#StartupsUnedited

Jorge Soto | GTM Media
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#StartupsUnedited is a podcast that was originally born on YouTube recorded from Jorge Soto's San Francisco, CA apartment in 2015. It consists of interviews, roundtables, live broadcasts with some of the decade's top entrepreneurs, investors, and practitioners with the goal of sharing best practices, insights, and wisdom around how to successfully launch your startup company. These are timeless episodes! Check them out!

  1. EP 88 - Fundraising Is Broken in 2026: Doug Landis on AI Hype, Revenue Reality, and the New Moats

    1 DAY AGO

    EP 88 - Fundraising Is Broken in 2026: Doug Landis on AI Hype, Revenue Reality, and the New Moats

    Fundraising in January 2026 feels upside down - and Doug Landis (sales productivity + GTM legend, former Emergence Capital investor) breaks down why founders are feeling whiplash right now.In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, we get into:Why the “AI revolution” narrative is overhyped - and what’s actually newThe stat that surprised me: “85% of the tech stack is still SaaS”Why investors aren’t “making money” right now (and how that changes fundraising behavior)The new traction expectations: what it takes to raise seed vs. Series A in 2026Why “LLM wrappers” don’t hold up (and what happened to Jasper as the cautionary tale)What becomes the real moat: brand, trust, and a provocative POVCommunity-led growth reality check: dinners over Slack groupsThe underrated growth lever: partner-led distribution (including individuals with clout)Why “outbound is advertising” now - and what to send when you’re not begging for meetingsDoug also shares tactical advice for founders and GTM teams building in 2026: define your anchors, speak your buyer’s language, and show up more prepared than your prospects expect - because they’re researching you harder than ever.Follow Doug + check out StoryPath: StoryPathChapters (rough):0:00 Fundraising + the AI reality check3:00 “85% of the stack is still SaaS”4:40 The new seed / Series A bar10:00 Moats: brand, trust, distribution13:30 Community that actually drives pipeline19:30 Partners as a GTM engine (individuals + rev share)27:20 Modern B2B marketing mix in 202630:40 Outbound as advertising + the new buyer behavior#StartupsUnedited #B2B #Fundraising #GTM #Sales #Marketing #AI #Startups #Founder #RevenueFollow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

    33 min
  2. EP 87 - They Had Months of Runway Left… Then Pivoted Into AI Search (How Noble Did It)

    4 DAYS AGO

    EP 87 - They Had Months of Runway Left… Then Pivoted Into AI Search (How Noble Did It)

    In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, I sit down with Rahul Jain (CEO & Co-founder at Noble) to break down the real pivot story:✅ sales slowing down✅ privacy + legal friction piling up✅ “death by a million cuts”✅ a few months of runway left…and then making the call to move into AI Search—helping brands show up in LLMs by automating brand mentions in the sources AI cites.We get into:When you know it’s time to pivot (and the signals people ignore)How Rahul tested the new direction quietly on the side before moving the teamThe hard part: customers, contracts, and investor psychologyWhy boards don’t fund “a pivot to nowhere”Founder mental health: uncertainty, emotional burden, and making the journey sustainableGTM: selling to demand gen marketers, SEO agencies, and partners in the AI search ecosystemIf you’re building in 2026, this is the playbook: pivot fast, validate faster, and don’t pretend the emotional load isn’t real.👇 Question for founders: What’s the clearest sign you’ve seen that it’s time to pivot?#StartupsUnedited #Startups #Founder #Pivot #AISearch #LLM #GTM #Marketing #SEOFollow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

    19 min
  3. EP 86 - AI Just Broke Startup Valuations (Alchemist CEO Ravi Belani Explains the New Rules)

    12 JAN

    EP 86 - AI Just Broke Startup Valuations (Alchemist CEO Ravi Belani Explains the New Rules)

    AI made it way easier to build a product… and somehow made startups way harder to win.In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, I sit down with Ravi Belani (Founder & CEO of Alchemist Accelerator, Stanford entrepreneurship instructor, former DFJ) to break down what AI is doing to:Startup valuations (and why some “identical” companies get funded while others get $0)The new bar for traction: why $3–$6M ARR in ~12 months is becoming the expectationWhy the best startups are hitting insane velocity (0 → $100M ARR stories)The real moat in an AI world: community, network effects, platform lock-in, and vertical depthHow “mega-funds” shape the market (and why they’re often valuation-insensitive)The uncomfortable truth: your technical moat is thinner than ever — so GTM matters more than people admitIf you’re building in 2026 (or thinking about it), this is the episode that’ll recalibrate how you think about product, competition, and fundraising.👇 Drop a comment with what you’re building + where you think the moat is.👍 Like, subscribe, and share this with one founder who needs to hear it.Follow Ravi:X: @rbelaniLinkedIn: Ravi Belani https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravibelani/Stanford eCorner: ecorner.stanford.eduAlchemist Accelerator: (search “Alchemist Accelerator”)#AI #Startups #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #ProductMarketFit #GTM #Fundraising #AlchemistAccelerator #StartupsUneditedFollow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

