Category Visionaries

SuperAnnotate is revolutionizing how companies manage their AI training data with a comprehensive infrastructure platform. Having raised over $53 million in funding, SuperAnnotate has evolved from a specialized algorithm for autonomous vehicles to a centralized data hub that enables enterprises to collaborate with multiple service providers and internal teams. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Vahan Petrosyan, CEO and Co-Founder of SuperAnnotate, who shared his journey from PhD student to tech founder and unpacked his vision for creating what he describes as "a database for training data" - similar to Databricks but specialized for AI training data. Topics Discussed: SuperAnnotate's evolution from algorithm to comprehensive data labeling infrastructure The journey from academic research to founding a tech startup How an early contract with an autonomous driving company validated their solution The strategic pivot from competing with service providers to creating a collaborative ecosystem The transformation of their go-to-market strategy to create stickier enterprise relationships SuperAnnotate's focus on building a centralized training data platform for enterprise AI The importance of automation and "SuperAnnotate agents" for AI data operations How customizability has enabled SuperAnnotate to support diverse generative AI use cases GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Recognize when to stop competing and start collaborating: Vahan's most important go-to-market decision was shifting from competing with service providers to creating an infrastructure that enables collaboration. "That's one of the mindset shifts... we are trying to build an ecosystem with our partners, not really trying to compete with them," he explains. B2B founders should consider whether creating an ecosystem platform might be more valuable than directly competing in fragmented service markets. Solution engineers are crucial for enterprise AI sales: Vahan emphasized that "solution engineering is super important because as you're touching enterprise AI, your solution engineers are more or less the core part of your team." Without proper technical enablement, enterprise customers won't be able to implement complex AI solutions. B2B founders selling sophisticated technology should invest heavily in solution engineering capabilities. Build for adaptability in rapidly evolving markets: SuperAnnotate achieved 3x growth by making their platform "fully customizable to any use case." Vahan noted, "If tomorrow there will be a new agentic workflow, then we'll be able to support it." Rather than offering point solutions, B2B founders in emerging technology spaces should build adaptable platforms that can evolve with changing market needs. Passive fundraising often yields better results than active campaigns: Vahan shared a counterintuitive fundraising insight: "Whenever I was actively fundraising, I was doing something wrong." His most successful raises came from casual coffees with investors who approached him, not from pitching dozens of VCs. B2B founders might benefit from focusing on building relationships and demonstrating value rather than running intensive fundraising campaigns. Enterprise AI is a long-term bet: Looking 3-5 years ahead, Vahan sees enterprise AI as the major opportunity. "Companies have datasets sitting in silos, but that dataset is gold," he explains. The ability to "transform that dataset to training data in a fast and accurate manner will define your moat moving forward." B2B founders should consider how their solutions can help enterprises unlock value from proprietary data.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Regal AI is revolutionizing the contact center landscape with its voice AI agent platform that's transforming how businesses communicate with customers. With $82 million in funding, Regal has positioned itself at the forefront of the AI revolution in customer service. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Alex Levin, CEO and Co-Founder of Regal AI, about the company's journey from building tools to optimize human agent performance to pioneering voice AI agents that can handle customer interactions with unprecedented effectiveness. Topics Discussed: Regal AI's pivot from optimizing human agent calls to developing AI agents The economics of AI agents compared to human agents (10-20¢ per minute vs. $1 per minute) How AI agents achieve 97% containment rates versus the 20-40% traditional benchmark The challenges of enterprise sales in the contact center space The evolution of Regal's go-to-market strategy as AI capabilities have rapidly advanced The future of voice as the primary channel for brand engagement   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Timing your product evolution is critical: Alex emphasizes the importance of not moving too early or too late when pivoting to new technology. "If you invested too early, it was a waste, but if you wait too late then all the first trials with every company would be with another AI provider, not with us," Alex explains. Their decision to wait until LLMs were capable enough before focusing on AI agents prevented them from wasting resources on soon-to-be-obsolete technology while still allowing them to be early in the market. Enterprise sales requires embracing the process: When moving upmarket, Alex learned that trying to rush enterprise sales leads to poor outcomes. "If you try to rush it in an enterprise environment, which is possible, you're not going to have a good outcome," he shares. B2B founders should understand the sales timeline for their specific industry and be prepared for longer, more complex sales cycles when targeting enterprise customers. Build foundational technology that transcends AI hype: Regal's advantage came from building deep platform infrastructure before AI agents were ready. "Most of the companies that exist today, all they've ever built is this thing that interacts with the customer, the agent itself, the voice and the LLM, which is relatively trivial actually," Alex explains. By building integrations with customer data systems, decision engines, and channel management tools first, they created a more comprehensive solution that could quickly incorporate AI advances when the technology matured. Reconsider conventional marketing channels: Alex notes that traditional B2B marketing approaches are losing effectiveness: "A lot of the traditional channels that used to work just don't work or are not efficient anymore. So paid SEM, traditional sponsorships of online content, writing blog posts in some big paper... a lot of these demand gen channels are just highly ineffective." Founders should prioritize breaking through with authentic founder-led storytelling rather than relying solely on conventional demand generation tactics. The economics of AI can reverse long-standing business practices: Regal AI's solution flips conventional contact center wisdom on its head. As Alex explains, "Instead of calls being the most expensive thing you have, AI calls are the cheapest channel you have. So you lead with those calls and you do as many calls as possible because it's cheaper than any other channel." B2B founders should look for opportunities where AI fundamentally changes the cost structure of traditional business operations.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Safire is pioneering advanced electrification solutions for defense applications, transforming how military operations are powered in austere environments. With $11 Million in funding and over $7 million in government contracts secured just this year, Safire is developing revolutionary technology to make batteries safer and more efficient for defense applications. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with John Lee, CEO and Founder of Safire, to learn about the company's journey from a core nanoparticle technology to a full suite of defense electrification products that are changing how soldiers operate in the field. Topics Discussed: Safire's revolutionary silicon nanoparticle technology that transforms lithium-ion batteries into "non-Newtonian fluids" that solidify upon impact The company's evolution from core R&D to developing multiple defense products, including tactical electric dirt bikes, battery-infused body armor, and deployable microgrids The process of securing government contracts and navigating defense appropriations The importance of building relationships with end users in the military and understanding their needs John's background as a Navy contracting officer and former head of government contracts at Palantir Safire's approach to brand development as part of their path to becoming a unicorn   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Put mission first to attract talent and customers: John's commitment to protecting lives became his driving force after his experience procuring counter-IED jammers that saved soldiers' lives. He explains, "I couldn't really do anything besides, whatever I do, I want to help protect and save lives." This clear mission has helped him attract talent, customers, and investors who share this vision, demonstrating how a compelling purpose can accelerate GTM efforts. Listen to customer needs before defining your product roadmap: Rather than forcing a single-product strategy, Safire let customer requirements guide their development. As John noted, "We really focused on customer first. And if the customer said, I want you to be just one product company... that may have been okay. But that's not what the customer was asking for." By building solutions to address real military needs, Safire has secured multiple contracts across different applications. Use government R&D contracts as a runway to production: Safire strategically leveraged Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to fund their early development while creating a path to larger production contracts. John advises, "It's really important to understand... all the effort it takes to go from the R&D contract into production into program of record and [to] prepare for it." He warns against the "if I build it they'll come" mentality that leads many startups to fail. Invest in lobbying early for long-term ROI: The company prioritized hiring lobbyists immediately after raising their seed round. John revealed, "The $4.5 million contract that we just got awarded last month came from our lobbying efforts... from two and a half years ago. And that was the very first third-party payment I was making as soon as we raised our seed round." This demonstrates how early investment in government relations can deliver substantial returns for defense tech companies. Brand sophistication matters in defense tech: Breaking with industry norms, Safire invested significantly in professional branding before their Series A. John explains this decision: "Every unicorn status company had a great brand before they became a unicorn status company... When we're walking through four-star generals and three-star generals into our offices, into our skiffs... we want to be trusted and we also want to be seen as a sophisticated, responsible contractor." This approach has helped them stand out in an industry where branding is often neglected.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Cloverleaf AI is revolutionizing how companies access and leverage public government meeting data, turning hours of meandering discussions into actionable sales intelligence. With $3.5 million in funding, the govtech startup helps enterprises identify early-stage opportunities in state and local government contracts by applying AI to analyze thousands of public meetings. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Jeremy Becker, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Cloverleaf AI, to explore how his childhood experiences attending local government meetings with his father inspired a solution that's changing how businesses engage with government procurement. Topics Discussed: How Cloverleaf AI uses machine learning to extract valuable insights from public government meeting recordings The challenges of finding and tracking government opportunities without AI assistance Why state, local, and education (SLED) markets represent their strongest differentiator The impact of federal deregulation on state-level government contracting opportunities Cloverleaf's successful pursuit of enterprise clients, including a recent deal with one of the world's five largest companies GTM Lessons for B2B Founders: Focus relentlessly on your beachhead market: Jeremy identified choosing government contracting as their sole focus as their most critical decision. "We tried to boil the ocean...but you just limit yourself so much in what you can learn about your process and how much more repeatable you can get with things if you get smaller." Initially targeting multiple verticals (government affairs, government contracting, political strategy), Cloverleaf found its sales velocity was 5x higher in government contracting than other segments. Translate technical capabilities into customer-centric language: Cloverleaf struggled initially with messaging until they shifted from generic promises like "we'll drive revenue" to more relationship-focused language that resonated with their audience: "Government sales are about building relationships and being proactive. Let us help you get into the room a little bit earlier." This translation of technical capabilities to customer-centric outcomes was crucial for market penetration. Leverage unique data assets in your marketing: Rather than generic content marketing, Cloverleaf uses its proprietary government meeting data to deliver unique insights and analysis that potential customers can't get elsewhere. Their strategy of offering free licenses to journalists and educational institutions creates organic distribution channels while building credibility through third-party validation. Conduct thorough procurement discovery upfront: After a 16-month sales cycle with a major enterprise client, Jeremy emphasized the importance of procurement discovery: "Always better discovery, specifically better procurement discovery from the start would have been a pretty big game changer." Understanding organizational structures, decision-makers, and internal processes early prevents "false summits" where you think the deal is closing only to discover new layers of approval. Validate market selection with sales velocity metrics: When deciding which market to focus on, Cloverleaf analyzed their existing client base using sales velocity (combining cycle time and deal size) rather than looking at individual metrics in isolation. This comprehensive view revealed that government contracting opportunities closed 5x faster than government affairs deals, providing clear direction for their go-to-market strategy.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Dandelion Energy is revolutionizing residential heating and cooling through geothermal technology, transforming what was once a luxury product into a mainstream, accessible solution for homeowners across America. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Kathy Hannun, Founder and CTO of Dandelion Energy, who spun the company out of Google X after recognizing geothermal's potential to disrupt the traditional home heating and cooling market. With $175 million in funding, Dandelion has evolved from direct-to-consumer retrofits to focusing on partnerships with home builders, dramatically reducing installation costs while maximizing scalability. Topics Discussed: Dandelion's origin as a spinout from Google X's moonshot factory The transition from a direct-to-consumer retrofit model to partnering with homebuilders How geothermal technology works and why it provides superior heating and cooling Innovations that made geothermal systems accessible to average homeowners The challenges of managing supply-demand dynamics in a construction-based business Financing strategies that made zero-money-down installations possible The development of Dandelion's brand identity and naming process The impact of government incentives on adoption rates (up to $30,000 in some markets) Future vision to make geothermal a standard option considered by major homebuilders   GTM Lessons for B2B Founders: Pivot When Your Business Model Shows Structural Flaws: Kathy recognized fundamental challenges in their direct-to-consumer retrofit approach that threatened long-term viability. Rather than forcing a flawed model, they pivoted to a B2B strategy targeting homebuilders, which cut installation costs by more than 50% while enabling greater scalability. Kathy explained, "The business model we had in the past, it was flawed... I was pretty anxious about what the future looked like in that business model. Whereas in this home builder business, it just really addresses many of the weaknesses of our old business model." Borrow Go-To-Market Strategies from Adjacent Industries: Dandelion's initial success came from applying solar industry financing models to geothermal, making expensive systems affordable through zero-money-down financing. Kathy shared, "We really just stood on the shoulders of the solar industry... it allowed us to offer a zero money down product which was also half of our customers used." By adapting proven strategies from adjacent sectors, B2B founders can accelerate adoption of new technologies. Adapt Marketing Strategies to Current Realities: Kathy initially received advice from solar industry veterans suggesting community events and farmer's markets for customer acquisition. While applying this advice, she quickly discovered digital ads were far more cost-effective. As she noted, "In retrospect, I realized the solar industry kind of came of age before digital ads were such a big deal. And so all the advice I had gotten was a little bit out of date." B2B founders should consider the context and timing when applying historical industry advice. Address Technology Limitations That Constrain Market Size: When Dandelion discovered that standard water well drilling rigs were too large for many residential properties, they developed smaller specialized equipment that instantly doubled their addressable market. Kathy recalled, "For half the homeowners that said yes to us, yes, I want to buy geothermal from you, we had to say actually nevermind, because your house cannot accommodate a giant water well rig on the yard." Identifying and solving technical barriers that limit adoption can dramatically expand market reach. Leverage Mission-Driven Status for Marketing Advantages: Dandelion's environmental mission generated media coverage and public interest that traditional HVAC companies couldn't access. Kathy observed, "Starting a company that is mission driven like Dandelion has been a big advantage because we get a fair amount of press coverage and people are inherently somewhat interested in the thing that we're doing." B2B founders working on solutions with broader positive impacts should leverage this narrative advantage in their marketing strategy.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Intenseye is revolutionizing industrial safety by connecting to existing camera systems in manufacturing facilities and using AI to detect unsafe conditions in real-time. Having raised $93 million to date, the company has developed a platform that runs over 120 AI models analyzing 50+ safety use cases at manufacturing sites globally. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Sercan Esen, CEO and Co-Founder of Intenseye, about his journey from software engineer to category-creating founder, and how his company is addressing the staggering problem of workplace fatalities – 2.4 million people losing their lives annually in industrial accidents.   Topics Discussed: Intenseye's origin story and mission to save lives in manufacturing How the platform transforms existing cameras into "24/7 safety supervisors" The challenge of creating a new category in industrial safety Building an account-based marketing engine from scratch The evolution from a proof-of-concept to an enterprise-ready solution Scaling from single facility deployments to managing 100+ site implementations How real-time detection differs fundamentally from traditional EHS platforms   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Learn directly from your customers on category creation: "We came up with those category names. We named those use cases and main categories and we expanded them under like 50 new use cases too... So I would say the number one thing that we do really well is relying on our customers, our users on the front lines, and how they use our platform and operationalize and what they call it." Sercan emphasized the importance of letting your customers help shape how you define and communicate about your new category, rather than imposing terminology on them. Immerse yourself in your customer's world: Sercan personally visited over 50 manufacturing facilities in the first two years and even worked production lines to understand the environment. "I was making ice creams for a week, cars for another week. And I was working right next to frontline teams to learn more." This deep immersion helped Intenseye build a solution that truly addressed the realities of their customers' environments rather than creating a theoretical solution from a distance. Iterate your go-to-market motion with the help of early customers: The Intenseye team originally envisioned a self-serve, product-led growth model but quickly realized enterprise sales was the right approach. Sercan recalls: "I remember my first call with the procurement leader from a largest customer and he was challenging me and I said, 'Look, this is the first time I'm doing this. Can you tell me how you guys want to buy this? You tell me and I will just figure this out.' And he gave me amazing insights." This willingness to learn from customers shaped their land-and-expand strategy and pricing model. Deeply understand stakeholder concerns to drive adoption: When implementing computer vision in industrial settings, Sercan's team anticipated potential resistance and built solutions proactively: "We are always aggressively cautious about the implementation of computer vision technology because immediate reaction might be 'Hey, this is Big Brother...' But these are all wrong. We spend a lot of time with unions, frontline teams, building anonymization around blurring the entire body at the camera level, thumbnail level, and everything... to earn their trust, earn their hearts and minds." Create targeted marketing content that demonstrates your exact solution: Rather than generic marketing, Intenseye built a video engine that could analyze customer video footage using their AI, showing precisely how their system would work in a prospect's actual environment. "I posted on LinkedIn, promoted in the region where I know that account could see our video... I remember couple hours later it was a meeting booked from the VP of Healthcare Safety with a note: 'Hey, I'm really interested about this solution.'" This approach of showing exactly how you solve the specific problem has become the foundation of their marketing strategy.