Podcasts about GTM

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Fintan Gillespie, Global Director - Ad Partnerships Group at Snap Inc., a technology company that contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. Follow Fintan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fintangillespie/Follow Snap for Business online at: http://forbusiness.snapchat.com/cpgguysFollow Snap Business Blog at: https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/blogFollow Snap on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/snapchat-for-business/postsThis episode is sponsored by Snap, Inc.Fintan answers these questions:Fintan, let's start with your journey. What brought you into the world of media and partnerships, and what does your current role at Snap entail as Head of Independent Agencies & Global Ad Partnerships?You lead  global ad partnerships. How do these partnerships shape Snap's GTM strategy in the broader media ecosystem?Independent agencies are often more agile and innovation-driven than holding company giants. How are you seeing them lean into platforms like Snap to drive differentiated value for their CPG clients?What advice would you give to agencies looking to leverage Snap effectively within omnichannel media strategies?Proving ROI remains critical for agencies and brands. How is Snap helping advertisers measure real business outcomes, especially sales lift and conversion?Looking ahead to 2026, what's your boldest prediction for the intersection of agencies, partnerships, and platforms like Snap in the world of commerce mediaFintan, you've seen the media landscape from multiple vantage points. What leadership lesson or guiding principle has helped you most in building trust and value in partnerships?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comCPG Scoop Website: http://CPGscoop.comRhea Raj's Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Episode 468 features Desiree-Jessica Pely, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Alfa by Loyee.ai (Top 50 GTM Startup).Find Jessica Online:Website: https://www.loyee.ai/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pely/About Jessica:Desiree-Jessica Pely, PhD, is pioneering a finance-led approach to B2B sales, go-to-market strategy, and revenue growth. As Co-Founder and CEO of Alfa by Loyee.ai (Top 50 GTM Startup), she leads the development of an AI-driven platform that transforms complex market signals into precise, actionable insights for sales, marketing, and finance teams.Jessica brings together a PhD in Financial Economics, a background in Computer Science, and hands-on entrepreneurial execution. She has collaborated with Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler, exploring the intersection of behavioral economics and decision-making, and began her career in quantitative finance and predictive modeling.Her passion for redefining GTM strategy grew from a common challenge: sales teams drowning in data yet struggling to identify the accounts that matter most. Loyee.ai was created to solve this, deploying AI research agents that identify high-value accounts, map markets, and adapt continuously to real-time changes, enabling companies to penetrate markets with precision and scale revenue smarter.Recognized as the “Queen of Leads,” Jessica has been named among the Top 100 People in SaaS, and awarded Salesperson of the Year. Beyond her company, she is an active mentor, investor, and coach, championing the next generation of innovators in SaaS, FinTech, and AI.

Scaling a business globally comes down to leaders who align teams and drive them forward together.Snowflake serves over 12,000 customers, and early executives Chris Degnan and Denise Persson share how they scaled the company while keeping the unlikely pairing of sales and marketing perfectly aligned through hypergrowth.They join Joubin Mirzadegan to share insights from their new book, Make It Snow, revealing how they built Snowflake's ‘go-to-market engine' and fostered a customer-first culture across every function.Guests: Chris Degnan, former CRO and advisor to the CEO at Snowflake, and Denise Persson, CMO at Snowflake.Connect with Chris Degnan LinkedIn​Connect with Denise PerssonLinkedIn​Connect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins:https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

Make It Snow is Snowflake's go-to-market playbook, told by longtime CRO Chris Degnan and CMO Denise Persson. The central idea: sales and marketing must operate as “one brain in two bodies.” The takeaways are practical and candid: embed with customers sooner than feels comfortable, pick a clear foil, design programs you can rerun, centralize data so sales and marketing act from one truth, and treat culture as GTM infrastructure. If you're a founder, CRO, CMO, or operator trying to go from zero to billions without losing the plot, Make It Snow is a field manual for aligning people, narrative, and pipeline at every stage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ashley Lewin has audited 30+ companies in her career and seen the same pattern: marketing teams stuck chasing MQLs while revenue stalls. In this episode, Carolyn and Trevor dig into Ashley's perspective on why MQLs keep organizations trapped in short-term thinking, and how she's applying those lessons now as Head of Marketing at Aligned.We talk through what it takes to stand up a marketing function from scratch at a hybrid PLG + sales-assisted company, why implementing HubSpot's Lead object was a foundational bet, and how “fail fast” disqualification changed the way BDRs and sales managers manage their pipeline. Ashley also shares her playbook for winning executive buy-in: showing CEOs a predictable growth equation that replaces lead volume with qualified pipeline and product activation.What You'll Learn:Why 30+ audits taught Ashley that MQLs create waste, not growth.How to split the funnel: PLG activations vs. sales-assisted pipeline.The power of clean infrastructure: standing up a true lead object in HubSpot.Why “fail fast” leads to better conversion, stronger feedback loops, and less waste.How to navigate culture change so sales isn't afraid to close lost.Why exec scorecards (not dashboards) determine whether change sticks.If your growth plan still relies on lead math, you're running on outdated assumptions. Ashley shows how to build a system that actually scales revenue, not just reporting.

SaaStr 823: Is GTM Really Dead?! with SaaStr CEO Jason Lemkin In this episode, Jason Lemkin, SaaStr CEO and Founder, addresses common misconceptions about traditional go-to-market strategies in the age of AI. Despite claims that outbound marketing, SEO, and old-school tactics are dead, the speaker highlights how leading AI companies are successfully employing these methods with minor tweaks. Drawing from the success stories of OpenAI, Notion, Dialpad, and others, the presenter emphasizes the importance of high-quality content, dynamic sales tactics, and the unmatched potential of AI-driven tools like AI SDRs. He also discusses the necessity of providing substantial ROI from day one and urges marketers to reassess and improve their strategies rather than dismiss them as obsolete. Finally, practical advice is given on optimizing sales and marketing efforts to tap into the booming AI budget effectively.   This episode is sponsored by:   Fin is the #1 AI Agent for resolving complex queries like refunds, transaction disputes, and technical troubleshooting—all with speed and reliability. See how Fin can deliver the highest resolution rates and highest-quality customer experience at fin.ai/saastr.  This episode is sponsored by: You didn't create a startup to run a small business. Let Salesforce help you connect data, automate busywork and empower employees on the only platform you'll ever need, no matter how big you get. With smarter AI and built-in collaboration tools like Slack, the sky's the limit. Learn how Salesforce works for startups at salesforce.com/smb.   Hey everybody, SaaStr AI in London is this December and we're on track to completely sell out.    Join 2,000 B2B + AI leaders for two days of practical advice on scaling into the new year.  We'll have speakers flying in from OpenAI, Wiz, Clay, Intercom, and all your favorite SaaS companies, including yours truly with Harry Stebbings for a live 20VC podcast. It'll be fun, and it's all in the heart of London.  Don't miss out: get your tickets while you still can by going to podcast.saastrlondon.com

Dana Love, founder of PoobahAI (exited 5 companies, PhD in economics), breaks down why Web3 lags mainstream adoption and how AI-built software can unlock the space: “the future of Web3 is coding without coders.” We cover: the zero→one grind, macro shifts (globalization → nationalization), inflation realities, and why blockchains need to drop the barrier to projects, devs, and users. Dana shares Poobah's approach—virtual co-founder, multi-chain no/low-code, pre-audited on-chain digital objects, and real showcases (NFT ticketing, RWA real estate, car auction). We also talk go-to-market (students & exec MBAs), chain partnerships, and their seed round.Timestamps[00:00] Dana's thesis: coding without coders is Web3's future[00:01] Background: exits, policy PhD, AI/ML → crypto since 2011[00:02] Patterns from 5+ exits: first $1 of revenue + investment; hearing “your baby is ugly”[00:04] Macro: globalization → nationalization; inflation dynamics & wages[00:07] Startup stages: 0→1 vs 1→10 vs 10→50—don't over-process the first customer[00:08] Why Web3 adoption lags: tooling, UX, paucity of devs/projects/users[00:10] Public vs private chains; why transparency is a feature for upstarts[00:11] Naming Poobah & the “many hats” founder[00:12] Poobah overview: virtual co-founder, on-chain generation, digital objects (pre-audited contracts)[00:15] Code quality: making no-code generate good code; best-practice RAG/context[00:17] Focus: Web3 first—massive untapped value[00:18] GTM: students, MBAs, exec MBAs → enterprise wedge[00:19] Case: Princeton CS student ships NFT ticketing as a vibe-coder[00:20] B2B: chain licenses to drop coding barrier to near-zero[00:22] The “hackathon circus” & why broadening the builder base matters[00:23] Non-dev creators as founders: fine-arts → sticky NFTs[00:24] The Shopify moment for Web3 (payments/regulatory context)[00:27] RWAs: real estate fractionalization; car auctions; built in weeks[00:30] Will AI replace devs? Senior vs junior leverage; law firm analogy[00:36] Market will rebalance skills & pay; seniors x AI = force multiplier[00:37] Roadmap (6–12 mo): low-code launch → no-code, multi-chain MCP, virtual co-founder[00:38] The ask: chain partnerships, seed syndication, universities & exec MBAsConnecthttps://poobah.ai/https://www.linkedin.com/company/poobahai/https://www.linkedin.com/in/danalove/https://x.com/DanaFLoveDisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

