Google’s Vertical AI Stack Fuels Unmatched Competitive Edge
Google is the only company in the world building AI vertically. They used the same move to dominate the internet. Their AI playbook explained👇 Everyone’s busy debating model benchmarks, GPU shortages, and who shipped the newest AI app. But that’s not where the real advantage is forming. The real power move right now is vertical control. Google figured this out a long time ago. In the early 2000s, they built a system where every layer fed the next: Search → ads → data → better search → more ads → more data. That loop created an unbeatable flywheel. And now, they’re rebuilding that exact pattern in AI. In this new stack, every layer strengthens the one above it: • Custom hardware trains the models • The models power the products • The products generate distribution and data • The data improves the next generation of models It’s a closed feedback system and it gets stronger with scale. Vertical control in AI gives Google three unfair advantages: > Faster iteration: no waiting on vendors or API changes > Cost efficiency: custom chips & custom infra means cheaper compute > Control: if you build on Google’s stack, switching becomes painful fast The next era of AI won’t be won by whoever has the biggest model. It’ll be won by whoever owns the full loop: Intelligence → product → distribution → data → improvement. Apple used that strategy to win mobile. AWS used it to win cloud. Now Google is using it to build the infrastructure of the AI economy. And once this foundation is set, every other player in the ecosystem will have to build on top of it. ------- Today, I run these private communities that might help you: → SaasRise : for founders scaling from $1M to $100M → VentureRise: for VC backed CEOs with $5M+ raised → GrowthRise: for B2B Sales and Marketing leaders (link in comments)
Even Unicorns Stall: Why Bootstrapping Matters
One of my CEO friends raised over $100M. His startup had a $1.2B unicorn valuation in 2021. I always thought he was CRUSHING IT on every observable metric. So did he. Then last week we went jogging and he started...
AI Platform Valuations Spike with Growth Rate
This week on Clouded Judgement: The AI Platform Wars! - Median software multiple: 4.5x - High Growth software median: 13.3x - Mid Growth software median: 6.0x - Low Growth software median: 3.4x - 10Y: 4.1% https://lnkd.in/gY9aFwM4
Old Lessons Still Matter in AI-Driven Future
Not everything we’ve done in our careers is relevant for the future. But some of it absolutely is. As I think about what I do next (spoiler: I truly have no idea yet), I’ve been reflecting on the distance between...
Balance Growth and Profitability with the Rule of 40
Tim Schumacher has a portfolio of 25 SaaS companies generating $80M ARR. He steers every single one using the same formula: The Rule of 40. Here's how it works 👇 The Rule of 40 says your growth rate + profit...
Build a Weekly Content Machine for 4× Growth
How We Built Our B2B Content Marketing Machine — From 579K to 2.7M Impressions When I launched SaasRise in 2023, I was like most founders...juggling a hundred priorities, sending random newsletters when inspiration struck and wondering why outbound campaigns weren’t...
Scale Smarter: AI, Automation, and Aligned Incentives
SaasRise CEO & Founder Mastermind Recap — Week of Nov 16–20, 2025 This week on SaasRise, founders and growth leaders shared actionable strategies on scaling smarter, optimizing renewals and leveraging AI to improve engagement and operations. Over four sessions, members...
Instant Heatmaps: Free, No‑Setup Website Insight
It has been almost three months since I became CEO of Crazy Egg. Last month we shipped Free Web Analytics. The month before that we shipped Free Website Surveys. Today we’re shipping something we invented twenty years ago and rebuilt...
AI Image Generator with Real‑Time Revision and Nano Banana Pro
OK, so it's past 2am (my usual bedtime), but I have something too exciting not to launch/share. It's not really quite ready (consider it "alpha"), but when it works, it's super cool. Here's the deal: I have a business-focused Image...
AI Era Demands New Data Storage; Hammerspace Leads
We need new data and storage systems for the AI era — Hammerspace leading the charge!
Allocate CAC Properly: Question Assumptions in Metrics
Don't Forget to Allocate Your CAC It may be obvious, but this is a giant assumption lurking in 1000's of metrics spreadsheets. Have you ever questioned this in due diligence? Asked your CFO? We take our gross Sales and Marketing...
Outdated SaaS Marketing Fails; New Strategies Drive Growth
These are the 7 best SaaS marketing strategies for 2026. 👇 I've scaled 3 different SaaS startups to $35M ARR combined, and what I found is that 95% marketing advice is outdated, inefficient, or flat-out doesn't work. So, I made...
Sasan’s Playbook: Scaling Partners, SMBs, and Culture
Sasan, the CEO of Intuit grew their market cap from $50billion to $180billion. Learnings on: 1. How to scale a 2nd channel w partners (90% of rev's) 2. Scaling the sh-t out of SMB 3. The downside of analytics in product...
AI Agentforce Revives 3K Ghost Leads, Boosts Sales
SaaStr.ai is reaching new heights with #Agentforce . 📈 In just 30 days with our new Agentforce for Sales, the one and only Jason M. Lemkin : • re-engaged approximately 3,000 ghosted leads • achieved a remarkable 72% open rate...
