractional CMO, Clare Bennett

Talking with Clare, it’s clear that marketing and brand strategy aren’t just functions—they’re the lifeblood of how a company grows, earns trust, and drives real-world change. As a Fractional CMO for climate tech companies, Clare brings over a decade of experience helping early-stage B2B startups scale—particularly in sectors like water tech, renewable energy, decarbonization, and sustainability SaaS.

She has a rare ability to translate complex, often technical innovations into stories that resonate with both investors and customers—bridging the gap between science, policy, and market adoption. Whether she’s crafting founder messaging, architecting integrated growth campaigns, or building GTM strategy from the ground up, Clare’s approach reflects a unique blend of strategic rigor, cross-functional fluency, and deep climate literacy.

We sat down with Clare to explore what drives her passion for building mission-aligned brands, how she leads alongside founders and technical teams, and why her philosophy of continuous learning, radical candor, and extreme ownership is particularly powerful in high-stakes, high-impact industries like climate tech.

What’s your typical approach to client engagement?

My approach to client engagements centers on full-stack marketing, supporting everything from brand strategy to demand generation. I typically work on monthly retainers, but I also take on project-based work for targeted needs like rebrands or messaging. With experience building marketing functions from scratch, I can quickly step in and create the structure and strategy a company needs to grow.

Clare takes a full-stack marketing approach to client engagements, blending retainer and project-based work while quickly building the structure and strategy companies need to grow.

What type of clients are the best fit to work with you?

The clients who are the best fit for me are early-stage B2B tech companies in the $5M–$50M ARR range that don’t yet have senior marketing leadership. I’m especially drawn to teams in water tech, renewable energy, and decarbonization, where I can build foundational marketing systems and shape clear, scalable brand strategy.

Clare works best with early-stage B2B tech companies lacking senior marketing leadership, particularly those in water tech, renewable energy, and decarbonization.

Which industries do you have the most coaching experience in, Clare?

I have extensive coaching experience with startup incubators and accelerators, venture capital funds, B2G companies, and B2B SaaS companies, guiding them in brand strategy, marketing, and go-to-market execution. I’ve also worked with teams in market research and data analytics, helping to translate insights into actionable strategies that drive measurable growth.

Clare has experience coaching startup incubators, venture capital-backed companies, and B2B SaaS teams, helping them translate market insights into actionable brand and marketing strategies that drive growth.

What are your specialties or professional superpowers?

I specialize in scaling an organization’s ways of working and creating clear, compelling brand messaging that resonates across audiences. I enjoy building marketing and communications functions from the ground up and developing iterative brand, marketing, and communications strategies that evolve with the organization’s needs. I also frequently collaborate across multiple teams including business development, sales, account management, customer success, product, and operations to ensure our efforts are aligned and have a meaningful impact on the business.

Clare’s specialties include scaling organizational processes, developing brand messaging, building marketing and communications functions from the ground up, and collaborating across multiple teams to drive integrated strategies.

What are your professional values? 

My core values are having agency over my time, treating coworkers as humans first, committing to continuous learning, and practicing extreme ownership and radical candor to build trust and move work forward.

Clare, what motivates you professionally? 

What motivates me professionally is the opportunity to support a company that is building something that hasn’t been done before. I thrive on learning on the job, constantly challenging myself to grow and adapt. I’m also inspired by learning from expert coworkers, collaborating with talented teams, and exchanging ideas that push both the company and myself forward. Ultimately, I find the most fulfillment in helping organizations achieve ambitious goals while continuously expanding my own expertise.

Clare is motivated by supporting innovative companies, learning continuously on the job, and collaborating with expert teammates who push her thinking and growth.

What's your personality type? 

I've unsubscribed from personality tests since my coworkers get to know me as a real person in the first few weeks of working together, and I intentionally provide them with a bullet-point "user guide" to help them get the best work out of me and vice versa.