Daniel Saks, co-founder and CEO of Landbase, joins The Tech Trek to unpack the real meaning of democratizing technology. From agentic AI that works for you—not the other way around—to rethinking workflows and change management, Daniel shares why this shift is bigger than the move from on-prem to cloud. For tech leaders, founders, and operators, this episode reveals how to reclaim time, scale smarter, and prepare for the next wave of AI-native business.Key Takeaways• AI is moving beyond hype—it's becoming the engine that executes real workflows and shifts power from systems to users• Businesses that recapture saved time will unlock significant cost efficiency and growth potential• The gap between idea and implementation is shrinking fast, but durable value will come from solving the hardest problems, not the easiest apps• Change management is now about building AI-native workflows and cross-functional systems, not just adopting tools• Sales and go-to-market leaders can gain an edge by mastering prompting and AI-driven enrichment todayTimestamped Highlights00:56 — Why Landbase built GTM-1 Omni to reimagine go-to-market execution01:40 — From on-prem to cloud to AI-native: the next major leap in democratizing technology04:34 — Why fears about AI replacing jobs miss the bigger story of new roles and industries emerging08:42 — How the pace of product cycles is collapsing and what that means for value creation13:25 — Inside Landbase's “AI Factory” model for automating workflows across functions16:39 — What people actually do with the time they reclaim through AI-driven automation19:23 — How AI is reshaping the role of the salesperson and why adoption speed mattersA line that stood out“You don't have to work for your software anymore—your software works for you.”Call to ActionIf this conversation gave you fresh ideas about how AI is reshaping business, share it with your team and subscribe to The Tech Trek on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For more insights, follow along on LinkedIn.

What does it take to reinvent entire industries, over and over again?This week on Grit, Sebastian Thrun, the “godfather” of self-driving cars and massive open online courses, reflects on a career pushing the boundaries of technology across mobility, education, and AI.With Joubin Mirzadegan, he shares why he believes autonomous driving could become the biggest lifesaving technology in history, and how a wake-up call led him to found Udacity to truly democratize higher education.Guest: Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Stealth Startup, founder of Google X and UdacityConnect with Sebastian ThrunXLinkedIn​Connect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

“It's my job as a marketer to be an expert in what's good… use whatever tools I can, and as quickly as I can.” -Chaz Ross-Munro   Chaz Ross-Munro is  a B2B marketing executive with a background in CRM, customer success, and operational transformation, she specializes in aligning marketing, sales, and delivery teams around unified data and strategic outcomes. With two decades of experience driving growth in the AEC and construction tech sectors, she's led initiatives that have redefined how companies think about their customer lifecycle—from acquisition to retention. Her superpower is translating marketing strategy into business-wide impact. At Datumate, she led high-impact programs that leveraged customer insights, digital modeling, and CRM tools to turn complex construction data into actionable intelligence for decision-makers. She's authored two books on CRM and AEC marketing strategy and helped over 120 companies implement scalable systems for sustainable growth. Whether building brand equity, driving operational alignment, or scaling GTM strategies, she bring a deep understanding of what makes organizations thrive. Website: https://www.chazrossmunro.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chazmarierossmunro/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chazrossmunro  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chaz.rossmunro/   Austan Preuett is Austan Preuett is a seasoned marketing strategist and Director of Marketing at Lynx Systems, where she leads brand development, content strategy, and partner marketing in the physical security industry. With over 10 years of experience driving revenue growth and crafting impactful campaigns across tech, energy, and advertising sectors, Austan brings a results-driven approach to every project. She also serves as a board member for the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) Central Texas Chapter, championing safety innovation and industry collaboration. Website: https://www.lynxsystems.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austan-preuett/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austan_preuett/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@lynxduress?si=BaxJKCuyN3d9jG-v Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austan.palmer   In this episode, we explore how data-driven strategy, customer insights, and innovative marketing approaches can align teams, elevate brand impact, and create sustainable business growth.   Apply to join our marketing mastermind group: https://notypicalmoments.typeform.com/to/hWLDNgjz   Follow No Typical Moments at: Website: https://notypicalmoments.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-typical-moments-llc/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4G7csw9j7zpjdASvpMzqUA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notypicalmoments Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTMoments

Lincode Labs is transforming quality control in automotive manufacturing through AI-powered visual inspection systems that replace traditional machine vision cameras with advanced computer vision technology. After nine years and $10 million in funding, the company has established itself as an early mover in bringing modern AI to one of manufacturing's most conservative sectors. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Rajesh Iyengar, a fourth-time founder with multiple exits, about his methodical approach to market validation, the operational realities of selling into automotive manufacturing, and the counterintuitive GTM strategies that enabled market penetration in a notoriously risk-averse industry. Topics Discussed: Pre-incorporation market validation methodology: surveying 300-400 manufacturers over one year Positioning within existing "vision systems" budget categories versus creating new AI category Manufacturing engineer versus quality engineer buyer persona discovery and implications Trade show strategy for demonstrating complex AI technology to skeptical prospects Geographic arbitrage: leveraging Silicon Valley for fundraising, Michigan for customer proximity Structured investor feedback collection across 400-500 pitches for business model refinement GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Execute systematic pre-incorporation market validation at scale: Before incorporating Lincode, Rajesh spent an entire year surveying 300-400 manufacturers through a structured questionnaire approach. Starting with 8-10 manufacturing contacts, he expanded through LinkedIn outreach to validate core assumptions about AI adoption, deployment complexity, and willingness to pay. This wasn't casual customer discovery—it was quantitative market research that de-risked his fourth venture before committing capital. B2B founders should design systematic validation processes that generate statistically meaningful data rather than relying on anecdotal feedback from a handful of prospects. Position within existing budget categories to accelerate procurement cycles: Despite building AI technology, Rajesh deliberately positioned Lincode within the established "vision systems" category rather than creating a new AI category. As he explained, "as far as customer is concerned, whether it's AI or not AI, they'll put us into a category of vision systems... so they can assign the budgets." Creating new categories extends sales cycles as procurement teams struggle with budget allocation and vendor evaluation frameworks. B2B founders should analyze how their innovation maps to existing enterprise budget line items and position accordingly, reserving category creation for later market education phases. Identify economic buyers through productivity impact mapping, not feature alignment: Lincode's initial assumption that quality engineers would buy quality inspection technology proved completely wrong. Manufacturing engineers became the actual buyers because quality bottlenecks directly constrained their core KPI: productivity. Rajesh discovered that "manufacturing engineers responsibility is on productivity, so quality kind of puts a bottleneck on that." This required repositioning their value proposition from quality improvement to productivity optimization. B2B founders must map their solution's economic impact across organizational functions to identify who controls budget decisions, which often differs from the obvious feature-benefit alignment. Deploy experiential marketing for technology adoption in conservative industries: Traditional SaaS demo strategies failed in automotive manufacturing where "AI is something which nobody wanted to just believe on a buzzword, especially in Midwest." Rajesh invested in major trade shows with hands-on demos, allowing prospects to physically interact with components and see real-time AI analysis. This strategy mimicked automotive showroom experiences where customers need tactile engagement before purchasing decisions. For B2B founders selling complex technology to traditional industries, budget allocation should prioritize experiential marketing that enables physical product interaction over digital marketing channels. Structure investor feedback as systematic business model iteration: Rather than fundraising episodically, Rajesh treated investor pitches as structured feedback collection, comparing it to AI model training: "if you give thousands of images, then the AI will work perfectly." Pitching 400-500 investors generated business model insights that shaped core strategic decisions, including the critical industry focus recommendation that transformed their approach. One investor's feedback about avoiding multi-industry approaches directly contradicted Rajesh's initial strategy but proved transformational. B2B founders should design investor interaction as ongoing strategic consulting, maintaining regular dialogue for continuous business model refinement beyond capital needs.   //   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   //   Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM     

