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30 episodes
Topline
by Pavilion · English
The #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Tune in every week to hear Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman discuss and debate the trends, news, and developments impacting the B2B tech world. Enjoy the hot takes, strong opinions, and dry humor.
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SPOTLIGHT: Why Good Marketing Teams Still Fail with John Short | John Short, CEO @ Compound Growth Marketing
Why B2B marketing teams still fail despite “good” marketing, and how Compound Growth Marketing improves performance by specializing by vertical and building repeatable roles/responsibilities (not org…
12 Nov 2026 · 23m · 9 chaptersThe Great Tech Selloff (Silicon Valley Investor Explains) | Rajeev Dham, MD @ Sapphire Ventures
A venture investor (Rajeev Dham, Sapphire Ventures) explains why the current “tech selloff” is likely a duration/ROI timing mismatch rather than a technology failure, how long a correction could…
8 Nov 2026 · 1h 5m · 26 chaptersSPOTLIGHT: AI Is Rewriting Sales. Are Your GTM Teams Ready? with Dan Lee of Nooks | Dan Lee, Co-Founder and CEO @ Nooks
AI is reshaping sales and go-to-market (GTM); Nooks argues revenue teams should shift from selling tools to running “revenue agent” workflows across the full revenue lifecycle.
5 Nov 2026 · 21m · 9 chapters"Zero Chance" AI Bubble Doesn't Pop (Here's Who's Safe) | Geoffrey Moore, Author & Venture Partner
Geoffrey Moore argues that the AI “bubble” will eventually correct because valuations outpace real, scaled ROI; however, AI will still improve productivity and reshape software markets.
1 Nov 2026 · 1h 7m · 26 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: Solving SaaS Pricing Challenges with Pricing I/O Founder Marcos Rivera | Marcos Rivera, Founder and CEO @ Pricing I/O
Marcos Rivera (Pricing I/O) explains why SaaS pricing must be revisited continuously (not “one and done”), how pricing should reflect the customer experience and value alignment (not just feature…
29 Oct 2026 · 26m · 12 chapters
The Man Who Led 100+ CROs (Even OpenAI's) | John McMahon - 5x Post-IPO CRO / The GOAT
John McMahon (Topline) discusses the “PTC lineage” of CRO leaders, how revenue teams should be built, and how to determine whether someone is truly ready to be a CRO.
25 Oct 2026 · 1h 14m · 30 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: Untangling Tech Debt and Finding Product-Market Fit with Russ Mikowski of SurePeople | Russel Mikowski, CEO @ SurePeople
Russ Mikowski, CEO of SurePeople, discusses how to “untangle” a decade of tech debt while commercializing psychometric product PRISM.
22 Oct 2026 · 27m · 12 chapters
$682M Public CEO: "The Magic of 80% Gross Margin" | CEO @ Yext, Michael Walrath
Michael Walrath, CEO/chair of Yext, argues that “left-for-dead” software can be a better path than VC hype, emphasizing durable unit economics (80% gross margin, 31% EBITDA) and disciplined growth.
18 Oct 2026 · 1h 8m · 27 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: How Rick Smolen Built Confidence Leading Outside of Sales | Rick Smolen, CRO @ ShipHero
Rick Smolen (CRO at ShipHero) discusses how to build confidence and lead outside of sales by transitioning from sales leadership to owning the full customer lifecycle, plus lessons on recruiting,…
15 Oct 2026 · 26m · 11 chapters
AI Revenue Is Real. But Will It Last? | Amy Konary, Founder & Chair, Subscribed Institute @ Zuora
AI revenue is real but may not be durable; how to forecast “sticky” revenue in the agentic/AI era, distinguish experimentation from leverage, and build adaptable (durable, bamboo-like) business…
11 Oct 2026 · 53m · 23 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: How CEO Sam Jacobs Is Redefining Pavilion's Identity | Sam Jacobs, Founder & CEO @ Pavilion
Sam Jacobs, Founder & CEO of Pavilion (formerly Revenue Collective), discusses how he’s redefining Pavilion’s identity, why the operator community grew quickly, and the business mistakes that led to…
8 Oct 2026 · 21m · 11 chapters
Turning AI Tokens Into ROI (That You Can Measure) | CEO @ Paid, Manny Medina
Manny Medina, CEO of Paid, explains how AI agents will become fully “agentic” and why software pricing must shift from seat-based models to measurable value/ROI.
