Today's B2B Growth Pulse
Epicor launches Partner Community to fuel B2B ERP growth
Epicor unveiled its Partner Community as a strategic, long‑term growth engine rather than a simple reseller network. The program spotlights partners that have grown from startups into multi‑million‑dollar enterprises and positions them as essential for selling, implementing, extending, and supporting Epicor's ERP solutions worldwide.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Badger Meter to acquire UK‑Based UDLive for $100M
TrueVault (YC W14) Is Hiring a Growth Lead to Test Different Growth Channels
TrueVault, a Y Combinator‑backed privacy‑focused SaaS for SMBs, is hiring its first Growth Lead. The remote, US‑based role will design and test multiple acquisition channels, own the end‑to‑end sales motion, and drive a 15‑25% quarterly increase in qualified pipeline. Compensation includes a $165‑185k base salary, 15% bonus target, and up to 0.75% equity. The position reports directly to the CEO, offering high‑visibility impact on the company’s growth trajectory.
Focus on Feelings, Not Views, to Boost Marketing
If you want to instantly improve your marketing, stop saying: “I want people to see this.” Start saying: “I want people to feel this.” Marketing, sales, and growth are emotional. Once you get that, the copy writes itself.
Customers Ask for Features You Already Offer
One of the best reasons to talk to customers regularly is to hear their feature requests for features you already have. Yes, YOU know it exists. YOU know where it is. YOU know your product has it. YOU know how to...
A Buyer’s Guide: Using a Corporate Gifts Catalog to Pick the Perfect Product
The episode explains how e‑commerce and Shopify brands can leverage corporate gifting to humanize digital interactions, using a centralized gifts catalog to streamline selection, budgeting, and bulk ordering. It highlights key criteria—recipient relevance, practicality, brand alignment, quality, and scalability—while warning...
AI Startups Outperform Non‑AI: Higher ARR, Faster Growth
👨🦳Non-AI startups: - Lots CSMs (vs FDEs) - AI agent is slow / not truly great, not #1 focus of company - Not gaining market share - Customers don’t want to pay 2x-10x more for AI Agent (honest truth: not great) - Still very large...
PE Shifts Away From Vanilla SaaS, Seeks AI Growth
There’s a tough topic that it’s time to be honest about in 2026: PE is no longer coming to the rescue. It was a great run. From 2012-2023 or so, almost any B2B or SaaS company that hit $20M ARR,...
M&A Advisor on Ecommerce Valuations
Frank Kosarek, co‑founder of BizPort, explains that ecommerce valuations now hinge on seller discretionary earnings (SDE) rather than top‑line revenue, with multiples typically 2×–2.5× and up to 5× for subscription‑heavy brands. He notes that buyers prefer companies generating recurring sales,...
AI Drives Ethical, Actionable Marketing Strategies in 2026
AI is shaking up the marketing world by changing how we think, plan, and get things done. In 2025, I incorporated AI into all my keynotes and workshops, emphasizing its critical role in crafting actionable marketing strategies and boosting sales....
People, Not Knowledge: Why B2B Execs Need Real Community
I thought we were in the "knowledge" business but I'm learning we're in the "people" business. The number one value prop of joining a professional community like Exit Five is connecting with people in your industry. To have a sounding...
The $2 Million Martech Procurement Mistake Hiding in Plain Sight
Marketing teams often buy attribution and other martech tools as quick transactions, ignoring the operational fit and integration needs. A mid‑size B2B firm spent $180,000 on a platform that delivered no reliable data because integration and data‑quality responsibilities were never...
December 2025 HubSpot Updates: Smarter Segmentation, Tighter AI Control, Less CRM Busywork
HubSpot’s December 2025 release adds operational upgrades that tighten data control and boost AI efficiency. Managers gain reCAPTCHA protection for live chat, a new Segment Analytics view, and AI‑driven Claude actions that can update CRM records on the fly. Administrators...