“It's my job as a marketer to be an expert in what's good… use whatever tools I can, and as quickly as I can.” -Chaz Ross-Munro   Chaz Ross-Munro is  a B2B marketing executive with a background in CRM, customer success, and operational transformation, she specializes in aligning marketing, sales, and delivery teams around unified data and strategic outcomes. With two decades of experience driving growth in the AEC and construction tech sectors, she's led initiatives that have redefined how companies think about their customer lifecycle—from acquisition to retention. Her superpower is translating marketing strategy into business-wide impact. At Datumate, she led high-impact programs that leveraged customer insights, digital modeling, and CRM tools to turn complex construction data into actionable intelligence for decision-makers. She's authored two books on CRM and AEC marketing strategy and helped over 120 companies implement scalable systems for sustainable growth. Whether building brand equity, driving operational alignment, or scaling GTM strategies, she bring a deep understanding of what makes organizations thrive. Website: https://www.chazrossmunro.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chazmarierossmunro/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chazrossmunro  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chaz.rossmunro/   Austan Preuett is Austan Preuett is a seasoned marketing strategist and Director of Marketing at Lynx Systems, where she leads brand development, content strategy, and partner marketing in the physical security industry. With over 10 years of experience driving revenue growth and crafting impactful campaigns across tech, energy, and advertising sectors, Austan brings a results-driven approach to every project. She also serves as a board member for the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) Central Texas Chapter, championing safety innovation and industry collaboration. Website: https://www.lynxsystems.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austan-preuett/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austan_preuett/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@lynxduress?si=BaxJKCuyN3d9jG-v Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austan.palmer   In this episode, we explore how data-driven strategy, customer insights, and innovative marketing approaches can align teams, elevate brand impact, and create sustainable business growth.   Apply to join our marketing mastermind group: https://notypicalmoments.typeform.com/to/hWLDNgjz   Follow No Typical Moments at: Website: https://notypicalmoments.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-typical-moments-llc/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4G7csw9j7zpjdASvpMzqUA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notypicalmoments Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTMoments

In this episode, we speak with Andrew Hatfield, founder of Deepstar Strategic. He shares his definition of what go-to-market (GTM) really means, the three key pillars of a high-performance GTM playbook, and the metrics that product marketers should track to measure success. For more information, please check out Andrew's article "How Product Marketers Can Reverse GTM Efficiency Decline: The Three Pillars of Predictable SaaS Growth".All rights reserved. © Product Marketing Hive.

If your board asks “Why is pipeline down?” and your opportunity dashboards only say marketing-sourced vs. SDR-sourced (AKA the four-funnel model), you're stuck with surface-level data and left guessing at fixes instead of diagnosing the problem. The real story lives between engagement and opportunity, the unmeasured factory floor where prospecting happens (or dies). In this episode, Carolyn and Amber show how to rip the lid off that black box, swap vanity volume for "causal" metrics, and find the repeatable patterns that actually manufacture pipeline.Expect blunt takes, practical questions to bring to RevOps tomorrow, and real outcomes from teams who've made the shift (e.g., win rates jumping from ~13% to ~24% and easier budget approvals once the black box is illuminated).What You'll Learn:[02:20] Why “source” reporting hides the truth (and fuels misalignment)[08:00] The Pipeline Black Box: measuring the in-between (triggers → first meeting → opp)[15:00] Pattern-spotting: sequences that create pipeline vs. waste[17:30] Visual walkthrough: opening the black box[20:55] Prospecting as its own lifecycle: timing, activity load, DQs, velocity[26:10] From more leads to more lift (conversion, speed, win rate 13%→24%)[36:00] Turning visibility into stronger board stories & budget wins[38:25] 3 questions to expose your black box this weekWho This Episode ForCROs, CMOs, Demand leaders, and RevOps owners ready to graduate from MQLs/last-touch to a factory-style measurement system.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post by David Mundy of Tuskira for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining them is Jason Taule, CISO, Luminis Health. In this episode: ROI challenges  Venture capital saturation Risk aversion and organizational politics A GTM transformation Huge thanks to our sponsor, Doppel Doppel is the first social engineering defense platform built to dismantle deception at the source. It uses AI and infrastructure correlation to detect, link, and disrupt impersonation campaigns before they spread - protecting brands, executives, and employees while turning every threat into action that strengthens defenses across a shared intelligence network. Learn more at https://www.doppel.com/platform

I reached out to Denny Hollick on GrowthMentor as a mentee. Denny was a good match because I wanted to ask him some questions I've had for a while around customer marketing and customer advocacy. Yes, most people agree that understanding customer needs can transform product development, but what's often overlooked is how customer advocates can significantly influence your market success and GTM plan's impact. Denny is Head of Product Marketing at Puzzle. Prior, he held marketing leadership roles at Minerva, Kajabi, Unbounce, and Wealthbar (acquired in 2018).Here's what we cover:Why customer advocacy is crucial for startup growth;How building relationships with customers can lead to advocacy;Examples of customer advocacy programs;Effective customer marketing requires collaboration between teams;Startups should invest in customer advocacy programs early;Creating a customer advisory board is probably the easiest step one;Customers want to feel valued and recognized, how can you make that happen;How successful advocacy programs turn customers into partners.Denny on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dhollickFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠furmanovmarketing.com⁠⁠⁠One Insight newsletter: ⁠Subscribe

What does it take to go from CIA officer to founder of one of the world's fastest-growing AI startups? In this episode of The Mark Haney Show, I sit down with Brian Raymond, Founder & CEO of Unstructured.io, to unpack his remarkable story and the explosive growth of his company. • Brian's journey from UC Davis → CIA → Investment Banking → Startup Founder. • Why 90% of enterprise data is useless for AI—and how Unstructured.io fixes it. • The Fortune 1000 race to adopt GenAI, with billions being invested. • How AI agents are changing the game (and why they don't sleep). • Lessons from raising $65M+ in funding in just three years. • Where Brian sees the biggest opportunities for entrepreneurs in this new AI era. This isn't just a story about AI—it's about risk, resilience, and building at the bleeding edge of technology. Website: https://unstructured.io/ Youtube:  @unstructuredio   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unstructuredio X: https://x.com/UnstructuredIO Github: https://github.com/Unstructured-IO

Akash Singh joins us to discuss the importance of customer success in go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Rob Freedman, VP of Marketing at EZO. Rob shares insights from his two-decade career in marketing leadership, including lessons from preparing companies for IPO and navigating high-stakes executive rooms. He discusses how the role of marketing has shifted from brand-led to performance-driven, and why CFOs and product leaders are now calling more shots in GTM strategy.Rob explains the pressure VC-backed companies face to deliver short-term results, and how that's reshaping what kinds of campaigns get approved. He also breaks down how marketers can earn a seat at the strategic table by adopting accountability early—well before any IPO is on the horizon.From failed international campaigns to executive transparency, Rob unpacks the realities of aligning across functions, staying data-driven, and owning the full customer journey. He shares why filtering messaging down to teams does more harm than good, and how applying IPO-level rigor can elevate performance—even for mid-market companies.

¡Nueva entrega de PUNTO DE LECTURA! En el capítulo de hoy os contamos qué nos ha parecido el número 117 de la revista GTM, y reseñamos los siguientes cómics de Panini: El viejo Logan, Superman 03, Los señores de los dragones, Batwoman de J.H Williams III, La cosa del pantano de Alan Moore, Maximum Berserk (Catalá) #13 y Fumando juntos detrás del súper #5. Esperamos que os mole.

What kind of founder builds a billion-dollar company around something anyone can use for free? Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, joins Joubin Mirzadegan to reflect on two decades of building the platform that now powers over 43% of all websites through cycles of doubt, decline, and reinvention.He also shares how Automattic aligns employees with its mission to democratize publishing and commerce through paid sabbaticals and remote work.Guest: Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and founder and CEO of AutomatticConnect with Matt MullenwegXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

In this episode of GTM Live, Carolyn joins the Growth Activated Podcast as a guest to unpack one of the biggest blind spots in GTM today: what actually happens before an opportunity is created.99% of GTM teams still can't see this stage clearly. It's the “grey area” where SDRs and BDRs are grinding—sending emails, making calls, chasing signals, running sequences—all in the hope of booking a meeting that turns into pipeline.The problem? None of this activity is tracked in a clear, causal way. Leaders only see pipeline “sources” (marketing, sales, SDR), which hides the bigger story. Pipeline isn't a source—it's a chain reaction. A trigger sparks sales work, a series of events unfolds, and only some of those reliably convert to opportunities. Most of it? Invisible. That's why pipeline creation still feels like guesswork.Carolyn explains why source-based reporting and last-touch attribution keep teams stuck, and how to instrument the pre-opportunity “factory floor” with simple metrics that expose what's really working. Key Topics in this Episode:[00:10] Carolyn's journey: 4x Head of Marketing → CEO of Passetto[07:30] The Pipeline Black Box: why pre-opp activity is invisible[09:20] Using triggers to understand what really starts sales work[14:00] Inside the factory: connect rate, time-to-meeting, qual rate, DQs[22:40] Client insight: MQLs drain resources[27:50] KPIs to rethink: drop department-source, own pipeline as a system[30:45] For marketing leaders: accountability over defense[41:55] Annual planning: fight inertia, build visibility first[44:50] Where to find Carolyn & learn more about Passetto—This episode is powered by ⁠Passetto⁠, a GTM advisory and instrumentation software company with a solution that eliminates the Pipeline Black Box™, the critical data hidden inside every GTM engine where leaders are flying blind when it matters most.