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Katmai is reinventing remote work through its innovative virtual office platform that creates spontaneous, natural interaction in a digital environment. With over $30 million in funding, Katmai has developed proprietary 3D audio-video technology that allows teams to work together in a virtual space that mimics the benefits of physical offices while maintaining the flexibility of remote work. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Erik Braund, CEO and Founder of Katmai, to learn about his journey from audio-video production to building a deep tech startup that's challenging conventional remote work tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Topics Discussed: Katmai's origin as an accidental pandemic pivot from Erik's audio-video production business The acquisition of early prototype technology and building a specialized team of engineers The technical challenges of creating a browser-based 3D environment with live audio-video Katmai's approach to product development through careful beta testing and customer feedback The transition from deep tech R&D to commercial product and go-to-market strategy The tension between maintaining stealth mode while gathering essential user feedback Katmai's expansion from enterprise customers to consumer-facing experiences The philosophical approach to remote work that focuses on spontaneous interaction   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Prioritize real-world functionality over pitch decks: Erik emphasized that for complex, visual products like Katmai, traditional pitch materials didn't work. "We didn't even have a deck for series A because they don't work. The deck doesn't work. You've got to just see it or see a video of it." B2B founders with experiential products should prioritize creating functional demos over traditional marketing materials. Build around natural behavior patterns: Katmai succeeded by mapping digital interactions to natural in-person behaviors. "We map everything one-to-one of what would it be like to sit next to each other at a table and show each other laptops and have a conversation and then look over the shoulder." Founders should design products that feel intuitive by mimicking familiar real-world interactions rather than creating entirely new behavioral patterns. Balance technological innovation with methodical rollout: As a deep tech investment, Katmai spent years on R&D before broader release. "Had I known how to frame it on day one, I would have pitched it as a deep tech investment... we're going to be heads down for like two more years, just hashing this out, making it work." B2B founders working on fundamental innovations should set appropriate timelines and expectations for both investors and customers. Transform scheduled meetings into spontaneous conversations: Katmai's core value proposition addresses meeting fatigue. Erik shared customer feedback: "Katmai turns next week's 30 minute meeting into today's 5 minute conversation." B2B founders should identify where their product can eliminate friction in workflows rather than simply digitizing existing processes. Implement gradual adoption strategies: Recognizing behavior change is difficult, Katmai recommends an "office hours" approach to adoption. "Take your stand up that you were going to do with your remote team and do it in Katmai. Maybe that's once a week, maybe it's every day... then don't leave when the meeting's over." B2B founders should create clear, incremental adoption pathways that don't require customers to immediately abandon existing tools. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Tilled has pioneered "PayFac as a Service," creating a new category in the payments space that allows vertical software companies to embed payments within their platforms without becoming registered payment facilitators themselves. With over $40 million in funding, Tilled offers an alternative to industry giants like Stripe, providing better economics while maintaining high-quality developer tools. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Caleb Avery, Founder and CEO of Tilled, about his journey from solo founder to category creator, the challenges of competing with established players like Stripe, and how he's built a successful business by identifying and serving an underserved segment of the market. Topics Discussed: Tilled's origin story and Caleb's two-year journey as a solo founder before finding product-market fit The process of creating and defining the "PayFac as a Service" category How Tilled positions itself against industry giants like Stripe Effective content marketing and thought leadership strategies on LinkedIn The power of speaking at industry conferences to build credibility Leveraging a mixed strategy of inbound marketing, digital advertising, and channel partnerships Tilled's vision to expand beyond payments into comprehensive embedded fintech solutions   GTM Lessons for B2B Founders: Create your own category when existing ones don't fit: When Caleb realized that existing terms like "PayFac in a box" didn't accurately describe Tilled's offering, he invented "PayFac as a Service." This new category clearly communicated their value proposition and differentiated them from competitors. He explains, "The concept behind PayFac as a Service was really resonating with these vertical software companies that were saying, 'I don't want to go be a registered PayFac, I want all of the benefits as though I'm becoming a registered payment facilitator with 5% of the effort.'" Educate the market on your category through content: Tilled invested heavily in education through LinkedIn posts, blogs, ebooks, and speaking engagements to establish their category. Caleb notes, "Over a period of three or four months, we started introducing this concept of PayFac as a Service...by the time we actually launched the fundraising process, some of the early investors that I talked to were like, 'Oh, yeah, we've heard of that category.'" Leverage fellow founders for early validation: Even without a product, Caleb reached out to other founders to validate his ideas. "Other founders are very willing to help founders, especially in the early stages where I had nothing to sell them...I was shocked by the response rates that I was getting." This approach helped validate assumptions about pricing, product features, and contractual terms before launch. Balance personal and professional content for thought leadership: Caleb's LinkedIn strategy combined educational content about payments with personal stories about entrepreneurship and family life. "I think by allowing people to understand who I was as a person, it made me more approachable for some of the companies that were coming to us and saying, 'Hey, we're not ready to make a switch, but we are curious.'" Apply to speak at industry conferences: Caleb was surprised by how many speaking opportunities were available simply by applying. "It just shocks me how few founders that I know are willing to go apply for those speakerships, but it's really an incredibly easy thing for them to go do." These speaking engagements provided valuable opportunities to reach ideal customers and establish credibility. Run targeted "conquest" campaigns against market leaders: Tilled runs specific digital advertising campaigns targeting pain points with competitors, using long-tail keywords like "Why is Stripe customer service so bad?" This strategy drives quality leads from customers already experiencing problems with the dominant player in the market. Embrace channel partnerships in B2B SaaS: Unlike many competitors, Tilled welcomes referrals from ISOs, agents, and payment consultants. "We're one of the few folks in our space, which is still bizarre to me, that embraces a channel strategy...it's been an incredibly lucrative strategy...it's still 30 plus percent of the deal flow for Tilled."   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Bot Auto is redefining the autonomous driving industry with a pragmatic, economics-first approach. With over $45 million in funding, the company is positioning itself as a trucking company that leverages autonomous technology, rather than a technology vendor selling autonomous systems. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Dr. Xiaodi Hou, CEO of Bot Auto, who shared his decade of experience in autonomous vehicles and his vision for creating a profitable business that delivers transportation capacity more efficiently than human drivers. Topics Discussed: Bot Auto's evolution from deep learning applications to autonomous trucking The strategic advantages of highway trucking over urban autonomous driving Why cost per mile (CPM) provides a better North Star metric than miles per intervention Bot Auto's business model as a trucking company first, technology company second The industry-wide challenge of rebuilding credibility after years of overpromising Projected timeline: 30 trucks by 2026, breakeven with 100 trucks by 2027 Lessons learned from previous ventures in autonomous driving The future impact of autonomous trucking on transportation infrastructure   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Position as a service provider, not a technology vendor: Bot Auto deliberately positions itself as a trucking company that happens to use autonomous technology, rather than an autonomous technology vendor. "Transportation itself is a service," Xiaodi explained. "Consider us as a trucking company. We are a trucking company, but in near future we will remove the human driver and then we can operate more efficiently than a traditional trucking company." B2B founders should consider whether selling a service that incorporates their technology might be more viable than selling the technology itself, particularly when customers lack the capabilities to implement complex technologies. Design for seamless ecosystem integration: Rather than requiring new infrastructure or capabilities from customers, Bot Auto designed their offering to plug directly into the existing transportation ecosystem. "The ecosystem for transportation, for trucking is already there. And if we can be a kind of a painless, transparent replacement like equivalent to a human driven truck and supply the capacity to the ecosystem, then the ecosystem is already there. We don't even need to rebuild the ecosystem," Xiaodi noted. B2B founders should design their offerings to integrate with existing workflows and systems rather than requiring customers to build new capabilities around their technology. Choose one definitive metric that drives all decisions: Bot Auto uses cost-per-mile (CPM) as their North Star metric for evaluating all business and technology decisions. "If your cost per mile is too high, no matter how experienced your partner is, or how ambitious you are, or how big your fleet is, if your cost per mile is negative, you will never make money," Xiaodi emphasized. This singular focus creates clarity across the organization. B2B founders should identify a similar "ultimate guideline" that directly ties to profitability and use it to evaluate every investment and initiative. Focus on industry-wide credibility, not competition: Xiaodi strongly rejected the notion that autonomous trucking is a competitive space. "The autonomous driving industry is facing the biggest problem that is shared by everyone. That is the credibility of the whole industry. We collectively have promised too much and we have delivered too little," he explained. Instead of positioning against other startups, Bot Auto focuses on rebuilding trust in the entire category. B2B founders in emerging categories should consider how collective credibility impacts their success more than individual positioning against similar startups. Create internal-external alignment: Bot Auto ensures perfect alignment between their internal goals and external messaging. "If your internal goal is to do something and your external presentation promises something very different, that always creates a clash of the company. Like basically you will be ending up with two companies under one stock symbol. That's very bad," Xiaodi warned. This alignment principle shapes how they communicate with investors and the market. B2B founders should ensure their internal metrics and priorities match what they promise externally, avoiding the trap of optimizing for different outcomes internally versus externally. Use early revenue to discipline innovation: Unlike many deep tech startups with distant revenue horizons, Bot Auto designed their business model to generate revenue relatively quickly. This approach creates what Xiaodi calls a "self-regulation mechanism" that forces practical decisions: "Are you going to increase or decrease the CPM based on your new invention? Sometimes people do develop a flashy technology, but as soon as they realize that they're not going to reduce our cost per mile, then this is bad technology." B2B founders should design business models that generate early revenue to provide market validation and discipline their innovation efforts.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Transcend is fundamentally changing how engineers design our world's essential infrastructure through their generative design platform. With $35 million in funding, including investment from industry giant Autodesk, Transcend is automating and optimizing the planning and conceptual design phases for infrastructure projects that typically cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Adam Tank about how Transcend is creating an entirely new category while helping societies build more sustainable, efficient infrastructure from wastewater treatment plants to power systems. Topics Discussed: How Transcend's platform automates preliminary infrastructure design that traditionally requires months of manual work The shift from a consumption-based pricing model to a flat-rate subscription that accelerated user adoption Building a brand in a highly technical, conservative engineering market Leveraging trade partnerships and owned media to educate potential customers The importance of creating a category around "Generative Design for Critical Infrastructure" How strategic investment from Autodesk removed concerns about startup viability The challenge of selling to technical stakeholders who are resistant to change   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Validate before building: Adam emphasizes trying to sell your solution before building it. "A lot of entrepreneurs fall into this mindset of 'if you build it, they will come'... Selling it, marketing it, is substantially harder in most cases than building the actual product itself." Education-first marketing for technical buyers: When selling to engineers, plan for 10x more educational content than you might expect. "If I thought we needed to spend four hours a week doing it, we're spending 40 hours a week doing it across both sales and marketing teams." Create webinars, case studies, and detailed content that helps your technical audience understand and trust your solution. Invest in owned media channels: Don't rely solely on platforms you don't control. Transcend created a newsletter reaching 16,000 engineers worldwide that isn't directly branded as Transcend but provides immense value and establishes authority. "If you rely on SEO only, or LinkedIn only... anything can change overnight." Leverage trade partners for amplified reach: Instead of building everything yourself, tap into established networks in your industry. "We'll spend upwards of $5,000 to tap into someone else's network... and we'll get a thousand or more registrants and we've had half or more show up to the webinar, which is almost unheard of." Challenge assumptions with data: Events are often assumed to be critical for relationship-based B2B sales, but Transcend found that "online events, webinars, our newsletters, our social media even, are far more consistent generator of high quality leads than events are for the spend." Rethink pricing to encourage adoption: For complex products requiring significant user education, consumption-based pricing can unintentionally discourage exploration. "We made a big change about a year and a half or so into the company to move away from that consumption based pricing into just a flat rate model... We just want them in the tool, we just want them playing around with it." Balance founder personal brand with company visibility: Adam maintains what he calls a "70-20-10" approach—70% water industry focus, 20% Transcend, and 10% personal. "People like to buy from people. They don't buy from companies. So the extent that a company can have a face that's out front that they can get to know and trust... is super important." // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Justin Leigh, CEO of Workflow Labs, an e-commerce management platform that's raised $3.5 million in funding. After running a successful Amazon agency for 14 years, Justin identified a critical opportunity: replacing human-driven processes with automation at scale. Workflow Labs is automating e-commerce management tasks that brands traditionally outsource to agencies or offshore teams, allowing for better economics, faster resolution times, and predictable outcomes in managing product listings across platforms like Amazon. Topics Discussed: Transitioning from running a services-based agency to building a software product The strategy of targeting partners who aggregate brands rather than selling to brands individually How retail media networks are driving advertising dollars onto retailer platforms The importance of having clear company objectives that everyone understands Fundraising approaches for early-stage companies Making the pivot from automation-focused messaging to comprehensive solution positioning GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Partner with aggregators instead of selling one-by-one: Workflow Labs recognized that selling directly to individual brands would take too long to reach scale. Justin explained, "If we need to close 3,000 brands in two years, you're not going to do that selling them one by one." Instead, they identified partners who already worked with pools of brands—like ad agencies and supply chain providers—allowing them to sign up "tens, twenties, fifties, hundreds at a time." Align with emerging market trends: Justin identified that retail media networks (Amazon, Walmart, Target) are where advertising dollars are shifting. He positioned Workflow Labs to support this trend: "We said as that shift continues, we support the product. If you're going to advertise a product, you better make sure their title's right, bullets are right, that it's in stock." B2B founders should identify major industry shifts and align their solutions with those trends. Create market pull through RFP requirements: Workflow Labs uses a "push-pull method" by engaging directly with brands to influence their RFP requirements. Justin noted, "We work very hard to engage with brands directly and say...when you RFP for your advertising services, you better make sure your provider is providing an automated way to keep your products accurate." This creates demand that potential partners must satisfy, making partnership conversations easier. Pivot based on customer feedback—even when it contradicts your assumptions: Workflow Labs initially thought customers would care about labor cost reduction but discovered their messaging wasn't resonating. Justin admitted, "We thought initially so many wrong things...When you went to the market and said, 'Hey, you have a 50-person team in India and all they're doing is updating titles, we can make 80% of that labor go away,' no one cared." They pivoted to position themselves as a comprehensive solution rather than just automation. Establish clear, quantifiable objectives: Justin implemented the "rule of three"—focusing on just three key objectives per quarter. He shared a powerful insight about founder transparency: "If you want everybody in your company to row the boat in the same direction...be super clear around what your objectives are." This includes being upfront about exit goals: "Everyone on the team knows what happens when we get to 3,000 [customers], if we can get close to there...that's when liquidity events start to be on the table."   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

