The Front Lines

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     

Cerebrium is a serverless AI infrastructure platform orchestrating CPU and GPU compute for companies building voice agents, healthcare AI systems, manufacturing defect detection, and LLM hosting. The company operates across global markets handling data residency constraints from GDPR to Saudi Arabia's data sovereignty requirements. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Michael Louis, Co-Founder & CEO of Cerebrium, to explore how they built a high-performance infrastructure business serving enterprise customers with high five-figure to six-figure ACVs while maintaining 99.9%+ SLA requirements. Topics Discussed: Building AI infrastructure before the GPT moment and strategic patience during the hype cycle Scaling a distributed engineering team between Cape Town and NYC with 95% South African talent Partnership-driven revenue generation producing millions in ARR without traditional sales teams AI-powered market engineering achieving 35% LinkedIn reply rates through competitor analysis Technical differentiation through cold start optimization and network latency improvements Revenue expansion through global deployment and regulatory compliance automation GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Treat go-to-market as a systems engineering problem: Michael reframed traditional sales challenges through an engineering lens, focusing on constraints, scalability, and data-driven optimization. "I try to reframe my go to market problem as an engineering one and try to pick up, okay, like what are my constraints? Like how can I do this, how can it scale?" This systematic approach led to testing 8-10 different strategies, measuring conversion rates, and building automated pipelines rather than relying on manual processes that don't scale. Structure partnerships for partner success before revenue sharing: Cerebrium generates millions in ARR through partners whose sales teams actively upsell their product. Their approach eliminates typical partnership friction: "We typically approach our partners saying like, look, you keep the money you make, we'll keep the money we make. If it goes well, we can talk about like rev share or some other agreement down the line." This removes commission complexity that kills B2B partnerships and allows partners to focus on customer value rather than internal revenue allocation conflicts. Build AI-powered competitive intelligence for outbound at scale: Cerebrium's 35% LinkedIn reply rate comes from scraping competitor followers and LinkedIn engagement, running prospects through qualification agents that check funding status, ICP fit, and technical roles, then generating personalized outreach referencing specific interactions. "We saw you commented on Michael's post about latency in voice. Like, we think that's interesting. Like, here's a case study we did in the voice space." The system processes thousands of prospects while maintaining personalization depth that manual processes can't match. Position infrastructure as revenue expansion, not cost optimization: While dev tools typically focus on developer productivity gains, Cerebrium frames their value proposition around market expansion and revenue growth. "We allow you to deploy your application in many different markets globally... go to market leaders love us and sales leaders because again we open up more markets for them and more revenue without getting their tech team involved." This messaging resonates with revenue stakeholders and justifies higher spending compared to pure cost-reduction positioning. Weaponize regulatory complexity as competitive differentiation: Cerebrium abstracts data sovereignty requirements across multiple jurisdictions - GDPR in Europe, data residency in Saudi Arabia, and other regional compliance frameworks. "As a company to build the infrastructure to have data sovereignty in all these companies and markets, it's a nightmare." By handling this complexity, they create significant switching costs and enable customers to expand internationally without engineering roadmap dependencies, making them essential to sales teams pursuing global accounts.   //   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   

Whatagraph has evolved from a bootstrap marketing reporting tool to a comprehensive marketing intelligence platform processing data from 12+ sources for marketing teams globally. With over $10 million in funding and a decade of iteration, the Lithuania-based company recently launched "Whatagraph 3.0"—a fundamental shift from pure sales-led to hybrid PLG motion. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Justas Malinauskas shares the technical and strategic decisions behind their transformation from agency tool to enterprise marketing intelligence platform, including their multi-agentic AI implementation and the SEO strategy that generates 500+ MQLs monthly. Topics Discussed: Technical architecture evolution from reporting automation to full-stack marketing intelligence Strategic pivot from sales-led to hybrid PLG/sales-led motion triggered by mission misalignment Advanced SEO methodology using competitor pain point analysis and search behavior reverse engineering AI implementation using multi-agentic systems rather than simple LLM integration Lithuania's bootstrap-first ecosystem and knowledge-sharing networks among unicorn companies Go-to-market evolution across three distinct phases over 10 years GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Engineer time-to-value as your primary PLG enabler, not feature breadth: Whatagraph achieved 5-minute time-to-value from data connection to dashboard generation—versus the industry standard of hours—by rebuilding their onboarding around AI-powered automation rather than manual drag-and-drop configuration. Justas notes this wasn't just UI optimization but fundamental product architecture changes: "It's basically a lot of knowledge from our last 10 years...we're able to build it like really multi-agentic platform which helps to build those things in steps, not just like drop something randomly." For PLG success, optimize your technical stack for immediate value delivery, not comprehensive feature exposure. Weaponize competitor technical limitations through content strategy: Rather than competing on generic "best marketing tool" keywords, Whatagraph dominated by creating authoritative content around specific competitor pain points. Their "Looker Studio being slow" content strategy captured high-volume searches from frustrated users by actually helping solve the problem while positioning their technical advantages. Justas explains: "The biggest problem was it's actually very slow...when we have everything in house we can make things like very quick and speedy compared to there." Target technical pain points your architecture inherently solves rather than fighting brand-to-brand keyword battles. Align your ICP strategy with your actual technical capabilities, not market perception: Whatagraph's shift to hybrid PLG wasn't market-driven but mission-driven. Justas realized their technical product could serve smaller organizations, but their sales-led approach artificially excluded them: "We were not empowering in the first place people, everyone to make those data driven decisions fast...we were not allowing everyone into the product even if our product was allowing to." Audit whether your go-to-market motion matches your product's actual technical capabilities and addressable market, not just your current revenue optimization. Build SEO moats through search behavior psychology, not keyword tools: Whatagraph's SEO dominance came from Justas thinking like customers in problem-solving mode rather than using standard keyword research. He reverse-engineered the complete buyer journey: "People go through a very much regular process...they search for a problem...find a blog post...find a product...competition...pricing...reviews...then actually buy the product." They attempted to own multiple touchpoints in this journey through strategic content placement across different domains. Map your customer's actual research psychology, not just search volumes. Implement freemium with full core functionality, not feature limitations: Whatagraph's new freemium tier includes their complete AI-powered report generation ("Whatagraph IQ") with only data source limitations, not feature restrictions. This approach lets small users experience the full product value while creating natural upgrade triggers as they grow. Justas notes: "All the core functionality...you're able to talk with your data within AI capabilities and ask questions about your data as you would pay a couple of thousands a month." Design freemium around usage scaling, not capability restrictions, to demonstrate full product value.   //   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   

