The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton

E26: Signals That Separate Great Companies from Risky Bets with Neal Patel, CRO of Crunchbase

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Mar 26, 2025

Neal Patel, the CRO at Crunchbase and a tech veteran with 25 years of experience, shares invaluable insights for revenue leaders. He discusses how to assess company viability beyond vanity metrics, aligning with executive peers for sustainable growth, and recognizing red flags in traditional approaches. The conversation dives into AI's disruption of go-to-market strategies, emphasizing a future where smarter, smaller tech stacks prevail. Patel highlights the critical role of CROs in adapting to market dynamics while fostering customer relationships.

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INSIGHT

AI's Impact on the Market

The current market shows optimism due to AI's potential.
AI is causing a tectonic shift similar to the internet, cloud, and mobile.

INSIGHT

AI Disruption and Data

AI agents risk disintermediating apps, similar to Google and web browsers.
Companies relying on data must adapt their business models.

ADVICE

Balancing Macro and Micro

Balance macro market awareness with hitting immediate targets.
Understand market conditions and customer budgets to tailor GTM strategies.

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What should CROs really be looking for when evaluating their next move? In this episode, Kyle sits down with Neal Patel, CRO at Crunchbase, to unpack how revenue leaders can vet companies like investors—by looking past vanity metrics and digging into signals that actually matter. They cover how to evaluate long-term viability, the importance of alignment with executive peers, and why being asked to "just run your old playbook" is a red flag.

The conversation also dives deep into how AI is disrupting traditional go-to-market models, how Crunchbase is using predictive data to reshape its strategy, and why the GTM stack of the future might be smaller—and smarter.

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Key chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Neal Patel and Crunchbase

(02:28) - State of the Market and AI's Impact

(11:01) - Navigating Macro Conditions as a CRO

(14:26) - Crunchbase's Shift Towards Predictive Analytics

(23:27) - AI's Transformative Role in Go-to-Market Strategies

(30:12) - Future of GTM: Embracing AI and Relationship Building

(36:18) - The Importance of Team Innovation

(41:55) - Navigating Company Selection as a CRO

(46:05) - Building Relationships in Leadership

(52:15) - Evaluating Market Potential and Company Goals

(57:05) - Understanding AI's Impact on Business Strategy

(01:01:00) - Red Flags in Company Selection

(01:03:51) - Key Traits of Successful CROs