GTM Vault

Zayd Ali is the founder and CEO of Valley, an AI-powered outbound engine turning the LinkedIn sales tools industry upside down. With two prior exits, global team scaling experience, and backing from General Catalyst, Jason Calacanis, and top sales leaders, Zayd is on a mission to redefine outbound sales. Valley has already generated $120M in pipeline for companies like Front, Cardlytics, and 70+ startups backed by Sequoia, a16z, and more.

But here’s the bombshell: Valley is considering giving its core features away for free—undercutting competitors and forcing the industry to innovate or fade out. Is this a genius growth play or a death sentence for legacy tools?

Tune in to find out.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why now is the perfect time to disrupt LinkedIn automation (and why incumbents are vulnerable)

• How Valley’s signal-based, hyper-personalized outreach achieves 60% reply rates

• The HubSpot-esque freemium playbook Valley is using to dominate the market• Why LinkedIn won’t crack down on automation (and how Valley avoids risks)

• The #1 operational mistake Zayd made scaling Valley (and how to avoid it)

• Fundraising insights from raising $3.2M: “Just build a fucking good company”

Episode 16 features Amos Bar-Joseph, CEO of Swan AI—a Tel Aviv-based startup using AI agents to supercharge human-led sales, not replace them. A 2x-exited founder and ex-KPMG advisor, Amos reveals why most teams use AI wrong and how to scale pipeline without sacrificing authenticity.

In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, we sit down with Selin Kocalar, co-founder and COO of Delve, the AI-powered compliance platform transforming how startups achieve SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR certifications. From leaving MIT to joining Y Combinator, running marathons, and even conquering a Navy SEAL bootcamp, Selin’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary.

We dive deep into:
🚀 The pivotal moment that led her to launch Delve and disrupt the compliance space
💡 How AI is revolutionizing compliance, slashing timelines from months to weeks
📈 Raising $3.3M and scaling to a multi-million dollar revenue run rate
📣 Why word-of-mouth is Delve’s #1 GTM motion and how viral moments on social media helped fuel growth
🏃 How personal resilience—through marathons and bootcamps—translates into leadership and startup success

Selin shares tactical insights on fundraising, growth strategies, and navigating the high-stakes world of AI compliance. If you’re a founder, operator, or investor looking to understand how AI is reshaping enterprise security and compliance, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more GTM insights!

In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, host Rick Koleta sits down with Nick Velkovski, Co-Founder and CEO of Heyreach, a leading LinkedIn outreach tool built for agencies and sales teams. Nick shares the journey of pivoting from Howitzer to Heyreach, the challenges of gaining early adoption, and how niching down to lead-gen agencies transformed their growth. Discover key insights on scaling LinkedIn outreach, defining your ideal customer profile, and the technology behind Heyreach’s unique features.

In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, Rick Koleta sits down with Yuhong Sun, co-founder of Danswer (now Onyx), a YC-backed groundbreaking open-source Gen AI platform. Danswer is helping enterprises solve critical challenges in AI-powered search, with a key focus on data privacy and security. Yuhong shares insights on how Danswer is filling the gaps left by mainstream AI tools like ChatGPT, providing companies with secure, self-hostable solutions to manage internal knowledge.

We're excited to have Ayush Khanna, New Ventures Lead at super{set}—a startup studio dedicated to building transformative data and AI companies. With extensive experience in founding and scaling B2B SaaS startups, Ayush shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities of creating successful ventures.

Join us for an enlightening episode of the GTM Vault Podcast as host Rick Koleta interviews Dawson Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Martin, a Y Combinator-backed startup revolutionizing the personal voice AI space. Dawson shares his inspiring journey from working with NASA and Stanford to founding his own companies. In this episode, we dive deep into the development challenges of Martin, the future of personal voice AI, and how Dawson's diverse experiences—from blockchain to student council—have shaped his entrepreneurial journey.

Discover how Martin aims to be the most personalized AI assistant on the market and what sets it apart from other voice AI technologies. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with valuable insights on innovation, leadership, and the evolving landscape of AI.

In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, host Rick Koleta sits down with Kathryn Wu, co-founder of Openmart, an AI-powered alternative to ZoomInfo backed by Y Combinator. Kathryn shares her journey from roles at Pinterest and Data Bento to founding Openmart, diving deep into the challenges and opportunities in go-to-market strategies. Tune in to learn about the unique advantages Openmart offers in lead generation, the evolving role of AI in business, and Kathryn’s experiences as a woman in tech. Discover how AI is transforming sales research and what the future holds for AI in lead gen.

In Episode 9 of the GTM Vault Podcast, host Rick Koleta dives into the biotech world with Savva Kerdemelidis, the founder and CEO of Public Good Pharma. Savva, with over 20 years of experience as a registered patent and trademark attorney, shares his innovative approach to developing cost-effective therapies through self-funding clinical trials.

In this episode of the GTM Vault Podcast, Rick Koleta sits down with Mariane Bekker, CTO, Investor, and Managing Partner at Founders Bay. Mariane shares her journey from engineering leader to advocate for women founders, offering insights into building diverse teams, overcoming funding challenges, and the transformative role of AI in tech.