Topline

01:07:51

The Most Surprising Companies Private Equity is Buying

Topline ·

2025/10/19

We ran an analysis on some of the biggest Private Equity assets and acquisitions. Is the explosion of this space a bubble, or is there something deeper happening here? 3 CEOs debate! Chapters: 00:00 – Private Equity’s Reach 05:00 – The Broader Impact of Private Equity 10:00 – Toll Roads, Robert Moses, and Infrastructure Power 15:00 – What It’s Like to Work for Private Equity 23:50 – Inside Vista and the Private Equity Playbook 27:50 – Preparing for a Private Equity Acquisition 30:50 – Founder

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55:36

The Fastest Way to Make $1M in 2025 is Not What You...

Topline ·

2025/10/12

3 millionaires explain how they would make $1M with these business models, strategies, and systems. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Agenda 03:17 Bootstrapping: Who It’s For and Why It

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58:05

If You Want $100M FAST, Copy These Startups

Topline ·

2025/10/05

The Topline crew breaks down the fastest growing startups of 2025. Chapters: 02:20 Welcome to Top Line 02:57 Discussion on AI Company Investments 08:47 Fastest to $10 Million in Revenue 09:53 Debate on AI Market Sustainability 15:58 AI’s Impact on Business Strategies 29:58 Fastest to $50 Million in Revenue 33:16 PLG vs. Sales-Led Growth 34:08 Choosing the Right Business Model 37:03 Fastest to $100 Million in Revenue 38:07 Revenue Milestones and AI Companies 42:00 Challenges with AI

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01:01:34

This Controversial Industry is Secretly Creating...

Topline ·

2025/09/28

Special purpose vehicles are the biggest underworld in startups. They’re creating more opportunity to invest in some of the biggest companies in the world. That doesn’t mean they don’t come with risk. Peter Walker from Carta gives us a full breakdown. 00:00 Too Good to Be True? 01:05 Deep Dive into SPVs 04:03 The Growth and Impact of SPVs 06:04 Understanding SPVs in Venture Capital 23:31 The AI Bubble and Its Implications 32:43 Will Startups Shut Down? 33:52 Hiring and Firing in Startups 39:09

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01:04:24

We Studied Palantir for 300 Hours and Learned...

Topline ·

2025/09/21

We studied Palantir for 200+ hours to understand how its stock keeps growing, how the company handles sales and marketing, and to understand why it’s such a cultural phenomenon. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free

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01:04:42

‘Every Person On My Team Codes Now’ - Inside $250M...

Topline ·

2025/09/14

AJ Bruno, the CEO of $21M SaaS startup Quota Path, explains his company-wide experiment to make all of his employees vibe code. The results were shocking. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday. Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to

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01:00:29

Meet The 27-Year-Old Building $1.5B AI Employees...

Topline ·

2025/09/07

Jesse Zhang is the CEO of Decagon, the $1.5B startup creating AI agents to transform customer service. Jesse talks to us about the future of AI agents, the limits of automation, and the AI startup landscape. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday and Thursday. Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators,

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01:10:32

The AI Bubble Is Going to Burst In…

Topline ·

2025/08/31

In this episode of Topline, hosts Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno dive into the question of whether we’re currently in an AI bubble. We talk through key data points on valuations, venture capital’s dry powder, and $3 trillion in projected data center investments. Is AI unsustainable hype, true long-term growth, or both at the same time? Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday and Thursday. Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code

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01:02:35

E123: We Analyzed EVERY Y Combinator Company (1,000+)

Topline ·

2025/08/24

We ran the biggest public study on YC company’s successes and failures in history. This is what we learned about the most prolific startup incubator in history. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday and Thursday. Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the

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01:08:34

E122: How To Spend Your 20s in The Super Intelligence...

Topline ·

2025/08/17

In this episode of Topline, Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno debate the rise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), technology designed to match or exceed human-level intelligence, and what it means for your career. From the decline of “average” roles to the outsized opportunities for top performers, they explore how AI is reshaping work, organizations, and leadership. If you’re in your 20s and building a career in the superintelligence economy, this conversation will help you understand the

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32:01

SPOTLIGHT: AI Isn’t Just Faster Translation, It’s a...

Topline ·

2025/08/14

Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, confronts a $40 billion industry stuck in the slow lane, the world of translation. Most companies still handle translations like it’s 1999: manual, expensive, and painfully slow. Bryan saw AI as the game changer that could rewrite the rules, but integrating it wasn’t a walk in the park. He shares how Smartling harnessed AI to not just cut costs and speed up translation but to finally boost quality close to human-level precision without losing control over brand voice

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01:03:38

The White Collar Bloodbath Explained: These Jobs...

