In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, Jorge Soto sits down with Aaron Melamed (Founder & CEO of Itero) - a former “carry-a-bag” sales leader turned founder who’s building a new kind of AI-native company.Aaron breaks down the exact moment he realized ChatGPT + autonomous agents could replace traditional sales training and repetitive business ops, and how he’s using agents to scale everything from roleplay enablement to proposal generation (and even automating back-office work most founders hate).If you’re a founder, GTM leader, SDR/AE, or operator trying to understand what “agentic” actually means in the real world - this one’s a blueprint.What you’ll learn:How a non-technical founder navigated product building (and the fear that comes with it)Why AI roleplay + enablement is harder than it sounds - and how Itero approaches itThe 2 “North Star” questions Aaron uses to decide what to build nextBootstrapping discipline vs. VC-backed “throw money at it” product decisionsWhy founders must go horizontal (GTM + product + AI skills) in 2026 and beyondHow to operationalize agents - not just “build one in a corner”Chapters00:00 Intro00:40 Aaron’s background (Greenhouse, enablement, sales leadership)02:20 The moment he decided to become a founder04:50 Building Itero full-time (since Aug 2024)06:40 Learning product without a technical background09:00 Why Perplexity helped him learn faster10:30 “Agents doing real work” - what he automated16:00 The hardest part of building AI roleplay software18:55 Unlearning salesperson instincts as a CEO26:30 The 2 questions that guide what features ship37:10 Advice for future founders: uncertainty + going horizontal📌 Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn (best way to reach him): https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronmelamed/📌 Follow Jorge Soto for more founder + GTM conversations: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/👍 If this helped, hit like, subscribe, and drop a comment:What’s the first business process you’d automate with an agent?#AI #Startups #B2BSaaS #SalesEnablement #Founders #GTM #AIagents #AgenticAI #StartupPodcast #ColdCalling #SalesTraining

Most teams don’t fail at ABM because they lack tools - they fail because they skip the strategy.In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, Jorge Soto sits down with Kristina Jaramillo, President of Personal ABM, for a deep, practical conversation on what real account-based go-to-market looks like when it’s built around revenue, focus, and account experience — not just intent data and campaigns.We unpack why so many companies jump into ABM platforms before they’re actually ABM-ready, and how that leads to lots of activity, plenty of pipeline… and stalled deal momentum.This conversation goes beyond marketing tactics and gets into how marketing, sales, and customer success need to operate as one revenue system.In this episode, we cover:How ABM evolved from “better targeting” into a true account-based revenue strategyWhy putting ABM tech before strategy often amplifies mediocre GTM executionThe real difference between TAM, TRM (Total Relevant Market), and ICPHow to define an ICP that’s actually predictive of revenue, not just intent signalsWhy intent platforms are a starting point, not the strategy itselfHow to layer account insights and intent so sales gets context they can act onWhat a unified account-based GTM motion looks like across marketing, sales, and CSHow to create 1:1 ABM content and messaging that tells the account’s storyContent that answers “What happens if I buy?” and paints a clear 6–24 month visionWhy alignment is often a human leadership issue (CRO + CMO), not a tooling problemA real example of driving 25%+ margin growth by shifting from vendor to strategic partner in an enterprise accountIf you’re a B2B marketer, founder, or revenue leader trying to move beyond surface-level ABM and into something that actually drives deal progression and growth, this episode will give you a sharper framework to work from.Connect with Kristina Jaramillo🔗 Website: https://personalabm.com🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinajaramillo/Connect with Jorge Soto🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/If this episode resonated, like, subscribe, and leave a comment with how you’re approaching ABM today — what’s working, what’s not, and where deals tend to stall.Let’s keep the conversation unedited.Follow me on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

On this episode of #StartupsUnedited, I sit down with Jonathan Kazarian, CEO & Founder of Accelevents, for one of the most tactical deep dives I’ve ever recorded on B2B brand-building, event marketing, and founder-led growth.

Jonathan shares the real origin story behind Accelevents — from hedge fund analyst in Boston to building event tech out of necessity for a family fundraiser… and then scaling it into a platform powering 10,000+ attendee conferences.

We break down:

• Why he left finance for tech (unexpectedly)

• How a cancer fundraiser at the Boston Aquarium sparked the idea

• The early pivots from fundraising → ticketing → corporate events

• How talking to customers 24/7 became Accelevents’ superpower

• Why building a product is easy compared to building a brand

• How founder-led content drives massive word of mouth

• Why trust, reputation, and showing up consistently matter

• His daily LinkedIn writing habit and why it 3×’d referrals

• Why registration forms kill conversion—and how to fix them

• How to design event websites for first-time attendees, not repeat ones

• Why attendee experience > admin experience

• What reps do wrong in booths (and how to fix sales–marketing alignment)

• The real way to measure event success: pipeline over 365+ days, not 30

Jonathan shares actionable frameworks for:

• Optimizing registration flows

• Coaching reps for on-site consistency

• Preparing killer follow-up campaigns

• Choosing which reps you should actually bring to events

• Turning attendee experience into a growth engine

If you’re a founder, marketer, event leader, or B2B operator, this episode is packed with tactical gems you can implement tomorrow.

