GenAI is just beginning to revolutionize sales and marketing functions at every level, starting with smaller companies and point solutions.

Without resorting to the usual hyperbolic descriptions of Generative AI capabilities, we can all agree that GenAI is just beginning to revolutionize sales and marketing functions at every level through a new generation of technological tools. The initial wave focused on simple content generation: short- and long-form text, individual images, enhanced chatbots/agents, audio, and more. Leading the charge were pioneers such as Jasper, Copy.ai, Writer, Synthesia, and others. Of course, since then both incumbents and large content platforms like Notion have added tons of integrated GenAI functionality. 

These tools excel at creating individual pieces of content and at times have massively scaled content production. But few, if any, tools have successfully reimagined entire business processes, or tapped into diverse data sources to create enterprise-scale workflows that integrate into the existing technology architecture. This challenge is more manageable for smaller companies, leading to greater evolution and experimentation especially by venture-backed startups. However, solutions for larger enterprises are coming. And we believe they are coming in several areas: 

1. Sales Tools as distinct from Marketing Tools. Innovations are already underway in automating B2B sales development representative (SDR) functions, exemplified by tools like 11x and data enrichment platforms like Clay.io. But that’s just the beginning.

2. Different tools for SMB, Midsize, and Enterprise Markets: It's crucial to tailor products to the specific needs of small companies, midsize firms, or large enterprises. Over time the solutions can evolve, just like HubSpot has moved upmarket, but in the early stages of market development a clear focus on customer size is critical. There are massive opportunities both for companies like Typeface and Tofu. 

3. Differentiating B2C and B2B Marketing Needs: Outside of branding, marketing strategies and execution differ tremendously between consumer-focused (B2C) and business-focused (B2B) areas. This difference affects everything from data collection to campaign designs and ultimate goals. B2B marketing automation platforms (MAPs) like Marketo (now part of Adobe) have little overlap with B2C multi-channel engagement tools like Braze. Similarly, in the GenAI-driven marketing world, B2B tools will evolve differently from B2BC tools.

At Ridge, we have successfully invested in multiple waves of sales and marketing technologies, including Krux (acquired by SFDC), Braze (IPO), Habu (acquired by Liveramp), Vidible (acquired by Verizon), and others (alongside a few valiant but unsuccessful endeavors). Our investment approach includes a truly unique advisory board comprising current and recent CMOs from F500 industry leaders who continuously inform us about the top priorities for enterprise CMOs. 

We have met many great founders building in all of these categories and are actively seeking the next generation of groundbreaking GTM software tools empowered by GenAI. Let us know if you’re building one.