In this episode of GTM Vault, host Rick Koleta speaks with Michele Shepard — Chief Revenue Officer at Emburse — about scaling predictive revenue systems and turning AI into an intelligence layer for enterprise growth.
Michele shares her frameworks for building repeatable GTM systems that align people, process, and technology — including the 30–60 Framework for new CROs, the Opportunity Scorecard, and how to unify GTM, Product, and Engineering around measurable, predictable growth.
We explore how Emburse is redefining finance through AI-powered Expense Intelligence™, where finance, travel, and accounts payable shift from reactive workflows to proactive, predictive orchestration. Michele also breaks down what metrics actually matter in 2025 and how agentic AI is transforming enterprise roles.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo — GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
In this episode of GTM Vault, host Rick Koleta speaks with Harsha Gaddipati — founder & CEO of Slashy.ai (YC S25) — about building AI that connects reasoning with real-world execution.
We explore how Slashy’s agents automate complex workflows across sales, marketing, and operations — turning intent into action without human handoffs. Harsha shares his framework for “AI that does,” insights into agent coordination, and why the next era of GTM will be defined by tools that can think and act.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo — GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
In this episode of GTM Vault, host Rick Koleta speaks with Jin Kim, founder & CEO of Miracle — a platform built to bring operational transparency, real-time tracking, and unified data integration to clinical trials.
Miracle helps biopharma teams break down data silos, forecast enrollment, monitor sites live, and ensure accountability across vendors and stakeholders — all while maintaining compliance. Discover how this technology is helping cut months off trial timelines and what the future holds with AI in clinical operations.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo — GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
Customer support is broken — and reply-only bots aren’t enough. In this episode, Rick Koleta sits down with Rafael Broshi, co-founder and CEO of Notch, to unpack how resolution-first AI agents are transforming CX. Unlike traditional chatbots or GPT wrappers, Notch agents actually resolve issues end-to-end, delivering 40x faster response times, 80 percent lower cost-to-serve, and measurable lifts in CSAT and conversion.
Rafael explains why FAQ bots cap at 70 to 80 percent accuracy, how agentic architectures combine deterministic rules with LLMs, and what customer support orgs will look like by 2027 when autonomous agents go mainstream. He also shares a case study where Notch tripled VIP campaign response rates, insights into which industries are adopting fastest, and lessons on selling enterprise AI in production environments.
Resolution-first AI isn’t just cutting costs — it’s turning customer experience into a growth engine.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo — GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
In this episode of GTM Vault, Ben Collins, co-founder and CEO of Woz (YC Winter ’25), reveals how AI agents are replacing the need for technical co-founders—launching software businesses in days, not months. Ben shares the story behind Woz, explains how AI-native tools mimic engineering and product teams, and why the human “last mile” remains critical for building trust. He also explores how AI shifts GTM strategy, redefines venture capital, and sketches a bold vision for autonomous company creation by 2030. Perfect for founders, operators, and investors navigating the future of AI-enabled entrepreneurship.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo — GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
Discover how modern GTM engines evolve from product-led growth to sales-assisted—and why speed is the unlock for AI adoption—in this episode of GTM Vault featuring Branca Ballot, VP of Marketing at Glide.
Branca shares how her team grew signups 5x, increased sales-assisted ACV 10x, and launched 5 AI agents in just 40 days. She unpacks the myths around PLG companies adding sales, why RevOps accelerates GTM shifts, and how to align marketing with revenue without killing creativity.
With a background spanning GoDaddy, Zenefits, KKR, and BCG, Branca delivers a tactical playbook for founders, marketers, and operators building scalable GTM machines at the intersection of PLG, AI, and high-velocity sales.
Listen as she breaks down Glide’s modern growth system—self-serve, partner-led, and sales-led—and where AI is adding real value in GTM today.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo — GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
Discover how affiliate-led GTM is evolving—and why it's becoming one of the most overlooked growth engines in modern go-to-market—in this episode of GTM Vault featuring Ian Brodie, CEO of Lavanta. A repeat founder and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, Ian previously co-founded Grovia (acquired in under two years) and led GTM at Acceleration Partners.
Ian shares how Lavanta helps Amazon sellers connect with high-impact creators, and how they’ve scaled by turning agency partnerships into a performance flywheel. He unpacks why most affiliate programs fail, how AI is reshaping creator recruitment and segmentation, and what it really takes to scale a relationship-first channel in an AI-driven world.
