Grow Your B2B SaaS

• S7E14 - Scaling SaaS in 2026: AI Adoption, Pricing Shifts & Efficient Growth with Romy Kotler - de Groot

  How will B2B SaaS Scaling be like in 2026, with AI Adoption, Pricing Shifts for Efficient Growth? This is quickly becoming the central focus for B2B SaaS leaders, as companies navigate rapid changes in technology, customer expectations, and competitive pressure. Recorded live at the SaaS Summit in Amsterdam, this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast features a candid conversation with Romy de Groot, Chief of Staff at Atlassian. Drawing on her experience across startups, scale-ups, and Booking.com during the pandemic, Romy explains what will truly separate the SaaS companies that thrive in 2026 from those that fall behind, as AI transforms product development, pricing models evolve, and efficient growth becomes the new baseline for success.Key Timecodes(0:00) - How Atlassian Scales SaaS With AI: Live From SaaS Summit Amsterdam(0:51) - The Ex-Booking.com Strategist Driving Atlassian’s Growth(1:09) - What Will Make or Break B2B SaaS in 2026(1:57) - The Death of Traditional SaaS Pricing?(2:17) - The Enterprise Contract Nightmare No One Talks About(2:58) - Per-Seat Pricing Is Dying—Here’s What’s Replacing It(3:27) - Freemium Is Broken in the AI Era—Here’s Why(4:11) - VCs Are Done Funding Your Freemium Dreams(4:27) - Will AI Kill Startup Hiring? The Brutal Truth(5:33) - The 2026 Efficiency Playbook Every SaaS Founder Needs(6:26) - AI Can Now Automate Your Boring Work—But Not What You Think(7:23) - GTM Teams vs AI: The Speed War Is On(8:12) - No-Code + AI: Build Fast, Break Faster?(8:43) - Why Every B2B SaaS Needs an Affiliate Engine Now(9:28) - If You Built a GTM From Scratch in 2026—Start Here(10:36) - Do You Even Need VC Money Anymore?(11:13) - Your $500 MVP Won’t Survive an $8M Pre-Seed Competitor(11:40) - The Smart Founder’s Equity Strategy for 2026(12:27) - There Is No SaaS Silver Bullet—Stop Searching(12:52) - How to Make Strategy When Nothing Is Certain(13:33) - The Real 0→10K MRR Blueprint (That Actually Works)(14:41) - How to Scale From $10M to Hypergrowth—What Changes(16:58) - From $10M to a Billion? The Founder Mindset Shift(17:24) - Set Your Number: How Your Exit Target Shapes Everything(18:55) - Connect With Romy De Groot(18:56) - Subscribe or Miss the Next Big SaaS Insights

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• S7E13 - Scaling SaaS in 2026: AI, Talent, and the Future of People Operations with Hotske Wesselius

  Scaling SaaS in 2026: AI, Talent, and the Future of People Operations is becoming a core focus for growing B2B companies as AI reshapes how teams work, how customers buy, and how leaders build the next generation of SaaS organizations. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, recorded live at SaaS Summit Benelux in Amsterdam, host Joran speaks with Hotske Wesselius about how AI will reshape scaling in 2026. With a background in marketing and a career shift into people and talent acquisition, Hotske supports SaaS companies in hiring and retaining top talent. Their discussion explores how AI is changing the buyer journey, customer success, people management, culture, team structures, search behavior, partnerships, go to market strategies, efficiency, and the overall pace of competition. The theme is consistent. AI will not remove the need for people, but it will transform how teams work, what skills matter, and how leaders manage and support their organizations. The episode also offers advice for founders at various revenue stages and the mindset shifts needed to thrive in a fast changing environment.Key Timecodes(0:00) – AI Breakthrough Intro: B2B SaaS in 2026, Scaling, Buyer Journey, Customer Success, People Leadership(0:47) – Talent Secrets: Hotske Wesselius on Marketing, Recruiting, Hiring Top SaaS Talent(1:12) – Scaling Revolution: What Will Separate Winning B2B SaaS in 2026 (AI-Driven Orgs)(1:26) – Skill Upgrade: New Capabilities for the AI Era — Agents, Enablement, Leadership(2:13) – Buyer Shift: AI Search, Findability, and Customer Support Automation(3:11) – Data Reality Check: People Analytics Built on Engagement + Results(3:33) – Automation Wave: Headcount vs AI, Cognitive Tasks, Reporting, AI “Brain” Roles(4:31) – Human-in-the-Loop: Training, Building, and Governing AI Inside SaaS Companies(4:52) – Culture Reset: Designing Strong Company Culture in the Age of AI(5:29) – AI-First Shift: Changing Mindset at Scale (Miro Example)(5:56) – Leadership Hack: Using ChatGPT for Feedback, Tone, and Empathetic Communication(7:03) – Hyper-Personalization: Tailoring Communication via Personality Types (DISC)(7:44) – Empathy Engine: How AI Improves Manager Communication & Employee Experience(8:15) – Pro Tip: Use AI as Your Personal Empathy Coach(8:29) – Sponsor Spotlight: Reditus — B2B SaaS Affiliate & Referral Growth(9:25) – Efficiency Mode: Growing Fast in 2026 with AI Automation