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   

Surgical Safety Technologies is pioneering the transformation of operating rooms from secretive environments into data-driven spaces that optimize patient outcomes. With their "Operating Black Box" platform now deployed in over 50 hospitals across the US, Canada, and Western Europe, the company has generated over 100 peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the ability to reduce patient morbidity and mortality by more than 30% while increasing hospital efficiency by $20 million annually for a typical 40-50 OR facility. In this episode, we sat down with Teodor Grantcharov, founder of Surgical Safety Technologies, to explore his 20-year journey from academic researcher to category-creating entrepreneur in the challenging world of healthcare innovation. Topics Discussed: The evolution from virtual reality surgical simulators in the late 1990s to comprehensive OR analytics platforms Breaking through the cultural resistance to measurement and transparency in surgical environments The strategic decision to target top-tier academic medical centers as early adopters Building a platform with four distinct modules: efficiency, compliance, quality/safety, and education The 10-year journey from research hypothesis to proven commercial success with measurable patient outcomes Creating the category of "data-driven healthcare" in traditionally dogma-driven medical environments GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Use demanding customers as product validation engines: Teodor's team deliberately targeted top-tier academic medical centers as their initial customer base with a specific thesis: "If we can make the best in the world even better, then we can make anyone better." This wasn't just about prestige - these customers had "internal, very sophisticated systems" and "very knowledgeable professionals and leaders" who would stress-test the platform in ways that revealed product gaps early. The approach creates a competitive moat: once you can satisfy the most demanding buyers in your category, you possess capabilities that competitors serving easier customers lack. Build category credibility through academic validation at scale: Surgical Safety Technologies generated over 100 peer-reviewed publications before their sales process accelerated, creating what Teodor calls "irrefutable" evidence. This wasn't just marketing - the publications came from top hospitals proving 30% mortality reduction and $20 million annual efficiency gains per 40-50 OR facility. The strategy transforms sales conversations: instead of pitching features, they present peer-reviewed outcomes data that procurement committees and clinical leaders cannot dismiss. Category creators in regulated industries should consider academic validation as sales ammunition, not just credibility building. Structure modular platforms for multi-stakeholder enterprise sales: Rather than forcing binary adoption decisions, Surgical Safety Technologies created four distinct platform modules (efficiency, compliance, quality/safety, education) that can be sold individually or as a complete suite. This addresses the reality that "each of those have different stakeholders" within hospital systems. The modular approach enables two distinct sales motions: land-and-expand with single-module entry points for budget-constrained buyers, or comprehensive platform sales when "we usually upsell additional modules to the subscription." This architecture is particularly valuable in complex enterprise environments where different departments control separate budget lines. Leverage mission-driven culture as a competitive advantage: Teodor emphasizes that every hire must understand "what we do, why we do it" and that the company constantly reminds itself "this is not just a gadget or an application. We have a responsibility for improving performance and ultimately improving quality of care for patients." In industries where trust and outcomes matter more than features, a genuine mission-driven approach becomes a critical differentiator that influences everything from branding to employee retention. Time market entry with regulatory and cultural shifts: The company's success accelerated as healthcare systems became more willing to measure performance and embrace transparency. Teodor observes: "Now we see hospitals recognize that you can't improve what you can't measure." B2B founders should identify when broader industry trends create openings for previously resistant categories, and position themselves to capitalize on these inflection points.   //   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 

OpenInfer addresses the enterprise infrastructure gap that causes 70% of edge AI deployments to fail. Founded by system architects who previously built high-throughput runtime systems at Meta (enabling VR applications on Qualcomm chips via Oculus Link) and Roblox (scaling real-time operations across millions of gaming devices), OpenInfer applies proven architectural patterns to enterprise edge AI deployment. The company targets three specific customer pain points: cost reduction for AI-always-on applications, data sovereignty requirements in regulated environments, and reliability for systems that must function regardless of connectivity. In this episode of Category Visionaries, CEO and Founder Behnam Bastani reveals how external market catalysts like DeepSeek's efficiency breakthrough transformed investor perception and validated their compute optimization thesis. Topics Discussed: System architecture pattern replication from Meta's Oculus Link to Roblox to OpenInfer The compute efficiency gap: why "throwing hardware" at AI problems creates market inefficiencies How DeepSeek's January 2025 breakthrough shifted investor sentiment from skepticism to oversubscription Customer targeting methodology: focusing on business unit leaders facing career consequences Government market discovery: air-gapped environments and data sovereignty requirements Technical demonstration strategies for overcoming the 70% edge deployment failure rate Privacy-first AI positioning unlocking previously inaccessible use cases GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Target decision-makers with career-level consequences: Rather than pursuing prospects who might "take a risk," Behnam focuses on "those that lose their jobs if they're not solving the problem" - specifically business unit leaders whose profit margins or sales metrics directly impact their career trajectory. This creates urgency that comfortable cloud users lack and accelerates deal cycles by aligning solution adoption with personal survival incentives. Leverage external market catalysts for thesis validation: OpenInfer initially faced investor pushback ("Nvidia's got everything working well. Why you think you can do anything better?") until DeepSeek's efficiency breakthrough provided third-party validation. "January hits and then there's DeepSeek... People called us, hey, you're DeepSeek on edge." Founders should identify potential external events that could validate their contrarian thesis and be prepared to capitalize when these catalysts occur. Lead with technical proof points over explanations: In markets with high failure rates, demonstrations eliminate skepticism faster than education. "We definitely have metrics, demos, and we go with those. We demonstrate what's possible... we remove this skepticalism in terms of ease of deployments, power of edge in one shot." This approach recognizes that technical buyers need confidence before curiosity. Pursue unexpected traction sources aggressively: Despite targeting enterprise ISVs, government demand emerged due to air-gapped environment requirements. "Government is actually becoming huge traction primarily because data ownership was a major topic to them." Rather than forcing initial market hypotheses, founders should redirect resources toward segments showing organic product-market fit signals, even when they require different sales processes. Build credibility through architectural pattern repetition: Investors backed OpenInfer because "we are the people that have built this twice, scaled it to millions." Repeating proven technical patterns across different contexts creates sustainable competitive advantages that new entrants cannot replicate without similar experience depth.   //   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 

