Bernard Aceituno went from PhD research at MIT to founding Stack AI, a no-code AI platform that's now generating 7-figures in ARR with over 100 enterprise customers and $16M raised. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn the enterprise AI strategy that turned a scrappy MVP into a market leader.
Bernard shares how a perfectly-timed launch on Hacker News generated 20 enterprise meetings in 48 hours. You will learn why chasing too many customer segments (SMBs vs. Enterprise) nearly derailed the company, and the data-driven framework he used to fire small customers and double down on IT teams.
In this episode, Bernard also explains the "Monte Carlo" approach to testing sales channels without wasting time, why early reseller partnerships failed, and the "Maker vs. Manager" schedule that allows founders to code and sell simultaneously.
This episode is brought to you by:
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π Key Lessons
- π The Hacker News Launch: How a simple "Show HN" post for a scrappy MVP generated 20 enterprise meetings in just 48 hours.
- π― Finding Focus: Why chasing too many ICPs (SMBs, Startups, Enterprise) nearly derailed the company and why they fired their small customers.
- π‘ The MVP Pivot: What signals showed Bernard it was time to move from "Dataset Management" to "Workflow Automation."
- π§ͺ The Experiment Framework: How to use a "Monte Carlo" approach to test sales channels without wasting time on mediocre experiments.
- π Channel Mistakes: Why attempts at reseller channels failed early on and what Bernard learned about timing partnerships.
π Chapters
- Introduction & The "Risk" Mindset
- From MIT PhD to YC Founder
- What is Stack AI? (Enterprise AI Toolkit)
- The MVP Launch: 20 Meetings in 48 Hours
- Early Traction: Finding the First $100k ARR
- Discovering the ICP: Why SMBs were the Wrong Customer
- The Enterprise Pivot: Selling to IT & Compliance Teams
- Founder-Led Sales: Closing the First 12 Enterprise Deals
- Hiring Sales Teams: When is the Right Time?
- The "Mediocre Experiment" Trap
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