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• S7E12 - SaaS Pricing Strategy 2026: Hybrid Models, AI Costs & Value-Based Pricing with Tjitte Joosten "T.J"

  What will be the SaaS Pricing Strategy 2026? In this episode, Joran sits down with Tjitte Joosten—known as T.J.—to discuss the evolving world of SaaS pricing and how founders can adapt to change without losing momentum. T.J. works full-time in pricing and packaging for SaaS and AI companies. Before that, he spent years in early-stage ventures, helping them find product-market fit and close major deals. Those experiences taught him how to win large accounts without over-discounting and how to leave room for long-term growth.Through that process, T.J. discovered that pricing is not just about numbers but also about psychology and behavioral economics. The same solution can sell for $10,000 or $50,000 depending on the story told. After meeting his co-founder, who was already working in pricing, T.J. transitioned into it full-time—and it became his passion.Their conversation explores how SaaS pricing is evolving, how to experiment with models safely, when to raise prices, how to communicate changes effectively, and how freemium models may evolve in the AI era.Key Timecodes(0:00) - B2B SaaS & AI Pricing Expert(0:05) - TJ Joosten on Value Storytelling(1:13) - Future of SaaS Pricing 2026(1:28) - Why Hybrid Pricing Wins(3:10) - The Pricing Switch Risk(3:27) - Technical Debt of Pricing(5:15) - How to Test New Pricing(6:40) - Entitlement & Packaging(7:13) - When to Raise Prices(8:49) - Timing Strategy: Netflix Case(10:04) - Communicating Price Changes(11:10) - Freemium in the AI Era(12:33) - The Cost of Free Users(13:38) - From $0 to $10K MRR(14:42) - Scaling to $10M ARR(15:56) - The Founder’s Role in Pricing(16:32) - Connect with TJ Joosten

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• S7E11 - B2B SaaS Growth Strategy 2026: Scaling with AI Agents & Growth Loops With Mark Appel

  Recorded live at the SaaS Summit in Amsterdam, this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast dives into a focused conversation with Mark Appel, Chief Marketing Officer at Sendcloud. As one of Europe’s fastest-growing B2B SaaS platforms, Sendcloud operates across eight European markets, generating close to 60 million in annual recurring revenue with a team of about 450. In this discussion, Mark reveals how Sendcloud approaches international scaling, builds cross-functional go-to-market alignment, identifies and prioritizes compounding growth loops, and integrates AI agents across marketing and GTM operations. He also reflects on what he would do differently if he could rebuild a SaaS go-to-market motion from scratch, what early-stage founders should focus on to reach their first 10K MRR, and how to evolve from feature-led messaging to a brand-led narrative on the path to 10 million ARR.Key Timecodes(00:00) – Intro: Scaling B2B SaaS, Growth Loops & AI GTM 2026(01:10) – Guest Intro: Mark Appel, CMO of Sendcloud(01:39) – Company Snapshot: €60M ARR, 450 Employees, 8 Markets(02:20) – 2026 Focus: International SaaS Scaling Strategy(02:36) – Cross-Functional GTM: Marketing, Sales & CS Alignment(03:26) – GTM Motion: Hybrid PLG + SLG in B2B SaaS(03:39) – Finding Growth Loops Across 8 Countries(04:34) – Working Growth Loops: Demand to Revenue Flywheel(05:15) – Platform Network Effects: Merchants, Carriers & Partners(06:13) – Built-in Virality: Tracking Emails as Growth Channel(06:51) – Ad Break: Reditus Affiliate & Referral Growth(07:35) – AI for GTM 2026: AI SDRs & Marketing Agents(08:50) – AI Implementation: Challenges & Early Adoption(09:55) – Biggest GTM Shift: Retention, Expansion & Automation(10:22) – PLG in Product: Driving Adoption via In-App Prompts(11:40) – Rebuilding GTM: Cross-Functional Pods by Segment(12:41) – Segmentation: Startup to Enterprise Strategy(13:21) – Future Growth Loops: Consumer Visibility for SaaS(14:41) – 0 to 10K MRR: In-Market Demand & Search Campaigns(15:34) – 10K MRR to €10M ARR: Brand-Led SaaS Growth(16:03) – Connect with Mark Appel: LinkedIn & Email(16:18) – Outro & CTA: Subscribe, Sponsor & Learn via Reditus