Udi Ledergor is back on the pod—and this time, he's bringing the fire behind Courageous Marketing, his new book that challenges everything safe, stale, and same-same in today's crowded GTM world.As the former CMO of Gong during its hypergrowth years (multi-billion-dollar valuation, anyone?), and now Chief Evangelist, Udi knows firsthand how to build brands people actually love. In this episode, he and John dig deep into what separates average from iconic in today's AI-drenched world of “best practices.”You'll hear:Why courageous marketing requires risk, not just reachThe 10-20% “crazy idea” budget every brand needsHow sales and marketing can truly work togetherThe real difference between vanity metrics and valuable growthHow to craft a brand people feel, not just seeWhether you're a marketer looking to break the mold or a seller tired of lead-gen lip service—this episode is for you.Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today's AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let's Make It Happen together!Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1 Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletterConnect with Udi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor/Get Udi's book Courageous Marketing: https://mybook.to/courageousmarketingCheck out Gong's Website: https://www.gong.io/

After an incredible run, we're wrapping up the Revenue Growth Architects Podcast.Along the way, we've had meaningful conversations, explored big ideas, and hopefully helped you feel a little more confident navigating the complex world of marketing ops, RevOps, and GTM strategy.Thank you to every listener who tuned in, shared an episode, or sent us feedback. Your support has meant the world.We're stepping back from the podcast to focus our energy on share content on Linkedin and Youtube. So, while the mic might be off for now, this isn't goodbye forever. Keep following along:Subscribe to us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN-x5u0G03LWmU0Ds_4zR8wSubscribe to our newsletter here: https://www.cs2marketing.com/revenue-growth-architects#subscribe-to-newsletterFollow Crissy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crveteresaunders/Follow Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesaunders/Follow Xander on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xanderbroeffle/

Adrijana Daragon is a former brand expert with P&G, Europe. Enjoy this conversation with her about her company, Ad Marketing Strategy.com and hear about view on modern day marketing. She is currently for hire as a Fractional CMO, GTM and Marketing Strategy for Startups. Connect with Adrijana through-https://admarketingstrategy.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/adrijana/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

In this episode of the SaaS Sales Performance Podcast, we sit down with Frank Sondors, Co-Founder and CEO of SalesForge. With a career spanning Google, high-growth SaaS startups, and now building cutting-edge AI-driven sales automation, Frank shares his unique perspective on the future of outbound sales, pipeline generation, and sales efficiency.We explore how traditional outbound models—built on ever-growing headcount—are breaking down, and how AI, automation, and smarter processes can drive predictable growth with leaner teams. Frank also highlights the market realities shaping sales today: talent shortages, buyer saturation, and the rise of AI-to-AI communication.You'll learn:Why sales software needs to evolve away from “big-team” assumptionsHow to increase productivity per rep using AI and automationWhy outbound channels like cold email and cold calls are declining—and what's nextThe future role of AI SDRs, and when they do and don't make senseWhat leaner, AI-augmented revenue teams of the future will look like00:00 - 02:00 Introduction of the episode, guest Frank Sondors, and the topic—outbound sales and pipeline efficiency02:00 - 04:00 Frank's background: Google, SaaS, founding SalesForge, and rapid $0–$3M growth in 22 months04:00 - 07:00 Inefficiencies in traditional sales models: reliance on headcount and dissatisfaction with old approaches07:00 - 10:00 Building software ecosystems that reduce reliance on large teams; addressing deadwood in sales10:00 - 13:00 Attrition challenges and the high cost of acquiring top sales talent13:00 - 16:00 Increasing individual productivity with automation, AI, and smarter processes16:00 - 19:00 Market saturation: overwhelmed buyers, AI filtering, and the rise of AI-to-AI communication19:00 - 22:00 Adapting continuously: testing channels like direct mail, offline events, and content sharing22:00 - 25:00 Decline of cold calls/emails; need for experimentation and integrated touchpoints25:00 - 28:00 Leveraging automation platforms and integrating humans with AI28:00 - 31:00 Follow-up automation strategies and handling high meeting volumes31:00 - 34:00 Future of AI agents in sales; when AI SDRs make sense34:00 - 37:00 Criteria for AI SDR adoption: large account pools, mid-market deals, shorter cycles37:00 - 40:00 Pitfalls of over-relying on AI without product-market fit; need for iteration40:00 - 43:00 Testing AI solutions effectively: 3-month cycles and embracing failure43:00 - 45:00 Future team structures: lean, technical GTM engineers and RevOps specialists45:00 - 47:00 Augmentation, not replacement: humans + AI for better margins and efficiency47:00 - 48:00 Closing remarks: salesforge.ai, upcoming events, and advice to adopt AI and automation

We studied Palantir for 200+ hours to understand how its stock keeps growing, how the company handles sales and marketing, and to understand why it's such a cultural phenomenon. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday Don't miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Palantir's Enigmatic CEO 00:53 Welcome to Top Line 03:39 Diving into Palantir's Business 09:52 Palantir's Government and Commercial Ventures 22:41 The Role of Sales in Palantir's Success 32:33 Sales Culture and Treatment 34:00 The Role of Salespeople in Product-Led Companies 35:01 Challenges and Opportunities in Sales 38:12 Palantir's Go-To-Market Strategy 45:06 Salesforce vs. Palantir: Market Cap Battle 46:33 HubSpot's Potential and Challenges 55:29 AI Predictions and Impact on Business 59:17 AI in Personal and Professional Life 01:03:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts  

On this episode of the ThinkData Podcast, I sit down with Thais Branco, Head of Strategy & Marketing at Exa, the AI-first search engine reshaping how humans and agents explore the web.We dive into what sets Exa apart from competitors like Perplexity and Bing, the bold strategies behind its rapid growth, and Thais' perspective on where AI agents are truly moving the needle.Discussion PointsHow Exa positions itself differently from Perplexity and Bing.The GTM tactics that helped Exa grow sign-ups 8× in just five months.The story behind the balloon-box campaign and its impact.How Exa uses AI daily across marketing, content, and GTM execution.Insights from analyzing 500+ AI agent companies, top trends, and standout use cases.