🎧 Subscribe to the channel for more unfiltered founder conversations and GTM breakdowns.

#StartupsUnedited #Accelevents #B2BMarketing #EventMarketing #FounderLedGrowth #BrandBuilding #GTM #JonathanKazarian #JorgeSoto

🚀 Jonathan’s Startup Origin Story🎯 Brand & B2B Marketing Lessons for Founders📅 Event Marketing Best Practices (Goldmine for B2B Marketers)🔥 For Event Marketers & B2B Growth Leaders

I had an incredible conversation with Evi about her wild journey from leading B2B SaaS marketing to founding Apex Cool Labs, a company at the cutting edge of recovery technology. And it all started with one simple goal: doing more pull-ups.

Evi discovered a technique called palm cooling on a podcast, went down the rabbit hole, met her co-founder over a tweet (because of course she did), and the rest is history.

Now, their product—Narwhals—is being used by pro athletes, firefighters, and industrial workers to boost performance and recover faster.

We also got real about the founder journey—the highs, the lows, and the importance of having a great co-founder. Because let’s be honest, going solo is brutal. Even the best leaders need someone in the trenches with them.

If you’re curious about how palm cooling works or why Wired just featured Apex Labs, check them out: apexcoolinglabs.com

And if you're a founder, what's been your most unexpected pivot or breakthrough moment?

Would love to hear. ⬇️

#startups #founderjourney #recoverytech #productinnovation #entrepreneurship

Follow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/startupjorge/

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/startupjorge

In this episode our Host Justin Dorfman interview startup founders Sneh Parmar and Nafis Azad, Co-Founders of Lucky.

In this episode our Hosts Jorge Soto and Justin Dorfman interview startup sales guru and entrepreneur Scott Sambucci, Founder, CEO, and Sales Coach at SalesQualia. Scott is a veteran in the Silicon Valley startup sales world. He's helped countless startup founders figure out sales and scale their businesses.

Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode:

💡 Why is it so important for founders to do the selling themselves before hiring someone else to do it? 

💡 How to coach founders on sales and what principles/frameworks do you focus on?

💡 At what point should founders look to transition from founder-led sales to hiring someone to do the selling? And what is the first sales hire they should make—Head of Sales, AE, or SDR?

💡 What are the most common mistakes startups make as they look to scale sales?

Follow Scott on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottsambucci/

Thanks to our sponsor AssetMule.Ai

In this episode our Hosts Jorge Soto and Justin Dorfman interview Blockchain entrepreneur Amadeo Pellicce, CEO & Founder at Map3.xyz.  

Amadeo shares his journey within the crypto space, YC Combinator, and more!

Follow Amadeo on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amadeopellicce/

In this episode of #StartupsUnedited, Jorge Soto and Justin Dorfman sit down with Mike Molinet — Founder of Thena, Co-Founder & former COO of Branch, and LP at GTMfund — to break down the tactical operating systems founders need to thrive in 2025.This is NOT another “hustle harder” conversation.This is about how to operate as a founder at a high level — physically, mentally, and operationally — while building a company with speed and discipline.What you’ll learn in this episode:• The Founder Operating System Mike uses to maintain clarity, energy, and focus• The COO playbook he used to help scale Branch into a 500+ person global company• How to work with speed and bias for action without burning out• Daily routines and environment design for sharper thinking• Why most people misunderstand early-stage startups — and how to know if you’re built for it• The principles that led Branch to powering 100,000+ mobile apps• Health, nutrition, and attention management tactics that improve decision-making• “Micro urgency, macro patience” — the operating principle every founder needs in 2025If you're a founder, CEO, operator, or rising leader, this episode gives you practical frameworks you can implement immediately — from personal performance to team leadership to startup execution.🔔 Subscribe for more founder tactics, GTM frameworks, and unedited conversations.

Follow Mike on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemolinet/

In this episode our Hosts Jorge Soto and Justin Dorfman interview entrepreneur and sales expert Tito Bohrt, who is currently CEO at AltiSales based in Miami, FL. 

In this episode Tito gives us tactical go-to-market advice. Tito answers questions such as:  

💡 When should a company start thinking about building a SDR team and how should they approach it?  

💡 You recently posted on LinkedIn about a strategy you’re calling Outbound PLG. Can you tell us what it is, how it works, and the results you’re seeing from it?  💡 What’s your perspective on the impact the current economic environment is having on sales development and how should SDR teams be adapting?  

💡 What are the most common mistakes you see companies making when it comes to building an SDR team?  

💡 What are the innovations happening in sales development that you’re most excited about?  

#startupsunedited #saas #b2b #sales

Jorge speaks with Ross Rich, CEO & Founder at Accord.