Copernic Catalysts is developing next-generation chemical catalysts using computational materials design to replace century-old technology in the $80 billion ammonia industry. The company has raised $10 million and is working with top-five global ammonia producers to prove their Neptune catalyst can deliver tens of millions in annual savings per plant while reducing the industry's 1% contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode, Jacob Grose shares insights from his journey from BASF venture capitalist to deep-tech founder, revealing how his team is navigating one of the most conservative B2B markets while building transformational technology for both current chemical production and future sustainable shipping fuels. Topics Discussed: The century-old ammonia catalyst problem and why the industry hasn't innovated Copernic's computational approach to rationally designing drop-in replacement catalysts The extreme conservatism of chemical industry customers and how to overcome it Multi-stage go-to-market strategy from lab samples to pilot demonstrations to commercial scale Using toll manufacturing partnerships to scale capital-efficiently while building customer trust The historical significance of ammonia synthesis and its role in feeding 8 billion people Building a platform technology for multiple catalyst products across different chemical markets GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Navigate ultra-conservative B2B markets with staged proof: Jacob outlined a methodical approach for entering markets where customers are "terrified of change" due to tight margins and operational risks. Start with small lab samples to top customers, progress to pilot-scale demonstrations over 6-12 months, then secure commercial installations. This staged approach allows conservative buyers to gradually build confidence while de-risking their decision-making process. Leverage toll manufacturing for customer credibility and capital efficiency: Rather than building manufacturing capabilities, Copernic partners with established catalyst manufacturers using an "Apple model" - they own the IP while trusted partners handle production. This approach provides three key advantages: faster scale-up, capital efficiency, and most importantly, customer comfort with proven quality control systems. For deep-tech founders, partnering with established players can accelerate market acceptance. Turn industry conservatism into a competitive moat: While chemical industry conservatism creates barriers to entry, Jacob recognized it also creates powerful moats once you're established. Companies using 100-year-old iron-based catalysts represent massive switching costs and customer lock-in opportunities. Founders entering conservative industries should view initial resistance as future protection against competitors. Design for drop-in replacement adoption: Copernic deliberately engineered their catalyst to work within existing plant infrastructure, minimizing customer adoption friction. Jacob emphasized using "base metals" (common, inexpensive materials) and standard manufacturing techniques to ensure compatibility. When disrupting established industries, reducing implementation complexity can be more valuable than maximizing performance gains. Build technical credibility through domain expertise transfer: Jacob's nine years at BASF provided deep industry knowledge that proved essential for both product development and customer trust. His background in corporate venture capital gave him insights into how large chemical companies evaluate new technologies. Founders targeting specialized B2B markets should consider how domain expertise - whether through hiring, partnerships, or personal experience - can accelerate credibility and customer relationships. Position platform technology for multiple market opportunities: While focused on ammonia catalysts initially, Jacob positioned Copernic as a platform company with computational catalyst design capabilities applicable across multiple chemical markets. This platform approach appeals to investors seeking larger addressable markets while providing strategic flexibility as the company scales.   //   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 

Callidus Legal AI is transforming litigation practice by building comprehensive AI-powered workflows for legal professionals. With 1,200 customers and 100% quarter-over-quarter growth, the company has developed a product-led growth strategy that combines domain-specific AI tools with visual multi-step workflows. In this episode, Justin McCallon shares how Callidus has achieved rapid growth through a zero-friction PLG approach while building trust in a traditionally conservative industry. Topics Discussed: The current state and future potential of AI in legal practice  Callidus's approach to building domain-specific legal AI tools with visual workflows  The company's comprehensive case database containing 11 million U.S. cases  Product-led growth strategies that drove 100% quarterly growth and 1,200 customers  Performance marketing optimization for legal AI tools  Building trust and eliminating hallucination risks in AI-powered legal research  The evolution from chatbot-based tools to sophisticated visual workflows  Organic growth strategies including making case databases freely accessible on the web GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Master zero-friction PLG for professional services: Callidus achieved 1,200 customers and 100% quarterly growth by eliminating traditional B2B sales friction. Justin explained their approach: "Initially we did this with zero touch points, zero friction. You don't need to talk to anybody. It's basically just you come to our website, you sign up for a trial, you start using the app." This model works particularly well for professional services where individual practitioners can make purchasing decisions independently. Focus on high buyer-intent keywords for performance marketing success: Rather than casting a wide net, Callidus targeted specific, high-intent search terms. Justin emphasized: "A lot of people focus on words that maybe are too informational with lower buy intent." They focused on keywords like "legal AI assistant" and "legal AI research" that indicated immediate need rather than general curiosity. Founders should prioritize keywords that align with their ICP and indicate purchase readiness. Create organic acquisition through valuable free resources: Callidus moved their entire 11 million case database to the web for free access, creating a powerful organic acquisition engine. Justin described the strategy: "People have free access to every case that we have. And they can search, say Brown versus Board of Education. And we'll be one of the groups that has a page dedicated to that." This approach generates organic traffic while demonstrating product value, creating a natural conversion funnel from free users to paid customers. Optimize every funnel step with ruthless precision: Callidus's performance marketing success came from methodical funnel optimization. Justin broke down their approach: "Every step of the funnel. Break it down. What conversion rate are we seeing on this step of the funnel? What's benchmark? And then for the areas that are below benchmark, why are we not doing well?" Founders should treat each funnel step as a conversion problem to solve, using data to identify bottlenecks and creative solutions to address them. Build trust through domain expertise, not just technology: In conservative industries like law, trust is built through demonstrating deep domain knowledge. Callidus differentiates itself by combining legal expertise with engineering: "We have really visual multi step workflows, we have really deep engineering, we've tied both the legal knowledge and the engineering expertise." Founders entering regulated or conservative industries should emphasize domain credibility alongside technical capabilities. Use evaluation systems to optimize AI model performance: Rather than fine-tuning models, Callidus built comprehensive evaluation systems to optimize performance across different foundation models. Justin explained: "We've gone through and had lawyers say, hey, here's my case I've worked on in the past. Here are all of the cases I would reference here... Then we can say, okay, it looks like for this API call, GPT-4 is the best, and this one's Claude." This approach allows for dynamic optimization without the overhead of model training.   //   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 

Hamming AI has emerged as a pioneer in voice agent quality assurance, creating what founder Sumanyu Sharma calls a "new category" of QA for conversational voice agents. After spending a decade building data products at scale at companies like Tesla and Citizen, Sharma recognized an acute pain point as voice agents began proliferating: enterprises desperately needed confidence that their voice agents would work reliably before launching to production. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Sharma shares how his team accidentally created a new category by following their instincts and leveraging a decade of expertise in reliability testing, audio processing, and machine learning. Topics Discussed: The evolution from Tesla's data science team to founding a voice agent QA company How "wandering the desert" for months led to finding the perfect problem-solution fit Building a completely inbound-driven go-to-market strategy in an emerging category The decision to launch before feeling ready and building alongside customers Why the voice agent market skeptics were wrong about market size Creating enterprise trust through reliability testing at scale GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Follow your instincts when you have deep domain expertise: Sharma spent months "wandering the desert" looking for the right problem until voice agent QA clicked. He emphasizes that when you have a decade of relevant expertise, you can recognize the perfect problem when it appears. As he put it, "when you see it, you kind of know... I am perfectly equipped to solve this specific problem. I'm built for this." Founders should trust their instincts when they have genuine domain expertise rather than overthinking market validation. Build something people want before focusing on category creation: Unlike many founders who start with category creation in mind, Hamming AI "accidentally" created their category by obsessively solving customer problems. Sharma notes, "We weren't looking to create a category. We were just looking to solve a problem that we feel passionate about, that we are already experts at." This customer-first approach led to organic category emergence and sustainable demand. Launch before you feel ready and build with customers: Sharma's biggest learning was launching with a "half-baked" product rather than perfecting it in isolation. "We didn't have a product that we thought was incredible. We just thought, hey, it kind of works, but let's actually build the product together with customers." This approach accelerated learning cycles and created stronger product-market fit than months of internal development would have achieved. Leverage contrarian insights from deep market proximity: While others dismissed voice agent QA as "too small," Sharma's data science background and proximity to builders gave him conviction. He analyzed the fundamentals: "Voice is a universal API for people. Voice agents are just becoming possible. They will be unreliable. Therefore, testing is very important. That's the math." Founders should develop conviction through first-principles thinking rather than consensus market opinions. Focus obsessively on customer success over marketing in emerging categories: Hamming AI remains completely inbound-driven, focusing entirely on making existing customers successful rather than traditional marketing. Sharma explains, "The voice space is so small where if you are doing a good job and if you build a product that people love, they will tell their friends about it." In nascent categories, product excellence and word-of-mouth can be more effective than broad marketing campaigns.   //   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 