Listen as Ian breaks down Lavanta’s modern GTM system—powered by AI, fueled by partnerships, and built for multi-channel traction across Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and DTC.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo—GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
Discover why traditional funnels are collapsing—and learn how to rebuild them around buyers, not blind automation—in this episode of GTM Vault featuring Santosh Sharan, co‑founder and CEO of Zeer AI. Building on his experience scaling Apollo.io, Retention.com, ZoomInfo—and advising Gong, LeadIQ, Lusha, and ContactOut—Santosh dives deep into the shift from volume‑heavy outbound to high‑trust, buyer‑first engagement. He explains why LinkedIn outperforms cold email, how “agents” are replacing SDRs to pre-qualify leads, and why compounding systems consistently beat short-lived hacks.
Listen as Santosh unfolds the strategy behind his 100‑meeting LinkedIn playbook, pinpoints what most AI sales tools get wrong, and outlines how to blend product‑led, sales‑led, and data‑led GTM into a unified, scalable engine. Essential insights for any operator striving to reduce CAC, boost conversion, and ditch broken funnels for good.
Sponsored by ZoomInfo—GTM Intelligence that automates outreach, triggers plays, and turns signals into revenue. Learn more at zoominfo.com/gtmvault.
Vijay Rajendran — executive coach, venture builder, and author of The Funding Framework — joins GTM Vault to explore what it really takes to grow from founder to fundable CEO in today’s fast-moving startup landscape.
Vijay has helped founders raise capital in 80+ countries, led Portfolio Value at 500 Global, and now coaches high-growth leaders on how to lead with clarity, raise with confidence, and scale without burning out.
In this episode:
Why confidence comes from clarity
How to shift from reactive hustle to intentional leadership
The role of GTM motion in making your startup default investable
Fundraising strategy for founders outside SF and NYC
How product-market fit has evolved in 2025
What most CEOs get wrong about alignment, rhythm, and self-management
Whether you’re raising your first round or scaling toward $100M, this episode will help you grow your company by growing yourself first.
Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by ZoomInfo. Learn more at zoominfo.com.
Dave Boyce (Executive Chairman at Winning by Design, board member at Forrester) joins GTM Vault to break down why most SaaS onboarding fails — and how AI is redefining the Product-Led GTM playbook.
In this episode, we unpack:
Why “time to first impact” is your most critical growth lever
How AI agents can drive onboarding, retention, and renewal
The difference between a PLG motion vs. a PLG company
What to measure before revenue shows up
When layering sales kills product-led growth
Dave built and sold companies to Oracle and Amazon, created the first MBA course on PLG, and now coaches the world’s top GTM teams.
If you’re building in SaaS, this is a must-listen.
🔗 Explore the full GTM course, tools, and operator playbooks at gtmvault.wiki
Michael Sarrugia is the #1 Clay GTM advisor in the world and the architect of a new GTM movement: the rise of the GTM Engineer.
In this episode, we break down:
What a GTM Engineer actually is — and why this role is replacing traditional RevOps
How Clay is powering AI-driven workflows across outbound, inbound, and RevOps
The most effective Clay playbooks used by $50M+ ARR scale-ups
Why “revenue per employee” is the new north star metric for GTM teams
Common mistakes founders make when automating their GTM motion
Michael has trained 600+ operators and helped scale some of the fastest-growing SaaS companies. If you’re building or optimizing a modern GTM system, this conversation is a must-listen.
🔗 Explore Clay playbooks: https://clayoperator.com
📚 Join 20,000+ founders & operators inside GTM Vault: https://gtmvault.wiki
Needle AI isn’t just another ChatGPT wrapper — it’s building the AI intern your company actually needs.
In this episode, Rick Koleta sits down with Jan Heimes and Onur Eken, co-founders of Needle-AI.com, to unpack how they raised $2.2M to help companies become AI-enabled in one day.
We dive into:
Why most AI tools become shelfware (and how Needle avoids it)
Their pivot from RAG APIs to a full-stack execution layer
The “intern, not overlord” mindset for integrating AI
What convinced investors to back them early
Their hybrid GTM motion: grassroots traction meets top-down sales
How they build trust, ship fast, and get teams live in minutes
Needle connects to Gmail, Notion, HubSpot, Google Drive and more — giving you a command center for executing real work, not just chatting.
