The AI Shift: What GTM Leaders Are Thinking
PLUS: Ex-Chief Scientist at eBay/Twitter/Uber building next-gen LLM infrastructure for accuracy, efficiency & privacy.
Behind The Scenes
A recent gathering of top GTM leaders brought together sales executives, founders, operations directors, and product marketing experts. While there was some uncertainty about the future, the conversation was driven by curiosity and a shared interest in understanding how teams are adapting to an evolving landscape.
In addition to this discussion, a survey of 40 marketing and sales leaders—including CMOs, CROs, Heads of Marketing, and Heads of Sales—revealed that 80% plan to integrate AI into their sales and marketing efforts, with nearly 58% increasing their budgets for AI-driven solutions.
Both the gathering and survey reinforced key GTM insights emerging two years into the AI wave.
The Shift Away from Multiple Tools
The era of best-of-breed tooling is fading. GTM leaders who once accepted using multiple tools for different functions (call recording, reporting, CRM, etc.) are now seeking all-in-one solutions. Over the next two years, companies with strong technical teams will prioritize building customized solutions using APIs, fine-tuning models, and tailoring tools to their exact needs. That said, as GTM tools become more consolidated, we may see a shift back to purchasing—but not anytime soon.Customer Support Leads AI Adoption
A survey of GTM leaders found that 80% identified Customer Support as the function most impacted by AI. This is supported by real-world examples, such as Klarna using AI to enhance performance and the growing market demand for solutions from companies like Sierra and Decagon.
AI Budgets Are Growing, but Expectations Are High
Although AI adoption in sales and marketing is still in its early stages, 80% of surveyed leaders plan to integrate AI into their GTM strategies. On average, they are allocating 13.5% of their budgets to AI tools, but they are also eager to see tangible ROI sooner rather than later.
(This article was written by Viviana Faga from Felicis Ventures. For full version of this article, you can read them here)
Geeks of the Week
Startup Name: VecML (reach out to aizuddin@stellacapital.io for an introduction)
Geography: US
One-liner: Building next-gen LLM infrastructure for enhanced accuracy, performance, cost-efficiency, and privacy.
Founder(s) Background: Distinguished Engineer at Linkedin, VP (Search and Personalization Technologies) at Walmart, Distinguished Scientist at Uber, Chief Scientist at eBay.
Startup Name: Toolhouse (reach out to aizuddin@stellacapital.io for an introduction)
Geography: US
One-liner: The tool management platform for LLMs.
Founder(s) Background: Head of Product / VP of Engineering at Ghost (Series C), Head of Developer Advocacy at X (Twitter).
Startup Name: Coverbase
Geography: US
One-liner: AI-driven systems for helping companies assess the risk of working with other businesses.
Founder(s) Background: Co-founder at Unit21 (backed by Tiger, ICONIQ, Gradient Ventures), Engineering Manager at Stripe, Staff Data Scientist at Quora.
Founder(s) building in stealth
Episode of the Week
Warwick Pearmund leads Madison Pearl’s Hong Kong operations, specializing in sourcing top-tier talent across a wide array of disciplines, including financial technology, quantitative and systematic finance, payments, digital strategy, insurtech, data science, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, blockchain, and cybersecurity.
Prior to his career in recruitment, Warwick worked as an equities trader and sales trader in both the UK and Asia. With extensive experience across the APAC region—on both the client side and in recruitment—he has cultivated a robust network of professionals across banks, insurers, global consulting firms, and technology companies. While his primary geographic focus is Hong Kong and China, Warwick also undertakes global mandates for senior executive roles.
Having relocated to Asia in 2006 with Jefferies investment bank, Warwick spent several years in Tokyo before moving to Hong Kong with his family in 2011—a city he proudly calls home. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Studies from Cass Business School, City University of London.
This edition is brought to you in partnership with Stella Capital.