Today I'm joined by Olivier Pomel, cofounder/CEO of Datadog. We trace his path from French open-source tinkerer to NYC founder, the dev-vs-ops friction that sparked Datadog, finding product-market fit through integrations, and the choice to stay independent en route to a 2019 IPO and S&P 500. Olivier shares scaling war stories, culture and GTM lessons, and what observability means in an AI era. If you build software—or companies—this one's packed with playbooks, from hiring to pricing to platform bets that work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI was supposed to make software cheaper and companies more efficient. Instead, costs are exploding, CFOs are getting squeezed, and founders are pushing their teams harder than ever. CJ and Kyle Poyar dig into the economics behind AI, usage-based pricing, and what all of this means for SaaS growth.* Usage-Based Credits: Why they're supposed to save SaaS margins but often trap customers in bad deals.* 996 Hustle Culture: The rise of 9 a.m.–9 p.m., 6-days-a-week work schedules — and why it's both romanticized and unsustainable.* SaaS Payback Periods: Public companies now take 3+ years to recoup CAC, with growth slowing and margins tightening.* Go-to-Market Engineers: Hype vs. reality of the “unicorn hire” role meant to automate GTM motions.* Consumer Businesses: Are we sleeping on DTC plays like Blue Apron and ButcherBox while chasing AI trends?* The “Cracked Engineer” Archetype: Why the most impactful hires might be the failed founders who love solving cross-functional problems.* Subscription Carwashes: What they teach us about predictable revenue and retention psychology.* More RVs Than EVs: What this surprising stat says about adoption curves and how we misread “the future.”* This Week's Growth Experiments: The tools, tactics, interview questions, and hacks we tried — what worked, what didn't, and why Kyle is disillusioned by some of them.Today's podcast is brought to you by Campfire.You may know that we use Campfire as our ERP, and it's been a game changer for our finance workflow. The interface is intuitive, migration was quick and painless, and it's freed us up to focus on strategic work instead of manual processes. In case you don't know, Campfire is an AI-first ERP powering next-gen finance & accounting teams. Helps you close fast, unlock insights and scale smarter.If you're curious about where finance tech is heading, and would like to hear more of my thoughts on the topic, don't miss Campfire's Finance Forward AI Summit - the upcoming summit bringing together the sharpest minds in finance and operations.You'll hear directly from industry leaders on how they're using AI to shape the future of finance, and how your team can get ahead of the curve. I'll be speaking on panels with finance leaders from Anthropic, Snowflake, Mercury and more. The summit is October 28th in San Francisco; I hope to see you there.Sign up for the summit at campfiresummit.ai or learn more about Campfire at www.campfire.ai. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Every CMO wants alignment with their CEO. But all too frequently, things go sideways. It turns into chasing growth at any cost, drowning in acronyms, or scrambling to justify marketing's seat at the revenue table. What if the real secret isn't louder advocacy, but clearer translation, seeing the world the way your CEO does?  That's the perspective Rohini Kasturi brings as CEO of HG Insights. Fresh off two bold acquisitions in just a few months, HG Insights is redefining revenue growth intelligence and giving CMOs a new way to frame growth, retention, and efficiency. Rohini's advice: Stop playing defense on budget lines and start leading with business outcomes. In this episode:  How CMOs can connect their work to the three CEO obsessions: Growth, retention, and efficiency  Why spotting churn signals early matters as much as chasing pipeline  What it takes to balance efficiency with agility… without cutting corners Plus:  The role of revenue growth intelligence in shaping GTM strategy  How acquiring TrustRadius and MadKudu expands HG Insights' platform  Why every marketing move should tie back to revenue, even on a longer timeline  What CMOs gain by learning to speak the language of the boardroom If you want to know how CEOs really think and how CMOs can match them step for step, this one's for you! BONUS: HG Insights it THE Official GTM Partner of CMO Huddles and one of the Founding Sponsors of the 2025's CMO Super Huddle in Palo Alto. Rohini will join for a panel on The Future of GTM. With sharp strategic insight and deep empathy for the CMO's ever-evolving role, Rohini offers a rare CEO perspective on what it takes to drive smarter, more connected growth in 2025 and beyond.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

We're doing something different in this episode. We recorded it at HubSpot's INBOUND conference, and rather than having just one single episode guest, we interviewed marketing and RevOps leaders from 5 very different companies—each with their own specific approach to attracting, converting, and retaining customers.You'll hear how companies structure their go-to-market motions across:- Inbound marketing and demand generation- SDR/AE handoffs and deal stage workflows- Self-serve vs. high-touch enterprise sales- Attribution tracking and reporting- Event-based field marketing and referral programs- Long-cycle sales driven by print and local ads

Databox is an easy-to-use Analytics Platform for growing businesses. We make it easy to centralize and view your entire company's marketing, sales, revenue, and product data in one place, so you always know how you're performing. Learn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreIn times of ongoing volatility, agility isn't just a survival skill – it's the core growth lever. Kathleen Booth, SVP of Marketing at Pavilion, makes the case for ditching rigid planning in favor of dynamic, data-informed decisions, and explores how smart GTM leaders are embracing flexible org structures, full-cycle sales, and simplified roles to adapt fast.Kathleen shares what Pavilion is seeing across thousands of GTM leaders: the metrics that matter most now, why full-cycle selling is making a comeback, and how to tell a compelling story with your data that gets CFO and board buy-in.If you're leading a go-to-market team and struggling to keep up with messy market changes, this is your roadmap for building a culture – and system – for fast, confident decision-making.Watch the full episode to learn how top GTM leaders are:• Replacing rigid planning with agile execution• Using data to spot early signals and justify pivots• Simplifying org structures to move faster• Selling strategic brand investment to skeptical CFOs

What do you do when everyone loves your product but no one's paying for it? That was the challenge facing Beautiful.ai. Founder Mitch Grasso nailed the product, but to build a sustainable business, he brought in operator Jason Lapp as CEO. In this conversation, Jason shares how Beautiful.ai killed its freemium tier, introduced a credit-card-gated trial without losing momentum, and learned to serve both self-serve and enterprise customers at the same time. He also explains how to listen to customer feedback without becoming a feature factory, and why non-technical founders shouldn't try to know everything about the tech stack. If you're a founder wondering when to put up a paywall — or how to balance PLG with enterprise sales — here's a playbook. RUNTIME 46:20 EPISODE BREAKDOWN (3:35) “ The timing of us coming together was really fortuitous for beautiful because he had already built the first version of beautiful and put it in market.” (6:28) “ Microsoft and Google report that there's close to a billion people that use presentation software on a monthly basis.” (10:51) “ At a certain point after getting in market, you start to get a different set of signal.” (14:52) The free trial period is a great opportunity to learn about what customers value most. (19:56) Leverage “emotional” feedback to improve the customer experience. (23:46) “ We do have a guiding principle, which is: on the customer side, we generally don't build for one customer need.” (26:17) Beautiful.ai uses NPS surveys to gather feedback from enterprise and individual users. (28:49) Since pivoting to paid, they have separate teams for enterprise and individual customers. (23:02) “ We think about an ICP, and then we think about an IECP, meaning the enterprise as a whole.” (33:57) Capturing behavioral and attitudinal data to understand customer behavior. (37:18)  How the broader rise of generative AI has influenced GTM strategy. (42:33) Jason shares some advice for non-technical CEOs. LINKS Jason Lapp Beautiful.ai AI Isn't Coming For Jobs, It's Coming For Inefficiency Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value, Teresa Torres Everything You Need to Know About Freemium Pricing, Kyle Poyar, OpenView Partners SUBSCRIBE

This episode of the OnBase Podcast delivers a masterclass in building modern go-to-market strategies with ABM at their heart. Host Paul Gibson talks with Robert Norum about why a focused, account-based approach is no longer optional for B2B organizations—it's essential. Robert breaks down the journey from traditional, volume-based marketing to a sophisticated, tiered ABM model that aligns the entire organization.The conversation uncovers the most common challenges businesses face when adopting ABM, from securing leadership buy-in to managing expectations and moving beyond outdated MQL metrics. Robert provides a clear roadmap for success, emphasizing that ABM is not just a marketing tactic but a company-wide directive that unites sales, marketing, and customer success into a single, powerful growth engine.Listen to the full episode to gain the confidence and clarity needed to make ABM your primary GTM strategy.Key TakeawaysABM is the Go-to-Market StrategyFor enterprise organizations, ABM should be the central GTM strategy, not just another marketing program.Focus is EverythingAn account-based approach forces you to concentrate your budget, resources, and people on the accounts that truly matter..Alignment is Non-NegotiableSuccess depends on creating a "SWAT team" across sales, marketing, and customer success, all working toward shared account goals.Pilots Can Be a TrapTreating ABM as a short-term pilot is a recipe for failure; it requires long-term investment and commitment from the top down.Measure What MattersMove beyond MQLs and vanity metrics. Focus on moving the dial within target accounts, expanding your footprint, and creating real pipeline opportunities..Quotes"ABM is the glue that has the potential to really connect organizations and break down silos across different teams"Best Moments (04:37) – The Evolution of ABM: Robert discusses how ABM grew from a one-to-one approach for large enterprises to a scalable, multi-tiered strategy.(09:05) – The Case for Focus: Why concentrating on high-value accounts is the most critical decision a B2B business can make today.(20:12) – The Biggest ABM Challenge: The most common mistake companies make is diving in without defining what ABM means for their organization and getting leadership buy-in.(24:17) – The End of Silos: How an account-based approach fosters an equal partnership between sales and marketing.(30:50) – Winning Over Leadership: Strategies for building a compelling business case for ABM and getting the C-suite excited.(42:40) – The Role of AI: How AI will accelerate ABM, but human intelligence remains essential to brief, interpret, and quality-check the output.Resource RecommendationsBooks:Account-Based Marketing: The Definitive Handbook for B2B Marketers by Bev Burgess.Shout-OutsJon Miller - MarTech entrepreneur,Co-founder at Marketo and EngagioMarta George - Head of EMEA AMB Programmes, Ping Identity.Lianne O'Connor - Global Field & ABM Marketing Director, Fluke Corporation.Andy Johnson - Founder and Director of Client Strategy, HUT 3.Charlotte Graham-Cumming - CEO, Ice Blue Sky Corporation.About the GuestRobert Norum is a B2B Marketer with over 30 years experience. He has worked in magazine publishing, IT distribution, marketing agencies and for the last 20 years as an independent marketing consultant. During this time he has worked on brand, demandgen, channel, ecommerce and sales enablement. For the last 10 years he had specialised in ABM working with a number of leading agencies and directly for wide cross-section of global brands. Since 2017, he has delivered the ABM Essentials training course for B2B Marketing training over 750 marketing professionals in the process. Robert has also been the ABM and Demand Strategy Expert on Propolis since its launch.Connect with Robert.