StretchDollar is transforming how small businesses approach employee health benefits by decoupling plan administration from funding. Rather than forcing all employees onto a single group plan, the platform allows employers to provide pre-tax monthly budgets that employees can use to purchase individual health plans they select and own themselves. In this episode, I spoke with Marshall Darr, Co-Founder and CEO of StretchDollar, about building a solution that addresses the unique challenges small businesses face in providing healthcare benefits. Topics Discussed: The limitations of traditional group health plans for small businesses under 50 employees How the 2020 IRS ruling on ICHRAs (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements) enabled new approaches StretchDollar's evolution from being their own first customer to serving diverse small businesses The company's cost-effective go-to-market strategy focused on inbound traffic and partnerships Building trust and brand credibility in a heavily regulated industry Optimizing content strategy for both traditional SEO and emerging LLM search traffic The decision to move away from paid marketing channels GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Become your own first customer to validate the solution: Marshall's team used StretchDollar internally from day one, with his co-founder in San Francisco wanting Kaiser while Marshall was in Pittsburgh where Kaiser wasn't available. This real-world constraint validated their core value proposition. Rather than compromising on a "Frankenstein sort of national but very small group plan," they gave everyone $500 monthly budgets. B2B founders should consider how their own operational needs can serve as the initial proof point for their solution. SMB markets require ruthless cost-effectiveness in go-to-market: Marshall learned from Gusto that targeting small businesses demands extremely cost-effective acquisition strategies. With much smaller annual contract values than enterprise clients, "you need to rely a lot on inbound traffic, a lot on customer-to-customer referrals." B2B founders in SMB markets must build products compelling enough that customers actively recommend them, as traditional enterprise sales models don't work economically. Industry expertise enables superior content marketing: StretchDollar's content strategy works because Marshall spent years as a health insurance broker, selling "hundreds of group policies, hundreds to thousands of individual policies." This deep domain knowledge allows them to create genuinely useful content that attracts both traditional search traffic and increasingly, LLM-generated referrals. B2B founders should leverage their industry expertise to create content that demonstrates unique insights rather than generic advice. Paid marketing can be a distraction from fundamentals: Marshall's team discovered that stopping paid marketing resulted in only "a very marginal sort of drop in signups" while freeing up "tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars." The shift forced them to focus more on content quality and organic growth. For SMB-focused B2B founders, paid channels may be "so optimized right now that you need an insane budget and really good unit economics" to compete effectively. Self-service onboarding becomes competitive advantage: Drawing from Mercury's banking experience, Marshall realized SMB customers want to "knock this out" in 20 minutes without extensive sales calls. StretchDollar built their platform to allow self-onboarding while maintaining sales support for those who prefer it. B2B founders should consider how self-service capabilities can differentiate their solution while improving unit economics. Partnership strategy should target natural referral sources: StretchDollar partnered with Oscar Health, appearing on their website as the preferred destination for sub-20 employee groups. This creates a natural referral flow from a complementary service. B2B founders should identify companies whose customers represent natural expansion opportunities and build formal partnership 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   //   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 

Nevermined is pioneering the infrastructure for AI commerce, building payment rails specifically designed for agent-to-agent transactions. With a vision of trillions of AI agents functioning as both merchants and consumers, Don Gossen brings 20 years of AI experience to solving what he believes will be the foundational payment challenge of the next era of computing. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Don shares insights on creating an entirely new category—AI commerce—and the unique go-to-market challenges of building for a future that's rapidly becoming reality. Topics Discussed: The emergence of two distinct agent modalities: agent as proxy and agent as independent economic actor Why existing payment infrastructure cannot handle the scale and velocity of AI agent transactions Nevermined's commission-based business model focused on agent-to-agent payments The fundamental cost model differences between SaaS and AI agents Creating the "AI commerce" category and the strategic importance of early categorization Go-to-market strategy targeting verticalized AI agent builders with Series A+ funding The infrastructure investment phase versus deployment challenges in AI adoption GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Target customers who have proven business models, not just potential: Don's go-to-market strategy specifically targets AI agent companies that have raised Series A or later rounds. His reasoning: "Hopefully the VCs that are backing them have done some due diligence. And the money they're earning is actually real." Rather than chasing every potential customer, focus on those who have already validated their revenue model and can immediately benefit from your solution. Understand the fundamental cost structure of your customer's business model: Don identified that AI agents have an inverted cost model compared to traditional SaaS—most costs are operational (OpEx) rather than capital (CapEx). He explains: "The cost model is basically flipped. Most of your cost is actually on the opex... Your operating costs fluctuate based on the request." This insight shaped Nevermined's entire value proposition around cost monitoring and settlement rather than just payment processing. Create category language early, even before market adoption: Don coined "AI commerce" in 2023 when "people were like, what the hell's an AI agent?" His approach: "It always helps to categorize and provide language that's going to allow people to understand what it is that you're talking about... It's the memeification of the category." Don't wait for your market to mature—create the vocabulary that will define it. Focus on the operational reality, not the theoretical use case: While competitors focus on connecting bank accounts to AI agents for consumer purchases, Don focuses on the underlying workflow costs: "How much does the workflow cost to actually render that outcome?" Understanding the true operational mechanics of your customers' business—not just their surface-level needs—can create significant competitive differentiation. Leverage deep domain expertise to identify non-obvious problems: Don's 20 years in AI revealed that variable AI agent responses create variable operational costs—a problem most founders wouldn't recognize. He notes: "Until recently most people didn't realize that is a major issue in operating these solutions." Deep industry experience can help you spot problems that newer entrants miss entirely.   //   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 