Amaze Announces Expanded Partnership with Contend to Scale the Next Generation of Creator-Led Commerce
Amaze Holdings announced an expanded strategic partnership with Contend, elevating the studio from advisor to fully integrated partner. The collaboration will combine Contend’s storytelling expertise with Amaze’s global commerce platform to deliver end‑to‑end creator‑led product launches. Throughout 2026 the duo...
Iliad Solutions Moves Into New UK HQ
Iliad Solutions, a global leader in payments testing, has relocated its UK headquarters to 1 City Square in Leeds. The move follows recent contract wins with major worldwide payments firms and reflects rapid expansion of its UK team. The Grade A...
Start with One Paying Customer, Not a $100K Dream
Forget $100K. Can you get ONE person to pay you $50? That's basically the only question that matters when you're starting out. Don't worry about funnels. Or which tool to pick. Or which platform. Just go find one person who...
Tourisme Montréal, Palais Des Congrès Secure Slate of Major Conventions Worth Nearly $100M
Tourisme Montréal and the Palais des congrès de Montréal announced a pipeline of major international and North‑American conventions that will generate close to $100 million in economic benefits and more than 100,000 hotel‑room nights. The bookings, spread from 2025 through 2035,...
RainFocus Introduces RainFocus Nexus, a Secure, Cloud-Agnostic System of Specialized AI Agents to Act As Teammates to Event Marketers
RainFocus unveiled Nexus, an AI‑driven collaboration layer that turns its event marketing platform into a team of specialized agents. The system introduces an orchestration layer, a context layer, and a unified system of record, enabling agents to automate configuration, guide...
PTSECR Introduces Scalable Customer Support Outsourcing for Businesses Focused on Growth and Retention
PTSECR launched a customer‑support outsourcing agency aimed at digital‑first companies in e‑commerce, SaaS, fintech, and other tech sectors. The service offers 24/7, omnichannel support—including chat, email, phone, and social media—delivered by globally distributed agents trained on each client’s brand and...
Comscore 2026 State of Programmatic Report: CTV and Audio Expected to Drive Growth With Cross-Channel Performance Measurement Critical to Smarter...
Proximic by Comscore’s 2026 State of Programmatic Report shows 58% of media buyers will boost programmatic spend next year, with CTV and audio emerging as the sole channels slated for budget growth. CTV is projected to command 26% of media...
FADEL Unveils FADEL AIVA™, Its AI Technology for Brand Compliance and Licensing Operations
FADEL introduced FADEL AIVA™, an AI platform that unifies generative, analytical, and predictive capabilities to automate brand compliance and licensing workflows. The solution embeds purpose‑built AI agents—such as a Reviewer Agent for product approvals and a Contract Ingestion Agent for...
SutiCLM Redefines Contract Management With AI-Powered Automation and Intelligence
SutiSoft launched SutiCLM, an AI‑driven contract lifecycle management platform that automates drafting, negotiation, approval, and storage. The solution uses generative summarization, clause suggestions, risk detection, and conversational AI to cut cycle times and lower compliance risk. Executives claim the tool...
502: Unlocking B2B Intelligence with AI Workflows
In episode 502, host Drew Neisser talks with Dave Brong of Level Agency about how CMO Huddles turned a cumbersome 10‑step post‑meeting workflow into an automated intelligence engine that extracts, structures, and makes searchable the insights from hundreds of conversations....
Optus to Bring All 80 Licenced Retail Stores Back Under Its Control
Optus announced it will assume ownership of all 80 licensed retail stores, ending the third‑party model that currently covers one‑third of its 240‑store footprint. The decision follows a $100 million Federal Court fine for unconscionable sales conduct and a high‑profile network...
Successful Firms Balance Brand and Demand Spending Equally
"Companies that were successful were spending equally amounts on brand versus demand". Omar Akhtar on The Transaction . PS get ready bc another guest who captures GTM data found roughly the same thing.
Build Business for Money, Purpose, and Joy Simultaneously
You don't have to choose. Make money OR help people. Grow the business OR enjoy your life. Build something meaningful OR have fun. That's the trade-off everyone accepts. And I think it's ridiculous I've watched people build businesses that crush...