NumberEight converts mobile sensor data into contextual audience segments without capturing PII, addressing the fundamental breakdown of cookie-based targeting as media consumption fragments across podcasts, gaming, and connected TV. What began as a thesis project for contextual SoundCloud recommendations has evolved into a B2B data platform serving podcast platforms, media sales houses, and agencies. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Abhishek Sen to unpack how NumberEight navigates the complex adtech ecosystem and the tactical GTM strategies that drive their expansion across multiple customer segments simultaneously. Topics Discussed: How NumberEight evolved from a Netherlands thesis project (contextual SoundCloud recommendations) to solving adtech's identity crisis Technical architecture: converting mobile sensor data to contextual audience segments without PII collection Multi-segment GTM approach across podcast platforms (AdSwizz, Triton), media sales houses, and agencies Why the company targets podcasting and gaming simultaneously despite different data density challenges Conference strategy: 45+ targeted meetings per event while completely avoiding booths Building category credibility through IAB Tech Lab standards work and white paper contributions The breakdown of cookie-based targeting as consumption fragments beyond web browsers GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Execute systematic conference preparation to maximize deal flow: Sen books 45+ targeted meetings across 4-day conferences like Cannes Lions through advance relationship mapping and mutual connection identification. The tactical framework: pre-research each prospect's annual priorities, identify shared connections for warm introductions, and plan specific value propositions for each conversation. Execute daily follow-up during the conference to prevent pipeline degradation. Sen's insight: "Prep is incredibly important... we evaluate okay, Brett, head of monetization at ABC Company. Who does Brett know that I know? What is the actual proposition we want to discuss?" Avoid booth competition when capital-constrained: NumberEight deliberately avoids exhibition booths at major conferences, recognizing the futility of competing against Amazon's "entire city mockups" and Google's massive displays. Instead, they focus on authentic relationship building through targeted meetings and dinner sponsorships. The strategic principle: startups should leverage their authenticity advantage rather than attempting to out-spend established players in awareness channels where they're fundamentally disadvantaged. Maintain strict messaging separation between investor and customer tracks: Sen emphasizes the critical disconnect between vision-focused investor pitches and problem-focused customer conversations. His customer insight: "You tell any customer you're going to revolutionize... they're like 'man, you make me money, I'll be your friend.'" The implementation: develop completely separate messaging frameworks where investor decks emphasize market transformation while customer presentations focus exclusively on measurable business impact and revenue generation. Build category authority through standards body participation: NumberEight invests significant engineering resources in IAB Tech Lab white papers and industry standards development without direct revenue impact. This work establishes credibility when defining new data categories in established industries. Sen's co-founder leads technical working groups on identity-less targeting standards. The strategic value: "If you're trying to change the game, you have to be seen as someone giving back to the ecosystem and that helps drive your credibility." Time market entry around regulatory and consumption pattern shifts: NumberEight's positioning leverages two simultaneous disruptions: privacy regulation breakdown of cookie-based targeting and consumption fragmentation beyond web browsers. Sen identifies the core market inefficiency: "Consumption has moved beyond the web... but the data companies, in terms of how data is actually collected, hasn't changed. There's a mismatch." Founders should identify regulatory or technological shifts that create incumbent solution inadequacy and time market entry accordingly. Focus on vertical-specific events over broad industry conferences: NumberEight exclusively attends podcasting-focused (specific platforms), gaming-focused, or adtech-specific conferences rather than generalist marketing events. Sen explains: "We don't attend any conferences that are generalistic... The ones we attend are very focused on either podcasting or gaming or adtech focused ones. That's where we get the most bang for buck." This concentration strategy yields higher prospect quality and more productive pipeline development than broad industry networking.   //   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   //   Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM   

Great marketing isn't just strategy, it's intuition, timing, and a deep understanding of human behavior. That's the beauty of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a movie about erasing your memories. In this episode, we're breaking down its lessons with the help of special guest Noha Rizk, Chief Marketing Officer at Incorta. Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from putting human emotion at the center of their work, trusting intuition alongside data, and embracing mistakes as the path to growth.About our guest, Noha RizkNoha Rizk is the Chief Marketing Officer at Incorta. With deep expertise in Marketing, brand management, integrated channel management, product leadership, P&L accountability, and change management, across various industries and launching and leading partnerships, marketing and product in over 50 countries, Noha brings extensive experience and insights into how to execute for brand loyalty, growth and sustainable share of the market. Prior to Incorta, Noha led marketing for Meta AI, launching Llama, and leading other open source projects like PyTorch. She pioneered online banking for Amex and Citi, online booking and revenue optimisations and integrated channel strategies in the hotel industry with Starwood and Marriott, led partnerships and loyalty in emerging markets, launched NGO and Gov projects with US state department, launched and spun off two of her own successful businesses and helped organise PayPals enterprise, Platforms and Developer product offerings and streamline their GTM strategies.Noha loves to solve big problems and create groundbreaking products and services that inspire customers and business partners. She focuses on delivering insights and metrics driven outcomes, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and coming up with innovative solutions. She especially enjoys building and developing strong, resilient, and nimble teams that can adapt to changing market needs and customer expectations.Noha is an avid reader, developing painter and pianist, proud mother and animal lover with a passion for helping the private sector thrive in emerging markets.What B2B Companies Can Learn From Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:Lead with human emotion. Great marketing isn't about features, it's about people. Even in B2B, you're dealing with human psyches, behaviors, and emotions—not faceless corporations. Noha explains, “Even as B2B marketers… you're dealing with individuals. You're dealing with the human psyche, you're dealing with the buying behavior… ultimately that is the objective. The objective is to maintain a relationship with your customers.” The lesson? Build messaging that connects on a human level first, because behind every buying decision is a person making sense of their own emotions.Balance data with intuition. Metrics matter, but numbers can't capture everything. Noha argues that some of the best insights come from being present, listening, and noticing what the data can't show. “Some things can't be measured…A big chunk of marketing has to be intuitive. It's not always purely scientific.” Just as the film's dreamlike narrative reminds us memory isn't linear or logical, B2B marketers need to leave room for creativity, serendipity, and gut instinct, because not everything that counts can be counted.Embrace mistakes as part of growth. Trying to erase failures is as dangerous in marketing as it is in memory. Noha points out, “You can't just erase away the pain… you won't learn if you don't make mistakes. A lot of marketers have to be super buttoned up, their campaigns have to work… there isn't a lot of opportunity for marketers these days to be allowed to make mistakes.” But the best brands learn from experiments that don't go as planned. Failure isn't wasted, it's the raw material for innovation, resilience, and better campaigns down the road.Quote“ As marketers…we explore the human psyche pretty much day in, day out, even if it's not explicitly said. But that's essentially what we do.”Time Stamps[00:55] Meet Noha Rizk, Chief Marketing Officer at Incorta[1:26] Why Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?[5:51] Role of CMO at Incorta[9:07] Breaking Down Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind[22:11] B2B Marketing Takeaways from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind[43:56] Final Thoughts and TakeawaysLinksConnect with Noha on LinkedInLearn more about IncortaAbout Remarkable!Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. In today's episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send me a text (I will personally respond)Are you wrestling with the decision of when to bring on your first sales leader? Wondering if your startup has achieved enough product-market fit before scaling the sales team? Curious about common pitfalls and best practices in building a sales function that can take you from zero to millions in ARR? This episode tackles the pivotal transitions every cybersecurity startup faces when growing its go-to-market engine.In this conversation, we discuss: 