    23 min
  4. EP 85 - From Carrying a Bag to Building AI Agents: How This Founder Did It

    7 JAN

    EP 85 - From Carrying a Bag to Building AI Agents: How This Founder Did It

    In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, Jorge Soto sits down with Aaron Melamed (Founder & CEO of Itero) - a former “carry-a-bag” sales leader turned founder who’s building a new kind of AI-native company.Aaron breaks down the exact moment he realized ChatGPT + autonomous agents could replace traditional sales training and repetitive business ops, and how he’s using agents to scale everything from roleplay enablement to proposal generation (and even automating back-office work most founders hate).If you’re a founder, GTM leader, SDR/AE, or operator trying to understand what “agentic” actually means in the real world - this one’s a blueprint.What you’ll learn:How a non-technical founder navigated product building (and the fear that comes with it)Why AI roleplay + enablement is harder than it sounds - and how Itero approaches itThe 2 “North Star” questions Aaron uses to decide what to build nextBootstrapping discipline vs. VC-backed “throw money at it” product decisionsWhy founders must go horizontal (GTM + product + AI skills) in 2026 and beyondHow to operationalize agents - not just “build one in a corner”Chapters00:00 Intro00:40 Aaron’s background (Greenhouse, enablement, sales leadership)02:20 The moment he decided to become a founder04:50 Building Itero full-time (since Aug 2024)06:40 Learning product without a technical background09:00 Why Perplexity helped him learn faster10:30 “Agents doing real work” - what he automated16:00 The hardest part of building AI roleplay software18:55 Unlearning salesperson instincts as a CEO26:30 The 2 questions that guide what features ship37:10 Advice for future founders: uncertainty + going horizontal📌 Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn (best way to reach him): https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronmelamed/📌 Follow Jorge Soto for more founder + GTM conversations: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/👍 If this helped, hit like, subscribe, and drop a comment:What’s the first business process you’d automate with an agent?#AI #Startups #B2BSaaS #SalesEnablement #Founders #GTM #AIagents #AgenticAI #StartupPodcast #ColdCalling #SalesTraining

    42 min
  5. #StartupUnedited Episode 84: Why ABM Breaks Down - and How to Rebuild It Around Revenue

    12/12/2025

    #StartupUnedited Episode 84: Why ABM Breaks Down - and How to Rebuild It Around Revenue

    Most teams don’t fail at ABM because they lack tools - they fail because they skip the strategy.In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, Jorge Soto sits down with Kristina Jaramillo, President of Personal ABM, for a deep, practical conversation on what real account-based go-to-market looks like when it’s built around revenue, focus, and account experience — not just intent data and campaigns.We unpack why so many companies jump into ABM platforms before they’re actually ABM-ready, and how that leads to lots of activity, plenty of pipeline… and stalled deal momentum.This conversation goes beyond marketing tactics and gets into how marketing, sales, and customer success need to operate as one revenue system.In this episode, we cover:How ABM evolved from “better targeting” into a true account-based revenue strategyWhy putting ABM tech before strategy often amplifies mediocre GTM executionThe real difference between TAM, TRM (Total Relevant Market), and ICPHow to define an ICP that’s actually predictive of revenue, not just intent signalsWhy intent platforms are a starting point, not the strategy itselfHow to layer account insights and intent so sales gets context they can act onWhat a unified account-based GTM motion looks like across marketing, sales, and CSHow to create 1:1 ABM content and messaging that tells the account’s storyContent that answers “What happens if I buy?” and paints a clear 6–24 month visionWhy alignment is often a human leadership issue (CRO + CMO), not a tooling problemA real example of driving 25%+ margin growth by shifting from vendor to strategic partner in an enterprise accountIf you’re a B2B marketer, founder, or revenue leader trying to move beyond surface-level ABM and into something that actually drives deal progression and growth, this episode will give you a sharper framework to work from.Connect with Kristina Jaramillo🔗 Website: https://personalabm.com🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinajaramillo/Connect with Jorge Soto🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/If this episode resonated, like, subscribe, and leave a comment with how you’re approaching ABM today — what’s working, what’s not, and where deals tend to stall.Let’s keep the conversation unedited.Follow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

