Bobby launched Protege in early 2024 to connect data holders with AI model builders. He raised a $10M seed with almost no demand pipeline. A year later, Protege jumped 30x to $30M in GMV and raised $30M from a16z.

In this episode, Bobby breaks down how he built a 250-partner data network by leveraging prior healthcare relationships, why he flies from New York every week to close seven-figure enterprise deals, and why the "texting terms" litmus test tells you if a deal is real.

Why You Should Listen

• Why ignoring a customer's "no" can be the best sales move you make.
• How flying to see buyers weekly became the number one growth driver.
• Why the gap between A and A-plus talent is worth blowing your budget for.
• How Protege went from $1M to $30M GMV in a single year.

Keywords startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, finding pmf, AI data, enterprise sales, founder-led sales, data licensing, healthcare AI, a16z, B2B startup, Bobby Samuels, Protege

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:03:01 Building the First Data Network
• 00:06:12 Why In-Person Sales Changed Everything
• 00:16:08 Going to Market with No Pipeline
• 00:21:07 Ignoring the Lab's No
• 00:27:40 From $1M to $30M in One Year
• 00:34:55 Why A-Plus Talent Is Worth It
• 00:38:28 The Moment of True Product Market Fit

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Maju ran Prime fulfillment technology for all of Amazon — same-day, one-hour shipping, global logistics during the pandemic. He became CEO at Bolt. Then he walked away to start Spangle in a basement with a co-founder, convinced AI could replace e-commerce infrastructure as we know it. Less than a year out of stealth, he raised a $50M Series A.

In this episode, Maju breaks down why 40% of e-commerce traffic loses its context the moment it arrives on a brand's site, how Spangle's AI dynamically rebuilds the entire storefront in real time for each visitor, and why he believes the future of commerce will be a battle between AI seller agents and AI buyer agents.

Why You Should Listen

• Why 40% of your marketing traffic is wasted the moment it hits your site.
• Why the future of e-commerce is a showdown between AI seller agents and AI buyer agents.
• How he signed 11 enterprise brands in under a year with a free POC and rev-share pricing.

Keywords startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, finding pmf, e-commerce, AI commerce, agentic commerce, personalization, dynamic storefronts, conversion optimization, enterprise SaaS, Series A, Spangle, Maju Kuruvilla

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:25 Amazon VP to Basement Startup
• 00:06:23 Why AI Changes E-Commerce
• 00:09:34 The 40% Traffic Gap
• 00:17:43 AI Merchandising in Real Time
• 00:23:17 Raising $50M for the Seller Agent
• 00:33:12 Signing 11 Enterprise Brands
• 00:37:17 The Moment of True Product Market Fit

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Amanda spent 16 years running a services business for Cisco and Intel. When she tried to productize her business, 22 VCs rejected her. That became 6sense, a $200M ARR company. After stepping aside as CEO and taking five years off, she's back with an AI startup called 1 mind.

In this episode, Amanda breaks down why she always goes enterprise-first when everyone tells her to start small, how she used an AI clone of herself to pitch 60 VCs and raise 1mind's Series A in three days, and why she believes the entire sales process—SDRs, AEs, sales engineers—is about to be collapsed into a single AI "superhuman."

Why You Should Listen

• Why 22 VC partner meetings said no—and how one change fixed it overnight.
• How she used an AI clone of herself to close a Series A in 3 days.
• Why starting enterprise-first beats moving upmarket.
• Why outbound AI email is a race to the bottom and what to build instead.

Keywords startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, AI agents, AI sales, enterprise sales, 6sense, 1mind, finding pmf, B2B SaaS, AI enabled services, net dollar retention

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:05:58 22 VC Rejections—Until She Found the Right Co-Founders
• 00:08:49 Why She Always Starts Enterprise-First
• 00:22:00 Five Years Off—Then the AI Wave Hit
• 00:27:32 Why AISDRs Are a Race to the Bottom
• 00:43:23 Using Her AI Clone to Raise the Series A
• 00:49:52 The Moment of True Product Market Fit

Send me a message to let me know what you think!