engin is pioneering AI-powered recruiting technology that addresses the fundamental inefficiency in the hiring process: 80% of time is wasted on interactions with candidates who will never move forward. With over $4 million in funding, engin is positioned at the intersection of recruitment marketing and automation, focusing on quality over quantity in an increasingly noisy job market. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Sloane Barbour, who brings 15+ years of recruiting industry expertise to his role as CEO and founder. He shared insights on how engin is using AI agents to revolutionize the recruiting process for companies, staffing firms, and job seekers alike. Topics Discussed: The fundamental inefficiency in recruiting where 80% of time is spent on candidates who never progress How traditional recruiting technology failed to address unstructured data like resumes and job descriptions The impact of LLMs on recruiting technology's ability to contextualize unstructured data at scale engin's strategic positioning shift from ATS to recruitment marketing and automation The future of work and AI's role in transforming the labor market   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Position where the pain and budget intersect: Sloane repositioned engin "up the funnel" from the commoditized ATS space to recruitment marketing and automation, where companies were spending 3x more and experiencing greater pain points. He explained: "Their problem was they were not talking to good people, they were not talking to relevant people, they were not talking to people quick enough." By addressing the quality issue rather than simply building "a better mousetrap in the ATS category," engin created 3x more value. Founder-led marketing generates qualified leads: After experiencing diminishing returns from traditional outbound email campaigns, Sloane shifted focus to founder-led content and thought leadership. "Every time I post something that takes me 10 minutes to write up, you know, but maybe almost 20 years to be able to write that thought because of my experience in the space... it very clearly resonates with people." This approach generates higher quality meetings than traditional SDR-driven outreach. Create transparent sales processes with clear metrics: From his experience managing 60+ salespeople, Sloane emphasizes establishing transparency and accountability from day one: "The number one most important thing is transparency of expectations... You have to have visibility into their performance on a daily basis." This includes tracking calls made, emails sent, and meetings booked. Without these fundamentals, scaling a sales organization becomes impossible. Partner networks accelerate adoption during market transitions: A key component of engin's marketing strategy is its "robust partner network" with integrations and APIs that enable co-selling. Sloane noted this has been "super helpful for just kind of navigating this AI transition in recruiting and staffing together," allowing them to leverage existing relationships and platforms. Strategic fundraising requires thesis alignment: Sloane learned to quickly identify misalignment with potential investors rather than pursuing exceptions: "If you're talking to people more than a call where thesis is off by more than 20%, meaning you're a seed, they're series A... I almost would rather just end the call, 15 minutes, keep them in the phone book for 18 months down the line." This approach prevents wasted cycles with investors unlikely to participate.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Landbase is pioneering a new approach to go-to-market automation, using agentic AI to help businesses generate leads that convert. With $12.5 million in seed funding, Landbase is automating the mundane aspects of sales and marketing while leveraging machine intelligence to recommend high-converting campaign strategies.  In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Daniel Saks, CEO and Co-Founder of Landbase, about his journey from building the unicorn AppDirect to his latest venture. Daniel shared his vision for creating software that works for you, not the other way around, and how AI-powered tools can help reclaim your day by turning months-long campaign processes into minutes. Topics Discussed: Landbase's mission to solve the challenge of generating leads that convert Using agentic AI to create go-to-market campaigns with high conversion potential The transition from months to minutes for launching marketing campaigns Daniel's journey building AppDirect into a unicorn and his decision to start Landbase The shifting landscape of B2B technology from on-prem to SaaS to AI Finding motivation beyond material success and focusing on mission-driven work Landbase's three core OKRs: faster, cheaper, better How AI can harness data to enhance human performance, not replace humans Building "GTM1 Omni," Landbase's domain-specific model for go-to-market insights The concept of "digital trust" and its importance in modern marketing efforts   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: AI should augment humans, not replace them: Daniel emphasizes that AI's role is to "automate the mundane so humans can do more human things." The most effective AI implementation preserves human agency while enhancing performance through machine intelligence. Focus on micro-ICPs for higher conversion: Landbase's data shows that targeting micro-ICPs (Ideal Customer Profiles) or niche audiences with specific problems can yield dramatically higher engagement rates—sometimes up to 90% email open rates compared to 1% for broader approaches. Opportunity in underdigitized industries: Traditional businesses like tool and die manufacturing, landscaping, or mining represent untapped markets for digital solutions. Being the first to create content for these niches can give you a significant advantage. Digital trust is the new currency: Building trust through your digital presence is critical. This includes having relevant case studies (video performs better than text), third-party ratings and reviews, credible authorities discussing your brand, and strong domain authority through proper backlinks. The Y Combinator playbook is outdated: Daniel argues that the traditional lean startup methodology of building a point solution around a defined customer market doesn't work in today's AI landscape. Creating a sustainable moat requires thinking differently and taking greater risks.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Rencore is a leader in Microsoft 365 governance, helping organizations manage the security, costs, and lifecycle of their cloud resources. With $15 million in funding, Rencore has evolved from a bootstrapped consulting business to a venture-backed software company serving nearly 500 enterprise customers worldwide. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Matt Einig, CEO and Founder of Rencore, about his 12-year journey from building a niche code analysis tool to creating a comprehensive cloud governance platform that addresses the growing challenges of cloud sprawl, security, and cost management in the Microsoft ecosystem and beyond. Topics Discussed: Rencore's unconventional path from consulting tool to enterprise SaaS product The transition from bootstrapped business to venture-backed startup after 7+ years How customer interviews shaped Rencore's pivot to cloud governance The pandemic's role as a massive accelerator for cloud adoption and Rencore's growth Building a technology-agnostic platform that can quickly adapt to market changes The balance between bootstrap mentality and venture growth mindset Establishing thought leadership in the Microsoft ecosystem through content creation and community engagement GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Leverage existing customer relationships when pivoting: Matt's team interviewed over 300 existing customers to identify their next opportunity, using their established base to discover new market needs. Matt explained, "We used this connection that we have, this customer base, and figured out a new problem." B2B founders should view their current customer base as a valuable research pool when considering new directions. Build credibility before you need it: Matt spent years building visibility in the Microsoft ecosystem, speaking at 30-40 events annually and earning Microsoft MVP status for 10 consecutive years. This established credibility made marketing their new product much easier. B2B founders should invest in ecosystem credibility early, as it becomes a powerful asset when launching new products. Content consistency trumps perfection: Matt's approach to thought leadership wasn't about occasional brilliant pieces but consistent, valuable content creation over years. "If you really want to do it, you have to put a lot of effort in... and it's eventually only all about consistency," he shared. B2B founders should commit to regular, thoughtful content rather than sporadic attempts at viral marketing. Design for future expansion: Rather than building a solution specific to Microsoft 365 governance, Rencore created a technology-agnostic platform that could easily integrate new data sources. "That choice to build something generic instead of something very specific proved to be an extremely good decision," Matt reflected. B2B founders should design core architecture with future expansion in mind, even when starting with a focused use case. Maintain operational discipline through funding transitions: Despite raising venture capital, Matt maintained the operational discipline developed during bootstrapping. "We didn't change our attitude that much... we tried to stay realistic," he explained. This approach helped them weather economic downturns. B2B founders should preserve the operational rigor of bootstrapping even after securing venture funding.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Walnut Insurance is pioneering embedded insurance solutions, making it easier for platforms and businesses to offer relevant insurance products at the right moment in the customer journey. With over $7 million in funding, Walnut has partnered with major brands like Neo Financial, Tim Hortons, and Atco to create seamless insurance experiences. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Derek Szeto, Co-Founder of Walnut Insurance, about the company's journey from its inception within RBC to becoming a leading embedded insurance enabler, working behind the scenes to power insurance solutions that appear naturally within customer experiences. Topics Discussed: The three buckets of embedded insurance: fully embedded into products, data-driven implementations, and contextual offerings How embedded insurance benefits all parties: customers get needed coverage, platforms enhance stickiness and revenue, and insurers receive better risk profiles Walnut's origin story discovering insurance as an "unrecognized subscription" in consumer spending Finding the right customer touchpoints for offering insurance products Establishing Walnut as a technology-first enabler for partners wanting to offer insurance The challenge of market education in an emerging category The shift from life insurance to property and casualty products for better conversion rates Creating one-click insurance journeys that drive strong conversion rates   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Start by recognizing untapped market patterns: Derek identified insurance as an "unrecognized subscription" in consumer spending data—a significant expense that didn't get the attention of typical subscriptions like Netflix or Spotify. B2B founders should look for similar overlooked patterns in consumer behavior that indicate market opportunities. Focus on required rather than optional products: Walnut found significantly higher conversion when focusing on insurance products that are required in customer journeys (like tenant insurance when signing a lease) rather than optional ones. Derek explains, "Life insurance in its very end is a much harder product to embed because life insurance is always optional." B2B founders should prioritize solutions that address mandatory needs over discretionary ones. Use data signals to drive contextual offerings: The strongest conversion happens when insurance is offered at moments of high relevance. Derek shares, "Thinking about geolocation and travel insurance—an airport is a very good signal, or better yet if you can get them while they're using the Wi-Fi on the plane, that's an even better signal that they might be traveling." B2B founders should identify and leverage precise contextual signals that indicate heightened receptivity to their solution. Run fundraising like a sophisticated sales process: Derek learned that fundraising requires the same rigor as enterprise sales. "It became much more of a CRM-driven process, more pre-work. So trying to identify the most likely investors... Are they going to be interested in that category? Are they going to be interested in that geography? Are they writing checks of the size that are relevant to their fund?" B2B founders should approach fundraising with the same systematic process and qualification criteria used in sales. Industry conferences drive disproportionate results: For B2B companies in established industries like finance and insurance, conferences remain highly effective for business development. "We've had a lot of success with conferences like the Money 2020s of the world where folks are all together in one place and we can meet with a lot of different clients, whether that's net new or to meet with existing partners." B2B founders should prioritize high-concentration industry events, especially in traditional sectors.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

PinPoint Analytics is revolutionizing the public works construction industry with AI-powered bid intelligence. With over $4 million in funding, PinPoint is building what co-founder Mark Zurada describes as "the Zillow for public works." In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Mark to learn how PinPoint is bringing data-driven decision making to an industry where the "lowest price bid wins" mentality has traditionally forced contractors into a risky race to the bottom. Topics Discussed: The unique challenges of public works construction bidding, where lowest price wins but pricing information is non-standardized How PinPoint collects and digitizes data from every public works project in the country over the past five years The company's journey from 2.5 years of intense R&D to launching their first generally available product PinPoint's ingenious marketing strategy that leverages real-time bid data to target prospects at exactly the right moment The critical importance of finding specialized investors who understand the niche market Why few tech founders have ventured into the construction space, and how PinPoint's technical expertise gives them an edge   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Target the stakeholders with the highest pain point: PinPoint serves three customer segments (municipalities, engineering firms, and general contractors) but focuses primarily on GCs because they have the most financial risk and greatest need for the solution. As Mark explained, "GCs are our primary target, and they're basically the most at risk. They need this the most." When creating a new category, seek specialized investors: For companies building in niche markets, corporate venture capital from established industry players can be invaluable. Mark shared, "We really had to find a specialized VC... we ultimately landed a CVC, basically a huge construction conglomerate that felt the pain point. They're like, 'Oh my God, you guys can solve this. We've been trying to solve it forever.'" Build proprietary data moats: What attracts investors to PinPoint isn't just AI but their unique data assets. "VCs are really gravitating towards us because of the data moat that we have and the IP moat... We are an AI company solving a real-world problem with a great moat around us." Use your data to drive hyper-targeted sales outreach: PinPoint transforms the bid summaries they collect into actionable sales intelligence. "We know exactly who's bidding almost in real time... We're very focused on hitting our customers at the right time with the right message, with rich analysis on what they did, opening the doors to how our product could have helped them." Approach complex technical challenges with the right expertise: Sometimes the reason a market remains underserved is that the technical barriers are substantial. "We're really like tech guys building construction software... We know how to do data and analytics and AI extremely well... We just knew how to approach it and surmount some of those early technical problems that would have been super hard if you were coming at it from the other side."   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Definity is pioneering a new approach to data pipeline observability and optimization specifically designed for the Lakehouse and Spark ecosystem. With $4.5 million in funding, this startup aims to transform how enterprises manage their data pipelines by providing real-time observability from within the pipelines themselves. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Roy Daniel, CEO and Co-Founder of Definity, about the company's journey from addressing his team's own data reliability challenges to creating a solution for enterprise teams managing mission-critical data pipelines at scale.   Topics Discussed: Definity's full-stack data observability solution designed specifically for the Lakehouse and Spark ecosystem How the product works inside data pipelines to provide real-time visibility on data quality, pipeline health, and performance The founding story rooted in the team's experience with data pipeline reliability challenges The gap in the market between application performance monitoring and data quality solutions Definity's "inside-out" approach versus traditional "outside-in" data monitoring How the company approaches marketing to enterprise customers while enabling engineers to experience the product Fundraising during the challenging market conditions of late 2023   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Build solutions for problems you've experienced firsthand: Roy and his co-founders created Definity to solve challenges they faced in their own careers. "We started by building the solution we always wanted to have," Roy explains. This authentic connection to the problem space enabled them to develop a product that resonates with users facing similar challenges. Position at the intersection of established categories: Definity identified that data engineering was about a decade behind software engineering in terms of observability tools. By taking elements from existing categories (data quality and application performance monitoring) but applying them with a completely new approach, they created a distinctive value proposition that stands out in a crowded market. Focus on high-value use cases and segments first: Rather than taking a broad approach, Definity targets "the tip of the sphere" - enterprise teams working with high-scale, mission-critical data pipelines. Roy notes, "We cater to teams that work at very high scale in terms of their data operation... feeding into ML models, feature stores, regulatory reporting, customer reporting." Deliver tangible value to cut through market noise: In a space filled with buzzwords, Definity focuses on demonstrating practical value. "To rise above it, you really need to deliver a unique approach," says Roy. The company launched a free assessment tool that helps teams evaluate the health and cost of their platforms, providing immediate value while showcasing their differentiated approach. Find investors who deeply understand your problem space: Roy emphasized that securing funding during the challenging 2023 market required connecting with investors who understood "the pain points of the customer with second and third degree and not just at the surface level." The right investors could appreciate the nuanced innovation they were bringing to market.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co      

