381 - How David Villalon built AI workers that enterprises actually trust
A story about winning by not competing—and why saying no creates speedThis episode is for SaaS founders who feel the weight of building something that matters—and wonder if being contrarian is worth the risk.Most software companies fail because they rush to market without questioning what they're building. They see opportunity and chase it.David Villalon, CEO of Maisa, saw the AI gold rush differently. When everyone was building faster, he spent a year building trust into the foundation. He recognized that when you can see the future—truly see it—you carry responsibility for building it right, not just first.And this inspired me to invite David to my podcast. We explore why making AI accountable matters more than making it powerful. David shares hard-won insights about choosing regulated industries first, empowering task-doers instead of technical teams, and why he positions his company to compound value from every AI model maker instead of competing with them. You'll discover why focusing on one customer before ten creates the foundation for horizontal growth.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:Aim to be different, not just betterOffer something valuable and desirableDavid's story is proof that vision without responsibility is just opportunism—and real founders feel the weight of building the future right.Here's one of David's quotes that captures his entrepreneurial philosophy:"Whenever you have success, what you're going to hear is everyone saying how good you are. But if you act without that ego, without wanting to become something that you are not, everything looks much better."By listening to this episode, you'll learn:When to compound competitors' value instead of fightingWhat happens when you empower task-doers, not techniciansWhy first principles thinking requires empathy, not just logicWhen everyone wanting your product means stay focusedFor more information about the guest from this week: Guest: David Villalon, CEO MaisaWebsite: https://maisa.ai
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49:25
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49:25
380 – How Ken Rapp built a category by solving the problem he lived with
A story about finding opportunity in the moments everyone else ignores.This episode is for founders questioning whether their personal frustration is worth building a business around.Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad tech. They fail because they solve problems that don't actually hurt.Ken Rapp, CEO of Blustream, took a different path. When his $2,000 guitar cracked, he didn't blame himself—he questioned why no brand had ever taught him prevention. That question led to a 10-year journey building what didn't exist.And this inspired me to invite Ken to my podcast. We explore how solving your own problem first gives you conviction others lack. Ken shares why he spent years on IoT sensors before realizing the real problem was human connection, not data collection. You'll discover why category creation takes a decade—not because building is hard, but because changing behavior is harder.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies: – Focus on the essence – Aim to be differentKen's story is proof that unmet needs hide in plain sight—we just learn to live with them.Here's one of Ken's quotes that captures his key insight:"Once your customer is at home, that's the moment where they will be most vulnerable, and that curve of emotional connection to you drops. It's almost like the buyer's remorse is setting in. You're all excited to go home with the product, or to open the product, and right there is when you really need to conquer that new product and make it a habit, and really get what you were hoping and dreaming for out of the product. But there's no connection between you and the company."By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why personal problems make the best businessesWhen to pivot from technology to psychologyWhy categories emerge from nerve strikes, not planningWhat 100 customer interviews actually teach youFor more information about the guest from this week: Guest: Ken Rapp, CEO & Founder of BlustreamWebsite: blustream.io
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36:34
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36:34
379 – How Zohar Bronfman built AI that actually delivers ROI
A story about rejecting the magic wand approach to AI—and building something businesses can actually use.This episode is for Mid-market SaaS founders tired of AI hype who want to build something that creates real customer value—not just impressive demos.Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad tech. They fail because they chase hype over value.Zohar Bronfman, CEO of Pecan AI, took a different path. After years researching AI and philosophy in academia, he saw Amazon, Uber, and Spotify dominating with predictive AI—while thousands of smaller companies couldn't even get started. Instead of building another "AI for everything" platform, he focused obsessively on one thing: making predictive AI accessible to mid-market companies who couldn't afford data science teams.And this inspired me to invite Zohar to my podcast. We explore why curiosity beats strategy when building in uncertain markets. Zohar shares hard-won insights about deprecating profitable features, why small teams outperform large ones, and how to identify which enterprise capabilities actually matter for mid-market customers. You'll discover why Pecan almost never loses customers—despite operating in the brutally competitive AI space.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:Trait #2: Be valuable and desirableTrait #6: Create fans, not just customersZohar's story is proof that sustainable growth comes from solving real problems—not riding waves.Here's one of Zohar's quotes that captures his philosophy:"You can sell things, especially to larger organizations. You can sell things that actually don't have ROI. You can sell things that either look shiny, sound shiny or smell shiny, or all of the above. But ultimately, if you put yourself in a rigorous test, did I make a change? Did I actually add value to the system? The answer could have been no in many cases."By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why killing profitable features strengthens retentionWhat happens when you ignore VCs' market adviceWhen customer honesty beats sales promisesWhy hiring slower creates faster growthFor more information about the guest from this week:Guest: Zohar Bronfman, CEO Pecan AIWebsite: pecan.ai
