Today's B2B Growth Pulse
RecVue launches Revenue Share app on Salesforce AgentExchange
RecVue introduced its Revenue Share solution on the Salesforce AgentExchange marketplace, enabling automated partner, channel and multi‑party revenue‑share calculations within Salesforce Revenue Cloud and Agentforce Sales. The tool replaces spreadsheets and custom code, offering audit‑ready traceability and contract‑specific compliance.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Planetary raises $17.44M Series A
Michael Allain Joins Red Oak as Chief Revenue Officer
Red Oak, a compliance connectivity platform for financial services, has appointed Michael Allain as chief revenue officer to drive scalable revenue growth and operational excellence. Allain arrives with over 30 years of B2B sales experience, including two decades in highly regulated financial markets. He previously held senior sales roles at Billd, Rho, and American Express, where he led large regional sales organizations. The hire follows Red Oak's recent leadership additions, underscoring its aggressive growth trajectory.
Human SDRs Mastering AI Can Earn $250K
"The top leaders in AI+B2B are hiring tons of sales execs. Tons. But it's not enough to offset the shrinking hiring of mature tech companies. Jobs won't be growing in sales overall. But the silver lining? The Human SDR that owns the...
Fractional Execs: Diagnose, Design, Align, Not Just Execute
Most founders hire a fractional executive for the wrong reason. They want: • Faster execution • More output • Someone to “just run marketing” That’s not what a good fractional does. A real fractional leader: – Diagnoses before executing – Designs systems, not tactics – Aligns decisions across teams –...
XTI Aerospace to Host Town Hall Highlighting Strategic Inflection Point Following the Drone Nerds Acquisition
XTI Aerospace (Nasdaq:XTIA) will hold an investor town hall on February 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST to outline its post‑acquisition strategy after buying Drone Nerds in November 2025. Management will detail how Drone Nerds’ UAS platform and customer base give XTI clearer revenue visibility...
Synthesia Hits $4B Valuation, Lets Employees Cash Out
British AI startup Synthesia closed a $200 million Series E round, lifting its valuation to $4 billion, up from $2.1 billion a year earlier. The funding, led by GV and backed by existing investors, coincides with the company surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue...
Conversation with… People in Retail Awards Judge Giles Smith
Former Selfridges digital head Giles Smith discusses his return as a judge for the People in Retail Awards. He emphasizes the importance of celebrating frontline employees and unsung innovators rather than solely focusing on commercial metrics. Smith, now a technology...
Stop Talking, Start Building AI Solutions
There’s an AI GTM startup I really like the founders of, they’ve been asking us for 6+ months to try them. I appreciate the emails, calls, DMs, etc. And the endless offers to “get on the phone” to see a...
French Connection Announces New US Licensing Partnership
French Connection Group has signed a long‑term licensing agreement with G‑III Apparel Group to develop and distribute its menswear, womenswear and accessories across North America, effective 1 February 2026. The partnership leverages G‑III’s design, sourcing and distribution capabilities and its established retail...
Gentle Fawn Leans on Longevity over Trends as Vancouver Fashion Brand Marks More than Two Decades
Gentle Fawn, a Vancouver‑based fashion label founded in 2003, has shifted its focus from wholesale‑only to a balanced omnichannel model, with its e‑commerce site now the largest sales channel. The brand serves roughly 600 retail partners across Canada and the...
The $42.8B Retail Media Playbook
Retail media generated $42.8 billion for Amazon in Q1 2025, driven by a server‑side ad serving architecture that delivers native ads without latency or privacy trade‑offs. The eBook outlines a modern retail media stack featuring sponsored products, zero‑impact loading, full reach, built‑in...
Scale Yourself, Target Companies' Labor Budgets, Not Courses
No, don’t sell a @clawdbot course. Figure out how to duplicate yourself many times, then do that for companies. Instead of attacking consumer learning budgets, target labor budgets. It’s the biggest line item.
Retail’s Supply Chain Divide: Who Survives – and Who Won’t
Retail margins are tightening, making supply‑chain efficiency a make‑or‑break factor. Supply‑chain specialist Peter Jones splits the sector into "haves" – retailers that have invested in automated, next‑generation warehouse technology – and "have‑nots" still reliant on manual pick‑and‑pack processes. The COVID‑driven...
