“Once our [infrastructure/business plan/product line/funding] is finished, then we’ll look into marketing.”
This has been the fundamental business approach for 60 years. Marketing is what you do after everything else is in place. Once you have all your ducks in a row, then you can think about spending money on marketing.
This thinking is especially true among start-ups. Marketing is the final frontier they try to conquer after the product is stable, or the board of directors is set, or the office space is furnished.