4 Key Insights: How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

AI and startups? It just makes sense.

Between the prophecy of single-person billion-dollar companies, and the pinch felt by founders as VCs tighten wallets, startups are counting on AI for a winning go-to-market strategy.

It’s a smart bet, too.

In HubSpot’s survey of over 1,000 startup founders, 86% said AI has had a positive impact on their GTM strategy. Those with the highest growth and most funding are more likely to attribute their growth to AI.

Here are some more interesting tidbits from the meaty report:

1. AI Jobs Are Hot 

The report shows that 71% of startup founders already have a designated person or team that specializes in using AI in their GTM strategy, and 66% plan to hire more AI specialists in the next year.

If you can’t beat it, join it. Source: Google Trends, six-month rolling average

But the cost of hiring these folks is a top challenge for startups, along with a general lack of AI know-how, both in current employees and in integrating with existing systems.

Source: HubSpot for Startups

Those pain points mean multiple opportunities for well-timed business builders. You could:

🕵️ Help startups source AI talent more affordably;

🏋️‍♀️ Provide AI bootcamps as a benefit for current employees;

⚙️ Offer AI integration consulting services;

▶️ Create video content teaching startups how to get the most out of AI tools.

2. AI Kicks Ass in Customer Segmentation 

When plugging AI into their GTM strategy, 51% of startups report using it for customer segmentation — the most common answer.

From predictive analytics and smart pricing to personalized content, AI is helping companies turn customer targeting into an exact science.

And they’re gettin’ results:

57% of startups surveyed see increased conversion rates
52% see enhanced customer engagement

Don’t take our word for it. Head on over to the full report, where you’ll find examples like:

👗 How gen AI helps Stitch Fix stylists provide personalized product recs by interpreting customer feedback

🏷️ How startups that use Accenture’s dynamic pricing are boosting revenue and cutting promo spend

👍 How Intercom’s AI bot helped Frame.io score a near-perfect customer satisfaction rate

3. AI Is A Marketer’s Best Friend 

While AI gives a power-up to all functions of GTM, marketing is seeing the most impact, according to 43% of founders surveyed.

Source: HubSpot for Startups

Marketers are creative folks always on the prowl for new things, so of course they’re using AI to their advantage. Marketers say they tap AI for:

Creating content (48%)
Data analytics and reporting (45%)
Learning how to do things (45%)

… and saving 12.5 hours per week!

Curious? Watch my colleague and marketing maven, Caroline, use AI to beef up her writing.

4. AI Will Make Businesses More Human

Today’s entrepreneurs should think not only about how to improve results with AI, but also how to liberate and elevate their own potential with it.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Daniela Amodei – she’s the co-founder of Anthropic, the company that made Claude, one of the leading large language models.

“As we’re working on these powerful generative AI tools… [we want to] make sure humans are still at the center of that story. We hope people use Claude as a partner and collaborator that helps humans do the things they want to do and live the lives they want to live.”

There’s so many more gems in this report, so go check it out, and start using AI to supercharge your own business! 🚀