Scalestack is revolutionizing go-to-market operations through intelligent automation, helping enterprise revenue teams eliminate what CEO Elio Narciso calls the "manual work tax" - the 72% of time sales reps spend on tedious data tasks instead of engaging with customers. With $3.1 million in funding and enterprise customers including MongoDB, Redis, and Astronomer, Scalestack has built an agentic orchestration platform that transforms how large organizations manage their revenue data. In this conversation, Narciso shares how his team discovered the massive ROI hidden in back-office automation and why the future belongs to companies that can seamlessly blend human strategy with machine execution. Topics Discussed: The concept of "manual work tax" and its impact on sales productivity  Why 95% of AI investments in enterprises are failing to produce results  Scalestack's evolution from automation platform to agentic workflow orchestration  The company's enterprise-first approach and deployment strategy with large customers  How Scalestack landed MongoDB as an early customer through targeted outbound  The role of podcasting as an ABM strategy for enterprise sales  Scalestack's vision to replace traditional CRMs with intelligent systems of action GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Target the back-office before the front-office: While many AI companies rush to automate customer-facing roles like SDRs, Narciso emphasizes that the real ROI lies in back-office automation. He cites an MIT study showing that 95% of AI investments fail when focused on last-mile customer interactions, while back-office process automation delivers measurable results. B2B founders should prioritize automating the tedious work that doesn't directly touch customers but enables better customer engagement. Enterprise customers require co-creation, not just deployment: Scalestack's success with MongoDB, Redis, and other large customers came through what Narciso calls "deployment engineers" - essentially building custom solutions collaboratively. He draws inspiration from Palantir's model of developing technology alongside customers. This approach requires significant upfront investment but creates defensible technology that can be productized for the broader market. B2B founders targeting enterprise should be prepared to invest in customer success resources that can handle complex, bespoke implementations. Use customer language to refine your messaging: Narciso completely redid Scalestack's website based on language extracted from hundreds of customer calls and podcast interviews. He emphasizes that "customers always have the best words" because they've lived the pain most deeply. Rather than relying on internal assumptions about positioning, B2B founders should systematically capture and analyze how customers describe their problems and desired outcomes. Cold email still works with enterprise buyers when done strategically: Scalestack's first major customer, MongoDB, came from a cold email to their SVP of Sales Ops. The key was targeting someone (employee #8 at MongoDB) who had an entrepreneurial mindset and curiosity about learning from vendors. Narciso's insight: enterprise operators often want to learn from startups tackling similar problems, whether to buy the solution or implement it internally. B2B founders should research target prospects' backgrounds and approach those with startup experience or operational curiosity. Podcasting as ABM for enterprise sales: Narciso uses his "Revenue Engine Masters" podcast strategically as an account-based marketing tool, targeting specific people at target companies rather than focusing on broad reach. After recording nearly 20 episodes, he's seeing inbound interest and using the content to extract messaging insights. The podcast also strengthens relationships with prospects and customers who participate. B2B founders should consider podcasting not as a mass-market strategy but as a high-touch relationship-building tool for their ideal customer profile.   //   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 

Tony Scott brings an unparalleled perspective to cybersecurity leadership, having served as CIO of the federal government, VMware, Microsoft, General Motors, and Disney before taking the helm at Intrusion during a critical turnaround phase. When Scott joined Intrusion three and a half years ago, the company was in crisis—running out of money, facing SEC investigations, and dealing with shareholder lawsuits after poor leadership decisions. Today, Intrusion has stabilized its technology, raised sufficient capital, and carved out a unique position in the Applied Threat Intelligence category, focusing on real-time packet-level network analysis that stops zero-day attacks and command-and-control communications that bypass traditional security tools. Topics Discussed: Scott's transition from government service to cybersecurity investment and eventual CEO role The crisis state of Intrusion when he joined and the turnaround strategy implemented Intrusion's pivot from direct sales to a managed service provider (MSP) go-to-market strategy The challenge of creating a new category in Applied Threat Intelligence Building and rightsizing the marketing and sales teams during the turnaround The realities of running a public company versus private enterprises Intrusion's unique packet-level network analysis technology versus conversation-based monitoring GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Do your homework before the meeting: Scott's biggest frustration as a buyer was vendors who showed up unprepared, asking generic questions like "what keeps you up at night?" without understanding the organization or its priorities. He literally had a secret signal with his assistant to escape these meetings. B2B founders must research prospects thoroughly, understand their specific challenges, and craft relevant value propositions before requesting meetings. Generic discovery calls are a waste of everyone's time and destroy credibility. Fix the product before scaling sales: The previous CEO at Intrusion hired dozens of salespeople to sell a product that wasn't ready, resulting in zero sales during his tenure. Scott prioritized fixing scalability, reliability, and feature gaps before rebuilding the go-to-market engine. B2B founders often face pressure to hire sales teams early, but selling a broken product destroys market credibility and wastes resources. Product-market fit must precede sales-market fit. Find the right distribution channel for your product: Intrusion's breakthrough came when they stopped trying to sell directly to end customers and focused on managed service providers and managed service security providers. This channel strategy worked because Intrusion's solution enhances existing security stacks rather than replacing them, making it perfect for MSPs serving SMBs that can't afford enterprise-level security expertise. B2B founders should carefully analyze whether their solution is better suited for direct sales, channel partnerships, or hybrid approaches based on customer buying behavior and implementation complexity. Embrace being in a category of one: Despite pressure from analysts and customers to fit into existing categories, Intrusion discovered they occupy a unique position in Applied Threat Intelligence. While this creates messaging challenges, it also eliminates direct competition. Scott worked with Gartner and other analysts to establish that no other company does exactly what Intrusion does. B2B founders shouldn't force themselves into existing categories if their technology is truly differentiated—creating a new category can be more valuable than competing in crowded ones. Leverage legal training for crisis management: Scott's law school background taught him to analyze situations from a 360-degree perspective, understand all stakeholder positions, and develop comprehensive strategies. This skill set proved invaluable during Intrusion's turnaround and his previous crisis management roles. B2B founders facing difficult situations should adopt this approach: clearly define the problem, gather multiple perspectives, identify all stakeholders, and develop a theory of the case for moving forward.   //   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 