AI Enables High Earnings with Lean, Efficient Teams
So I saw a LinkedIn post from a sales executive I like a lot and have known for a long time looking for his next role. The headline: “Looking to Make The Most Money For The Least Amount of Work.”...
B2BKing: A Powerful B2B & Wholesale Plugin for WooCommerce
The episode explores B2BKing, a comprehensive WooCommerce plugin that adds enterprise‑grade wholesale capabilities to WordPress stores. It walks through core features such as granular guest access restriction, tiered pricing tables, and a customizable business registration workflow that together enable hybrid...
Turn Every Meeting Into Shareable Content
You already have the content. You're just not recording it. Every meeting, every conversation, every insight—it's all content waiting to be captured. - Some content is better than no content. - Even if it’s not perfect, it still builds visibility....
Full-Team Commitment Fuels AI Startup Success
🤷♀️"AI Native" startups don't have access to better LLMs 🤷They often don't have smarter engineers 🤷♂️They don't know the space any better 🤷♀️Their sales team are often tiny and mediocre So why do they win? 100% of their team wants to do, and are willing...
Agora's Nick Van Eck Bets on Stablecoin Boom in Enterprise Payments
Agora CEO Nick van Eck is steering the startup toward stablecoin‑driven enterprise payments, emphasizing cross‑border payroll and B2B transactions. The firm’s AUSD stablecoin and a stablecoin‑as‑a‑service platform aim to replace costly legacy remittance systems. Van Eck predicts multinational firms will...
Sell Value, Not Products: Ensure Worth Exceeds Cost
Sell value instead of a product or service. What value can you provide someone? If it’s greater than your cost - it’s easy to sell. If not — improve your value to match the rate you want to charge.
Scale Visitor Tracking: Simple Monitoring Until $5M ARR
The way you use website visitor data changes at each revenue stage: $0-1M ARR: Just monitor your traffic $1-5M ARR: LinkedIn and email outreach $5M+ ARR: Lead scoring and workflows I’ve seen early-stage founders trying to build complex workflows when they don’t need to...
Data Products and Services in the Saudi Capital Market
Data products are becoming the backbone of analysis, transparency, and regulatory oversight in the Saudi capital market. Structured datasets—covering market activity, investor ownership, issuer details, and participant behavior—enable consistent research across brokers, issuers, and regulators. Centralized delivery through platforms like...
Leverage AI for Smarter, Actionable Marketing Plans
It was great speaking with Amy Gabriel about how to build an actionable marketing plan by embracing the power of AI. It’s not about letting AI take over - it's about becoming smarter and more sophisticated in how you use...
Use Behavioral Science to Instantly Boost Marketing Engagement
Have you heard of behavioral science? But you’re not sure how best to apply it to your marketing? Here’s what you need to know to start automatically increasing engagement and response.
Why Hong Kong Still Speaks the Global Language of Business Banking
Hong Kong continues to serve as a global hub for business banking, offering foreign firms a stable legal environment, open financial regulations, and extensive multi‑currency networks. Companies can open corporate accounts without residing locally, leveraging the city’s reputable banks to...
Buy AI Agents only From Vendors with Trusted Engineers
"If you want to buy an AI Agent, first find our who your FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) will be. Talk to them. If you 100% believe they can help you deploy it, buy from that vendor." https://t.co/pViaS8CKNe
AI Era Triples ARR per Employee, Winners Pull Ahead
Per @a16z, the gap in ARR/employee has widened dramatically in the Age of AI $700k per FTE vs. $200k per FTE You're either pulling away here, or falling way, way behind https://t.co/6CD2h5yM6X
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...
SaaStr AI 2026: Expect Even Bigger Funding Deals
Last year at SaaStr AI Annual, over $500M in funding conversations started in the hallways This year at SaaStr AI 2026, the deals will be even bigger Founders + investors + 3 days May 12-14. SF Bay Be in the room https://t.co/QB6XhsPio4
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.
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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,...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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...