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53:45
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53:45
378 - How Ray Meiring built fanatical customers by choosing exactly who to ignore
A story about passing lucrative deals to competitors—and building something users refuse to give upThis episode is for SaaS founders exhausted from chasing every opportunity—and wondering if extreme focus actually works.Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad tech. They fail because they can't stop building.Ray Meiring, CEO of QorusDocs, discovered this during a meeting with a bank CIO. While trying to find use cases for their generic document tool, Ray realized they had it backwards—they were hunting for problems to fit their solution instead of solving a specific problem.That realization changed everything. Ray narrowed QorusDocs from "any document" to proposals to specific verticals. He even developed a system for passing lucrative but wrong-fit customers directly to competitors.And this inspired me to invite Ray to my podcast. We explore how narrowing from documents to proposals to law firms and engineering firms created users who'd "pry QorusDocs from their cold dead hands." Ray shares why moving 10,000 miles to Seattle transformed their network, how building inside Microsoft Office became their differentiator, and why consistency beats constant pivoting. You'll discover how saying no to features actually accelerated growth.We also zoom in on three of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:Acknowledge you can't please everyoneAim to be different, not just betterFocus on the essenceRay's story shows how narrowing your focus can multiply your impact.Here's one of Ray's quotes that captures his philosophy:"We were trying to be everything to everyone and just build this very generic product. But as we worked with more customers, we started to see a pattern around a very specific set of documents that were challenging—proposal documents."By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why the A-B-Z framework beats traditional segmentationWhat happens when you deprecate features instead of adding themWhen proximity to customers trumps remote efficiencyWhy integration beats innovation for enterprise retentionFor more information about the guest from this week:Guest: Ray Meiring, CEO QorusDocsWebsite: qorusdocs.com
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41:24
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41:24
377 – How Joao Marques became Portugal's home services market leader in 2 years
A story about turning impatience into competitive advantage.This episode is for SaaS founders tired of building "professional" products nobody remembers—and anyone wondering if controversy beats convention.Most SaaS companies fail because they try to please everyone.They play it safe with every decision.Joao Marques, CEO of Oscar, took a different path.He quit his job, built the app in four months, then raised 70K euros to start acquiring customers. Created an on-demand home services marketplace that sends marketing messages designed to provoke action. Became Portugal's market leader in two years—by deliberately risking cancellation with every campaign.And this inspired me to invite Joao to my podcast. We explore how strategic controversy creates memorable brands faster than perfect products. Joao shares hard truths about focus, growth over features, and why being hated by some customers beats being ignored by all. You'll discover why having your entire company obsess over one metric beats any complex strategy.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies: – Focus on the essence – Master the art of creating momentumJoao's story is proof that market leadership often starts by doing what makes others uncomfortable.Here's one of Joao's quotes that captures his philosophy:"Just having one goal. My focus, for example, right now, is acquisition and then GMV, so volume in my app. I'm refreshing the dashboard every 10 minutes. Every decision that we make is based on that. Every goal is based on that. Everyone in my team, and we are, like, 50 people, from customer support to senior management, everyone knows GMV on a daily basis.”By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why building features before growth is startup suicideWhat happens when you do the unscalable things competitors avoidWhen being annoying drives better retention than being niceWhy one metric beats ten strategiesFor more information about the guest from this week: Guest: Joao Marques, CEO OscarWebsite: oscarapp.com
For B2B SaaS founders who are done blending in. The Remarkable SaaS Podcast features unfiltered conversations with SaaS founders navigating the real challenges of building software that matters. Hosted by Ton Dobbe, author of The Remarkable Effect, each episode zooms in on one of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies—like offering something truly valuable and desirable, and aiming to be different, not just better. Some guests are scaling fast. Others are still in the trenches—but all share hard-won lessons about what it really takes to create pull, shorten sales cycles, and become the only logical choice in their market. Expect: Honest conversations—no hype, no theory Tactical insights from sales-led SaaS founders Practical ideas you can apply to sharpen your product and your positioning If you're building a SaaS business that deserves attention—not just more noise—this podcast is for you.
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