Epic and Google Have a Secret $800 Million Unreal Engine and Services Deal
A federal judge disclosed an undisclosed six‑year, $800 million partnership between Epic Games and Google focused on Unreal Engine services and joint marketing. The agreement, kept largely confidential, involves Epic paying Google for cloud and AI services rather than co‑creating a...
GitLab Spurs 12.8% Rally, SaaS Index Up 3.
📊 https://t.co/D1x4RaX5t7 Market Pulse - Thu, Jan 22 The https://t.co/D1x4RaX5t7 Index delivered a strong performance on January 22, 2026, with an average gain of 3.47% as 23 out of 25 stocks advanced. GitLab led the rally with a remarkable 12.82% surge,...
CEOs Accelerate Growth Beyond Natural Business Pace
So much of your job as CEO is one way or another getting the company to grow a bit faster than it otherwise naturally would
OpenAI Is Coming for Those Sweet Enterprise Dollars in 2026
OpenAI has appointed Barret Zoph, a former VP of post‑training inference, to lead its enterprise division as the company seeks to recapture lost market share. Zoph returned after a stint at Mira Murati’s Thinking Machine Labs, positioning him at the forefront of...
AI Agents: Cost‑Effective Workers Who Never Quit
"Why did we go all-in on AI Agents?" with @kylecnorton CRO @kylecnorton "I just got tired of paying folks six-figures, letting them work from home with plenty of agency ... and still quitting. The AI Agents aren't perfect. But they...
Cracking B2B AI Pricing: Experts Share Proven Models
How do you price AI features in B2B? Per seat? Per outcome? Usage-based? Founders are still figuring this out in real-time. At SaaStr AI 2026, we're bringing together the ones who've cracked it. May 12-14. SF Bay https://t.co/4l6Rm5He3B
Global Baby Furniture Suppliers List: Standards, Materials & Certifications
The episode outlines how importers and brands can secure a market edge by partnering with top baby‑furniture manufacturers such as DaVinci, Babyletto, Bugaboo, Clafbebe, Peg Perego and UPPAbaby, emphasizing their blend of high‑design aesthetics, scalable production, and strict safety compliance. It...
Growth Trumps Efficiency in AI Era IPOs
A tough truth: getting more efficient, getting profitable, might have been necessary the past few years for many. But it also got you … nowhere. The markets still reward growth far more than efficiency. You do need both now when...
Hallway Chats, Not Panels: Spryng Matches Marketers
I've attended 89 marketing conferences over the years. Almost all of them had the same problem. The best conversations happened in the hallway. At the bar. Never during the actual sessions. So I built Spryng differently. We hand-match attendees before the event. Similar...
Scaling International GTM for B2B SaaS eCommerce Products
The episode outlines how B2B SaaS eCommerce firms can scale internationally by first establishing a stable global positioning spine and then tailoring emphasis to regional buyer priorities. It stresses redefining the ideal customer profile with regional filters and using inbound...
Leadership Risk: Balancing Fast Innovation with Slow Adoption
Why does innovation move fast while adoption crawls? Because transformation forces leaders to redirect capital, talent, and attention away from what still works toward what is not yet proven. That tension defines the messy middle. This conversation with Tina Vatanka...
Dr. Phone Fix Expands to 44 Stores After Rapid Late-2025 Growth, Reports Higher Same-Store Revenue
Dr. Phone Fix Canada Corp. expanded its retail footprint from 35 to 44 stores by the end of 2025, a 26% increase driven by acquisitions and organic openings. The company reported same‑store revenue growth, with average annualized sales climbing to...
Honest Board Management Beats Optimistic Theater
Here are a few take-aways from the early days of scaling at Okta with their co-founder, Frederic Kerrest . 1. Managing the board: Demonstrated control over the business versus optimistic theater Early in my career, I thought my job with...