Fetch Package Delivery has revolutionized apartment package management through an innovative off-site warehouse model, serving over 400,000 units and approaching $70 million in ARR. In this episode, we sat down with Michael Patton, Founder & CEO of Fetch, to explore how he built a logistics-heavy business that bridges the gap between traditional property management and modern e-commerce demands. Michael's journey from corporate finance to PropTech pioneer offers unique insights into scaling physical service businesses in markets that weren't traditionally venture-backable. Topics Discussed: Fetch's origin as a solution to apartment building package management problems The company's evolution from bootstrapped Dallas startup to national platform Building MVP in logistics-heavy businesses versus traditional SaaS Early customer acquisition strategies in relationship-driven industries Navigating the PropTech market before it became mainstream Scaling operations while maintaining service quality during hypergrowth Expanding from core package delivery to adjacent services GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Master relationship-based selling in traditional industries: Michael succeeded in the apartment industry through personal relationship building rather than digital marketing funnels. He spent months visiting properties, forming relationships with regional managers, and even secured his first customer through a handwritten card campaign that resonated with a VP who loved dog rescue. B2B founders entering traditional industries should prioritize face-to-face relationship building and understand that decision-makers often value personal connections over polished presentations. Take calculated risks to capture market timing: Fetch grew from $1M to $40M ARR in just 18 months during 2019-2021, despite not being fully operationally ready for that scale. Michael explains: "The thing that we did right was take advantage of really intense market demand when it came, even though we weren't always quite ready for it." Founders should be prepared to scale aggressively when market conditions align, even if it means accumulating technical debt or operational challenges that can be addressed later. Physical service businesses require different MVP strategies: Unlike SaaS companies that can iterate with software alone, Fetch's MVP required Michael to personally deliver packages for 18 months while building operational knowledge. This hands-on approach provided invaluable insights: "It was so valuable looking back, to be able to see every side of the business and literally four or five, six hours a day, be the last mile delivery partner." Founders building physical service businesses should expect to be deeply involved in operations during early stages to understand every aspect of their value chain. Hire ahead of immediate needs during growth phases: During Fetch's hypergrowth period, Michael deliberately over-hired on skill level, bringing in leaders who were arguably overqualified for immediate needs but would be essential as the company scaled. This strategy of "trusting leaders and bringing in the right people to lead some of the most critical ops" allowed them to maintain quality during rapid expansion. Founders should consider investing in talent that can grow into roles rather than just filling current gaps. Build platform infrastructure for adjacent service expansion: Fetch's long-term strategy always focused on establishing the "rails" between warehouses and buildings, then adding services that utilize existing trips and infrastructure. Michael describes: "We've sort of done the dirty work of building up a labor intensive business and we have sort of underlying tech to make that a lot easier now." This approach of building core infrastructure first, then layering additional services, creates significant competitive advantages and higher margins over time.   //   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 

Starboard is building AI-first infrastructure to transform global trade by improving the productivity of freight forwarders—the central coordinators who connect 15-20 different parties in every international trade transaction. With 15 years of experience in the industry, including roles at Maersk, BCG, and Flexport, Sumeet Trehan saw an opportunity to modernize an industry that has invested heavily in physical infrastructure but neglected technological innovation. The company has raised $5.5 million and is approaching $1 million ARR while creating an entirely new category they call "AI-first forwarders." Topics Discussed: Building AI infrastructure to automate freight forwarding coordination and quoting processes Creating a new category in the traditional, relationship-driven logistics industry Go-to-market strategies for selling to an "old boys club" industry that operates differently from typical SaaS markets The founder's decision to personally handle the first 20-30 sales before hiring any sales staff Vision for transforming global trade by creating a comprehensive platform for small-to-mid-sized importers   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Cold calling still works in traditional industries: Starboard generates significant top-of-funnel activity through direct cold calling, with freight forwarders actually appreciating the personal touch. Sumeet's team achieves a 10% pickup rate and converts 15-20% of answered calls to discovery meetings by being upfront about the cold call nature and immediately focusing on business outcomes. The approach works because their target market—freight forwarders—are accustomed to making and receiving cold calls as part of their daily business operations. Door-to-door prospecting remains viable for relationship-driven markets: In industries where personal relationships dominate, physical presence can be a differentiator. Starboard literally brings donuts to prospects' offices, which works because their target market values face-to-face interactions. This approach only makes sense when your industry culture supports it and when the lifetime value of customers justifies the time investment. Founders should personally execute early sales to understand the playbook: Rather than immediately hiring sales staff after raising funding, Sumeet chose to personally close the first 20-30 deals. This allowed him to deeply understand customer pain points, refine the sales process, and develop a replicable methodology before bringing on sales team members. Only after proving out the top-of-funnel motion did he hire his first SDR, and only after closing 15-20 deals did he hire a sales leader. Physical implementation presence drives early-stage product adoption: For complex B2B products still achieving product-market fit, being physically present during implementation creates stronger relationships and better feedback loops. Starboard's team travels to be on-site when clients first use the product, which helps with both adoption rates and product development insights. They maintain ongoing communication through WhatsApp and Teams channels rather than Slack, adapting to their customers' preferred communication methods. Category creation requires education over product promotion: Starboard's marketing strategy focuses entirely on educating the market about AI's potential impact on logistics rather than promoting their specific product. By speaking at events, writing blogs, and participating in podcasts about industry transformation rather than Starboard features, they position themselves as thought leaders. This approach builds trust and creates demand for the category before potential customers are ready to evaluate specific solutions. Sequencing product development based on customer feedback: The company's current quoting product serves as a wedge, with plans to expand into marketplace functionality and then full operations automation. Each expansion builds on customer relationships and data from the previous phase. This measured approach to product development ensures each step creates value while building toward the larger vision of comprehensive trade infrastructure.   //   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 

Moment Energy is transforming the energy storage landscape by giving electric vehicle batteries a second life. With $32 million in government grants secured and a 2-gigawatt-hour facility under construction in Austin, Texas, the company is pioneering the repurposing of end-of-life EV batteries into stationary energy storage systems. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Edward Chiang, Co-Founder and CEO of Moment Energy, to explore how his team is solving the dual challenges of EV battery waste and distributed energy storage while building a commercially viable hardware business. Topics Discussed: The $4,000 recycling cost problem facing EV owners at end-of-life How 80-95% capacity remains in "dead" EV batteries due to single cell failures Moment Energy's vision for distributed energy storage at every neighborhood block The certification maze: becoming the first North American company to achieve UL 1974 Securing $32M in government contracts from the DOE and Canadian government Commercial-industrial customer strategy targeting Fortune 500 companies The unique challenges of hardware go-to-market versus SaaS   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Sell on economics, not sustainability: Despite the environmental benefits of battery repurposing, Chiang emphasizes selling purely on cost and performance metrics. He explained, "We never sell based on sustainability... We just sell on typical cost and power." B2B founders should resist leading with feel-good messaging and instead focus on measurable business outcomes that matter to their buyers' bottom line. Target infrastructure decision-makers, not sustainability teams: Moment Energy focuses on buyers who "manage the energy infrastructure for the entire [organization]" because "there's a lot less education that's required. They know how to speak batteries." While sustainability teams can provide useful introductions, the real decision-makers understand the technical and economic trade-offs. B2B founders should identify the specific roles that truly own their problem space rather than getting distracted by adjacent stakeholders. Regulatory barriers become competitive moats: The extensive certification process that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in burn testing creates what Chiang calls "a massive barrier to entry for any incumbents to come in." While painful initially, these regulatory requirements can provide sustained competitive advantages. B2B founders in regulated industries should view compliance costs as investments in defensibility rather than just operational expenses. Government contracts require commercial proof points: Chiang noted that government agencies "want to make sure that you're actually commercially ready rather than just a big marketing play." They validate systems in the field and measure actual impact before awarding contracts. B2B founders pursuing government opportunities should prioritize demonstrable commercial traction over grant-writing skills, as real customer deployments become the foundation for larger contracts. Hardware requires deeper customer conviction: Unlike software pilots, Chiang explains that their systems "cannot go down because it's not a pilot" and customers need complete confidence from day one. This means hardware founders must achieve higher customer conviction thresholds before securing deals. The extended sales cycles and higher stakes require more thorough technical validation and risk mitigation than typical SaaS implementations.   //   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 