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• S7E10 - Build the Right GTM Engine: Hiring, Structure & Growth for SaaS Founders with Christopher Gannon

  In a world where anyone can generate a “perfect” email with AI, does perfection even matter? According to Christopher Gannon, founder of Captivate Talent, what truly matters are the fundamentals: relationships, brand, and aesthetics. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, hosted by Joran from Reditus, Chris breaks down how startups should think about hiring go-to-market (GTM) talent, structuring teams, leveraging AI, and expanding into the US. This article summarizes their conversation into clear, actionable insights every founder should know.Key Timestamps(00:00) The Perfect Email Myth: Why Human Connection Still Wins(00:55) Meet the Masters of B2B SaaS Growth(01:31) Why Headcount Won’t Scale Your SaaS Revenue(01:51) From Filling Seats to Building a GTM Powerhouse(02:10) The Birth of Captivate Talent: A Founder’s Bold Pivot(03:33) The $1M ARR Question: When to Hire Your First GTM Pro(03:50) The Founder’s Dilemma: Sell It Yourself or Hire Early?(04:58) The Brutal Truth About Early-Stage Onboarding(05:39) Who Comes First—Sales or Marketing? The Real Answer(05:54) Never Outsource Your Superpower(07:20) Overhiring vs. Underhiring: The Startup Goldilocks Problem(08:16) The Rolodex Trap: Why Big Titles Burn Startups(09:22) Forget Titles—Hire for 12-Month Outcomes Instead(10:15) Inside the Ideal GTM Team Structure for SaaS Growth(11:08) The Secret Weapon: Your Customer Call Library(11:39) AI Is Taking Over GTM (But Here’s the Catch)(12:11) Beyond ChatGPT: How to Spot True AI Fluency(13:48) Reditus Break: The Affiliate Engine Powering B2B SaaS(14:11) How to Measure Real AI Impact in Your Workflows(15:06) “At the Table or on the Menu?” AI Skills That Protect Your Career(15:44) The Truth About GTM Hiring in a Post-Layoff World(16:24) Why Relationships Beat Perfect AI Emails Every Time(17:44) The Costly Mistake: Hiring an SDR for US Expansion(18:10) The Founder-Led Playbook for Cracking the US Market(19:09) The Full-Stack Expansion Model Every SaaS Needs(20:22) Stop “Testing” the US with One Hire—Here’s Why(22:08) PLG vs. Enterprise: When Remote Expansion Stops Working(23:33) Why Big Logos Abroad Don’t Impress US Buyers(24:24) US to Europe: How to Win with Local Talent and Presence(25:29) The Hidden Legal Maze of US Hiring(26:26) The Real Cost of US Expansion (and Cultural Fit)(28:34) The Culture Clash: Vacations, Burnout, and Commitment(29:21) Burn the Boats: The Only Way to Win in the US(30:12) The Future of GTM: How AI Is Rewriting Hiring Rules(31:16) From 0 to $10K MRR: Discipline Over Everything(32:47) From $10K to $10M ARR: Hire Ahead and Pay for Talent(36:49) Connect with Christopher Gannon and Captivate Talent

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