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The GTMnow Podcast

The GTMnow Podcast

Written by: GTMnow
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The GTMnow Podcast interviews well-known tech executive, VC, and founders - the expert operators in the trenches who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Sophie Buonassisi to dissect their stories, revealing expert insights around what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of GTMfund - sharing insight on go-to-market from working with hundreds of portfolio companies backed by over 350 of the best go-to-market executives. GTMfund is an early-stage VC fund focused on investing in the most exciting, up-and-coming B2B SaaS companies across the world. The LP network consists of VP and C-level Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success leaders from companies like DocuSign, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Snowflake, Okta, Zoom, and many more.

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Episodes
  • The End of GTM Sprawl: How HockeyStack is Rebuilding Go-to-Market Around AI, with Co-Founder Emir Atli

    The End of GTM Sprawl: How HockeyStack is Rebuilding Go-to-Market Around AI, with Co-Founder Emir Atli
    Feb 17 2026
    Emir Atli (Co-founder and CRO of HockeyStack) joins GTMnow to share how go-to-market is shifting in the AI era — from fragmented tools and GTM sprawl to unified, AI-native platforms built on a single data foundation.Originally known for attribution and market intelligence, HockeyStack is evolving into a central operating system for go-to-market, spanning marketing, sales, and post-sales through AI agents, blueprints, and an execution layer.We also explore weekly GTM sprints, founder-led content as a pipeline driver (even with <100 followers), and the long-game mindset behind building a generational company from age 20 after YC.In this episode, we cover:- Why you can’t layer AI onto legacy GTM — you must rebuild GTM around AI- The “sprawl crisis” and why siloed tools break without a single data foundation- HockeyStack’s evolution from attribution to a unified GTM operating system- AI agents, blueprints, and the shift from reporting to execution- Why consolidation is moving from tools to full buyer journey control- The case for a winner-takes-all GTM platform- How AI increases leverage across reps, managers, and pipeline reviews- Weekly GTM sprints and faster iteration cycles in the AI era- Founder-led content as a core growth engine and pipeline driver- LinkedIn as a top channel for MQL-to-opportunity and deal acceleration- The 10-year mindset, YC lessons, and building a generational companyGuest links: Emir Atli - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiratli/- HockeyStack - Website: https://www.hockeystack.com/- HockeyStack - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hockeystack/Host links:- Sophie Buonassisi - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/- Sophie Buonassisi - X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuona- Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comSponsors:Granola - the AI notepad that turns meetings into action by capturing context, decisions, and next steps automatically. Head to https://www.granola.ai/?via=gtmfund&dub_id=ytmcNnCjtlqCbgH5 and get three months free with the code GTMFUND.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – The GTM sprawl crisis and why AI breaks in siloed systems01:50 – From attribution to a GTM operating system02:41 – Launching AI agents, blueprints, and the execution layer in 202603:57 – Building a single data foundation across the buyer journey05:09 – Why GTM must be rebuilt around AI (not layered with tools)06:23 – Doing "more with more" and increasing management leverage07:30 – Tool consolidation vs controlling the buyer journey08:48 – 2026–2028: the great GTM consolidation wave09:01 – The case for a winner-takes-all GTM platform10:10 – Moat: data foundation + application layer11:35 – Expanding horizontally across marketing, sales, and post-sales14:28 – Running GTM in weekly sprints like an engineering org14:46 – Content as a core investment and distribution strategy15:26 – Why connected TV works for B2B brand trust16:43 – Faster GTM iteration cycles in the AI era17:47 – LinkedIn as the top pipeline and opportunity channel18:12 – Product stories, personal stories, and data stories in content21:02 – How founders carve out time to create content22:43 – Generating first customers from LinkedIn with <100 followers23:45 – Founding journey: pivoting into market intelligence25:37 – YC lesson: make something people love before scaling27:18 – The 10-year commitment mindset from YC advice30:13 – Executive coaching and founder bottlenecks31:53 – In-person culture and competing in the AI era33:26 – Whiteboarding interviews vs AI-generated case studies34:35 – Final advice: build a good business and enjoy the processFor inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/
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    35 mins
  • How VCs Evaluate Technical Founders (TAM, Moats & Diligence), with Amanda Robson, Founder and GP of Modern Technical Fund