Bluma Automates Short-Form Video Ads Like Canva
Bluma (@getBluma) is building the Canva for short-form video ads. They automate your entire consumer marketing strategy with content templates, generating on-brand videos on autopilot. https://t.co/Jeoc521iea
Aggregated Click Data Masks True User Intent
In 2005, analytics tools delivered numbers that looked precise and stories that broke the moment you checked the page. That was when the direction of Crazy Egg became obvious. Back then every analytics product behaved the same way. If a page had...
Scaling Intuit: Lessons From a Non‑Founder CEO
My new episode of Long Strange Trip just dropped with Sasan Goodarzi , the brilliant CEO of Intuit who took it from $50billion to $180billion. Listen if you want to learn about: 1. What non-founder scaleup CEOs have in common....
Achieving $200M ARR in 12 Months, $3M per Employee
Lovable hit $200M ARR under 12 months. Their revenue per employee is an insane $2-3M ARR. Here's how they pulled it off 👇
Profitable AI SaaS with 50% YoY Growth Listed
Supercool SaaS listing JUST dropped on @acquiredotcom. No-code app for launching secure AI-driven web apps fast. > $300K TTM revenue > $100K TTM profit > 50% YoY growth High-margin, vertical SaaS with real enterprise upside. Listing: https://t.co/BATq3sxB2V https://t.co/BMo7n13wQQ
Stop Manual AI Prompts—Let SparkToro Handle It
"Can't someone else do it?" We talk to a lot of digital marketers, and hear about the same process over and over: - Run a report - Export - Upload to ChatGPT - Prompt engineer over and over until you...
Top Tech Firms Tie AI to Revenue, Not Hype
💰5 Ways Leading Tech Companies Prove AI to Investors Wall Street is way past the AI hype. I analyzed 138 public tech company earnings calls to decipher how the leading companies monetize AI and communicate this to the investor community. Legacy tech...
Automat AI Secures $15.5M to Replace Legacy RPA
Congrats to @automat_ai on their $15.5M Series A! They're building AI agents that operate computers like people do. Instead of fragile RPA workflows, operators show Automat what to automate, and their forward-deployed team handles the rest. Already replacing legacy RPA...
Scalability Powers Automation; UiPath Leads 2025 PEAK Matrix
Scalability is what separates experimentation from real transformation in technology. The latest Everest Group report identifies scalability as one of the key drivers for intelligent process automation platforms adoption. Enterprises are shifting away from automating tasks in isolation to end-to-end,...
AI Voice Staff Boosts SMB Clinics Revenue 83×
Simbie AI (@simbie_ai) gives SMB medical practices AI voice staff that answers, returns calls, and handles clinical tasks. Since launching in January, they've grown revenue 83x with $0 CAC, operate nationwide with zero churn, cut staff-to-physician ratios by one-third, and...
Prototype AI Instantly Within Your Live Application
Alloy : Instant AI prototyping with your real app by @simonkubica and @iaculch https://t.co/H31uUZZEKh
Delete Zombie Deals, Get a Real Pipeline Snapshot
Last week I did something every agency owner should do, but many avoid: I marked 4 deals Closed Lost. It sucks, but it’s the best thing I could have done. Every single one of those deals had been sitting there...
QuindarSpace Raises $18M to Automate Satellite Ops
Congrats to @QuindarSpace on their $18M Series A! Most companies still build ops software in-house, which takes years. U.S. government programs often require a new interface every time, forcing teams to rebuild ground systems again and again. Quindar manages satellites like flying...
Personalized Demo Centers Boost Buyer Engagement
we're now fully in the era of interactive demos being a thing, there's no question we already know how effective they are to help ppl get a taste of your product without requiring them to jump on a sales call...
Tiny Early Funding Can Launch Billion‑dollar Companies
A few that >almost< bootstrapped, i.e. did raise a little but < $10m in primary venture: The Trade Desk, worth $26B Klaviyo worth $9B Veeva, worth $44B Sometimes the most valuable capital is just that smidge early on And you can skip the rest
Future Finance Systems Unveiled: On-Demand Showcase Record
The Next Generation Solution Showcase ended yesterday afternoon. We hosted 8 next-generation billing and revenue management solution providers on Tuesday and 8 next-gen ERP and Accounting platforms yesterday David Appel , long-time executive for Office of Finance SaaS leaders, was...
Small Design Details Make Product Websites Instantly Clear
Cursor Head of Design Ryo Lu (@ryolu_) has spent his career at the intersection of design and engineering—from building fan sites as a kid to designing products at Stripe, Asana, and Notion. Now he's rethinking how software itself gets made. On...
Partner Ecosystems Overperform yet Remain an Underappreciated Opportunity
Reading through Norwest 's 2025 B2B Sales & Marketing Benchmark Report, I found these stats on partners' impact in sales outreach and marketing-sourced opportunities encouraging. 🙌 Aligns with Kyle Poyar 's findings earlier this month about ecosystem GTM as a...
