Shows / Topline
Topline
The #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Tune in every week to hear Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman discuss and debate the trends, news, and developments impacting the B2B tech world. Enjoy the hot takes, strong opinions, and dry humor.
Episodes
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: Kyle Lacy of Jellyfish on Improving Pipeline Quality and Forecasting Predictability
How do you build a revenue engine that doesn't just generate pipeline—but generates the right pipeline? In this episode, Kyle Lacy, CMO of Jellyfish, shares…
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E97: Dead or Alive? The Great Outbound Sales Debate
Is outbound sales really dead, or are we just doing it wrong? In this episode of Topline, AJ and Asad dive into one of the most debated topics in B2B…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: Shensi Ding of Merge on the High-Stakes Search for a Stage-Appropriate CRO
Hiring a CRO is one of the most high-stakes decisions a founder can make—especially when a company is transitioning from SMB to enterprise sales. In this…
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E96: The B2B Marketing Identity Crisis
In this episode, Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno break down a viral LinkedIn post that sparked a heated debate about the role of B2B marketing in…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: How Josh Guttman Landed Investors for SELLIT9 by Being Himself
Fundraising isn't just sales—something Josh Guttman, co-founder and CEO of SELLIT9, learned the hard way. After spending years in SaaS sales and leadership…
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E95: Growth vs. Efficiency in 2025
In this episode, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad dive into the strategic choices behind building teams in Latin America, focusing on compensation arbitrage and…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: Co-CEO Alina Vandenberghe on Taking Over Marketing to Scale Demand at Chili Piper
In this episode of Topline Spotlight, hosts Sam Jacobs and Asad Zaman sit down with Alina Vandenberg, co-CEO of Chili Piper, to discuss the significant…
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E94: Navigating AI Challenges in Established Tech Companies
In this episode of Topline, Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno, and Asad Zaman explore AI's growing influence on go-to-market strategy, growth, and operations. They break…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: Keith Frankel of Totango on Creating a Unified Culture in Mergers
In this episode of Topline Spotlight, hosts Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno, and Asad Zaman speak with Keith Frankel, Chief Product Officer at Totango, to explore the…
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E93: Dissecting Carta's 2024 State of Startups Report
In this episode of Topline, hosts Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno, and Asad Zaman review insights from Carta's State of Startups 2024 report. They explore the rise of…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: OrgChart's Tom McCarty on Narrowing Total Addressable Market to Drive Growth
Topline is excited to introduce our newest segment – Topline Spotlight. In this series, our hosts sit down with top B2B tech leaders to explore the biggest…
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E92: Kyle Norton of Owner.com on How Great CROs Drive Enterprise Value
In this episode of Topline, Asad and AJ are joined by Kyle Norton, CRO of Owner.com and Host of The Revenue Leadership Podcast. They explore the evolving role…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: Jenny Podewils' Strategy for Aligning Teams in Dynamic Environments
Topline is excited to introduce our newest segment – Topline Spotlight. In this series, our hosts sit down with top B2B tech leaders to explore the biggest…
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E91: Investor Tomasz Tunguz on AI's Breakout Year and What Comes Next
Investor and AI power user Tomasz Tunguz joins the show to break down his bold predictions for 2025. From startups with 30 employees hitting $100M ARR to the…
ToplineSPOTLIGHT: Lessons and Insights on Leading Through Layoffs from AJ Bruno, CEO of QuotaPath
Topline is excited to introduce our newest segment – Topline Spotlight. In this series, our hosts sit down with top B2B tech leaders to explore the biggest…
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E90: Quality vs. Quantity - The AI Dilemma in Product Development
In our first episode of 2025, Sam, AJ, and Asad continue the conversation on how AI is reshaping innovation and product development. They explore how the real…
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E89: 2024 Reflections and 2025 Go-To-Market Predictions
In this episode of the Topline, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad look back at the defining moments of 2024, sharing personal reflections and key lessons on growth. They…
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E88: Navigating Business Pivots with Scoop Analytics' Janet Gehrmann
In this episode of the Topline podcast, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad sits down with Janet Gehrmann, co-founder of Scoop Analytics, to dive into the ever-evolving…