Xona Space is revolutionizing global positioning technology with a new generation of GPS designed for today's devices and applications. With over $40 million in funding, Xona is developing a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit to provide higher precision, stronger signals, and enhanced security compared to traditional GPS systems. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Brian Manning, CEO and Co-Founder of Xona Space, to learn how the company is addressing the limitations of current navigation technology and enabling the next wave of autonomous systems to operate safely in challenging environments. Topics Discussed: The evolution of navigation technology from celestial navigation to modern GPS How traditional GPS architecture hasn't fundamentally changed in over 50 years Xona's approach to building a complementary system with small satellites in low Earth orbit The three key challenges Xona addresses: precision, power, and protection Why autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture need more reliable positioning The company's recent Air Force contract and their focus on both commercial and government applications Their upcoming launch of the first production-class satellite in June   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Validate real-world problems with customer immersion: Brian emphasized getting out from behind your desk to talk directly with customers in their environments. "You can't start a company behind a computer screen... Get out and talk to the customers. It is so enlightening and there's so many things that you will learn that you just never thought of." Understanding how farmers, construction workers, and others actually use positioning technology in the field revealed needs that spreadsheets and assumptions couldn't capture. Focus on specific markets when demand exceeds capacity: Rather than pursuing all potential use cases, Xona strategically narrowed their focus. "There are just so many use cases and so many potential applications that our pipeline of interest and demand is kind of so huge that we can't actually pursue all of it." By identifying core markets with early adoption potential, they've maintained a laser focus that maximizes their limited resources. Make new technology compatible with existing infrastructure: Xona deliberately designed their system to work with existing GPS receivers. "We've designed our system to be compatible with most GPS receivers, even without making any hardware changes." This approach significantly reduces adoption barriers, as customers can access improved capabilities through software updates rather than hardware replacements. Build incrementally toward a massive vision: When tackling something as ambitious as "building a new GPS," Xona broke it down into manageable steps. "We're going to do it one step at a time... You solve one problem and you solve the next. And if you solve enough of them, you're successful." This incremental approach helped them secure ongoing funding by demonstrating clear progress at each stage. Articulate the broader impact beyond luxury applications: Rather than positioning their technology as enabling premium conveniences, Xona frames their vision around democratizing access to transformative capabilities. "I'm much more interested in how you get the autonomous ambulance to go drive through the snowstorm when a human can't... How do you take the benefits of precision agriculture... and bring those benefits into developing countries?" This approach appeals to both mission-driven investors and practical customers seeking broader global impact.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

Foundersuite has established itself as the leading platform for startups raising capital, with $13 million in funding and a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline the fundraising process. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Nathan Beckord, CEO of Foundersuite, to explore how his extensive background in investment banking and startup advisory evolved into building a specialized platform that's revolutionizing how founders approach fundraising. Nathan shares his journey from consultant to entrepreneur, and how Foundersuite has grown from a simple CRM into a robust platform serving startups from seed stage through Series B and beyond.   Topics Discussed: The evolution from an investment banking career to founding a startup focused on fundraising tools How Foundersuite narrowed its focus from a broad suite of founder tools to specialized fundraising solutions The strategic decision to target the seed through Series B segment as their primary market Building a sustainable marketing strategy through events, podcasting, and innovative guerrilla tactics The launch of Funding Stack, a new platform designed for VCs and fundraising consultants How AI is being integrated throughout the fundraising process to enhance efficiency and outcomes   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Start with your unique expertise: Nathan built Foundersuite based on his decade of fundraising experience, turning his specialized knowledge into product features. He explained, "I'm a one trick pony. The only thing I've done ever since college is raise capital for startups." B2B founders should leverage their deep industry expertise when defining their product category and value proposition. Be willing to kill good products for great focus: Despite positive user feedback on several products in their initial suite, Foundersuite made the difficult decision to eliminate tools that weren't core to their primary value proposition. Nathan recalls, "It was hard to kill something that people did love... but they weren't really paying as much for that." B2B founders should continuously evaluate their product portfolio against market traction and be willing to make tough decisions for greater focus. Define your "Goldilocks" customer segment: Foundersuite identified their ideal customer segment as seed through Series B companies—not too early (pre-seed) and not too mature (Series C+). Nathan explains, "Too early, you don't have any money, you can't pay us, you're not really fundable. Too late, you have a lot of other resources to help you raise capital." B2B founders should similarly identify where their product delivers maximum value and focus acquisition efforts accordingly. Use content marketing as a learning opportunity: Foundersuite's "How I Raised It" podcast not only serves as a marketing channel but also provides valuable market intelligence. Nathan shared, "I thought I knew everything about raising capital. And here I am just drinking from a fire hose... I'm learning more than my first six months of doing a podcast than I have in the last five years of actually doing the work." B2B founders should view content marketing as both a growth channel and a customer research tool. Implement annual marketing experiments: Foundersuite commits to trying one new marketing approach each year. Nathan explains, "One of the things I try and do every year... let's try a new, different marketing experiment." For 2025, they're implementing monthly webinars. B2B founders should similarly build experimentation into their marketing roadmap while maintaining their core channels.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Beebop AI is pioneering a new middleware layer for power grid orchestration, securing $5.5 million in funding to help utilities and energy retailers optimize energy consumption and costs. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Jan Willem Rombouts, CEO and Founder of Beebop AI, to discuss how his background at Goldman Sachs and experience building his first energy tech company shaped his approach to solving one of the energy transition's biggest challenges: balancing power grids in an increasingly renewable-powered world. Topics Discussed: Jan Willem's journey from Goldman Sachs' trading floor during the financial crisis to energy tech entrepreneurship The painful lessons learned building Restore, which pioneered virtual power plants and was later acquired by Centrica How Beebop AI creates a middleware layer that orchestrates power consumption across customer devices like EVs, solar panels, and heat pumps Why power grid orchestration is critical to making renewable energy both reliable and affordable Beebop's strategic flywheel connecting utilities and device manufacturers The go-to-market strategies that helped Beebop gain traction with major European utilities   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Engineer network effects into your go-to-market strategy: Beebop designed a utility-to-OEM flywheel where each new utility customer helps bring device manufacturers onto their platform, creating a powerful network effect. Jan Willem explained: "What we designed was that we would first contract these utilities... our anticipation was that they would be able to engage with these OEMs, with these manufacturers more easily, to essentially invite them to integrate with our platform." This approach turns customers into channel partners who can open doors that would be difficult for a startup to access directly. Break through complex sales cycles with land-and-expand: When selling to utilities and large corporations with notoriously long sales cycles, Beebop starts with a low-cost, high-value initial offering focused on insights and business case validation. Jan Willem noted: "Our initial proposition is very low cost and very high value... we allow them to see what the business case is... to create somewhat of a solid launching pad on which we can then expand and go to actual operationalization." This approach shortens time-to-value and creates internal champions. Focus on customer economics, not just your technology: Despite having complex technology, Beebop leads customer conversations with how their solution impacts key metrics like customer lifetime value, margin, churn, and customer acquisition costs. "Before we have explained anything about how new our software is, where it positions in the technology stack, we just show what kind of awesome products they can build... creating tens of percentages of discounts on their energy bills." Design for global scale from day one: Based on lessons from his first company, Jan Willem deliberately architected Beebop to work with market structures that are universal across regions: "What we did this time... is we chose markets that have a universal footprint and so that look essentially the same whether you're in the UK or you're in Texas or you're in Germany or you're in Sweden." This approach avoids the scaling challenges of having to constantly adapt to different regulatory environments. Bring process to event marketing: Beebop transformed their trade show approach by adopting a disciplined, metrics-driven strategy learned from Datadog's former CMO. Jan Willem shared: "The big learning for me was to be super intentional. If you go to a trade show, be super clear about exactly how many marketing qualified, how many sales qualified leads you want out of it, and then engineer a team with different roles and responsibilities." This systematic approach yields measurable ROI from events that many startups struggle to achieve.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Pegbo is revolutionizing the construction technology landscape by helping local, small, and diverse businesses accelerate their participation in the supply chain. With $1.4 million in funding, this construction tech platform is streamlining how emerging businesses win more jobs in an industry that's traditionally been slow to adopt technology. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Amar Amte shares his journey from Google to founding Pegbo, including his initial pivot from an equipment rental marketplace to a supplier diversity procurement platform, and how his outsider perspective has become a competitive advantage. Topics Discussed: Pegbo's evolution from an equipment rental marketplace to a supplier diversity procurement platform How being an industry outsider (coming from Google) provides unique advantages when building in construction tech The impact of digitization and AI on construction technology adoption and investor interest Regulatory changes affecting supplier diversity and local business participation in construction Marketing strategies centered on community-building and promoting people rather than product The company's approach to rapid growth while maintaining financial discipline How AI is revolutionizing construction tech by making previously expensive operations highly affordable   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Let your product do the selling: Pegbo focuses on demonstrating their product rather than making promises. Amar notes, "The aha moment is product. We are letting our products sell themselves." B2B founders should prioritize building a product that speaks for itself rather than relying heavily on marketing rhetoric. Make meaningful pivots quickly: When Pegbo discovered customers were asking about minority and small businesses rather than just equipment rentals, they completely pivoted their business model. Within 15 days of pivoting, they had their first paying customer. Founders should be prepared to recognize when the market is pulling them in a different direction and be willing to make decisive changes quickly. Focus on post-event value: For community events, Pegbo concentrates not just on the event itself but what happens before, during, and after. Amar explains, "If people are not qualified with a general contractor, they just waste a lot of time... What we focus on is what happens after the event." B2B founders should design events with clear pathways to customer value beyond networking. Strategic resource allocation: Despite raising $1.4 million, Pegbo maintains strict financial discipline. Amar personally paid for his branded Cybertruck rather than using company funds, stating, "I don't want to spend my investors' money on renting toilets and kitchens." Funding should be directed primarily toward product development and customer acquisition. Embrace regulatory changes as opportunities: Rather than seeing shifting regulations around supplier diversity as threats, Pegbo views them as opportunities. Amar notes that even as some diversity criteria change, "support to local businesses, small businesses are going to stay." B2B founders should look for the consistent underlying needs that persist through regulatory changes. Start manual, then automate: Pegbo's growth strategy involves first getting orders, performing some services manually to learn, then automating those processes. This approach led to completely automated $23,000 projects without founder involvement. B2B founders should consider a "do things that don't scale" approach initially before building automation systems.     //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Activate OS is transforming equipment management in the construction industry with a networked approach that connects fleet owners with their equipment providers. Starting as a consulting project to solve equipment management challenges for Caterpillar, Activate OS has evolved into a comprehensive platform that facilitates real-time collaboration between construction companies and their equipment dealers and rental partners. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Brian Giamo, CEO and Co-Founder of Activate OS, about the company's journey from a consulting business offshoot to a SaaS platform that's creating network effects and delivering measurable value to some of the largest construction projects in the country. Topics Discussed: Activate's origin story as a consulting project for Caterpillar The evolution from broad market approach to a focused go-to-market strategy How Activate connects fleet owners with equipment dealers and rental companies The three-stage go-to-market model that creates network effects The shift in VC interest toward construction tech verticals Future vision for expanding into transaction facilitation and AI-enabled services GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Get laser-focused on your entry point: Brian's team initially tried selling to equipment dealers and rental companies first, expecting them to distribute to fleet owners. After struggling, they flipped their approach to target fleet owners first, which created natural pull from the dealers. As Brian explained, "The natural way that this works is acquire the fleet owner, get them connected to provider, they mutually see value and benefit in keeping their equipment up and running." Sell outcomes, not software: Activate OS doesn't position itself as merely selling software. Brian emphasized, "We're really selling a result. We're really selling production of those assets on a job site and more effective communications to enable that." This outcome-focused approach resonates with customers who care about equipment uptime, not technology. Create strategic network effects: Activate's three-stage go-to-market model (1. acquire fleet owner, 2. connect them to providers, 3. convert providers to distribution partners) creates powerful network effects. Each new customer expands their reach to 5-10 equipment providers who then become potential distribution channels themselves. Be patient with product-market fit: It took Activate nearly six years to truly crystallize their go-to-market approach and product-market fit. Brian acknowledged, "I would say we really have sort of just arrived there in 2022 or 2023. It took a lot of years." Leverage strategic investors from your industry: Activate raised over $4M without traditional fundraising, instead bringing on strategic investors including a major Caterpillar dealer. These industry insiders provided both capital and valuable market insights, creating mutual benefits beyond just funding.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Tab Commerce is pioneering the first corporate card built specifically for restaurants, tackling the complex back-office operations of a traditionally low-margin industry. With $4 million in funding, Tab is creating a comprehensive spend management platform that addresses the unique challenges restaurant operators face. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Ty Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of Tab Commerce, to learn how his family restaurant background and pandemic-era insights led to building a fintech company that's transforming restaurant profitability through better spend management. Topics Discussed: Tab Commerce's evolution from supply chain solution to specialized corporate card for restaurants The complex, fragmented nature of restaurant back-office operations and purchasing How Tab is growing through strategic industry association partnerships The challenges of distribution and relationship-building in the restaurant technology space Tab's vision to become the standard commerce layer for the $1.5 trillion restaurant supply chain   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Study success relentlessly: Ty shared he constantly goes deep on companies he admires, calling it "one of the best uses of my time." He studies everything from their podcasts to press materials, which directly inspired Tab's corporate card product after researching Ramp. B2B founders should identify "company crushes" and systematically analyze their business models, marketing strategies, and product innovations for applicable insights. Vertically-focused products win over horizontal solutions: Tab recognized that generic spend management tools don't work for restaurants' unique workflows. "Every vertical will have their own spend management platform because every vertical has their own workflows and needs and go-to-market strategies," Ty explained. B2B founders should embrace deep vertical specialization rather than building generic solutions, as vertical focus builds immediate trust with customers who want industry-specific solutions. Strategic industry associations can solve distribution challenges: Unlike conventional digital marketing tactics which failed ("LinkedIn ads... doesn't work at all"), Tab found success by partnering with restaurant industry associations. Ty relocated his office to be five minutes from the Texas Restaurant Association and co-branded a card with them. For B2B founders targeting fragmented industries, leveraging established industry groups can provide credibility, access to engaged audiences, and cost-effective distribution channels. Relationship-based sales beats transactional approaches: In an era of increasingly transactional software sales, Tab deliberately built a relationship-focused sales organization. "Software sales has become super transactional. And I think that's hurt industries like restaurants and other brick and mortar businesses because they're very relationship based," Ty noted. B2B founders should consider whether their target market responds better to high-touch, relationship-driven sales approaches rather than modern, low-touch methods. Discover "landmines" through persistent market testing: Ty revealed it took over two and a half years to gain meaningful traction, during which they encountered numerous "landmines" – seemingly intuitive product ideas that actually failed in practice. For example, they initially tried to digitize chef-supplier ordering before realizing the existing phone/text workflow was actually more efficient. B2B founders should rigorously test assumptions and be prepared to pivot from apparently obvious solutions that the market rejects.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

