This was excellent. One thing I’ve been thinking about is how the wedge to platform path is shifting under AI acceleration.
The playbook still holds: start focused, earn trust, expand. But the timeline feels compressed. AI is accelerating product cycles, raising user expectations, and increasing the risk of commoditization. The window to make the leap is narrowing. A great wedge doesn’t buy as much time as it used to.
At the same time, building a durable and trusted platform still takes time. I don't think AI lets you shortcut your way 100% there. Which makes timing even more important. You have to ship something narrow enough to drive adoption, while also mapping the platform arc and execution path early enough to create real defensibility.
I've a vertical product, with early adoption, and 100% client retention. We can build features relatively quickly, but we can't achieve significant speed with our 'start small' beachhead ICP because customers already have an existing provider in place that they may have a 1-3 year contract with. What's your view on achieving speed in a vertical where incumbents have long tie ins?
The feedback we get is great, and when we're heading to head against others we nearly always win that deal, but we just can't get enough of those conversations in to grow at the speed a typical VC would look for.
This was excellent. One thing I’ve been thinking about is how the wedge to platform path is shifting under AI acceleration.
The playbook still holds: start focused, earn trust, expand. But the timeline feels compressed. AI is accelerating product cycles, raising user expectations, and increasing the risk of commoditization. The window to make the leap is narrowing. A great wedge doesn’t buy as much time as it used to.
At the same time, building a durable and trusted platform still takes time. I don't think AI lets you shortcut your way 100% there. Which makes timing even more important. You have to ship something narrow enough to drive adoption, while also mapping the platform arc and execution path early enough to create real defensibility.
This is a great one. Congratulations!
I've a vertical product, with early adoption, and 100% client retention. We can build features relatively quickly, but we can't achieve significant speed with our 'start small' beachhead ICP because customers already have an existing provider in place that they may have a 1-3 year contract with. What's your view on achieving speed in a vertical where incumbents have long tie ins?
The feedback we get is great, and when we're heading to head against others we nearly always win that deal, but we just can't get enough of those conversations in to grow at the speed a typical VC would look for.