This episode of the OnBase Podcast features a compelling discussion with Nick Webb on the power of a modern go-to-market strategy. Host Paul Gibson and Nick explore the challenges of navigating organizational change and the critical shift from high-volume, low-quality lead generation to a targeted ABM/ABX approach. Nick shares the story of how CloudPay transformed its pipeline by moving from "net fishing" to "spear fishing," a move that quadrupled its sales pipeline.The conversation reveals why sales and marketing alignment is non-negotiable and how data-driven decisions provide the confidence needed to make bold changes. Nick details the hurdles, the mindset shifts, and the specific KPIs that were essential to driving this monumental transformation. This episode is a masterclass for any B2B leader looking to build a scalable and effective growth engine.Key TakeawaysQuality Over QuantityGenerating thousands of leads is meaningless if it doesn't translate to pipeline. Focusing on an agreed-upon ICP is the foundation of a successful GTM strategy.Shared KPIs Drive AlignmentShifting marketing's core KPI from lead volume to dollar-value pipeline ensures both sales and marketing are working toward the same goal.Data is Your Ally in ChangeUse data to prove the need for change and validate new strategies. Data-backed insights overcome resistance and build trust across teamsIt's a Partnership Not a HandoffThe old model of marketing throwing leads over the fence is broken. A modern GTM requires genuine collaboration where sales and marketing are fully integrated.Rethink Your TerminologyCalling leads "signals" reframes the follow-up process, shifting focus from pursuing an individual to understanding account-level interest.Quotes"Gone are the days where marketing people could get away with not knowing their numbers. We have to carry a number just like sales people do."Best Moments (07:22) – The Damascene Moment Nick details the realization that generating 3x more leads was actually causing the sales pipeline to fall.(09:38) – From Net Fishing to Spear Fishing The core analogy that drove CloudPay's strategic shift to a targeted ABM/ABX model.(14:25) – The New Playbook How CloudPay revolutionized its operations by changing KPIs, moving BDRs into marketing, and renaming leads to "signals."(20:00) – Overcoming Resistance Nick outlines the three groups of people in any change scenario and how to build momentum with advocates and data.(33:27) – Stopping the Attribution Wars The decision to stop attributing leads to specific departments and why it immediately ended internal friction.Shout-OutsKate Cox - CEO, Bray Leino.Tim Johnson - Field CTO, Gaming, Databricks.Andy McFarlane - VP of Marketing, Morse Micro.About the GuestNick Webb has more than 25 years of Marketing experience in world-class technology and fintech organisations, including Vodafone, Microsoft and WorldFirst. Now, as Chief Marketing Officer of CloudPay, Nick leads the Marketing team to build market awareness and drive business growth through the creation of a pipeline of leads and prospects for the Sales teams.Connect with Nick.

The apps and websites we use every day depend on systems most of us never see.Jay Kreps joins Joubin Mirzadegan to share how Confluent became the ‘central nervous system' for companies like Expedia and eBay, letting them respond to business operations instantly.They also break down why the myth of AI-driven efficiency falls short, and why building truly transformative companies takes far longer than most people expect.​Guest: Jay Kreps, Co-Founder & CEO of ConfluentConnect with JayXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

This week's guest taught me truly the importance of always providing an exceptional customer experience and having that front in mind all the time. She studied History and Geography prior to beginning her career as a Research Manager. She later went on to expand her skills in Business Development, relationship selling, consulting, as well as communications research and satisfaction. This week's guest also spend almost 13 years at Vision Critical, where she held roles in business development, account management and enablement, working her way up to Sr Director of Product Marketing where she continued to shine a spotlight on customer stories. Following Vision Critical, she went to Dooly, where I was so fortunate to work hand and hand with her and the Customer Success team to drive adoption, renewals, and expansion. Learning from a leader like her truly taught me the importance of Cross-Functional collaboration, a skill that I now consider one of my core strengths. Now, she continues to help customers lay a strong foundation to successfully scale startups. Without further ado, I couldn't be more excited to introduce one of my career mentors - Ellie Hutton. In this episode, we discussed:Great service skills from hospitality to SaaSTackling post-sales business challengesLessons from McDonald's on process optimizationUnderstanding customers through researchThe role of a GTM ring leaderBeing customer-readyPlease enjoy this week's episode with Ellie Hutton. ____________________________________________________________________________I am now in the early stages of writing my first book! In this book, I will be telling my story of getting into sales and the lessons I have learned so far, and intertwine stories, tips, and advice from the Top Sales Professionals In The World! As a first time author, I want to share these interviews with you all, and take you on this book writing journey with me! Like the show? Subscribe to the email: https://mailchi.mp/a71e58dacffb/welcome-to-the-20-podcast-communityI want your feedback!Reach out to 20percentpodcastquestions@gmail.com, or find me on LinkedIn.If you know anyone who would benefit from this show, share it along! If you know of anyone who would be great to interview, please drop me a line!Enjoy the show!

AJ Bruno, the CEO of $21M SaaS startup Quota Path, explains his company-wide experiment to make all of his employees vibe code. The results were shocking.   Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday. Don't miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!   Chapters: 00:00 The Future of AI in Startups  00:52 Introduction to Top Line  05:08 Vibe Coding Fridays Explained  13:32 The Impact of AI on Company Culture  29:57 The Role of Managers in Modern Companies 33:36 Challenging Traditional Management Practices 34:13 The Role of Senior Managers and Getting Hands Dirty 35:38 The Value of Middle Management 45:54 The Impact of AI on Management Roles 52:20 The Bubble of AI Revenue Reporting 1:00:58 Predictions for the Future of Labor  

Most GTM teamstoday are missing targets because they're simply measuring the wrong things. In this episode, Carolyn and Amber unpack why attribution is a mirage (it only shows the lucky 2% that become opportunities) and why the MQL hamster wheel keeps smart teams stuck optimizing a tiny slice of reality. We dig into the pre-pipeline “factory floor,” show how to expose the messy middle, and explain why “more volume” isn't a strategy—it's a cash leak.You'll hear concrete ways to replace vanity conversion stats with a causal view of attempts → connects → meetings → opps → DQs (with reasons), what to do about pipeline shock when you tighten scoring, and why pipeline needs a single owner (hint: not “marketing-sourced”). We also talk about modular change vs. big-bang transformations, and where attribution actually belongs (as seasoning, not the main ingredient), dig into where attribution actually belongs in GTM measurement (spoiler: it's seasoning, not the protein), and explain why modular change beats waiting for a full-scale transformation.What You'll Learn:Attribution ≠ answers: It validates the 2-5% that convert and hides the waste in the 98%.Kill the MQL hamster wheel: Measure the journey, not just MQL→SQL%.Instrument the factory floor: Person-level steps that predict pipeline (and the drop-offs to fix).Volume lies: “Do more dials” is a 2012 play—engineer repeatable patterns instead.Pipeline shock is healthy: Fewer junk opps → higher win rate and better CAC.One owner for pipeline: Align Sales + Marketing on quality pipeline, not credit.When to use attribution: After you fix data hygiene and pre-pipeline tracking.If your dashboards keep telling you to “get more leads” or “add more dials,” you're staring at the pipeline mirage. Break free from the hamster wheel, shine a light on the messy middle, and finally see what's really driving, or draining, your revenue.This episode is powered by Passetto, a GTM advisory and software company with a solution that eliminates the Pipeline Black Box™, the critical data hidden inside every GTM engine where leaders are flying blind when it matters most.

Apple ships hardware while everyone else ships AI press releases. The MOL quad debates whether Apple's “ignore the hype” strategy wins, why YC is full of “made-to-chart” AI startups, what unique conviction really means for investors, and how meme warfare is becoming the new GTM.Chapters: 01:02 – “Ozempic iPhone” and why “thin” might be back10:06 – Market reaction: “Not enough AI,” money flows to Oracle16:49 – YC protest: is relevance measured by outrage?25:47 – Creator-led startups as an investing edge26:49 – Khosla: bargain hunting is a poor AI bet37:20 – Why money feels unlimited again (FOMO returns)40:29 – Quiet shakeout: sub-$100M seed funds at risk42:05 – Crypto policy clarity as 2025 macro driver50:11 – Meme warfare: the next GTM playbookWe're also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessYouTube: https://youtu.be/xzlAjHPZtW4Connect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

Billy, founder of Intuition Systems (ex–VC/early crypto), digs into the biggest risk in AI: models trained on garbage, regurgitated data and algorithm-shaped behavior. We unpack how attestations, signed data, and web-of-trust reputation can give both humans and AI better intuition at decision time — from picking a chair to routing agentic AI across platforms.Timestamps[00:00] We're being shaped by algorithms; slop-in → slop-out AI [00:02] Billy's path: distributed systems, fintech, game bots, early Bitcoin [00:05] The problem: fragmented info (web + people's heads) & costly context-switching [00:06] What Intuition is: structured expression + rediscovery + rewards [00:08] Attestations & incentives (economic + reputational) without spam [00:12] Can bots game it? Bonding curves, loss for bad signal, web-of-trust filters [00:18] Best content should win: TikTok-style merit + trust primitives [00:19] Use case #1: AI agents—personalization, agent reputation, platform reputation [00:22] Why these reputations must be decentralized (avoid platform capture) [00:23] GTM: unopinionated dev platform + opinionated apps to show PMF [00:24] Biggest challenges: focus, hitting PMF, AI acceleration outpacing products [00:27] Mission: give AI “intuition” via signed, attributed, reputational data [00:28] Reducing AI's recursive slop problem; verifiable attribution with keys [00:30] Humans act differently per platform; algorithms distort expression [00:33] Call to action: build at the AI × Web3 trust layer; join the community [00:35] Layer Zero Ventures origins (people = Layer 0); why Intuition exists [00:37] Events: Korea Blockchain Week & Token 2049; Intuition side eventsConnecthttps://www.intuition.systems/https://www.linkedin.com/company/0xintuition/https://x.com/0xintuitionhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/william-luedtke-b0a3bb5a/https://x.com/0xbillyDisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