Clare’s Professional References

Noelle London; peer, manager, friend; 1776, Illoominus

Clare’s Past Clients

Libra Philanthropies, https://www.libraphilanthropies.org, brand strategy

JetBlue Ventures (now SKY VC), https://www.sky-vc.com/blog, executive ghostwriting

Illoominus, https://www.illoominus.com/, fractional head of marketing

Watershed Row, https://www.watershedrow.org/, fractional head of communications

Tunnl, https://www.tunnldata.com/, fractional head of marketing + hiring, onboarding FTE head of marketing

The AEJ Group, https://www.theaejgroup.com/, website copy overhaul and project management

Up Ending Parkinsons, https://www.upendingparkinsons.org/, website copy overhaul and project management

Prolegis, https://www.prolegis.com/, website copy overhaul and project management

Clare’s Recommended Professional Service Providers

Cyrus Sussman, https://www.salar.digital/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrus-sussman/

Lillian Ling, https://www.strayrabbit.co/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillian-ling-67a20029/

Talia Cotton, https://cotton.design/about, https://www.linkedin.com/in/taliacotton/

Betty Jeanne Cupcheck, https://www.linkedin.com/in/betty-jeanne-cupcheck/

Clare’s Recommended Business Software

Asana, https://asana.com/

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📌 Get in Touch:
Connect with Clare via LinkedIn

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For more information on Clare Bennet see her resume below

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Digital Reference Reviewed Resume for Clare Bennet

CLARE BENNETT

703-346-6946 | clarembennett@gmail.com

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Strategic marketing and communications leader with 10+ years experience

driving brand growth, digital storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration

at tech accelerators, venture capital funds, B2B SaaS startups, and nonprofits

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CORE COMPETENCIES

Brand Strategy & Digital Communications 

Brand Positioning | Digital Storytelling | Content Strategy | Thought Leadership | Executive

Communications | Media Relations | Performance Analytics

Marketing & Growth

Full-Funnel Marketing | Lead Generation | Campaign Development | Market Research |

Competitive Analysis | ROI Optimization | Sales Enablement

Leadership & Operations

Cross-Functional Leadership | Team Development | Budget Management | Stakeholder

Relations | Process Optimization | Vendor Management

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Illoominus

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Head of Brand,

Marketing,

Communications

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Jan 2022 - Present

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- Develop integrated marketing strategy driving 40% increase in qualified leads and

strengthening competitive positioning in crowded HR tech market

- Create cohesive brand messaging framework translating complex technology into compelling

value propositions for diverse B2B segments

- Establish data-driven campaign measurement approach, using analytics to demonstrate ROI

and inform strategic decisions

- Lead cross-functional collaboration with product, sales, and leadership teams to align

marketing with business objectives

JetBlue Ventures

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Executive Ghostwriter

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Mar 2022 - Present

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- Ghostwrite thought leadership content for c-suite executives, positioning them as industry

visionaries in aviation and technology

- Translate complex business concepts into compelling narratives for industry publications and

speaking engagements

- Conduct deep research on emerging trends to develop forward-thinking content strengthening

executive profiles

Murmuration (Helm)

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Senior Director of

Brand, Marketing,

Communications

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May 2022 - June 2023

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- Developed comprehensive brand messaging framework for nonprofit's data-driven civic

engagement tools

- Created go-to-market strategies for research products ensuring alignment with organizational

mission and user needs

- Led market research to understand diverse user needs, incorporating insights into messaging

strategy and product positioning

Dcode

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Director of Marketing

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Apr 2019 - Nov 2021

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- Built entire marketing function from ground up as seventh employee for federally-focused tech

accelerator and venture fund

- Spearheaded complete company rebrand and website rebuild, doubling digital engagement

metrics within first year

- Developed integrated programs driving exponential growth in qualified leads across all

business units and shortened sales cycle by 10%

- Organized high-impact events connecting government and tech leaders, driving sponsorships,

referrals, and strategic partnerships

Morning Consult

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Director of Marketing

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Dec 2017 - Mar 2019

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Content Manager

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Sept 2017 - Nov 2017

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- Directed complete company rebrand within six months, strengthening brand presence across

consumer and enterprise segments

- Developed ROI-positive acquisition campaigns across digital channels, expanding lead

sources and driving measurable growth

- Built data-driven optimization framework for customer journey improvement and conversion

rate enhancement

- Conducted ongoing audience, market, and competitor research to refine buyer personas and

competitive positioning

1776

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Marketing Manager

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Jan 2017 - Sept 2017

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Associate Editor

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Sept 2015 - Dec 2016

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- Implemented data-driven content marketing strategy growing audience to 100,000+ across

digital channels

- Led branding and marketing for annual tech scouting program spanning 75+ cities, driving

3,000+ startup applications and 7,000+ event attendees

- Coordinated comprehensive PR strategy including media relations, press releases, and

executive interview preparation

EDUCATION

University of Virginia

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