4 Oct 2026 · 1h 6m · 32 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: The Problem With Your CRM Nobody Talks About | Ramin Heydari, CEO & President @ XYZies
Ramin Heydari explains why modern CRMs fail when companies run multiple sales motions across disconnected tools, and how an AI “agentic CRM” can unify data, coaching, and real-time performance…
1 Oct 2026 · 20m · 6 chapters
If the AI Money Dries Up, Which Companies Burn?
Whether AI application-layer software can survive if AI inference costs rise or “AI money dries up,” with a focus on gross margins vs growth, valuation lessons from 2021, and changing paths to…
27 Sep 2026 · 1h 9m · 24 chapters
CRM As A Business World Model: The Future For GTM Teams? | Keith Peiris, CEO @ Lightfield
Keith Peiris (Lightfield) argues that AI-native “agentic CRM” should act as a business world model for GTM teams, improving forecasting and scenario planning when forecasting is non-deterministic and…
20 Sep 2026 · 1h 7m · 26 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: What It Takes to Step into the CEO Role | Eric Anderson, CEO @ Walnut
Eric Anderson, CEO of Walnut, discusses what it takes to step into a first-time CEO role after a founder, focusing on go-to-market execution, decision-making, board dynamics, and rebuilding alignment.
17 Sep 2026 · 20m · 10 chapters
RevOps for Hypergrowth (Fireworks AI, Perplexity, Exa & More) | CEO @ Go Nimbly, Jen Igartua
RevOps priorities for hypergrowth AI-native SaaS companies—how to get ROI fast when inbound demand outpaces sales infrastructure; sourcing and developing sales talent; and what “GTM engineering”…
13 Sep 2026 · 1h 1m · 22 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: Skipping the SMB Trap and Building for Big Brands | Matt Allison, CEO & Founder @ Handraise
Handraise’s AI-driven media intelligence platform and how Matt Allison is avoiding the “SMB trap” by building for enterprise comms use cases from day one.
10 Sep 2026 · 30m · 13 chapters
Forget Growth. Your Valuation Depends On Your AI Story | Tomasz Tunguz, GP @ Theory Ventures
AI is reshaping software valuation and go-to-market metrics: growth multiples are compressing, but “AI stories” and token/inference demand are driving security and data-infrastructure spending.
6 Sep 2026 · 1h 12m · 27 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: Surviving the Inbox Apocalypse | Evan Huck, CEO & Co-Founder @ UserEvidence
Evan Huck, CEO/co-founder of UserEvidence, discusses “surviving the inbox apocalypse” by shifting B2B pipeline strategy from outbound-heavy tactics to long-term brand, targeted ICP/ICP focus, and…
3 Sep 2026 · 25m · 10 chapters
How To Make Your ARR 20% More Valuable To Investors | Keenan, CEO @ A Sales Growth Company
How to increase ARR value to investors by building a predictable, “problem-centric” revenue system rather than relying on heroic, discount-heavy selling; also how to structure sales training and…
30 Aug 2026 · 1h 18m · 33 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: AI Isn't Just Faster Translation, It's a $40B Tug-of-War for Global Attention. | Bryan Murphy, CEO @ Smartling
AI translation is a $40B global industry and is shifting from “faster/cheaper” to a quality-and-attention battleground; Smartling uses AI to localize rapidly while improving conversion and…
27 Aug 2026 · 32m · 13 chapters
The Unwritten Rules of CRO Survival | Rick Smolen, CRO @ ShipHero
How to use AI in go-to-market without “obliterating” results—AI as leverage (like debt), not a cheat code.
23 Aug 2026 · 1h 14m · 29 chapters
SPOTLIGHT: He Missed Quota 5 Times in 25 Years. Here's the System Behind That.| Mike Carpenter, CEO & Co-Founder @ Xfactor
Mike Carpenter explains his “X-Factor” operating philosophy and how Xfactor.io uses causal AI to find measurable “cheat codes” in sales operations—improving forecasting, pipeline creation, rep ramp…
20 Aug 2026 · 30m · 9 chaptersWe use cookies.They keep VO running smoothly and help us improve it. Privacy policy