Topline ·

2025/08/10

Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno and CEOs who are fundamentally changing how they are hiring and firing because of AI. These are the jobs that will and won’t exist in the next 12 months, and our real-world insights on what CEOs are looking for out of their talent base. Thanks for tuning in! New episodes of Topline drop every Sunday and Thursday. Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Elevate your 2026 strategy and join us from September 23 to 25 in

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25:03

SPOTLIGHT: Surviving the Inbox Apocalypse with Evan...

Topline ·

2025/08/07

Nobody told startup founders building credibility felt this messy. Evan Huck, CEO and co-founder at UserEvidence (ex-SurveyMonkey, TechValidate), pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to turn verified customer proof into actual demand. Forget the fairytales: from wrestling with cold starts in outbound sales to playing the long game with brand, Evan’s war stories are pure fuel for GTM teams tired of overnight success myths. Thanks for tuning in! New episodes of Topline drop every Sunday and

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01:02:18

E120: What does the future of tech look like when it...

Topline ·

2025/08/03

What if AI made switching platforms effortless—and what would that mean for SaaS? This week on Topline, Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno unpack the latest headlines around Databricks, Snowflake, and Ramp to explore whether AI is truly shifting the foundations of enterprise software. They debate the reality behind “vibe coding,” question whether AI is actually boosting productivity (or just slowing us down), and discuss why so much of today’s AGI conversation feels overhyped. Plus: the rise of

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25:17

Kyle Norton on Decoding Churn: Enhancing Retention in...

Topline ·

2025/07/31

Dive into a conversation with Kyle Norton, CRO of Owner.com, as he reveals the journey of addressing churn in a fast-growing SMB-focused business. Kyle discusses the challenges of identifying the true causes of churn and the strategic decisions required to improve retention. This episode offers valuable insights for leaders managing high-growth companies looking to refine their customer success strategies and enhance product value perception. Revenue Blindspots is brought to you by Otter.ai. To

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01:12:52

What Public SaaS Can Learn from Private Equity

Topline ·

2025/07/27

Public SaaS companies are growing faster—but private equity–backed SaaS companies are doing it more profitably. In this episode, AJ and Asad dig into new data from David Spitz comparing ARR growth and EBITDA margins across both groups, and debate what’s really driving the difference: lower R&D spend, selection bias, or superior go-to-market execution. They also unpack the implications of long CAC paybacks, PE-style operational rigor, and whether most founders truly understand the capital partners

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22:58

Asad Zaman's Take: Rethinking Key Person Risk and...

Topline ·

2025/07/24

Asad Zaman, CEO of Sales Talent Agency, joins Sam Jacobs to challenge conventional wisdom around key person risk. Asad's unique perspective on building a business deeply intertwined with personal brand and long-term vision offers a fresh take on driving growth without the traditional focus on enterprise value. This episode is perfect for leaders questioning the status quo and seeking to build enduring businesses with a personal touch. Revenue Blindspots is brought to you by Otter.ai. To learn more,

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01:09:30

E118: Did Windsurf Screw 200+ Employees for $2.4B ft....

Topline ·

2025/07/20

Windsurf grew fast, hit $82M in ARR, and was nearly acquired by OpenAI for $3 billion—until the deal collapsed. Google stepped in with a $2.4 billion offer, but only for 40 engineers. In this episode, Sam, Asad, and AJ are joined by Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta, to break down what really happened and what this deal signals for the future of startup M&A. They explore how acqui-hires are evolving into talent-first extractions, what founders owe their teams in billion-dollar outcomes, and

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31:27

AJ Bruno's Journey: Balancing Growth with Sustainable...

Topline ·

2025/07/17

Sam Jacobs welcomes AJ Bruno, Founder and CEO of Quotapath, who reveals how a single meeting changed everything he knew about business growth. From nearly tanking his company's retention to creating a legendary "war room" strategy, he'll share the brutal lessons that transformed his approach to customer success. Learn how chasing new logos can be a dangerous game, why AI isn't always the silver bullet, and how one founder turned potential disaster into a $200 million success story. Warning: Contains

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01:07:55

E117: How AI Native Orgs Are Reshaping RevOps and...

Topline ·

2025/07/13

This week on Topline, Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno dive into how AI-native companies are reorganizing go-to-market teams—with more investment in RevOps and post-sales, fewer traditional marketers, and agent-led outbound replacing SDRs. They break down new data from Iconiq, unpack Figma’s S-1 through the lens of revenue quality, and explore what makes these orgs structurally different. Thanks for tuning in! New episodes of Topline drop every Sunday and Thursday. Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only

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