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E87: Balancing Compliance, Culture, and Business Growth with Roxanne Bras Petraeus, CEO of Ethena
Roxanne Bras Petraeus, CEO of Ethena, joins Sam, AJ, and Asad on Topline this week. Roxanne peels back the curtain on Ethena's early success in securing major…
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E86: How Customer Success Drives Business Growth with Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta
This week on Topline, Sam, AJ, and Asad sit down with Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, to discuss the evolution of customer success (CS) and its growing impact on…
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E85: Carta's Peter Walker on the Role of AI in Early-Stage Funding
In Episode 85 of Topline, Sam Jacobs and Asad Zaman welcome Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta, for a deep dive into the shifting landscape of venture…
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E84: Exploring the Effects of Q4 Economic Shifts
In this Sunday's episode, Sam, AJ, and Asad explore today's market dynamics looking at recent economic shifts, from Federal Reserve rate cuts to the crypto…
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E83: Understanding How the 2024 Election Impacts Business
In this week's episode, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad dissect the election results and what it means for business leaders and workplaces. They tackle the tricky…
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E82: Salesloft's Path to Profitability with David Obrand
We welcome back David Obrand, CEO of Salesloft, for a lively discussion on navigating the shifting world of enterprise sales. David dives into his company's…
ToplineUntold Strategies of High-Impact Sales Recruitment with Asad Zaman
In this episode of the Revenue Leadership Podcast, host Kyle dives into the complexities of hiring top-tier sales talent with Asad Zaman, CEO of Sales Talent…
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E81: Bizzabo's Alon Alroy on Reinventing Event Experiences
In this episode of the Topline podcast, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad sit down with Alon Alroy, Co-Founder and CMO of Bizzabo, to explore the ever-changing world of…
ToplineMark Niemiec on Steering Business Transformation
In this episode of The Revenue Leadership Podcast, Mark Niemek, Chief Revenue Officer at Salesloft, opens up about his journey from Salesforce to Salesloft. He…
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E80: David Spitz on the Evolution of SaaS Metrics and GTM Efficiency
In episode 80 of Topline, host Sam, AJ, and Asad sit down with David Spitz, a former investment banker turned entrepreneur, to tackle the topic of GTM…
ToplineMark Roberge on Redefining Sales Leadership in the AI Era
If you like what you heard from Kyle today, make sure to follow The Revenue Leadership Podcast for new episodes every Wednesday. Want more content from the…
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E79: Understanding AI's Place in Tech with Benedict Evans
In episode 79 of Topline, Sam and Asad sit down with Benedict Evans to discuss the rapid evolution of AI. Together, they explore AI's growing impact on…
ToplineDini Mehta on Mastering Multi-Product Strategy & Building High-performance Teams
On this episode of the Revenue Leadership podcast, host Kyle Norton chats with Dini Mehta, former CRO of Lattice, to uncover the art of scaling through a…
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E78: CRO Kyle Norton on Executive Fear, Boards, and the CRO Journey
In this episode of Topline, Sam and Asad welcome Kyle Norton, CRO of Owner.com and new host of the Revenue Leadership Podcast. The discussion kicks off with…
ToplineCRO Kevin "KD" Dorsey on creating, developing, and deploying playbooks
Pavilion is thrilled to introduce The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton, now part of the Topline media network. In the second episode, Kyle sits down…
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E77: Is Go-To-Market Broken?
In episode 77, our hosts dive deep into the biggest go-to-market trends emerging from two major tech conferences, INBOUND and Dreamforce. They explore how…
ToplineSaaStr Founder Jason Lemkin on Why Revenue Leaders Must Run Towards Bad News
Pavilion is thrilled to introduce The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton, now part of the Topline media network. In the debut episode, Kyle sits down…
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E76: GTM Efficiency and the need for a "Chief Go-To-Market Officer"
In this episode of Topline, Sam, AJ, and Asad delve into the concept of GTM Efficiency, a metric introduced by David Spitz that measures the cost of generating…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: As I think about 2025 planning, how do I set the right growth target?
In today's mini-episode, Sam, AJ, and Asad discuss their thoughts on planning for 2025 and setting growth targets. They dive into the macroeconomic outlook for…
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E75: Two ways to win… Product Velocity OR GTM Excellence
In this Sunday's episode, our hosts discuss the two ways to win in a competitive market: product velocity and go-to-market excellence. They break down the…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: What do I do? I have a board member that isn't as engaged as they should be.