Growers Edge is revolutionizing agriculture by eliminating the biggest barrier to farmer innovation: risk aversion. With $30 million in funding raised in just 18 months under CEO Matthew Hansen's leadership, the company has evolved from a struggling crop insurance reseller into a multi-faceted agricultural technology platform. By providing downside protection for farmers trying new inputs, expanding into direct lending for equipment and land purchases, and leveraging proprietary data insights, Growers Edge has built three profitable business lines targeting a combined addressable market of over $400 billion. In this episode, Matthew shares his journey from private equity investor to hands-on operator, detailing the systematic turnaround that transformed the company from hundreds of thousands in revenue to millions, with some business lines growing at 800% annually. Topics Discussed: Growers Edge's evolution from crop insurance reseller to comprehensive agricultural risk management platform The three core business lines: input warranties, direct lending, and data services Matthew's transition from private equity investor to operational CEO The systematic approach to company turnaround and organizational restructuring Strategies for identifying and scaling what's working while eliminating what isn't Building a customer-focused organization versus a product-focused one Attracting top-tier talent during rapid growth phases GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Lead with guarantee, not data: Matthew discovered that "putting your money where your mouth is goes a lot further than charts and graphs at the farm gate." Instead of overwhelming farmers with analytics to convince them to try new inputs, Growers Edge simply guarantees the performance. This approach eliminates the primary barrier to adoption - risk aversion - and accelerates decision-making. B2B founders should consider how they can reduce perceived risk for customers rather than just providing more information to justify decisions. Organize around customers, not products: One of Matthew's first major changes was restructuring the organization around customer needs rather than product lines. He explains the critical difference: "A company that's organized around products has something and you're trying to basically force someone to buy it, whereas the company that's focused on customers knows the customer, sees the need and provides a solution." This customer-centric approach enables rapid iteration and market responsiveness that product-focused organizations struggle to achieve. Scale winners ruthlessly while exploring adjacencies: Rather than trying to fix everything, Matthew focused on "watering the winners" - identifying what was already working and doubling down with resources and talent. He then systematically explored adjacent opportunities that leveraged existing capabilities, like using warranty data to inform lending decisions. B2B founders should resist the urge to spread resources thin and instead concentrate on amplifying proven success while strategically expanding into related markets. Build acquisition as distribution strategy: Growers Edge's acquisition of Aquoso wasn't about technology or talent - it was about buying a go-to-market engine. Matthew compares it to "when Budweiser buys a craft beer company and when you plug it into that distribution network, you see sales of that craft beer skyrocket." The acquired company's existing relationships with 28 banks and farm credits provided immediate distribution for Growers Edge's data products, doubling that business since acquisition. Founders should consider acquisitions not just for capabilities, but as a way to instantly access established customer relationships and distribution channels. Talent attraction follows momentum, not compensation: Matthew was able to recruit executives who had built three unicorn fintech companies not through compensation alone, but because of "the positive direction of the business, the renewed vigor of the fundraising and the support of very credible, fantastic sponsors." Top talent gravitates toward companies with clear momentum and strong backing. B2B founders should focus on demonstrating tangible progress and securing credible investors as much for talent attraction as for capital.   //   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 

Abel Police is transforming law enforcement efficiency through AI-powered report generation technology. With $5 million in funding, the company has developed a computer vision and natural language processing platform that automatically generates police reports from body camera footage, reducing officer paperwork time by up to one-third. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Daniel Francis, Founder and CEO of Abel Police, to explore how a former data engineer with no policing background identified a massive inefficiency in law enforcement and built technology to address it. Topics Discussed: How a personal experience with domestic violence response times led to the founding of Abel Police The discovery that police officers spend one-third of their time writing reports Abel Police's approach to integrating with existing digital evidence management systems The unique challenges of selling technology to government agencies and police departments The company's evolution from attempting full record management system integration to standalone solutions The regulatory compliance requirements specific to criminal justice information systems (CJIS) GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Immerse yourself completely in your target customer's world: Daniel spent 32 ride-alongs with police officers across different departments, not just conducting interviews but observing their daily workflows for hours. He describes himself as "chief ride along officer" and emphasizes that he had to "creepily watch them work for hours" to understand their pain points. B2B founders should go beyond traditional customer interviews and embed themselves in their customers' actual work environment to identify problems that aren't immediately obvious through conversation alone. Start with mock data when real data is inaccessible: Unable to access actual body camera footage, Daniel created fake scenarios with friends, filming mock arrests and citations to train their AI models. This creative workaround allowed them to begin product development despite regulatory barriers to accessing real police footage. B2B founders facing data access challenges should find creative ways to simulate their target environment and data types to begin building and testing their solutions. Become an insider to overcome industry skepticism: Daniel secured a position as a "records intern" at Richmond Police Department when they wouldn't initially buy his solution, giving him access to real body camera footage and deeper understanding of police workflows. This inside access became crucial for product development and credibility. B2B founders entering unfamiliar industries should consider temporary or consulting arrangements that allow them to work alongside their target customers and gain credibility within the industry. Give away pilots strategically in government markets: Contrary to Y Combinator's advice to always charge for pilots, Daniel found that offering free trials was essential for police departments due to their complex procurement processes. He explains that "if they have to pay for something, that's a hassle" in government settings, but if they're willing to share their data with you, "they're serious about it." B2B founders selling to government should consider free pilots as a necessary investment to navigate bureaucratic purchasing processes. Build standalone solutions before attempting platform integration: Abel Police initially tried to integrate with every record management system, which significantly delayed their go-to-market timeline. They found success by building a standalone version first, then pursuing integrations. Daniel notes they "would have never sold anything" if they had stuck to their original integration-first approach. B2B founders should prioritize getting a working solution in customers' hands over achieving perfect system integration from day one. Leverage adjacent opportunities from your core market position: Once established with police departments, Abel Police identified additional problems like online citizen reporting and policy/law lookup tools. Their relationship with agencies made them "very open to new solutions" since "there's way more problems than there is solutions" in policing. B2B founders should view their initial market entry as a platform for identifying and addressing related problems within the same customer base.   //   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 

