Autonomous CRM: How Clarify Is Reinventing a $100B Category

Thompson and Austin Hay, co-founders of Clarify, the startup that’s pioneering the idea of autonomous CRM.

Their vision? A CRM that actually does the work for sellers of driving outreach, managing pipeline, and surfacing insights without constant manual input.

Patrick and Austin share: • Their journey from Iteratively, Ramp, and Amplitude to founding Clarify • Why the CRM market is ripe for disruption with AI • How Clarify’s unique pricing model flips the script (free CRM, pay only when the AI agent works for you) • The concept of autonomous GTM teams and the rise of the Go-to-Market Engineer • Lessons in building culture, hiring talent, and embracing the “beautiful mess” of startups If you’re a founder, sales leader, or builder rethinking your revenue stack and curious about how AI will transform the way teams sell, this conversation is a must-listen.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with founders and leaders shaping the future of technology.

Full Transcript: www.madrona.com/autonomous-crm-how-clarify-is-reinventing-a-100b-category

Chapters:  (00:00) - Introduction (01:33) - What is Clarify? Tackling CRM Frustrations (02:11) - Lessons from Previous Startups and the CRM Problem (03:47) - Applying CDP Lessons to CRM (04:56) - Why Now? The Opportunity in CRM and AI (05:24) - Overcoming Legacy Systems and the Joy of New Tools (07:04) - Product Vision: Reducing Friction and Increasing Joy (08:44) - Business Model Innovation: Usage-Based Pricing (10:52) - Autonomous CRM: What Does It Mean? (12:12) - How Clarify’s AI Agents Work in Practice (14:35) - All-in-One vs. Best-of-Breed: Customer Feedback (16:09) - Autonomous GTM: The Rise of the Go-To-Market Engineer (18:17) - Data Strategy: Intent Data and Customer Insights (20:37) - Structuring Data for Automation and Analytics (22:10) - Team and Culture: Hiring and Building for Success (24:30) - Lessons in Leadership and Relationship Building (25:50) - The Future of Go-To-Market Teams (27:00) - Advice for Founders (28:32) - Embracing the Messiness of Startups