“Speed is non-negotiable — it’s the ultimate advantage.”
This week I sat down with Guillem Oliva, co-founder of Konvo AI — a vertical agent platform that’s quietly rewriting how e-commerce brands convert.
Konvo isn’t just another support bot. It’s a 24/7 agent that sells: combining brand context, product data, and live buyer signals to trigger real conversations and drive conversion. From live chat to proactive follow-ups, it turns intent into orders.
And it’s working: 200 customers, $500K ARR, and 8% average conversion — built with just a 4-person team. We backed them early, and I’m pumped to share the story.
What you’ll learn
* Why most ecommerce campaigns convert <1% — and how Konvo unlocks 8%+
* How they went from kitchen MVP to 200 brands
* The real wedge behind “AI agents for commerce” (hint: it’s not just chat)
* How Konvo uses outbound, founder-led sales, and popcorn to win
* Why speed + craftsmanship > frameworks
Key takeaways
* Co-founder match was founder-future-fit — Guillem and his co-founder aligned early on risk-taking, endurance mindset, and complementary skills — long before the startup idea.
* MVP = results before product — They onboarded 30–40 customers with zero UI — just backend builds, consulting, and manual execution to deliver real outcomes.
* 8% conversion > legacy channels — Konvo agents drive 8%+ conversion rates per convo, 10x above email/WhatsApp, by acting as actual sales closers.
* Agent = proactive sales, not passive chat — Unlike typical bots, Konvo agents detect buyer intent mid-chat and auto-trigger contextual follow-up workflows.
* Vertical AI > generic LLMs — Plugging in ChatGPT isn’t enough — Konvo builds guardrails, tone, product goals, and context into each brand-trained agent.
* Own the customer, or lose the edge — As AI platforms become aggregators, every brand needs its own agent to retain conversion and control.
* GTM began as founder-led brute force — First 100+ customers came from cold email/calling — with just one commercial person on a 4-person team.
* GTM evolved into community flywheel — Focused on one region (Spain), built trust via offline dinners, creative campaigns (like 60kg popcorn drops), and vertical brand-building.
* Find what works > scale what works — The playbook: test messy experiments that get results (e.g. popcorn), then figure out how to scale only after.
* Speed is the real moat — Konvo’s core principle: obsess over detail and move fast — “Anything worth doing must be done fast, or it won’t happen.”
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