ParkourSC is transforming supply chain management with its dynamic decision intelligence platform, raising $90 million to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Mahesh Veerina, a four-time entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, to explore how ParkourSC is creating a new category focused on unlocking trapped value in fragmented supply chain systems. From his early success taking Ramp Networks public in 1999 to his current mission revolutionizing pharmaceutical supply chains, Mahesh shares invaluable insights on building category-defining companies. Topics Discussed: Mahesh's entrepreneurial journey through three successful exits including an IPO How ParkourSC pivoted from IoT sensors to supply chain intelligence The pandemic's role in accelerating supply chain visibility as a critical business need Why life sciences and pharma presented the perfect initial market Creating the "dynamic decision intelligence" category in supply chain technology Building a platform that integrates fragmented enterprise systems with real-time data The strategy for partnering with innovative "change agents" within large companies How ParkourSC's technology reduces supply chain planner "noise" by 50-60% GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Market conditions can validate your vision: Supply chains were "back office" until COVID put them in the spotlight. Mahesh explains, "Any channel you switch on, it's supply chain—running out of milk and bread and essentials." This external validation can accelerate market acceptance of your solution. Find the value unlock through adjacent innovation: Rather than replacing existing systems, identify where trapped value exists. Mahesh notes, "Companies spend billions of dollars building their ERP systems... We are a category coming either as adjacency or sitting on top of some of these systems to unlock value." This approach reduces friction to adoption. Target industries with regulatory pressure and high-value problems: ParkourSC chose pharma/life sciences because it's "heavily regulated" with "$35 billion worth of product lost yearly to expirations and cold chain issues." Regulatory compliance and high-dollar waste create urgent problems worth solving. Co-create with innovative customers: Mahesh advises finding "innovators" within large companies who want to be change agents. "These are the early adopters that take bets... They bring a problem, give you a sandbox to play in." One such customer partner even became ParkourSC's Chief Strategy Officer. Expand from a narrow solution to platform vision: Start with solving one specific problem exceptionally well. Mahesh shares, "We got into the logistics, cold chain logistics... but very quickly found within these organizations it's great value but very narrow problem." They expanded systematically from logistics to operations, planning, and inventory—"the mother of all there, that's where all the money is stuck."   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Vectara is pioneering the field of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), addressing the critical challenge of hallucinations in AI systems. With over $53 million in funding, Vectara has positioned itself as the go-to platform for enterprises seeking to combat "RAG sprawl" while building AI assistants and agents that are accurate, secure, and explainable. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Amr Awadallah, CEO and Founder of Vectara, to explore his journey from Egyptian immigrant to serial entrepreneur and his vision for creating AI systems that enterprises can truly trust. Topics Discussed: Amr's journey from Egypt to Stanford in 1995 and how it transformed his career aspirations The entrepreneurial "infection" at Stanford that led Amr away from academia Founding and selling his first startup, Activia, to Yahoo in just one year The comparison of creating successful companies to the joy of having children How Vectara addresses the critical problem of hallucinations in large language models The concept of "RAG sprawl" and why enterprises need centralized governance Amr's framework for evaluating startup opportunities: technological inflection points, real problems, and great teams Why this AI revolution is a bigger technological inflection point than the internet or big data   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Focus on your unique value proposition: Amr emphasized the importance of standing out in a crowded market by focusing on what makes you unique. Vectara doubled down on accuracy and hallucination detection, becoming known as the company to combat AI hallucinations. B2B founders should identify what they can be known for that differentiates them from competitors. Choose your go-to-market strategy deliberately: When deciding between product-led growth or enterprise sales, commit fully to the approach that fits your business. For enterprise sales, implement account-based marketing focused on your ideal customer profile, host targeted field events, and use strategic dinners with compelling speakers to attract key prospects. Don't try to boil the ocean: The number one reason companies fail after team issues is lack of focus. Early-stage founders should maintain agility to test different approaches but quickly narrow focus based on where they're getting traction. Treat use cases as "two-way doors" - try them, keep what works, and move on from what doesn't. Build for the coming AI agent revolution: Amr predicts we'll move from the current "AI assistant phase" (requiring human oversight) to the "AI agent phase" (fully autonomous AI) within one year. B2B founders should position their products for this transition, particularly focusing on accuracy and trust as critical requirements for enterprise adoption. Leverage technological inflection points: Major technological shifts create gaps that allow startups to disrupt established players. Amr has built companies around three major inflection points: the internet (Activia), big data (Cloudera), and now large language models (Vectara). B2B founders should identify inflection points relevant to their industry and build solutions that capitalize on the new opportunities they create.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

PartnerTap is transforming how enterprise companies collaborate with their partners through account mapping and co-selling technology. With $9 million in funding, PartnerTap helps technology giants like Salesforce and SAP unlock revenue opportunities by enabling secure data sharing between partner ecosystems. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Cassandra Gholston, CEO and Founder of PartnerTap, to explore how her experience in software sales led her to build a solution that's changing how large enterprises drive revenue through partnerships. Topics Discussed: PartnerTap's core technology for account mapping and co-selling between enterprise partners The data-sharing challenges that prevent effective partner collaboration in enterprise sales How PartnerTap securely connects partner CRM data to identify mutual customer alignment The Fempire community that Cassandra built to connect women leaders in tech Why customer retention is more crucial than fundraising for startup success Pivoting from a bottom-up sales motion to an enterprise-focused approach Maintaining founder energy and excitement throughout the startup journey   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Focus on the enterprise early if that's your market: Despite conventional wisdom to start with smaller clients, Cassandra recognized her solution needed enterprise adoption first. "When you decide you're going to do top-down selling and sell into the largest organizations in the world as a startup, that's a hard road. Most startups are going to go after smaller companies first," she explained. This decision forced PartnerTap to mature faster in areas like security posture and enterprise readiness. Build a network effect into your GTM strategy: Cassandra targeted companies with large partner ecosystems to create natural expansion opportunities. "Going in and selling to ADP was going to bring a huge partner ecosystem. Their biggest partners became customers. This starts the network effect of PartnerTap," she shared. This approach created a built-in pipeline for future enterprise deals. Validate your concepts before going all-in: Before leaving her sales career, Cassandra methodically prepared for entrepreneurship: "I banked a lot of commission checks for over a year... We did a lot of nights and weekends where we got a co-working space and built out the wireframes, and we actually had people come in and give us feedback, like people that were our actual eventual users." This preparation reduced risk and validated market need. Be willing to pivot your GTM approach: PartnerTap initially pursued a bottom-up strategy focused on sellers, but quickly realized they needed partner teams' buy-in first. "We thought we're just going to connect sellers with partner data without the partner team. We realized pretty soon that we had to build a whole other module and pivot the way we were selling," Cassandra explained. Recognizing when your initial GTM hypothesis is wrong and adjusting quickly is crucial. Make core values actionable, not aspirational: Customer love is PartnerTap's core value, but Cassandra ensures it's lived daily through dedicated Slack channels recognizing team members who exemplify it. Their enterprise-focused success team delivers exceptional service, resulting in zero enterprise customer churn since founding—even through difficult market conditions like COVID-19. As Cassandra notes, "The kiss of death in SaaS is churn."   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Ducky AI operates as a pre-LLM compute layer, enabling businesses to make their proprietary data accessible to large language models without compromising security or privacy. In this episode of Category Visionaries, James O'Brien shares the journey of pivoting from a customer support solution to becoming a machine learning infrastructure tool that helps developers find and transform internal business data for optimal LLM consumption. With $2.7 million in funding, Ducky is positioning itself as the essential bridge between enterprise data and AI systems, making advanced AI capabilities accessible to technical teams without requiring extensive ML expertise.   Topics Discussed: Ducky's evolution from a customer support solution to a developer-focused ML infrastructure tool The validation process that led to identifying knowledge accessibility as a core market problem How and why the team executed their pivot in just three months The challenges of defining an ideal customer profile in the rapidly expanding AI space Building a go-to-market strategy in Nashville's emerging tech ecosystem Fundraising lessons learned during the SVB collapse   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Listen when developers ask for your infrastructure: James discovered their true product-market fit when developers started requesting access to Ducky's knowledge retrieval infrastructure rather than their customer-facing application. "We had a revelatory moment where we realized that a bunch of developers had asked for access to our infrastructure, our knowledge retrieval infrastructure. And that's kind of what we're good at." This insight led to their pivot toward becoming an API-first tool that matched their technical strengths with the right audience. Validation is a superpower: The Ducky team excels at gathering unbiased feedback from potential customers. When considering their pivot, they embraced this strength: "I think one of the things that we're best at as a team is validation. I think we're really good at drawing relatively unbiased... input and feedback from people that we're interviewing or talking to." For B2B founders, this emphasis on rigorous customer validation before building can be the difference between success and wasted engineering resources. Make pivot decisions with data, not emotion: When considering a change in direction, Ducky time-boxed their exploration to three weeks, built multiple prototypes, and showed them to potential customers. "It was pretty clear after three weeks that one was not only a better use of our skills and time, but also a better market fit." B2B founders should approach pivots methodically, setting clear timelines and success criteria for validation. Design pricing that aligns with value creation: James emphasizes usage-based pricing that fundamentally connects revenue to customer value: "If you use it and it works, you will use it more. And that means that we're doing our job. And that's awesome. That's all I ever want to do, quite frankly, is get paid for actually bringing value to people." This approach creates natural incentives for both the vendor and customer, unlike the multi-year contracts that often create misaligned incentives. Look beyond AI hype to focus on business problems: James discovered that many companies have been tasked to "do something with AI" without clear objectives. "People are like, 'hey, we got to do something with AI,' but we don't know what that is. And then they think so deeply about, 'hey, how are we going to construct this?'" B2B founders should help customers cut through the hype by focusing on the underlying business value and specific problems to solve, rather than getting lost in technical details.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Ren Systems is pioneering relationship intelligence for dealmakers, having raised $8.8 million to filter the increasing noise in today's information landscape. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Canay Deniz about Ren's journey from a serendipitous meeting with high-level executives to building a platform that helps commercial real estate brokers, management consultants, and investment bankers extract signal from noise in their relationship networks. Topics Discussed: The origin story of Ren Systems through a chance connection with Mike Hayes (former commander of SEAL Team 2) How COVID-19 affected the company's early days when they launched on March 1, 2020 Ren's deliberate two-year product development period before active go-to-market The hybrid approach to growth combining product-led growth with enterprise sales Ren's relationship with strategic investor ZoomInfo and their complementary positioning The increasing importance of human relationships in an AI-dominated world   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Patient capital enables product excellence: Canay's investors allowed them to spend two years in "the lab" perfecting their product experience before aggressive commercialization. This patience enabled them to build something truly differentiated in a crowded sales intelligence space. As Canay notes, "Getting that first end user experience right is hyper important, even if you're completely planning on becoming an enterprise solution." Build for your actual users, not idealized personas: Ren Systems' target users are senior dealmakers who "can't be bothered to even open their email." Understanding this reality shaped their product to deliver extreme value with minimal friction. Canay explains, "The demand for solutions just value is pretty extreme with our end users. I don't have time to do anything, click a button, open anything, like learn a new tool. It just needs to work and if it doesn't work within 5 seconds, I already lost interest." End users create enterprise momentum: By focusing on individual user adoption first, Ren Systems created internal demand that made enterprise sales conversations easier. "When we have the conversation with an actual buyer decision maker, we're going to them saying, 'Listen, you know, a couple dozen people are on our platform already. If you want to coordinate this and make the roll a lot smoother for you guys, we can help with that.'" This bottom-up approach means decision-makers have often "heard about it internally already." Find your serendipity engine: Ren Systems began when Canay reached out to a friend before his honeymoon, who connected him with Mike Hayes, which led to connections with Fortune 200 founders. This network became both their initial investors and beta testers. As Canay says, "If it wasn't for warm introductions from very impressive people, nobody would have taken the time to talk to good old me." When selling to sellers, leverage their natural behaviors: Ren's sales approach capitalizes on their target audience's behaviors: "When you're selling to sellers, it's really insane how often they pick up the phone. Cold calling is an excellent way for us to build pipe." Additionally, relationship-driven sellers naturally refer others: "We talk to people, we ask, 'If there's anyone else that you can think of that could benefit from this?' And oftentimes we get back a dozen or so names." //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Griffin Parry is the CEO and Co-Founder of m3ter, a data infrastructure company that helps successful B2B software companies upgrade their monetization stack for new pricing strategies. With $31.5 million in funding, m3ter enables usage-based billing without requiring companies to replace their existing systems. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Griffin shares how the company emerged from his experience as a repeat founder who felt firsthand the operational pain around usage-based billing, both at his previous cloud infrastructure company (which was sold to Amazon) and during his time at AWS. Now, m3ter is solving these challenges for established B2B software companies, particularly those with $100M+ ARR who need to adapt their monetization approach as business models evolve toward more complex, usage-based components. Topics Discussed: How m3ter enables usage-based billing without replacing existing systems The shift toward more complex pricing models in B2B SaaS, particularly with AI features introducing variable costs m3ter's approach as a data infrastructure company rather than just a billing solution The discovery process that led to m3ter's first paying customers The evolution of m3ter's market positioning and go-to-market strategy The balance between direct sales and partner channels Fundraising during changing market conditions GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Meet customers where they are with your messaging: Griffin discovered that while m3ter is actually creating a new category of software, they needed to initially present themselves as solving the specific problem customers were searching for. "Our customers generally come to us because they have billing pain... So every time they have to send out invoices, it's very complicated and painful and risky." Only after engaging with customers could they expand the conversation to their broader value proposition. Start with discovery, not building: When launching m3ter, Griffin and his co-founder conducted 60-70 discovery conversations before building their product. "We had a thesis... but we were going to commit a big chunk of our lives trying to solve this problem. So we wanted to make sure that it was out there and widespread." This approach gave them high confidence in their market and created a pipeline of design partners who became their first customers. Balance direct sales with partner channels: For complex B2B sales to finance and operations leaders at mature companies, m3ter found that partners with existing trusted relationships were their most effective go-to-market channel. However, they learned that "no one's going to partner with you if you don't already have great customers. And so you do have to go through the hard yards... Most of our first big cohort of customers have come through direct sales." Evolve your category positioning naturally: Rather than forcing a new category name, m3ter initially positioned themselves where customers were already searching. "We did spend some time going, 'hey, we're a pricing operations platform'... but people would go, 'well, what's that?' And that was a waste of a cycle trying to explain it." Instead, they evolved toward, "We're a billing infrastructure, billing solution. We'll make your billing work." Fundraise strategically with market conditions in mind: Griffin raised their Series A during a difficult funding environment, but did it intentionally: "Let's zig when everybody else is zagging. We really believe in what we're doing. Let's go and find a high-quality investor who shares that confidence and then we'll really be well set up for the years to come."   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Fiddler is pioneering AI observability technology to help enterprises deploy trustworthy artificial intelligence. With $68 million in funding, Fiddler provides a "watchdog" platform that continuously monitors AI models, enabling companies to maximize ROI while minimizing risks. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Krishna Gade, CEO and Founder of Fiddler, to discuss the critical importance of transparency in AI systems and how businesses can safely operationalize AI capabilities in an era where AI applications are rapidly proliferating across industries. Topics Discussed: The evolution of AI from classical machine learning to generative AI and agentic systems The transparency challenges associated with increasingly complex "black box" AI models How Fiddler's observability platform provides insights into AI model performance and trustworthiness The emergence of "AI observability" as a defined category in enterprise tech The tension between maximizing AI's business value while minimizing associated risks The ongoing transformation of enterprise software as AI becomes central to every application Major AI trends including decreasing model training costs and the rise of automation through AI agents //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Planera is revolutionizing the construction industry by modernizing scheduling and planning tools that have remained largely unchanged for 25 years. With $19 million in funding, Planera is addressing a critical pain point for general contractors: the disconnect between powerful but complex master scheduling tools and the simplified, siloed tools used in the field. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Nitin Bhandari, CEO and Co-Founder of Planera, about his journey building his third successful startup and how the company is creating a new category within construction technology. Topics Discussed: The evolution from powerful but complex scheduling tools to collaborative solutions How Planera identified general contractors as their primary customer segment The challenges of creating a product that's both powerful and easy to use Construction technology's growing prominence in the investment landscape The importance of aligning go-to-market strategies with customer behavior Planera's vision to transform scheduling from a compliance exercise to a central decision-making hub GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Match your go-to-market approach to customer behavior: Nitin emphasized that your GTM strategy must align with how customers actually discover and adopt technology, not how you wish they would. As he explained, "You have to go to market the way your customers behave, not the way you want your company to be." For construction, this meant recognizing that traditional SaaS GTM approaches like paid marketing and product-led growth might not be effective. Identify the customer with the most pain or gain: When selecting your initial target market, focus on who has the most to lose if your solution doesn't exist. Planera targeted general contractors because they bear the most risk and financial consequences when scheduling goes wrong: "Who has the biggest pain or gain based on scheduling... who has the most to lose, most at risk if scheduling goes wrong." Make hard targeting choices early: Nitin noted that choosing which segment to focus on wasn't painful because they recognized it was mandatory, not optional. By acknowledging the necessity of market selection upfront, they could approach it as "an exercise of intellectual curiosity" rather than a difficult decision. Recognize when a false choice exists in the market: Planera identified that customers were forced to choose between powerful-but-complex tools or simple-but-limited solutions. As Nitin put it, "We're trying to take away that false choice of like powerful or easy. And we're trying to build something that's powerful and easy." Align marketing with product capabilities: Nitin's marketing philosophy centers on ensuring marketing "amplifies what the product can actually deliver" without causing market confusion. Their messaging focuses on collaborative scheduling for teams that are ready to democratize the process, which directly connects to their product's core differentiation. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Document Crunch is revolutionizing risk management in the $14 trillion global construction industry, addressing a critical challenge where 50% of projects finish over budget or behind schedule. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Josh Levy, a former construction attorney turned tech founder who has raised $38 million to bring AI-powered contract intelligence to an industry plagued by legal complexity and financial risk. Document Crunch helps construction professionals understand and comply with complex contract terms, democratizing legal expertise that was previously available only to the largest firms with in-house counsel. Topics Discussed: Document Crunch's mission to reduce the $43 million average construction lawsuit by improving contract administration How construction's thin margins make document compliance critical to profitability The company's evolution from a "Harvey for construction" to a field-ready construction AI platform Josh's journey from construction management major to attorney to tech founder The importance of authentic industry expertise in construction tech How the construction technology landscape has evolved over the past five years Document Crunch's partnership with Procore and vision for industry transformation GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Build solutions from lived experience: Josh's background as a construction attorney gave him deep industry knowledge that translated directly into product vision. He explains, "You can't fake what the experience brings to you...I close my eyes and think about interactions I've had with stakeholders that now are our user base in my former life." This authentic industry expertise has been critical to Document Crunch's success and ability to maintain a clear vision without pivoting. Focus on problems, not features: Josh learned early to emphasize the real-world problems Document Crunch solves rather than its AI capabilities. "We're not like an AI company. We're solving complex risks for our industry company," he notes. This problem-focused approach resonated more with construction professionals than technical features. Only recently has the company begun highlighting its AI capabilities, as the market has caught up with the technology. Marketing in verticals requires authentic brand building: In construction tech, Josh emphasizes that "brand reputation matters so much" and "that's not something you can fake your way to. That's earned on the conference floor. That's earned in the relationships." Document Crunch built trust by assembling a team of construction industry experts alongside their technical talent, creating credibility that has fueled adoption. Product-market fit comes from consistent industry focus: Document Crunch achieved success without pivoting because they remained focused on construction's specific challenges. Josh explains, "Zero freaking pivots, man. Zero. I always knew that we had a problem not just in the back office, but in the field." This clarity enabled them to refine their product methodically rather than chasing different markets. Find founder-market fit for vertical SaaS: For founders interested in construction tech, Josh advises, "My founder-market fit was a huge unlock at the onset of this venture." He recommends either having deep industry knowledge yourself or partnering with someone who does, as construction is "a unique industry" that requires specialized understanding. This principle applies broadly to any vertical-focused B2B solution. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Pylon is pioneering the first customer support platform purpose-built for B2B companies, securing $20 million in funding to transform how B2B companies interact with customers post-sale. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Marty Kausas, CEO and Co-Founder of Pylon, about his journey from Airbnb software engineer to category creator. Marty shares how Pylon evolved from a Slack connector tool to a comprehensive platform challenging incumbents like Zendesk and Salesforce Service Cloud by addressing the unique challenges of B2B support. Topics Discussed: Pylon's evolution from a Slack connector to a full B2B support platform The fundamental differences between B2B and B2C customer support needs How B2B companies struggle with disconnected post-sales teams (support, success, solutions, professional services) The pivot process: from failed ideas to finding product-market fit Leveraging LinkedIn for marketing and pipeline generation Using "villain brands" as positioning targets (positioning against Zendesk) Founder-led marketing strategies that drive growth The process of creating and evangelizing a new category   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Customer discovery through direct outreach: Marty's team sent 120 personalized LinkedIn messages daily to potential customers before landing on their product idea. Rather than starting with their own problems, they systematically researched market gaps by targeting professionals with newer job titles that might indicate emerging workflows. Follow emerging communication trends: Pylon identified a key trend where B2B companies were supporting customers through Slack and Teams channels but lacked tools to track, measure, and integrate these conversations with their existing systems. B2B founders should look for similar shifts in how their target customers are working and identify the gaps in tooling. Identify "villain brands" in your space: Positioning against an incumbent that customers are frustrated with can be powerful. Marty's team positions Pylon as "building the next Zendesk," which immediately resonates with prospects tired of tools built for B2C use cases being forced into B2B environments. Double down on what works: When Pylon discovered LinkedIn was generating half their pipeline, they intensified their efforts rather than diversifying too early. Marty now spends 5+ hours every Sunday batch-writing LinkedIn posts for all three co-founders. Embrace founder-led marketing for early-stage B2B: Personal brands drive B2B buying decisions. Marty emphasizes that people connect with people, not companies. His most successful content combines build-in-public transparency (showcasing Pylon's growth) with personal storytelling that humanizes the brand and creates emotional connections with prospects.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