On this episode of Grownlearn, Zorina sits down with Loic Potjes—Executive Coach, former Corporate & Scale-Up CEO, tech investor, and Managing Partner—who's coached 40+ CEOs across 17 countries. We dig into what actually scales a business: a crisp 80/20 strategy, the right “engine” (your core team), and smart use of AI that goes way beyond meeting notes and automation. Loic breaks down YPO's value (it's growth, not “networking”), how psychometrics (Map & Match) surface your real strengths, why many founders should stop “running the machine,” and his three levels of AI—especially Strategic AI, which he uses in 90-minute workshops to unlock new markets, products, and business models without the old-school strategy-consulting price tag. Guest: Loic Potjes — Executive Coach to Scale-Up CEOs, Chairman & investor, regular media contributor, YPO member. Find Loic: DisruptiveLeap.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GrowNLearn, led by Zorina Dimitrova, connects select VCs, Family Offices, and Strategic Investors with precisely matched, high-growth ventures across Europe and the U.S. We also support founders with strategic growth advisory—helping you transform your business model, increase valuation, and prepare for investment or exit.

Kiren Sekar is the CPO of Samsara, a company that brings real-time visibility, analytics, and AI to physical operations. Before Samsara, Kiren was an early leader at Meraki, which was acquired by Cisco for $1.2B. In this episode, he walks us through Samsara's origin story: from hardware hacking in a basement to scaling a cross-industry IoT platform. He shares how early customer feedback loops led to the company's first product, why starting with the mid-market was a deliberate choice, and how Samsara kept a startup mindset even as it scaled. In this episode, we discuss: Lessons from Meraki's acquisition by Cisco How Kiren hires for intrinsic motivation Why Samsara was built for operations industries The early hardware prototype and the Cowgirl Creamery insight Building broad vs. niche from day one The shift from founder-selling to a scalable sales motion Organizing product teams around revenue vs. experience How Samsara uses LLMs and AI today What Kiren learned from longtime co-founder Sanjit Biswas Where to find Kiren: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirensekar/ Where to find Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson References: Cisco: https://www.cisco.com/ Clay: https://www.clay.com/ Cowgirl Creamery: https://cowgirlcreamery.com/ IBM: https://www.ibm.com/ Meraki: https://meraki.cisco.com/ Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/ Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ Samsara: https://www.samsara.com/ Sanjit Biswas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjitbiswas/ Uber: https://www.uber.com/ Timestamps: (01:27) Meraki's growth and acquisition by Cisco (03:25) The "evaporating" exit strategy from Meraki (04:42) Identifying the IoT market gaps (07:38) The early keys to success at Samsara (09:39) What does quality mean to Kiren? (10:54) Building a customer-centric roadmap (17:34) Early customer research and the failed fridge monitoring idea (20:57) How a cheese producer helped create Samsara's first prototype (28:06) Balancing depth and breadth in customer profiles (33:45) Developing customer trust to build feedback loops (40:27) How “ease of use” became a growth secret (44:23) Pricing strategies and market positioning (51:51) How Meraki influenced Samsara's GTM strategy (57:19) Helping customers navigate change management (1:00:48) How Samsara's team evolved during rapid growth (1:04:03) What AI means for an IoT giant

#281 Growth | In this episode, Dave is joined by Chris Walker, CEO of Passetto, and a prominent voice on LinkedIn, where he has been pushing the boundaries of B2B marketing for years. Chris shares actionable insights and tactics on social media strategy, what has changed in marketing over the last five years, and how to build effective feedback loops and flywheels.Dave and Chris also cover:The future of GTM and the evolving role of the CMOWhy sustainable growth is the only path forwardThe transformative role AI will play in B2B marketingTimestamps(00:53) - - Intro to Chris Walker (03:49) - - Managing different perspectives on social media (08:21) - - The ROI of podcasts and social media engagement (13:44) - - Why real-time feedback loops are valuable (19:19) - - Shifting from "growth at all costs" to sustainable growth (25:09) - - Rethinking marketing measurement and ROI (33:04) - - Splitting marketing teams: strategy vs. pipeline creation (40:09) - - How AI is reshaping B2B marketing teams (48:14) - - Chris's approach to creativity and focus (52:59) - - Predictions for the future of B2B marketing (54:37) - - Outro Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by Qualified.AI is the hottest topic in marketing right now. And one thing we hear a lot of you marketers talking about is how you can use AI Agents to help run your marketing machine.That's where Qualifed comes in with Piper, their AI SDR agent.Piper is the #1 AI SDR Agent on the market according to G2, and hundreds of companies like Box, Asana, and Brex, have hired Piper to autonomously grow inbound pipeline. How good does that sound?Qualified customers are seeing a massive business impact with Piper: a 3X increase in meetings booked and a 2X increase in pipeline.The Agentic Marketing era has arrived. And if you're a B2B marketing leader looking to scale pipeline generation, Piper the #1 AI SDR Agent is here to help.Hire Piper, the #1 AI SDR Agent, and grow your pipeline today.You can learn more at qualified.com/exit5

Can a no-code giant reinvent itself in the AI-native era?This week on Grit, Airtable CEO Howie Liu shares what it means to “refound” a company, how speed comes from tearing up old playbooks, and why conversational AI is reshaping his product—and his company.Guest: Howie Liu, Co-Founder & CEO of AirtableChapters:00:00 Intro01:04 First startup & YC04:06 Salesforce acqui-hire07:31 Life-changing exit at 2211:07 Scaling too fast, layoffs14:04 Sparks vs. coasting growth19:33 Two years to launch24:04 Could AI Build It Faster?27:06 Vibe coding & AI startups36:47 Everyone can build software41:08 Refounding Airtable with AI51:04 Sprint vs. marathon58:15 Cap tables & control01:03:29 Always be hiring01:05:00 What grit meansLinks:Connect with HowieXLinkedInConnect with AirtableWebsite: airtable.comXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

Is the hype around AI in marketing justified, or are we setting ourselves up for another "tech bubble" disappointment? Agility requires not only embracing new technologies like AI, but also a fundamental shift in mindset, processes, and even organizational structure. It demands a willingness to experiment, learn, and adapt quickly to the ever-changing marketing landscape. Today, we're going to talk about how AI is poised to revolutionize marketing, from personalization and customer engagement to the very structure of the SaaS market itself. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Rafael “Rafa” Flores, Chief Product Officer at Treasure Data. About Rafael Flores As an accomplished technology executive and proud immigrant from Honduras, I specialize in scaling SaaS companies from startup to high-growth enterprises. My career is built on my family's deep-rooted principles: valuing education, treating others with equal respect regardless of background, and uplifting younger talent—because I was once that little boy with big dreams. Throughout my career, I have led transformative initiatives at some of the most recognized names in the technology landscape:Meltwater: Played a pivotal role in the company's successful IPO, showcasing expertise in product innovation and market readiness.Datanyze: Led strategic initiatives that culminated in a successful acquisition by ZoomInfo, enhancing data intelligence capabilities.ARM Holdings: Spearheaded innovation in Retail SDK and IoT solutions, advancing the company's technology ecosystem and driving new business opportunities. 6sense: Led all automation, data, and AI-products, fostering a culture of collaboration and inclusion, while delivering data-driven solutions that empower GTM team(s) to sell effectively.Treasure Data: Orchestrated a landmark $600M acquisition by ARM and secured record-breaking Customer Data Platform (CDP) funding. Today, I am back leading Treasure Data through a transformative era of intelligence and automation fit for scale, while returning to an organization that feels like home—rich with talent, poise, and a passion for progress. I am also a devoted father of three beautiful children and grateful for the unwavering support of my wife—a registered nurse who embodies strength and compassion. My core expertise lies in defining and executing product strategies, roadmaps, and key performance indicators (KPIs). I possess deep knowledge of CDPs, data management, privacy frameworks, and SaaS go-to-market (GTM) applications, scaling solutions for businesses ranging from agile SMBs to Global 2000 enterprises. Rafael Flores on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ref2019/ Resources Treasure Data: https://www.treasuredata.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company