Scaling and selling AI products for enterprise | May Habib (Co-founder and CEO of Writer)
Feb 29, 2024
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May Habib, CEO of Writer, delves into scaling AI products for enterprise, importance of champions, healthy co-founder relationships, and the future of agentic AI. Discusses advice for AI founders in 2024. Highlights investing in smaller AI models for specific use cases and building a business with strong team dynamics.
In enterprise markets, securing larger ACV and ensuring customer retention prioritize functionality over switching ease, crucial for scalability and long-term growth.
Writer's evolution from Cordoba to a full-stack generative AI platform showcases the importance of understanding customer needs for product-market fit.
Navigating nascent Generative AI markets demands swift adaptation, customer-centric innovation, and proving business value for sustainable growth in the enterprise realm.
Deep dives
Focused Growth in Enterprise Market
In the enterprise market, the focus lies on securing bigger Annual Contract Value (ACV) and ensuring customer retention by offering sticky solutions that overshadow the allure of novelty. Households prioritize functionality over switching ease, particularly evident in generative AI, which poses challenges in scalability due to shifting buyer attention affecting long-term business growth.
Writer's Journey to Product Market Fit
Writer, a full-stack generative AI software platform, emerged from previous startup Cordoba, specializing in machine translation. Founders transitioned to address language inequalities and AI applications beyond target languages. Writer honed in on enterprise customers early, using insights from early clients like Accenture to shape its Go-To-Market strategy, highlighting the significance of understanding customer needs for achieving product market fit.
Strategic Evolution of Product Offerings
Initially launching an AI writing assistant for diverse company departments, Writer expanded to provide high-quality generative features, setting them apart in terms of quality and customization for customers. The platform evolved to a full-stack generative AI platform, merging large language models with essential tools for a range of applications, catering to high-impact enterprise use cases.
Navigating Dynamic Tech Challenges
Facing nascent markets like Generative AI, startups confront uncertainties in technology evolution, requiring swift adaptation and customer-centric innovation. Persisting in the enterprise realm necessitates tangibly proving business value swiftly, steering clear of distractions to ensure sustainable growth and impact.
Cultivating Core Values and Leadership
Writer's co-founders prioritize customer-centricity, fostering a culture of open debate, and emphasizing customer needs in all discussions. Upholding a high signal-to-noise environment keeps the team focused on customer feedback, enhancing product refinement and ensuring alignment with enterprise goals. This deliberate approach molds a team centered on rapid learning, flexibility, and delivering tangible value to customers.
Empowering Team and Sustaining Growth
Writer's success stems from a cohesive team dynamic, where each member plays a vital role in innovation and growth. The commitment to empowering employees, adapting to market nuances, and fostering deep customer relationships fuels ongoing evolution and market success. Open dialogue, constant learning, and strategic decision-making drive Writer's expansion and consolidate its position in the competitive enterprise landscape.
May Habib is the co-founder and CEO of Writer, a full-stack generative AI platform built for enterprises. The model is trained on a customer’s own data to create content that is consistent with their brand style and voice. Writer recently raised $100M at a valuation of around $500M. Prior to Writer, May co-founded Qordoba, an AI writing assistant.
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In today’s episode, we discuss:
Advice for AI founders in 2024
Why it’s difficult to scale AI products for enterprise