SiteWire is pioneering a new category in construction technology by combining financial progress tracking with visual job site documentation. With $3.2 million in funding, SiteWire is tackling one of construction's most critical pain points: cash flow. Through their mobile app and cloud platform, they've reduced the traditional 1-3 week construction loan disbursement process down to just two hours, dramatically increasing the likelihood of projects finishing on time and on budget. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Bryan Kester shares insights from his journey building SiteWire and his extensive Silicon Valley experience dating back to the early internet days. Topics Discussed: SiteWire's innovative approach to construction finance and virtual inspections The massive cash flow challenges that plague residential construction projects Bryan's journey from 90s internet consulting to VC to founding multiple companies The significant challenges of driving technology adoption in real estate and construction The dot-com crash of 2000/2001 and lessons from previous market cycles Why building relationships and trust is essential for GTM in construction tech The importance of being strategic and thoughtful about fundraising timing and valuation   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Innovate where you have personal domain expertise: Bryan leveraged his family background in construction and experience at Autodesk to identify a genuine market need. His personal experience building his own home directly informed SiteWire's value proposition around cash flow's critical importance. B2B founders should pursue opportunities where they have unique industry insights that help them identify non-obvious pain points. Embrace relationship-building as your core GTM strategy: In relationship-driven industries like construction, digital marketing often falls flat. Bryan explained, "This whole industry is driven by relationships and trust. What we've had to do is get boots on the ground, go to conferences, make friends. It's literally about making friends and establishing a relationship that you're not a shark." For B2B founders targeting traditional industries, prioritize building personal connections and industry credibility before expecting digital channels to deliver results. Be consultative where others are transactional: In industries dominated by transactional relationships, creating a consultative sales approach can be a strategic differentiator. Bryan noted, "A lot of folks, particularly in our industry, have never had a salesperson come along and be consultative and really focused on problems versus trying to ram something down their throats." B2B founders should train sales teams to lead with problem-solving rather than product-pushing when entering traditional markets. Avoid premature fundraising and valuation traps: Bryan warns against the "chase for magically high valuations" that can severely limit future options. "Valuation is a magic number. It makes you whole, makes the investor whole, and also keeps your options open down the road for doing different things." B2B founders should raise capital only when they have validated demand and have a clear path to accelerate, not as a vanity metric or accomplishment. Connect disconnected stakeholders to create value: SiteWire's core innovation lies in bringing together construction professionals and finance professionals who "got into their jobs for different reasons." Bryan explains, "Finance folks get into finance to be wealthy, and construction people do get in to be wealthy, but they also get in to be wealthy by working outside with their hands and actually staying away from technology." B2B founders should look for opportunities to create value by building bridges between stakeholders who struggle to communicate and collaborate effectively.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Ledgebrook is transforming the commercial insurance industry with a technology-driven approach that prioritizes speed and service for wholesale brokers. With $50 million in funding, the company has rapidly scaled to a $100 million run rate in less than two years since writing its first policy. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Gage Caligaris, CEO and Founder of Ledgebrook, about his journey from spending nearly a decade as an actuary at Liberty Mutual to launching an insurtech startup focused on making commercial insurance quoting faster and easier. Topics Discussed: Ledgebrook's mission to bring faster quoting experiences to wholesale brokers The 14-month journey from founding to writing their first insurance policy Scaling from 30 to nearly 100 employees in just one year Reaching $100 million run rate within 19 months of their first policy The company's expansion strategy of rapidly launching new insurance products Building a distributed team culture that remains connected and engaged The E&S (Excess and Surplus) insurance market opportunity exceeding $100 billion   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Simplify your value proposition: Ledgebrook succeeded by focusing on two clear promises: being the fastest to quote and the easiest to do business with. Gage explained, "Fast and cheap is what they like. We'd prefer to be fast over cheap." B2B founders should identify the 1-2 most critical pain points in their industry and build their entire value proposition around solving them. Choose boots-on-ground engagement over flashy marketing: Despite their rapid growth, Ledgebrook has minimal formal marketing. Instead, their underwriters travel two weeks each month to visit brokers in person. "We're in our broker's offices... instead of a marketing campaign, it's a boots on the ground approach," Gage shared. For B2B startups, prioritizing direct customer engagement can be more effective than traditional marketing campaigns. Maintain consistent service delivery: Ledgebrook built their reputation by simply delivering on their promises consistently. "We kept showing up, right? We kept coming back with those fast quotes, we kept picking up the phone," noted Gage. B2B founders should recognize that reliability and consistency are powerful differentiators in markets where competitors often overpromise and underdeliver. Integrate customer-facing and technical teams: Ledgebrook has tech team members do regular "ride-alongs" with underwriters to see how their products are actually used. This collaboration ensures they build the right features and move faster. B2B founders should create structured opportunities for engineers and product teams to directly observe customer interactions. Leverage referral recruiting for growth: Ledgebrook has scaled their team primarily through employee referrals. Gage shared, "People are like, man, I'm having a blast here. Let me bring my friends." Creating a workplace where employees genuinely enjoy their work can transform your hiring process, especially when scaling rapidly. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