    How VCs Evaluate Technical Founders (TAM, Moats & Diligence), with Amanda Robson, Founder and GP of Modern Technical Fund
    Feb 17 2026
    Amanda “Robby” Robson (Founder of Modern Technical Fund) joins GTMnow to break down how she evaluates companies at the very earliest stages and why discipline matters more than ever in today’s market.Amanda has spent over a decade in venture before launching Modern Technical Fund, investing across verticals ranging from security and compliance to developer tools at firms like Norwest and Cowboy Ventures. Her investment thesis is centered on backing elite technical founders early and helping them translate deep engineering talent into real products, real customers, and real momentum.In this conversation, we unpack how Amanda thinks about founder quality, market timing, and risk when there’s limited data and plenty of noise, which is more critical than ever in an AI-heavy investing environment.Guest LinksAmanda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-robson-7227685b/Amanda’s Twitter: https://x.com/robby_mtfModern Technical Fund’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-technical-fund/Modern Technical Fund website: https://moderntechnicalfund.com/Host links: Max - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/Max - X: https://x.com/HackItMaxPaul - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsirving/Paul - X: https://x.com/PaulGTMNewsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comBrought to you by: AngelListFrom starting as a small, operator-led rolling fund, to evolving to an institutional platform, AngelList has been a core partner in every phase of GTMfund’s growth. Their software-first fund admin infrastructure allowed us to scale without sacrificing agility — from onboarding hundreds of LPs seamlessly to handling compliance, capital calls, and reporting as our fund size evolved.As we expanded from Fund I to Fund II, AngelList took care of the back-office operations, allowing us to stay focused on what matters most: investing in world-class founders and building the strongest go-to-market network in venture.They’ve scaled with us across funds and into the future.If your fund is growing in size or complexity, check them out at www.angellist.com/gtmfund.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – Why Modern Technical Fund exclusively backs technical founders02:15 – What actually defines a “technical founder” beyond coding ability03:45 – Why product judgment and customer instinct matter early05:05 – How early teams split engineering and go-to-market roles07:10 – When investor advice helps and when it gets in the way09:05 – Why calibrating the hiring bar matters more than providing playbooks12:40 – How network-driven support helps founders see what “great” looks like15:45 – Why valuation discipline sets the bar in today’s market17:10 – When first-time founders become too risky at certain prices19:40 – How early-stage defensibility often comes down to the team27:20 – Why TAM momentum matters more than static market size30:30 – How small markets quietly turn into billion-dollar categories39:55 – What separates real AI companies from AI theater41:40 – Why infrastructure and data tools benefit most from AI tailwindsFor inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Follow us on X (Twitter):https://x.com/GTMnow_Follow us on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQM23b5lZbcfLtHAe87J_AFollow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gtmnow_Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gtmnow_/
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    56 mins
  • How Intercom Built the Highest-Performing AI Agent on the Market Using Outcome-Based Pricing with Archana Agrawal, President at Intercom

    How Intercom Built the Highest-Performing AI Agent on the Market Using Outcome-Based Pricing with Archana Agrawal, President at Intercom
    Feb 10 2026
    Archana Agrawal (President of Intercom) joins GTMnow to share how Intercom (founded in 2011) successfully restructured its product, pricing, and go-to-market to become AI-native at a speed and scale most legacy SaaS companies haven’t achieved.Their agent, Fin, now handles 80%+ of support volume, resolves 1M customer issues per week, and has grown from $1M to $100M+ ARR with a $0.99 outcome-based pricing model backed by up to a $1M performance guarantee if resolution targets aren’t met.In this episode, we cover:- Why customer support is fundamentally a 24/7 business- How Fin now handles 80%+ of customer queries through automation- Why human empathy often breaks down in real-world support workflows- How AI makes instant, individualized service possible for the first time- Why Intercom put a million-dollar guarantee behind its resolution rate- What it takes to confidently price software on outcomes- Why the future of support is humans + AIGuest links: - Archana Agrawal - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/archana-agrawal/- Intercom - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intercom/- Intercom’s Fin Agent: https://fin.ai/Host links:- Sophie Buonassisi - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/- Sophie Buonassisi - X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuona- Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.comSponsors: HockeyStack - the AI platform that unifies GTM data to help teams convert, expand, and scale. Learn more at https://www.hockeystack.com/Granola - the AI notepad that turns meetings into action by capturing context, decisions, and next steps automatically. Head to https://www.granola.ai/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=gtmfund&utm_campaign=intercom-episode and get three months free with the code GTMFUND.Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/Highlights:00:00 – Why Intercom went all-in on AI03:23 – What Fin is and how it changes customer support05:27 – How Fin scaled to a 67% resolution-rate06:38 – The thinking behind 99¢ outcome-based pricing08:54 – Why customers don’t want to pay for activity09:10 – How outcome-based pricing aligns incentives09:57 – What changed for sales, success, and revenue operations15:10 – How Intercom thinks about forward-deployed engineers16:22 – Why the future is humans + AI18:56 – The real moat: product feedback loops at scale19:32 – Why Intercom put a million-dollar guarantee behind results23:29 – Why enablement is now the GTM bottleneck32:24 – From $1M to nearly $100M: what Fin’s growth reveals38:26 – Hiring in a world with no playbooks42:20 – How Archana learns from podcasts, books, and customersFor inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.comGTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/
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    46 mins
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