    34 min

  6. 26/11/2025

    #StartupUnedited Episode 83: From Hedge Funds to Event Tech: This Miami-Based CEO’s Origin Story & B2B Brand Lessons

    On this episode of #StartupsUnedited, I sit down with Jonathan Kazarian, CEO & Founder of Accelevents, for one of the most tactical deep dives I’ve ever recorded on B2B brand-building, event marketing, and founder-led growth. Jonathan shares the real origin story behind Accelevents — from hedge fund analyst in Boston to building event tech out of necessity for a family fundraiser… and then scaling it into a platform powering 10,000+ attendee conferences. We break down: Why he left finance for tech (unexpectedly) How a cancer fundraiser at the Boston Aquarium sparked the idea The early pivots from fundraising → ticketing → corporate events How talking to customers 24/7 became Accelevents’ superpower Why building a product is easy compared to building a brand How founder-led content drives massive word of mouth Why trust, reputation, and showing up consistently matter His daily LinkedIn writing habit and why it 3×’d referrals Why registration forms kill conversion—and how to fix them How to design event websites for first-time attendees, not repeat ones Why attendee experience > admin experience What reps do wrong in booths (and how to fix sales–marketing alignment) The real way to measure event success: pipeline over 365+ days, not 30 Jonathan shares actionable frameworks for: Optimizing registration flows Coaching reps for on-site consistency Preparing killer follow-up campaigns Choosing which reps you should actually bring to events Turning attendee experience into a growth engine If you’re a founder, marketer, event leader, or B2B operator, this episode is packed with tactical gems you can implement tomorrow. 🎧 Subscribe to the channel for more unfiltered founder conversations and GTM breakdowns. #StartupsUnedited #Accelevents #B2BMarketing #EventMarketing #FounderLedGrowth #BrandBuilding #GTM #JonathanKazarian #JorgeSoto 🚀 Jonathan’s Startup Origin Story🎯 Brand & B2B Marketing Lessons for Founders📅 Event Marketing Best Practices (Goldmine for B2B Marketers)🔥 For Event Marketers & B2B Growth Leaders

    15 min

  7. 26/11/2025

    #StartupUnedited Episode 82: 🚀 From SaaS CMO to Recovery Tech Founder - All Because of a Few Extra Pull-Ups?

    I had an incredible conversation with Evi about her wild journey from leading B2B SaaS marketing to founding Apex Cool Labs, a company at the cutting edge of recovery technology. And it all started with one simple goal: doing more pull-ups. Evi discovered a technique called palm cooling on a podcast, went down the rabbit hole, met her co-founder over a tweet (because of course she did), and the rest is history. Now, their product—Narwhals—is being used by pro athletes, firefighters, and industrial workers to boost performance and recover faster. We also got real about the founder journey—the highs, the lows, and the importance of having a great co-founder. Because let’s be honest, going solo is brutal. Even the best leaders need someone in the trenches with them. If you’re curious about how palm cooling works or why Wired just featured Apex Labs, check them out: apexcoolinglabs.com And if you're a founder, what's been your most unexpected pivot or breakthrough moment? Would love to hear. ⬇️ #startups #founderjourney #recoverytech #productinnovation #entrepreneurship Follow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/ Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

    9 min
  8. #StartupUnedited Episode 81 w/ Sneh Parmar and Nafis Azad, Co-Founders of Lucky

    20/04/2023

    #StartupUnedited Episode 81 w/ Sneh Parmar and Nafis Azad, Co-Founders of Lucky

    In this episode our Host Justin Dorfman interview startup founders Sneh Parmar and Nafis Azad, Co-Founders of Lucky. Lucky is a startup that enables retailers and eCommerce brands to work together to get products to consumers quicker. Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode: 💡 How did you come upon the problem you’re solving with Lucky, how did you validate it, and when did you realize you were on to something? 💡 What are some important things to consider when choosing your co-founder? 💡 How do you divide the work but also collaborate when it comes to making decisions? 💡 One insight or piece of advice you’d give to those just beginning or considering beginning the journey, what would it be? Follow them on Linkedin: Sneh Parmar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snehparmar/ Nafis Azad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nafisazad/ Thanks to our sponsor ⁠AssetMule.Ai

    29 min
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About

#StartupsUnedited is a podcast that was originally born on YouTube recorded from Jorge Soto's San Francisco, CA apartment in 2015. It consists of interviews, roundtables, live broadcasts with some of the decade's top entrepreneurs, investors, and practitioners with the goal of sharing best practices, insights, and wisdom around how to successfully launch your startup company. These are timeless episodes! Check them out!

Information

  • Creator
    Jorge Soto | GTM Media
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    86
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jorge Soto | GTM Media
  • Show Website
    #StartupsUnedited