In this week's mini-episode, the group answers a question brought to AJ around a board member that isn't as engaged as they should be and is continually asking…
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E74: Mark Kosoglow Introduces Operator.ai and The Founder Mode Debate
Mark Kosoglow joins Topline this week to introduce us to Operator AI ahead of it's official announcement. Operator AI is a solution to improve sales efficiency…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: Is gifting the most effective way to incentivize customer engagement?
Join hosts AJ Bruno, Asif Zaman, and Sam Jacobs on Topline Hotline, where they tackle questions from the go-to-market community. In this episode, the team…
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E73: Balancing Growth and Free Cash Flow in Today's Market
In this episode of Topline, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad dive into the intricacies of growth versus free cash flow margin, especially the evolving premium on…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: As a CRO, how should I approach annual planning?
This week, Sam, AJ, and Asad dive into a question from Pavilion's Slack community: When planning for the fiscal year ahead at the CRO level, should you…
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E72: Growth vs Profitability, CAC Tolerability, & Choosing The Right Business Model
In episode 72 of Topline, hosts Sam, AJ, and Asad dive into the tricky balance between growing a business and staying profitable, with Uber and DoorDash as…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: Should you report ARR before or after discounting?
In this week's episode, Sam, AJ, and Asad first explore whether ARR should be reported before or after applying discounts, a common dilemma for companies…
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E71: Google's Anti-Trust Ruling, SaaS Performance Updates, and The Future of Venture Capital
In this episode of Topline, the hosts discuss the landmark antitrust ruling against Google, its implications for early-stage businesses and competition, and…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: Is there a way to more efficiently prepare for board meetings?
Preparing for board meetings is notoriously time-consuming, often requiring weeks to feel fully prepared. In this week's edition of Topline Hotline, our hosts…
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E70: Navigating Market Volatility: Recession Fear, Jobs Report, & Resiliency
In episode 70 of Topline, hosts Sam, Asad, and AJ navigate a range of topics, from the recent tumultuous economic events to personal reflections on leadership…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: How can I establish a performance-driven culture among my sales team?
In this week's mini-episode, Sam, AJ, and Asad delve into the effectiveness of sales leaderboards and President's Club initiatives in fostering a…
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E69: Cold Calling Sucks, and That's Why it Works with Armand Farrokh
Armand Farrokh, founder of the revenue media platform Minutes to President's Club and author of "Cold Calling Sucks, and That's Why It Works," joins the show…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: How do I make the most of conference season without overspending?
In this Thursday's mini-episode, a seed round CEO wants to make the most of attending conferences and events without spending too much money. How do you pick…
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E68: How to Build the Right Executive Team to Reach $100M
In this week's episode, our Topline hosts discuss the recent CrowdStrike update that caused massive disruptions, the complexities of building and maintaining…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: How do I swiftly transition my company from inbound to outbound sales?
In this week's mini-episode, the conversation revolves around a question from a new SVP of Sales and Account Management who is tasked with shifting the…
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E67: How Clay's Co-Founders Built a $500M Series B Company
This week, our hosts are joined by Kareem Amin and Varun Anand, co-founders of Clay. They discuss their recent $46 million Series B funding round. Kareem and…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: What should a CRO communicate to their board about pipeline?
In this week's mini-episode, Sam, AJ, and Asad tackle a question about effectively communicating pipeline health during board meetings. What details are…
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E66: Sales Tech Mayhem - Gartner Analyst Dan Gottlieb's Insights on B2B Market Shifts
In this episode of Topline, the hosts welcome Dan Gottlieb, Vice President at Gartner, to discuss the evolving landscape of sales technology. The conversation…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: How do you balance getting the best deal with choosing the right product?
Join hosts AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman on this episode of Topline Hotline as they tackle a pressing question from the go-to-market community: how to balance…
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E65: Bob Moore on Crossbeam's merger with Reveal & Peter Walker on the M&A landscape
In this episode of Topline, AJ Bruno, Asad Zaman, and Carta's Head of Insights Peter Walker are joined by Bob Moore, CEO of Crossbeam, to discuss his company's…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: How can a CEO advocate for a raise without appearing greedy?
In this week's mini-episode, our Topline hosts explore a real-life scenario faced by a female CEO of a software company. Despite overcoming challenges and…
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E64: Lessons from Q2, Crossbeam/Reveal merger, and the importance of adaptability
This week on Topline, Sam, AJ, and Asad discuss their lessons from Q2, the Crossbeam and Reveal merger and the why behind QuotaPath's recent product update…