With $3M in pre-seed funding, Agree.com is challenging the status quo in the agreements space by offering free e-signature capabilities while building a comprehensive platform for contract-based revenue management. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Marty Ringlein shares how Agree.com is positioning itself to own the critical intersection between contract execution and money movement, targeting the underserved mid-market segment where deals typically range from $1M to $50M in annual revenue. Topics Discussed: The evolution from free e-signature tool to comprehensive revenue management platform Strategic approach to acquiring the Agree.com domain name through relationship building Guerrilla marketing tactics and creative event strategies in B2B The company's expansion strategy from sales teams to broader financial operations Building a strategic wedge through free e-signature against established players The vision for transforming contract-based financial operations   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Leverage Guerrilla Marketing Constraints: Ringlein emphasizes how budget constraints can fuel creativity in marketing. Rather than viewing limited resources as a handicap, Agree.com turns them into an advantage by executing quick, memorable campaigns that larger competitors can't match. Their approach at Dreamforce - setting up mobile coffee stations when the conference ran out of coffee - demonstrates how being nimble and opportunistic can create outsized impact with minimal spend. Create a Compelling Market Entry Narrative: Agree.com's strategy of positioning against "villain brands" like DocuSign provides a clear, relatable entry point for customers. By anchoring against a well-known but frequently criticized incumbent, they can quickly establish context and focus conversations on their differentiated value proposition rather than explaining basic functionality. Use Product-Led Growth to Drive Enterprise Expansion: Instead of targeting finance teams directly, Agree.com enters organizations through individual sales reps who can adopt the free e-signature product without formal approval. This bottom-up adoption creates organic expansion opportunities, making it easier to later engage finance teams about premium features when multiple sales teams are already using the platform. Focus on Transaction-Heavy Use Cases: Rather than trying to serve all potential signature use cases, Agree.com specifically targets scenarios where signatures are tied to payment obligations. This focus allows them to build deeper value through payment processing, invoicing automation, and financial insights - capabilities that create stronger differentiation than pure e-signature functionality. Build Strategic Optionality Into Your Product: Agree.com's architecture gives them multiple potential revenue streams beyond basic e-signature, including payment processing, escrow services, invoice factoring, and yield on stored funds. This optionality allows them to start with a disruptive free offering while maintaining clear paths to significant monetization as customer relationships deepen. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Apolitical is revolutionizing how government officials learn and share knowledge globally, serving 250,000 verified public officials across 160 countries. Through its innovative learning platform, Apolitical partners with prestigious institutions like Oxford University and Stanford to deliver high-impact training on critical topics from AI to climate change, helping make government smarter and more efficient at scale. Topics Discussed: Building the global network for government, connecting 200 million public servants worldwide Creating democratized access to high-quality learning at scale across government departments Partnering with top universities to deliver mandatory training programs for entire governments Using AI to provide contextualized learning experiences incorporating local laws and policies Transforming how governments share best practices and successful innovations globally   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Find and amplify hidden innovators: Apolitical succeeded by identifying and highlighting innovative public servants who weren't getting attention elsewhere. This strategy earned them access to key decision-makers and helped build credibility. B2B founders should look for overlooked champions within their target market who can become powerful advocates. Build trust through compliance leadership: In risk-averse sectors like government, Apolitical learned to lead with their compliance and security credentials. They proactively demonstrate their data handling capabilities to overcome the natural skepticism toward smaller vendors. B2B founders targeting regulated industries should invest early in compliance and make it a core part of their pitch. Leverage strategic partnerships: Apolitical partners with established institutions like Oxford and Stanford to deliver high-quality content, and works with prime contractors to access procurement frameworks. This helps them punch above their weight class and compete with larger incumbents. B2B founders should identify strategic partners who can provide credibility and market access. Create unique market insights: Apolitical generates valuable research and insights from their network of public servants, publishing reports that help them gain visibility and authority. Their recent AI in government report showcases their unique market perspective. B2B founders should leverage their customer data and community to create differentiated thought leadership. Diversify your customer base: While focused on government, Apolitical also works with private sector organizations interested in government innovation, such as their partnership with Google.org. This diversification provides stability and funding while building the core government business. B2B founders in complex markets should consider multiple customer segments that can benefit from their solution. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Ansel Health is revolutionizing supplemental health insurance by automating claims processing and delivering higher value to consumers. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Veer Gidwaney, CEO and Founder of Ansel Health, to learn about the company's journey from identifying a critical market need to securing Fortune 500 clients and achieving an industry-leading NPS in the high 80s. Topics Discussed: The staggering problem of medical debt affecting 100 million Americans Evolution of health insurance costs and diminishing consumer value Ansel's approach to redefining supplemental insurance through automation The importance of product-market fit in insurance products Building a platform-based solution that powers other insurance companies The process of validating ideas in a heavily regulated industry   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Focus on market expansion through strategic partnerships: Ansel identified that the supplemental insurance market could be 4-5x larger with the right product. Instead of competing head-on with incumbents, they created a platform that enables established insurance companies to offer their own versions of Ansel's product, leveraging existing distribution channels and brand credibility. Build for ownership and adaptability: Gidwaney emphasized the importance of owning their technology platform rather than relying on third-party solutions. This decision enables rapid adaptation to partner needs and efficient automation implementation. They balanced this by building on Salesforce's infrastructure, combining control with scalability. Validate before building in regulated industries: When entering regulated markets, Gidwaney's team first validated market interest through conversations with industry experts, then confirmed regulatory feasibility. This two-step validation process ensures resources aren't wasted on technically unfeasible solutions, regardless of market demand. Prioritize automation for customer experience: Ansel achieved a high NPS in an industry known for poor customer satisfaction by automating 75% of claims processing. This removes friction from the customer experience and delivers on the promise of "the best insurance product is one you don't have to think about." Align investors with mission and values: For products aimed at solving significant social problems, Gidwaney stressed the importance of finding investors who understand and support the mission. This alignment becomes crucial when making decisions that prioritize long-term impact over short-term gains. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Supercede is revolutionizing the reinsurance industry with purpose-built software solutions, addressing a critical gap in enterprise technology. With $21.6 million in funding, Supercede is building specialized tools for an industry that has historically relied on generic enterprise software or inefficient in-house solutions. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Jerad Leigh, CEO and Co-Founder of Supercede, to explore how they're bringing innovation to what he calls the "unsexy" but crucial world of reinsurance technology. Topics Discussed: The opportunity in building "boring" enterprise software for reinsurance Why the reinsurance industry has been underserved by technology How Supercede leverages content marketing and community building The role of authenticity in B2B marketing and brand building Balancing professional credibility with creative marketing in a serious industry The evolution of their podcast strategy and content creation GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Embrace the unsexy: Jerad emphasizes that some of the best business opportunities exist in "boring" enterprise spaces that aren't getting attention from flashy consumer or AI startups. B2B founders should look for valuable problems to solve in industries that others might overlook due to their perceived lack of excitement. Build vertical-specific solutions: Generic enterprise software often falls short for specialized industries. Jerad notes that while solutions like Salesforce are powerful, there's significant value in building purpose-built solutions that address industry-specific workflows and challenges. B2B founders should deeply understand their vertical's unique needs rather than trying to force-fit horizontal solutions. Lead with authenticity in B2B: Despite operating in a serious industry, Supercede successfully employs creative marketing approaches like meme calendars with personalized notes. Jerad argues that authentic, personality-driven content can work well even in traditional B2B sectors - the key is finding the right balance between professional credibility and engaging creativity. Leverage content for category leadership: Supercede's podcast strategy demonstrates how content can establish category leadership. By creating the first reinsurance-focused podcast and consistently delivering valuable content, they've built relationships with senior industry leaders and helped educate the next generation of professionals. B2B founders should consider how content can help them own their category's conversation. Take calculated marketing risks early: Jerad advises that early-stage companies have more freedom to experiment with creative marketing approaches since they have less to lose. He suggests using this period to find an authentic voice and build a core group of passionate supporters rather than trying to appeal to everyone with "safe" messaging. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

XL Batteries is pioneering a revolutionary approach to grid-scale energy storage, leveraging organic molecules derived from oil and gas feedstocks to create long-duration batteries that can operate for 50+ years. Founded in 2019, the company has raised $20 million to develop their non-lithium flow battery technology that aims to enable the transition to renewable energy by solving the critical challenge of intermittent power generation from solar and wind sources. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Thomas Sisto shares insights from shipping their first commercial unit and discusses their vision for transforming the energy storage landscape. Topics Discussed:  The $4 trillion market opportunity in grid-scale energy storage  Technical breakthrough in organic molecule-based flow batteries  Evolution from laboratory discovery to first commercial shipment  Advantages over traditional lithium and vanadium flow batteries  Strategic approach to building world-class technical teams Commercial product development and scaling challenges GTM Lessons For B2B Hardware Founders:  Build an elite technical team early: Thomas emphasized the importance of bringing in experienced leaders from successful companies in adjacent spaces. He recruited the co-founder/CTO of A123 Systems (largest battery IPO of 2009) as chief commercialization officer and executives from Pfizer and Plug Power. This mix of startup scaling experience and deep technical expertise helped them avoid costly mistakes and technical debt. Start with proven architectures: Rather than inventing entirely new systems, XL Batteries focused on innovating within established frameworks. They used the proven flow battery architecture but replaced expensive vanadium/sulfuric acid with organic molecules in saltwater. Thomas explained, "We haven't invented a new mousetrap. It's an old mousetrap. The key for us is to just really drive cost out of it." Focus relentlessly on cost in utility markets: Thomas highlighted that unlike consumer products where premium pricing can work, utility products must prioritize cost and reliability above all else. "Energy and electricity is hidden... you just want your lights to work and you don't want to pay more than 15 cents per kilowatt hour." This drives every product design decision. Leverage existing industry infrastructure: By using organic molecules from oil and gas feedstocks, XL Batteries tapped into established supply chains and manufacturing capabilities. This reduced scaling risk compared to approaches requiring entirely new manufacturing processes or rare materials. Time market entry carefully: Despite having revolutionary technology, XL Batteries waited until they had a fully integrated demonstration unit before pursuing major marketing efforts. Thomas noted they're only now approaching the "tipping point" for marketing as they near commercial product availability.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Routable is revolutionizing accounts payable automation by bridging the gap between finance teams and engineering requirements. With $100 million in funding, Routable has built a platform that handles everything from basic invoice processing to complex mass payouts, focusing on companies where AP is central to their business model. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Omri Mor, CEO and Co-Founder of Routable, to explore how they're transforming a market where only 3.4% of potential customers currently use AP automation solutions. Topics Discussed: Evolution from in-house solution to scalable AP automation platform The state of AP automation adoption and market opportunity Routable's approach to product development and feature prioritization The importance of customer feedback in shaping product roadmap Strategic pivot from SMB to mid-market and enterprise customers Building trust in financial technology through customer referrals Integration of AI and automation in financial workflows   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Find your wedge through empathy: Omri and his co-founder succeeded initially because they had built similar solutions internally and deeply understood the pain points. They approached customers with genuine curiosity and empathy, spending 45-60 minutes just listening about what wasn't working in their finance departments. B2B founders should leverage their authentic experience and empathy to build initial trust. Focus on critical pain points: Rather than trying to change established workflows entirely, Routable looks for specific pain points as entry points - like payment failures that take 30-45 minutes to correct manually. B2B founders should identify acute pain points that provide natural openings for their solution, rather than trying to force wholesale process changes. Build trust through demonstration: In the mid-market and enterprise space, Routable found success by showing rather than telling. They implement a "try before you buy" approach with customers' own data, demonstrating their capabilities concretely rather than just making sales promises. B2B founders should prioritize proving their value through actual demonstrations over sales rhetoric. Leverage customer feedback channels: Routable built in-product feature request capabilities and maintains a dedicated product feedback channel where customer conversations are shared and discussed. B2B founders should create systematic ways to capture, share, and act on customer feedback across the organization. Strategic pricing for growth: One of Routable's most important GTM decisions was strategically increasing prices to reflect their value and improve unit economics, even though it meant moving away from smaller customers. B2B founders should price their products to enable sustainable growth and continued investment in product development. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

VitVio is transforming surgical operations by deploying AI-powered camera systems in operating rooms to automate administrative tasks and optimize team orchestration. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Thomas Knox, CEO & Founder of VitVio shares his journey from scaling hypergrowth startups like Kiwi.com and IFI (a leader in autonomous store technology) to founding VitVio after a personal loss sparked his mission to make meaningful impact in healthcare. Despite being less than a year old, VitVio has already secured partnerships with leading institutions like the Royal Orthopedic Hospital and is in discussions with 9 of the top 15 US hospitals. Topics Discussed: Evolution from autonomous store technology to healthcare operations Strategic approach to entering the challenging healthcare market VitVio's computer vision and AI technology deployment in operating rooms Expansion strategy from UK's NHS to the US healthcare market Building trust and credibility in the healthcare industry Vision for creating an operating system for surgical operations GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Target decision-makers through their influencers: Knox found success by approaching top surgeons rather than hospital executives directly. Surgeons were more receptive to initial conversations and could effectively champion the solution internally. Healthcare startups should identify and engage key opinion leaders who can open doors and drive adoption. Time market entry strategically: VitVio's launch coincided with hospitals facing unprecedented pressure to innovate due to post-COVID challenges, staff shortages, and margin pressure. Knox emphasizes that timing can dramatically impact sales velocity - the same solution might struggle to gain traction in a different market context. Validate commitment through paid pilots: While hospitals readily accept free pilots, Knox insisted on paid engagements to ensure genuine commitment and likelihood of expansion. B2B founders should consider using paid pilots as a qualification tool, even if it means slower initial traction. Segment prospects based on readiness signals: Knox advises targeting hospitals with recent cash infusion or strong profitability, while avoiding those undergoing major technical implementations like EHR changes. B2B founders should develop clear criteria for identifying prospects most likely to move quickly. Build reference customers strategically: VitVio prioritized winning top-tier US hospitals, knowing their validation would accelerate sales cycles with smaller institutions from 12+ months to 3-6 months. B2B founders should identify which customer logos will most effectively drive market confidence and focus resources accordingly.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

CoactiveAI is pioneering the multimodal application platform (MAP) category, enabling companies to unlock value from their visual content through AI-powered search, tagging, and analytics. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with William Gaviria Rojas, Field CTO & Co-Founder of CoactiveAI to discuss his inspiring journey from Colombian refugee to MIT graduate and successful founder, as well as CoactiveAI's vision for transforming how enterprises work with visual content. Topics Discussed: William's journey from Colombian refugee to MIT and entrepreneurship The founding story of CoactiveAI and early backing from a16z Evolution of the AI landscape pre and post-ChatGPT Creating the multimodal application platform category Building AI applications for media and entertainment companies Challenges and opportunities in trust and safety use cases Going from prototypes to production AI implementations   GTM Lessons for B2B Founders: Category Creation Through Customer Discovery: Rather than trying to serve every vertical initially, CoactiveAI went through a deliberate "market annealing" process. Through extensive customer conversations, they discovered that media and entertainment companies had the most complex content challenges and could derive the most immediate value from their technology. Focus on finding the intersection of your technical capabilities and the markets where you can have the biggest impact. Technical Differentiation in a Crowded Market: When the AI space became crowded post-ChatGPT, CoactiveAI maintained their edge by emphasizing their deep technical capabilities built since 2021. William notes, "We weren't some sort of light wrapper around OpenAI or ChatGPT." In emerging technology markets, having genuine technical differentiation can help you stand out from opportunistic newcomers. Enterprise Partnership Strategy: Rather than pursuing transactional sales, CoactiveAI focuses on building true partnerships with enterprise customers. As William explains, "If you just come to somebody like a vendor and that's really all you're kind of doing, this is just kind of a transactional sale." Instead, they invest in deeply understanding customer pain points and collaborating on solutions, which has led to successful deployments with major companies like NBCUniversal and Thomson Reuters. Evolving Value Proposition: William observed that while 2024 was about prototypes and proofs of concept, 2025 is focused on demonstrating real ROI from AI implementations. He emphasizes the importance of having clear customer success stories and ROI metrics as the market matures. B2B founders should anticipate and adapt to these shifts in buyer expectations. Vision-Driven Culture: CoactiveAI published their culture on GitHub as one of their first actions, emphasizing that success isn't just about business metrics but also about how you achieve that success. William's vision includes building "ladders" for the next generation of diverse founders. This clear mission has helped attract talent and align the team around common goals. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Ravin AI is revolutionizing vehicle damage assessment through AI-powered remote inspection technology. With $35 million in funding, Ravin AI has evolved from a Shell innovation project to a leading provider of AI-powered vehicle inspection solutions for insurance companies and fleets. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Eliron Ekstein, CEO & Co-Founder of Ravin AI about the company's journey from experimental technology to enterprise-grade solution, including their strategic pivots during COVID and their approach to building critical partnerships in the insurtech space. Topics Discussed: Evolution from experimental technology to enterprise solution Strategic market pivots from car rental to insurance Enterprise partnership strategy and execution Product development in deep tech environments Go-to-market approach in relationship-driven industries Future of vehicle damage assessment and repair GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Validate technology before market fit: In deep tech, Eliron focused first on validating that the core technology worked before seeking product-market fit. He emphasized a two-step validation process: "The first question we answered was, does it work? Then the second question is, does it matter to somebody?" This approach helped them avoid investing resources in market development before having a viable technical solution. Use anchor customers strategically: Ravin secured Avis Budget as their first POC customer, demonstrating the power of landing a recognized brand early. However, Eliron notes that the value goes beyond the logo: "They first need to believe in you as a person... they know that you don't really have a fully working product and it doesn't have validation elsewhere. So they just need to believe that this is going to work." Approach partnerships with clear deployment criteria: Eliron shared a critical framework for evaluating partnerships: "Will they deploy your product at scale, yes or no?" He advises founders to be willing to make painful concessions on exclusivity and pricing if the partner will drive real deployment, while avoiding partners who might engage simply to block competition. Navigate market transitions through product flexibility: When COVID impacted their car rental market, Ravin pivoted to used car assessments and eventually insurance. Eliron emphasizes the importance of maintaining product flexibility: "Product decisions are pretty hard because you have such limited resource and you cannot afford to make too many mistakes." Build market presence through strategic geographical expansion: Their entry into the Australian market through IAG partnership demonstrates how to build presence in new territories: "Getting that first partner in the market... opened the door for us because suddenly you go into conferences and you speak to people everybody knows the name." //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