Choosing the Right AI Pricing Model Drives Profitability
I thought there'd be consensus on how to monetize AI by now. I was (mostly) wrong. There's outcome-based pricing (see: Intercom, Crescendo, Chargeflow), credit pricing (see: Salesforce, Lovable), work-based pricing (see: Imagen, EvenUp), hybrid pricing (see: Monday, Clay), and lots...
$500 Off FounderStack Lifetime Access to 5 Essential Tools
It's Black Friday! And yes! We're bringing the most banger offer of the year 🎉 FounderStack. $500 off the original price. Pay once. Own it for life. FounderStack gives you instant lifetime access to 5 founder essentials: ⭐ FeedHive (AI SMM tool) ⭐ Aidbase (AI support tool) ⭐...
Revenue Automation Solves Billing Pain at $2M ARR
Just dropped a new SaaS CFO Podcast with Aleks Đekić, CEO/co-founder of Alguna! 🎙️ 3 takeaways: 1️⃣ Billing pain starts at ~$2–3M ARR 2️⃣ Hybrid & usage models need smarter tools 3️⃣ Future is revenue automation + retention #SaaS https://t.co/hNvSH1JFSr
Turn AI Buzz Into Your Unfair Competitive Edge
10 Reasons You Need to Be at SaaStr AI London December 1-2 This is it. The moment where AI stops being a buzzword and becomes your unfair competitive advantage. SaaStr AI London is bringing together 2,500 of the sharpest B2B operators...
Top‑tier VC Managers Make 5x Returns Three Times More Likely
Great data from VenCap analyzing 1,900+ VC funds (2000-2019): ☹️22% lose money (return <1x) 👇64% never hit 2x 🚀Only 6% return 5x+ 🔥Just 2% hit 10x Translation: A randomly selected VC fund is 3.7x more likely to LOSE money than return 5x. But here's what changes...
Prioritize Value Recovery, Fundamentals, and People for GTM Growth
And that’s a wrap on our 2025 GTM Operating Partner Gathering Series! Six dinners. Hundreds of insights shared. And a curated, diverse group of Operating Partners representing intelligence from thousands of growth-stage SaaS companies. Our final stop was San Francisco...
Cursor Hits $1B ARR in Two Years, SaaS Record
New!! Cursor Hit $1B ARR in 24 Months: The Fastest Scaling SaaS Ever? https://t.co/kV5BNeeW4m
Buyer‑side Agents Will Disrupt Martech by 2026
Buyer-side agents are the real disruption (a sneak preview of our Martech for 2026 report) https://t.co/emy5sjMTIh #martech https://t.co/iZu2dsRJza
Great Sales VPs Hire Fast, Retain Top, Cut Deadweight
Great VP of Sales, first week: - brings 2-4 great sales execs in ASAP. often week 1 - identifies top existing talent, does what it takes to keep them - begins to move out underperformers - jumps into all critical deals Mediocre VP of Sales,...
High Agency Means Testing Ideas, Not Just Acting Fast
High agency is often mistaken for speed. People assume it belongs to the ones who decide quickly and move without hesitation. That version looks impressive, but it is not what actually drives results. The real marker of high agency is quieter....
From Senior PM to Head of Product: Vanessa’s Journey
Dropping another internal Context episode. @vlaurenlee and I talk about how she ascended Shopify from senior PM to leading all of product. Vanessa is brilliant. Worth a watch for any builders. https://t.co/IQbZEEIsms
PLG Drives $200M ARR with Minimal Marketing
Lovable hit $200M ARR under 12 months. Their revenue per employee is an insane $2-3M ARR. Here's how they pulled it off 👇 Most founders mostly chase growth with sales hires, CAC math, and funnel tweaks. Lovable took the PLG...
AI Era Product Strategy: London Meetup with Attio & Granola
🚨London🚨 We're hosting a @Fin_ai x @attio x @meetgranola meetup next week It's me, @nicolasosharp (CEO, Attio) and @VasZhovner (CTO, Granola) discussing Product Strategy in the AI Era. When: Wednesday, November 26, 6pm Where: Mindspace, Shoreditch Link in comments
Ember Raises $4.3M to Slash Claim Denials
Congrats to @EmberCopilotAI on their $4.3M seed! Ember wants to solve America’s healthcare denial crisis. They prevent denials before they happen—documenting visits, reviewing charts, and ensuring claims comply with payer requirements. Health systems using Ember are already seeing results: 57% fewer denials,...
Navigating Product Strategy in the AI Era
London: We're doing a Fin x Attio x Granola meet up next week! I'll be joined on stage by Nicolas Sharp (CEO, Attio) and Vas Zhovner (CTO, Granola) and we'll be discussing Product Strategy in the AI Era. Details Wednesday,...
Scaling $50M AI Sales with Just Eight Reps
Caught up with an old colleague running sales at an AI company at $50m ARR. 🤵♀️They're building out their sales team now🧏♂️ The goal? 5 more humans, for a total of 8. Yup. Just 8 total. Too few? Probably. But...