Conifer is pioneering a revolutionary approach to electric powertrains by eliminating dependence on rare earth materials while maintaining superior performance. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Ankit Somani, Co-Founder of Conifer, about the company's mission to make electric powertrains as simple and manufacturable as internal combustion engines. Their breakthrough technology addresses critical supply chain vulnerabilities while enabling faster, more cost-effective electrification across industries from two-wheelers to delivery vehicles and robotics. Topics Discussed: The fundamental challenges with current electric powertrain manufacturing and rare earth material dependencies Conifer's approach to creating modular, rare earth-free electric powertrains with 90% commonized components The company's manufacturing-first design philosophy that prioritizes scalability and cost reduction Strategic go-to-market approaches for hardware companies selling to technical buyers Building brand trust and long-term customer relationships in hardware markets Earned media strategies that generated significant inbound demand without paid advertising The geopolitical implications of rare earth material supply chain constraints GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Start with manufacturing constraints, not just product design: Ankit emphasized that their team approached hardware development backwards from typical startups. Instead of designing first and figuring out manufacturing later, they started by solving the hardest constraints: "Can you actually source the materials and manufacture it cheaply first and use that to then guide your design?" This manufacturing-first approach enabled them to create products that could scale economically from day one. B2B hardware founders should prioritize understanding their manufacturing and supply chain limitations before finalizing product specifications. Target technical champions who feel the pain daily: Rather than selling through traditional procurement channels, Conifer went directly to the end designers who were "perplexed with here's so many options I need to qualify." These technical users became their champions within customer organizations. As Ankit explained, "Use that to matrix in rest of the organization" rather than becoming just another commodity option in a sea of vendors. B2B founders should identify the specific technical roles that experience their problem most acutely and build champion relationships there first. Leverage geopolitical timing for category creation: Conifer's success was amplified by aligning their rare earth-free value proposition with growing geopolitical concerns about supply chain dependencies. Ankit noted: "The most important thing is what is happening in the world that you can most closely associate with where you could have a differing opinion." They positioned themselves as the alternative when the market was actively seeking solutions to rare earth dependencies. B2B founders should identify macro trends that create urgency for their solution and time their messaging accordingly. Build conviction for multi-year hardware cycles: Unlike software where you can iterate quickly based on customer feedback, hardware requires longer-term conviction. Ankit shared: "In a hardware product you have to have at least a two year view because that's the true cycle of making the product, proving the product and put it into production." Their decision to stick with rare earth-free technology, even when customers suggested alternatives, proved crucial when market conditions validated their thesis. Hardware founders must develop conviction in their core technical bets and resist the temptation to pivot based on short-term customer requests. Use physical demonstrations as your primary sales tool: Conifer's marketing strategy centers on putting working products in customers' hands rather than relying on presentations. As Ankit explained: "When you give a product in people's hands and within two minutes they realize the value of it without going through a bunch of PowerPoint." Their approach involves integrating systems into customer vehicles so prospects can "touch and feel" the performance difference. B2B hardware founders should prioritize creating tangible demonstrations that let customers experience their product's value directly.   //   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 

Healthcare payments consume between $650 billion and $1 trillion annually in billing and insurance-related costs—an amount comparable to the entire U.S. Defense Department budget. At the heart of this staggering inefficiency lies a fundamental problem: when patients receive care, nobody actually knows in real-time whether the insurance will pay for it. Mike Desjadon, CEO of Anomaly, spent nearly two decades in healthcare payments before building a company to solve this core issue. In this episode, we explore how Anomaly is creating "payment assurance" for healthcare—bringing the same real-time payment certainty that exists everywhere else in commerce to an industry desperately in need of it. Topics Discussed: The massive scale of healthcare billing costs and why precision is impossible at this scale How the complex coding system (ICD, CPT, revenue codes) creates a "ridiculous Rubik's Cube" of payment determination Why healthcare lacks payment assurance while every other industry has real-time payment certainty The fundamental information asymmetry between providers and insurers that drives administrative waste Anomaly's approach to using AI and machine learning to predict payment outcomes early in the care process The strategic decision to focus exclusively on providers rather than serving both sides of the market   GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Avoid "Annual Curiosity Revenue" in favor of deep customer relationships: Mike warns against chasing what he calls "ACR" - contracts driven by curiosity about new technology rather than real value. Instead of racing to accumulate surface-level customers, Anomaly focuses on 1-5 anchor customers where they forward-deploy engineers and dedicate leadership attention. As Mike explained, "I'd rather take a much smaller amount of those trusted pitches... find me 10 of the right conversations, don't find me a hundred surface level conversations." In healthcare's 14-month sales cycles, shallow relationships burn runway without building sustainable growth. Match your go-to-market strategy to industry realities, not investor expectations: Healthcare's long sales cycles and conservative nature require a fundamentally different approach than traditional SaaS growth models. Mike structured Anomaly's capital and hiring strategy around 14-month sales cycles rather than trying to compress them. "If you know that it's a 14 month sales cycle... being realistic about those timeframes and those capital structures, you just make sure your plan on burn matches your plan on strategy." This meant hiring customer success and engineering talent before traditional sales roles, aligning team composition with the actual customer adoption process. Segment ruthlessly based on transformation readiness: Not every healthcare organization is ready for transformative technology. Mike emphasizes the critical need to identify whether prospects are "looking for transformation" versus "looking to automate an isolated process." He shares that distinguishing between these segments determines the entire sales approach. Organizations seeking transformation are willing to work through implementation complexity for substantial outcomes, while those seeking automation want predictable, incremental improvements. Misreading this distinction leads to failed sales cycles and misaligned product development. Use forward-deployed engineering as a competitive advantage: Rather than traditional customer success managers, Anomaly deploys engineers directly to customers during implementation. This approach proves particularly valuable in AI/ML applications where the technology is rapidly evolving and customer needs aren't fully defined. Mike notes, "Having engineers in that has been hugely valuable for us because we're able to really quickly deliver value, very quickly deliver outsized value." This strategy enables rapid iteration, builds deeper technical trust, and often leads to expanded contracts through demonstrated capability rather than traditional sales pitches. Build category credibility through case studies, not connections: In healthcare, having impressive investors or warm introductions matters far less than demonstrating proven results with known organizations. Mike emphasizes, "What you need in healthcare is slapping six case studies down the desk... show me the six organizations that I know that you work with that are going to tell me I should work with you." This insight drives Anomaly's entire early-stage strategy—prioritizing customer success and measurable outcomes over rapid customer acquisition, building the credibility foundation needed for future sales acceleration.     //   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