Silent Push is revolutionizing threat intelligence by tracking threat actors' infrastructure setup before attacks occur. After selling his first cybersecurity company to FireEye and serving as VP of Products there, Ken Bagnall launched Silent Push to address fundamental gaps in how organizations detect and prevent cyber threats. The company has achieved remarkable traction, securing 50% of global Fortune 50 companies as customers within 18 months of launch. Topics Discussed: Evolution from traditional threat intelligence to proactive infrastructure monitoring Building a complex data collection and behavioral analytics platform Strategic focus on enterprise customers versus SMB market Leveraging research and expertise to drive brand awareness Balancing free community tools with enterprise sales motion Geographic expansion challenges and opportunities   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:  Focus on markets that appreciate technical depth: Ken's first company struggled selling sophisticated email security through MSPs to SMBs who couldn't appreciate the technical value. After being acquired by FireEye, they discovered enterprise customers who deeply understood and valued their capabilities. This taught them to focus Silent Push exclusively on enterprise customers who can recognize and properly value technical innovation. "Shout loudly in a small room": Silent Push's early GTM strategy focused on penetrating tight-knit threat intelligence communities within industry verticals. By establishing themselves as experts in these concentrated groups and consistently sharing valuable insights, they built strong brand awareness among their exact target customers. The strategy proved highly effective, helping them land major enterprise accounts quickly. Build the right kind of community product: While many security companies struggle with free products, Silent Push succeeded by requiring user authentication, monitoring usage patterns to identify sophisticated users, and actively nurturing promising accounts. Ken emphasized that it's not purely product-led growth, but a "weird hybrid" approach tailored to their market position. Leverage research strategically: Rather than joining the "echo chamber" of threat research, Silent Push focuses on uncovering and publishing novel findings that demonstrate their unique capabilities. This approach not only builds credibility but creates content that can be monetized across multiple customer segments affected by the same threats. Take the right path to the CISO: Instead of pitching CISOs directly, Silent Push targets threat intelligence teams who can validate their technology hands-on and become strong internal champions. This circumvents initial skepticism about threat intelligence products at the CISO level by letting the technology prove itself first.

Threedy is revolutionizing how industrial companies interact with 3D data through its innovative visual computing infrastructure. Born from the Fraunhofer research organization, Threedy has transformed from a research project into a venture-backed company that's reshaping how organizations utilize complex 3D data across their operations. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Christian Stein, CEO and Co-Founder of Threedy, about the company's journey from research institute to commercial enterprise, and their vision for the future of industrial 3D applications. Topics Discussed: Evolution from research project to commercial venture Technical approach to handling industrial 3D data Challenges of transitioning from research to commercial sales Building and structuring an effective go-to-market team Fundraising journey and timing considerations Strategy for expansion beyond automotive industry Vision for the future of 3D data accessibility   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Start with Focus: Threedy learned to narrow their sales approach from broad technological possibilities to specific use cases and sweet spots. B2B founders should identify and focus on their most compelling use cases rather than trying to sell all possible applications of their technology at once. Timing Market Entry: The company's experience with fundraising during the metaverse hype cycle demonstrates the importance of market timing. Christian shared how delaying fundraising by six months significantly impacted their ability to capitalize on market momentum. B2B founders should carefully consider market conditions and industry trends when planning major business moves. Bridge Technical to Commercial: As a technical founder, Christian learned to structure the sales organization with the same systematic approach used in software development. B2B founders should apply their domain expertise to sales processes while recognizing when specialized commercial leadership is needed. Strategic Customer Base Expansion: Starting with German automotive customers provided early validation, but Threedy recognized the need to diversify into new verticals and geographies. B2B founders should plan their expansion strategy to reduce dependency on any single industry or region. Evolution of Sales Approach: Threedy's early sales efforts were hindered by overwhelming prospects with technical complexity. They succeeded by simplifying their message and empowering sales teams to focus on specific use cases. B2B founders should ensure their sales narrative is accessible and actionable for their target buyers.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Metafuels is revolutionizing the aviation industry by developing synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology that combines renewable electricity, CO2, and water to produce jet fuel without petroleum feedstock. Having raised $22 million in funding, the company was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when its founders transformed their longtime vision into reality. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Saurabh Kapoor shares insights on commercializing deep tech, addressing market skepticism, and building a new category in sustainable aviation. Topics Discussed: Technical approach to synthetic sustainable aviation fuel production Evolution from consultancy to deep tech startup during COVID-19 Addressing critics and market skepticism in the SAF space B2B marketing strategy for industrial-scale technology Commercialization roadmap and scaling challenges Vision for transforming aviation fuel infrastructure GTM Lessons for B2B Founders: Timing market entry with macro disruptions: Metafuels launched during COVID when traditional consulting work slowed, allowing the team to fully focus on their vision. The pandemic created space for deep work on complex technical and business challenges before going to market. Building credibility in skeptical markets: Rather than trying to counter every criticism, Kapoor focused on addressing legitimate concerns while demonstrating clear technological and cost advantages. For deep tech founders, this means acknowledging valid challenges while showing how your solution fundamentally changes the equation. B2B marketing for industrial tech: With large-scale industrial products, traditional B2B marketing tactics don't apply. Metafuels focuses on building awareness of cost leadership and fostering long-term ecosystem partnerships rather than traditional lead generation. Strategic scope limitation: The team made an early decision to avoid food/feed chain competition, demonstrating how technical founders can use clear scope boundaries to strengthen their market position and narrative. Infrastructure-scale go-to-market: Metafuels' approach shows how to sequence a major infrastructure play - starting with demonstration facilities, then moving to commercial projects by 2026, before full fuel production and sales in 2028. This creates clear proof points for stakeholders at each stage. //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

Siftwell Analytics is revolutionizing how health plans leverage data and AI to improve patient outcomes. With over $5 million in funding, Siftwell combines claims information with proprietary datasets and machine learning to predict patient behavior and explain why certain individuals need specific interventions. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Trey Sutten, CEO and Co-Founder of Siftwell Analytics, to learn about their journey from concept to creating actionable insights that help health plans better serve their members. Topics Discussed: The evolution from health plan operations to founding a healthcare technology company How Siftwell uses AI to predict and explain patient behavior patterns The current state of AI adoption in healthcare across different operational levels The challenges of marketing deep technology in a referential industry Building a category that transcends traditional predictive analytics Future vision for automated, personalized healthcare interventions   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Leverage Operator Experience in Product Development: Siftwell's success stems from combining deep industry expertise with advanced technology. As Trey explains, many technologists enter healthcare with "cool mousetraps" but don't understand the complexity of problems facing managed care organizations. B2B founders should either deeply learn their target industry or partner with domain experts who can translate technical capabilities into meaningful solutions. Focus on Results Over Technical Specifications: While model accuracy matters, Trey emphasizes that customers care more about concrete outcomes like reduced emergency department visits or lower readmission rates. B2B founders should prioritize communicating business impact over technical superiority, especially when selling to C-suite buyers who care about operational results. Navigate Category Creation Through Problem-Solving: Rather than forcing themselves into existing categories, Siftwell created their own space by solving specific customer problems. They used the familiar entry point of predictive analytics but differentiated by combining it with deep operational expertise and actionable insights. B2B founders should consider how their unique approach to solving customer problems might transcend traditional category definitions. Build Go-To-Market Around Industry Context: In healthcare's highly referential market, Siftwell prioritizes face-to-face interactions, speaking engagements, and leveraging existing relationships. They focus on educating prospects about practical implementation rather than technical complexity. B2B founders should align their marketing strategy with their industry's buying patterns and decision-making culture. Choose Strategic Investors for Long-Term Success: Trey emphasizes the importance of founder due diligence in fundraising, particularly in finding investors who understand the industry, company culture, and vision. B2B founders should look beyond capital to ensure their investors can provide relevant expertise and support for their specific market.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

Soluna is pioneering a new category of renewable computing, building data centers co-located with renewable energy power plants to monetize stranded or wasted energy while providing sustainable compute power for AI workloads. With over $180 million in funding, Soluna is constructing a distributed network of facilities around the country that enables massive AI compute capabilities while driving demand and resiliency in the renewable energy sector. In this episode of Category Visionaries, John Belizaire shares Soluna's journey from addressing a stranded wind power project in Northern Africa to becoming a leader in sustainable computing infrastructure. Topics Discussed: The evolution of Soluna's business model from blockchain computing to AI workloads How renewable energy curtailment creates opportunities for data center innovation The landscape of renewable power plant ownership and development Building relationships with major power producers and investment funds The technical challenges of creating flexible, distributed computing facilities Content marketing strategies for category creation and demand generation   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Master the missionary sell: John emphasized the importance of education and de-risking in the early stages of category creation. When introducing a novel solution, focus on addressing customer concerns systematically and finding early adopters willing to validate your approach. The first six months were spent convincing power plant owners that computing facilities could work effectively with their operations. Leverage content marketing for scalable education: Initially relying on outbound calls, Soluna transformed their pipeline by investing heavily in content marketing through podcasts, newsletters, articles, and social media. This education-first approach led to 80% of their pipeline becoming inbound leads. B2B founders should view content as a scalable way to address common customer questions and concerns before the first meeting. Build an integrated content engine: Rather than viewing content creation as an overwhelming task, start with recorded conversations that can be repurposed across multiple formats. One conversation can become a blog post, podcast episode, video content, and email sequences. This approach creates a content library that continuously generates marketing assets while maintaining consistent messaging. Target the convergence of major trends: Soluna positioned itself at the intersection of renewable energy, cryptocurrency, and AI computing. While some of this alignment was fortunate timing, the company's planned evolution from cryptocurrency to broader computing applications allowed them to capitalize on the AI boom. B2B founders should look for similar convergence opportunities in their markets. Focus on systemic industry problems: Soluna identified that renewable energy curtailment was a widespread issue affecting plant profitability. By understanding the "McDonald's and Burger King problem" of optimal resource locations creating grid congestion, they developed a solution that addressed a fundamental industry challenge rather than a point problem.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Steffen Vollert, Co-Founder and Interim CEO of Volt, to explore their journey building a global real-time payment network. With over $87 Million in funding, Volt has evolved from a European open banking solution to a worldwide payment infrastructure platform, connecting major payment systems like Pix in Brazil and PayTo in Australia. Beyond his role at Volt, Steffen shared an unexpected side venture - a vintage tractor restoration business that provides a therapeutic counterbalance to the digital world of fintech. Topics Discussed: Evolution from European open banking to global real-time payments The transition through different leadership roles (CTO, COO, CEO) Early product market fit challenges and iterations Strategic focus on PSPs and enterprise customers The impact of COVID on early company formation Building marketing and sales teams in fintech Fundraising journey through multiple rounds Organizational scaling beyond 150 employees GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Speed to MVP Beats Infrastructure: Volt launched their initial prototype in just six months, compared to the industry standard of 2-3 years. Steffen explained, "We really focused on what is the fastest path to deliver something that has enough value for a merchants who actually put us on their checkout as a payment option." B2B founders should prioritize delivering core value quickly over building perfect infrastructure. Vertical Focus Drives Team Success: The team discovered that sales and marketing professionals in payments are highly specialized by vertical. Steffen noted, "Many salespeople in the industry are so specialized, they really join companies with a focus for their vertical where they have their network." B2B founders should commit to specific verticals long-term to attract and retain top talent. Product Market Fit is Continuous: Rather than a single moment, Volt experienced multiple "false" product market fits before achieving true traction. Steffen shared, "Every product advantage nowadays is temporary. You always need to be fast, you always need to be scrappy, you always need to think ahead." B2B founders should view product market fit as an ongoing process rather than a destination. Strategic Channel Selection: Volt deliberately chose to focus on large PSPs as distribution partners rather than pursuing SMEs directly. Steffen explained, "We really want to focus our resources on where we can move the needle for our revenue impact." B2B founders should evaluate distribution channels based on internal efficiency and resource constraints. Investment Partner Alignment: During fundraising, Volt prioritized investors who deeply understood their space over pure capital. Steffen emphasized, "For us it was much more important than the money itself... having partners on the other side to understand what we build, why we build it, why it's tough, why it's not going to be a straight line." B2B founders should seek investors who truly understand their market dynamics and challenges.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

SEMRON is pioneering the development of revolutionary 3D AI chips that pack massive computing power into a tiny silicon area without overheating. By leveraging an innovative semiconductor device that's ultra-efficient, SEMRON aims to enable the next generation of edge AI capabilities. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Aron Kirschen, CEO and co-founder of SEMRON, to explore how they're tackling the fundamental hardware limitations holding back AI at the edge.   Topics Discussed: The development of SEMRON's novel semiconductor technology that avoids electron movement The current state of edge AI hardware and its limitations The impact of ChatGPT on the semiconductor industry Building a deep tech startup in Dresden, Germany's microelectronics hub The long-term vision for democratizing AI compute power   GTM Lessons for B2B Founders: Patience in Deep Tech: The semiconductor startup timeline requires thinking in 3-5 year horizons for go-to-market, not the typical 1-year timeline of software startups. SEMRON spent four years developing their core technology before reaching process freeze and beginning customer demonstrations. Focus on Enterprise-Scale Relationships: Rather than pursuing a broad customer base, SEMRON targets 5-6 major customers who can each generate millions in revenue. This shapes their entire go-to-market approach, emphasizing deep technical engagement over traditional marketing. Leveraging Technical Feedback Loops: SEMRON's strategy involves working directly with customer engineering teams to deploy proprietary AI models on their hardware. This creates valuable feedback loops that reshape product development based on real application needs. Strategic Location Advantages: While Dresden may not be Silicon Valley, its history as Europe's microelectronics hub provides crucial advantages for semiconductor startups - from talent to manufacturing partnerships with companies like TSMC, Infineon, and Global Foundries. Cost-Driven Innovation: True hardware revolutions happen when the driving technology becomes extremely cheap. SEMRON focuses not just on technical performance but on dramatically reducing the cost per compute to enable mass adoption of edge AI capabilities.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co