Product Tours Create Habit‑forming Moments in Apps
Another interesting question that happened recently on SuperMe , asking about how product tours can help build habit forming moments in a product. Great takes from Ben Williams Erika Warren Daniel Chu Brian Balfour Elena Verna Hila Qu 曲卉 Lauryn...
Pave Finance Integrates with Fidelity to Automate RIA Workflows
Pave Finance announced a direct integration with Fidelity, enabling registered investment advisors to link client accounts to Pave’s platform without moving assets. The connection automates portfolio construction, ongoing management and trade execution, leveraging Pave’s ten‑year‑tested Asset Intelligence Layer. Advisors can...
AI-Native B2B Apps Are Redefining the Software Landscape
Will B2B software survive the AI era? The last platform shift, on-prem to cloud, created a wave of new category winners. Salesforce, Workday, NetSuite, HubSpot, and GitHub were all native-cloud companies. But the signals are different this time. Foundational models...
Scale Expertise with Tools, Not Years of Training
Stop trying to train your team into experts. Build tools that make them experts faster. One of the ListKit cofounders, Christian , is an absolute cold email genius. Took him 4+ years to get there. That expertise is incredibly valuable....
TikTok Offers European Fulfillment for Asian Sellers
TikTok is extending its Fulfilled by TikTok service to Europe, offering Asian merchants warehousing, order fulfillment and returns through facilities in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The move positions TikTok not only as a marketplace but also as a logistics...
Mandating AI Skill Up: Training, Hackathons, Hiring
Right when we got back into the office this year we mandated that everyone becomes Claude Code proficient in the next few months. We have mandatory weekly office hours, half-day (moving to two full day) hackathons, and consistent showing and telling. It...
SMBs Trade Higher Volume for Lower NRR than Enterprises
In theory, SMB > Enterprise More customers, much faster sales cycles, faster PLG and viral cycles But even 100% NRR is tough to hit with SMBs, While 120%-140% common in Enterprise Most SMB SaaS goes at least bit enterprise or at least into more...
CrafterCMS Announces New Cursor AI Skill That Accelerates Digital Experience Development
CrafterCMS unveiled a new Cursor AI skill that instantly converts static HTML design templates into fully managed headless CMS projects. The open‑source tool, available via the CrafterCMS Marketplace and GitHub, automates markup restructuring, content model creation, and Git‑based workflow setup....
Fivetran Selected by Vistaprint to Power Data Activation and Personalized Customer Experiences
Vistaprint has chosen Fivetran to automate data movement from its core systems into Snowflake and to push governed first‑party data back into marketing and customer‑engagement tools via reverse ETL. The partnership supports Vistaprint’s cloud‑first, data‑mesh architecture, enabling real‑time personalization, more...
New Independent Study: 80% of Enterprises Plan to Increase DAM Investment as AI and Content Orchestration Reshape Digital Operations
A Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Orange Logic finds that 80% of enterprises will increase Digital Asset Management (DAM) investment over the next two years. The research frames DAM as a strategic orchestration layer rather than a passive repository, linking...
Why Shift4 Targets Big Merchants
Shift4 Payments is deliberately courting large, multi‑location merchants and venues because they face fewer payment‑processor alternatives. CEO Taylor Lauber highlighted the appeal of complex software environments, citing the New York Yankees, Hilton Worldwide, and Caesar’s Entertainment as prime examples. The...
CallFinder Unveils Targeted Microlearning Video Training for Contact Center Teams Through Collaboration with BenchmarkPortal
CallFinder, an automated quality‑assurance and coaching platform for contact centers, announced a collaboration with BenchmarkPortal to deliver BenchmarkPortal’s Learning Channel+ microlearning video library to its clients. Learning Channel+ provides a subscription‑based catalog of more than 50 short, five‑minute videos designed...
Bombora Partners with Proximic By Comscore to Create New B2B Predictive Audiences
Bombora has teamed with Proximic by Comscore to launch 300 new B2B predictive audiences that fuse Bombora’s proprietary intent data with Proximic’s AI‑driven contextual signals. The combined segments map to granular B2B attributes such as industry, job function, professional groups...