🔗 Learn more at https://needle-ai.com
🎯 Join 20,000+ founders at https://gtmvault.wiki
Charles Cormier has launched 10,000+ cold email campaigns, interviewed 2,500+ founders, and built a system that converts podcast appearances into high-ticket clients. In this episode, he shares his $200/month GTM stack, AI-powered follow-up workflows, and how to build a predictable lead gen engine in 2025.
Sean Ellis — the growth architect behind Dropbox, Eventbrite, and LogMeIn — reveals why most startups stall after early traction and how to build sustainable growth engines.
In this episode of GTM Vault, Rick Koleta and Sean break down:
• Why product-market fit still beats any AI hack
• How Dropbox’s real growth started before the referral program
• The freemium mistake that almost killed LogMeIn
• How to fix your activation flow and stop churn before it starts
• How to build a high-speed, learning-driven culture
• Why founders must personally own growth — not delegate it
Zayd Ali is the founder and CEO of Valley, an AI-powered outbound engine turning the LinkedIn sales tools industry upside down. With two prior exits, global team scaling experience, and backing from General Catalyst, Jason Calacanis, and top sales leaders, Zayd is on a mission to redefine outbound sales. Valley has already generated $120M in pipeline for companies like Front, Cardlytics, and 70+ startups backed by Sequoia, a16z, and more.
But here’s the bombshell: Valley is considering giving its core features away for free—undercutting competitors and forcing the industry to innovate or fade out. Is this a genius growth play or a death sentence for legacy tools?
Tune in to find out.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
• Why now is the perfect time to disrupt LinkedIn automation (and why incumbents are vulnerable)
• How Valley’s signal-based, hyper-personalized outreach achieves 60% reply rates
• The HubSpot-esque freemium playbook Valley is using to dominate the market• Why LinkedIn won’t crack down on automation (and how Valley avoids risks)
• The #1 operational mistake Zayd made scaling Valley (and how to avoid it)
• Fundraising insights from raising $3.2M: “Just build a fucking good company”
Episode 16 features Amos Bar-Joseph, CEO of Swan AI—a Tel Aviv-based startup using AI agents to supercharge human-led sales, not replace them. A 2x-exited founder and ex-KPMG advisor, Amos reveals why most teams use AI wrong and how to scale pipeline without sacrificing authenticity.
In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, we sit down with Selin Kocalar, co-founder and COO of Delve, the AI-powered compliance platform transforming how startups achieve SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR certifications. From leaving MIT to joining Y Combinator, running marathons, and even conquering a Navy SEAL bootcamp, Selin’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary.
We dive deep into:
🚀 The pivotal moment that led her to launch Delve and disrupt the compliance space
💡 How AI is revolutionizing compliance, slashing timelines from months to weeks
📈 Raising $3.3M and scaling to a multi-million dollar revenue run rate
📣 Why word-of-mouth is Delve’s #1 GTM motion and how viral moments on social media helped fuel growth
🏃 How personal resilience—through marathons and bootcamps—translates into leadership and startup success
Selin shares tactical insights on fundraising, growth strategies, and navigating the high-stakes world of AI compliance. If you’re a founder, operator, or investor looking to understand how AI is reshaping enterprise security and compliance, this episode is a must-listen.
🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more GTM insights!
In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, host Rick Koleta sits down with Nick Velkovski, Co-Founder and CEO of Heyreach, a leading LinkedIn outreach tool built for agencies and sales teams. Nick shares the journey of pivoting from Howitzer to Heyreach, the challenges of gaining early adoption, and how niching down to lead-gen agencies transformed their growth. Discover key insights on scaling LinkedIn outreach, defining your ideal customer profile, and the technology behind Heyreach’s unique features.
In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, Rick Koleta sits down with Yuhong Sun, co-founder of Danswer, a YC-backed groundbreaking open-source Gen AI platform. Danswer is helping enterprises solve critical challenges in AI-powered search, with a key focus on data privacy and security. Yuhong shares insights on how Danswer is filling the gaps left by mainstream AI tools like ChatGPT, providing companies with secure, self-hostable solutions to manage internal knowledge.
We're excited to have Ayush Khanna, New Ventures Lead at super{set}—a startup studio dedicated to building transformative data and AI companies. With extensive experience in founding and scaling B2B SaaS startups, Ayush shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities of creating successful ventures.
