Enterprise Weekly #493: Selling GenAI to the Enterprise, and More
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Happy Friday!
According to a new report on The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise by Menlo Ventures, “2024 marks the year that generative AI became a mission-critical imperative for the enterprise.” AI spending surged to $13.8B this year, more than 6x spend in 2023—a clear signal that enterprises are shifting from experimentation to execution.
But in many ways, new tech is only as strong as its ability to sell. To get into the nuances of selling AI products and lessons learned to-date, we hosted a #Womenterprise panel featuring GTM leaders from OpenAI, Hebbia, and Runway. Here are some of the takeaways:
Selling a moving target: AI products evolve at an unprecedented pace, creating a unique challenge for sales teams as “the pitch you gave last week might not apply anymore.” Sales teams must adapt quickly, as products improve under their feet, often influenced by feedback from customers themselves.
Educating buyers is crucial: AI sellers often need to meet buyers where they are in their understanding of the technology’s capabilities or ROI. So, tailor the sales conversation to the buyer's familiarity with the technology to build trust and confidence.
Fundamentals still matter: Despite AI's complexities, the core principles of sales—discovery, multi-threading, close planning, etc.—remain foundational. See all of our sales playbooks on these fundamentals here.
AI won’t replace jobs (yet): Customers see tools like ChatGPT as investments in their workforce, not replacements. And employees now expect these tools to augment their jobs and boost productivity…AI is not going to take everyone's job, it is going to take the jobs of those that don't know how to use it.
Lastly, Enterprise Weekly will be taking off next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving 🦃🍁
🗓️ Join more events:
📚 Read more news:
Associated Press: Nvidia Beats Earnings Expectations As Investors Eye Demand For Blackwell AI Chips
Business Insider: Tech Jobs Are Mired In a Recession
WSJ: It Isn’t Just Data Centers—AI’s Plumbing Needs an Upgrade
📚 Read more (th)reads:
Company: AuthZed
Role: Enterprise Sales Manager
Technology: Managed Permissions Database
Funding: $15.8M from Work-Bench, General Catalyst, Amplify Partners, Y Combinator
🌟 Company of the Week 🌟
Marimo raises $5M led by AIX Ventures and Anthony Goldbloom
Data / AI / Machine Learning • Seed • New York, NY
Co-Founders: Akshay Agrawal (CEO), Myles Scolnick
Theo.ai raises $2.2M led by NextView and nvp capital
Future of Work • Pre-Seed • Palo Alto, CA
Calvin Risk raises $4M led by Join Capital and seed + speed Ventures
Risk / Security • Seed • Zurich, Switzerland
Twenty raises $5M led by Runa Capital
Sales / Marketing • Seed • Paris, France
Workbrew raises $5M led by Heavybit
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Seed • Remote
Flywheel Dynamix raises $7M led by Storm Ventures, Foster Ventures, and Others
Sales / Marketing • Seed • San Francisco, CA
Apideck raises $7.5M led by Airbridge Equity Partners
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Seed • Remote
Twine raises $12M led by Ten Eleven Ventures and Dell Technologies Capital
Risk / Security • Seed • Tel Aviv, Israel
Aira Technologies raises $14.5M led by AT&T Ventures, Intel Capital, IQT, and Others
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Series B • San Francisco, CA
CommBox raises $15M led by PSG Equity
Sales / Marketing • Venture • Boston, MA
Aviz Networks raises $17M led by Alter
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Series A • San Jose, CA
Prompt Security raises $18M led by Jump Capital
Risk / Security • Series A • Tel Aviv, Israel
Lightsynq raises $18M led by Cerberus Ventures
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Series A • Boston, MA
Distyl raises $20M led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
Data / AI / Machine Learnings • Series A • San Francisco, CA
Lightyear raises $31M led by Altos Ventures
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Series B • New York, NY
SuperAnnotate raises $36M led by Socium Ventures
Data / AI / Machine Learning • Series B • San Francisco, CA
Roboflow raises $40M led by GV
Data / AI / Machine Learning • Series B • Des Moines, IA
Lightning AI raises $50M led by Cisco Investments, K5 Global, and Others
Data / AI / Machine Learning • Venture • New York, NY
Rox raises $50M led by Sequoia Capital and General Catalyst
Sales / Marketing • Seed & Series A • San Francisco, CA
Spectro Cloud raises $75M led by Goldman Sachs
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Series C • San Jose, CA
Kong raises $175M led by Tiger Global and Balderton
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Series E • San Francisco, CA
Cyera raises $300M led by Accel and Sapphire Ventures
Risk / Security • Series D • New York, NY
LogicMonitor raises $800M led by PSG Equity and Golub Capital
Infrastructure / Dev Tools • Venture & Debt • Santa Barbara, CA