Episode 823 | Hot Take Tuesday: Is A.I. Killing B2B SaaS?, ChatGPT Ads, OpenClaw
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Thank you so much for having me. Traditional banking forces you to duct tape tools together and work around slow processes. Mercury doesn't. The dashboard shows me exactly where each business stands at a glance. The interface is simple enough for daily banking and paying invoices, but can also handle the multi-step approval processes we need when wiring large sums of money to the dozens of companies we invest in each year. And I'll see you next time.
What are the differences between asset and stock purchases in SaaS acquisitions?
You're listening to Startups for the Rest of Us. I'm your host, Rob Walling. In this Hot Take Tuesday episode, my two co-hosts and I dig into topics like is AI killing B2B SaaS, ads hitting chat GPT, the explosion of OpenClaw, and more.
Is AI really killing B2B SaaS?
I did not intentionally make it an all AI episode, but these are the topics of the day. Before we dive into the episode, I want to let you know that there are two never published episodes of Startups for the Rest of Us. The only way to get them is to sign up for our email list. Head to startupsfortherestofus.com, enter your email to subscribe, and you'll get an episode titled Eight Things You Must Know When Launching Your Startup and Ten Things You Should Know As You Grow and Scale Your SaaS. These are audio episodes, and they are accompanied by a PDF guide for each that summarizes things. the two episodes. And honestly, whether you're interested in these episodes or not, we also send out a weekly recap of each episode of Startups for the Rest of Us.
Are AI models noticeably better than they were a year ago?
And you'll be joining several thousand folks on that list who get the show notes and all the links of things we talk about in the episodes. Startupsfortherestofus.com and subscribe to get all of that. And with that, let's dive in to Hot Take Tuesday. It's Hot Take Tuesday time again, and I'm welcoming my usual band of misfits.
Kicking us off first is... Tracy Osborne.
So Tracy Osborne, what do you do at MicroConf Tiny Seed?
I feel like these sessions are actually a really great way for people to see what a dork you actually are.
It doesn't come out in the rest of the podcast.
Hi, I'm Tracy. I am the head of product of TinySeed and of MicroConf.
What are the implications of ChatGPT running ads?
So what do you actually, what do you mean head of product? What do you do?
I, uh, I'll, I'll say the thing I said earlier to you. I am the Riker to your Picard. So I kind of, I run, I run all the day to day. I, you, you tell me what to do and I make it happen.
What is the hype surrounding OpenClaw?
Let's put it that way. I love it. Yeah. Oh, that's great. That's what I do.
And my other panelist is Mr. It sounds like you're being announced at a Giants game.
Yes, finally.
How can SaaS founders leverage new ad networks?
It's less than one Scaramucci until spring training starts. Did you know that? I didn't, but I do now. And Arval Set, what do you do? I am your co-founder at TinySeed and also the co-founder and, well, founder and managing partner at Discretion Capital.
Very nice. And Discretion Capital is a boutique M&A firm that advises SaaS founders from what, 2 million to 20, 25 million ARR. And you advise them on the sell side if they're looking to sell. Speaking of that, you and your team have put together a guide, the definitive guide to M&A for B2B SaaS. It is at discretioncapital.com slash guide. You want to give us just a brief summary of what's included?
Yeah, it was actually one of my colleagues over at Discretion was like, you should write something because we've been doing this for nearly a decade now, and most people don't really understand what it goes into. It goes into M&A for B2B SaaS in this sort of ARR range. So, so really that's the goal. The goal really is like, and look, obviously it's marketing. Like I want the companies to come to us and we'll help them make a bunch of money, but not everybody will do that. And so, so, you know, even if you're, even if you're going to DIY it, it's, it's worth understanding, like, what does the market actually look like? Because it's actually one of this sort of size range is very difficult. Once you get larger than that, if you're into like 50 or a hundred million dollars,
Then very quickly, like, you know, it becomes kind of known what the market is and, you know, what things cost and who the buyers are.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:08
2
What are the differences between asset and stock purchases in SaaS acquisitions?
1:08–1:25
3
Is AI really killing B2B SaaS?
1:25–2:12
4
Are AI models noticeably better than they were a year ago?
2:12–3:08
5
What are the implications of ChatGPT running ads?
3:08–3:22
6
What is the hype surrounding OpenClaw?
3:22–3:35
7
How can SaaS founders leverage new ad networks?
3:35–41:28
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Startups For the Rest of Us
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Episode 848 | What Liquid Death Can Teach Us About B2B SaaS (Rob Solo)
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