Thrivecast

In this episode of ThriveCast, we speak with Emmanuel Lavoie, CEO of Jetstream Hospitality Solutions — a Canadian, commission-based tech-enabled service company that helps hotels and resorts reach distribution channels like Airbnb and Vrbo. Emmanuel shares how he built a near-autonomous content pipeline using Claude Cowork and Obsidian, explaining how a folder of interlinked markdown files became...

In this episode of ThriveCast , we speak with Dave Guttman , founder of Guttman Media and serial entrepreneur with eight- and nine-figure exits — who at 24 was misdiagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live. Dave shares why burnout is a leadership failure , how to build cultures that retain great people across companies, and why AI makes it easier than ever to build a genuinely gre...

In this episode of ThriveCast , we speak with Holley Miller, Founder and President of Grey Matter Marketing — a strategist who sits at the rare intersection of market behavior, messaging, and product adoption. With 30 years spanning medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and SaaS, Holley brings a cross-industry lens to one of the biggest blind spots in innovation: why great products fail to drive adopt...

In this episode of ThriveCast , we speak with John Kennedy, co-founder of Actual AI and a veteran Dev Tools leader (AWS, Acquia, Upsun) , who shares how engineering teams are moving beyond manual coding into building “software factories”; by leveraging AI-managed Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) , John explains how teams can eliminate “vibe-coded slop,” enforce architectural consistency, and...

In this episode, Johann Nogueira shares his journey from building multiple ventures to exiting his AI-driven GTM platform. With over 20 years of experience, he walks through how he transitioned from a high-stress agency model to a scalable, product-led, and ultimately white-labeled distribution engine . The conversation dives deep into leverage, ecosystem-led growth, AI-first teams, and the future...

In this episode of ThriveCast , we host a panel with Molly Bowden (GTM Operations Leader), Jonathan Carford (VP GTM Strategy at Momentum), and Gururaj (Founder of ThriveStack) to unpack how AI is actually changing go-to-market today cutting through the hype to explore real use cases, shifting buyer expectations, the importance of data foundations, and why most AI pilots fail without strong process...

In this episode of ThriveCast , we speak with Matthew Whyatt , B2B SaaS growth advisor and founder of techtorque.co , who shares why the dynamics of SaaS growth have fundamentally changed while AI has made it dramatically easier to build products, generate content, and reach prospects, the real challenge today is distribution , as markets become flooded with automated outreach and AI-generated noi...

In this episode of ThriveCast, Michael Kuhl shares how AppFire shifted from obsessing over revenue and churn to building a growth engine powered by leading indicators . Drawing from AppFire’s scale—managing dozens of products—Michael explains how activation journeys, real-time signals, and cross-functional alignment became the foundation for predictable revenue growth. Key Insights * Revenue, chur...

In this episode of ThriveCast, we speak with Sanjay Sarathy , VP of Self-Serve and Developer Experience at Cloudinary . Sanjay shares Cloudinary’s journey from a developer consulting firm to one of the most successful product-led growth stories in SaaS—scaling past $100M ARR while maintaining a strong self-serve engine and developer trust Key Insights * Cloudinary started as a consulting company b...

In this episode of ThriveStack’s podcast, we speak with Marlena Sarunac , an award-winning CMO and co-founder of Company Advice. Marlena shares her GTM Growth Audit framework , a practical, systems-thinking approach to identifying hidden bottlenecks across product experience, website messaging, and go-to-market execution especially for early-stage and scaling SaaS companies. SPONSORED Demand & Exp...

John Neeson — the mind behind the legendary B2B Demand Waterfall and Co-Founder of SiriusDecisions — joins Gururaj Pandurangi to trace the evolution of how companies create, measure, and grow demand. From pioneering the alignment between sales and marketing to forecasting how AI will reshape the buyer’s journey, John shares lessons that defined two decades of B2B go-to-market strategy. Key Insight...

Andrew Capland — one of the most respected voices in product-led growth — returns to ThriveCast to unpack what he calls the “Growth Operating System.” After years leading activation, retention, and experimentation programs at leading SaaS companies like HubSpot and Wistia, Andrew realized growth isn’t about more tactics — it’s about how teams execute, align, and communicate across silos. In this e...

Chris Silvestri — a software-engineer-turned-conversion-copywriter — shares how understanding human psychology, UX, and messaging consistency can transform a SaaS website from a brochure into a persuasive buying experience. He breaks down why “ words alone don’t convert ,” how today’s buyer journey starts before they reach your website , and what modern founders must know about message-market fit...

In this week’s ThriveStack webinar, we sat down with Dave Boyce—author, product-led growth (PLG) advocate, and seasoned operator—to unpack the realities of freemium in SaaS. With AI transforming business models and unit economics, the debate around whether freemium accelerates growth or drains resources has never been more relevant. Dave shared lessons from his own journey from sales-led to PLG, a...

ThriveStack and Dave Hersh Aug 20, 2025 In this fireside chat, Gururaj Pandurangi sits down with Dave Hersh , founding CEO of Jive Software and now a coach to startup founders and leaders. From scaling Jive from bootstrapped beginnings to IPO, to guiding today’s SaaS teams through turbulent markets, Dave shares a candid look at what’s broken in venture-backed growth, what founders should focus on...

In SaaS, getting sign-ups is only half the battle. The real challenge lies in ensuring those users activate — reaching the moment when they first experience real value from your product. This milestone, often called the “aha moment” , is a key predictor of whether users will stay, convert to paid, and grow with your product. In this conversation, growth advisor Andrew Capland shares his perspectiv...

In this episode, we chat with Jordan Tigani, co-creator of BigQuery and now CEO of MotherDuck, a next-gen, serverless analytics platform built on top of DuckDB. Jordan walks us through his journey from leading engineering and product at Google to building a lean, developer-first company that’s challenging the assumptions of modern data infrastructure. We explore his pivot from enterprise-heavy go-...

In this Thrivecast episode, Gururaj P hosts Christian Nielsen , the Chief Product Officer and co-founder of uQualio , a Copenhagen-based SaaS company revolutionizing video learning. Christian shares actionable strategies and lessons from uQualio's journey as a bootstrapped, product-led growth (PLG) business. From pricing and onboarding to abuse prevention, Christian explains how uQualio tackled ch...

Originally posted on the Ignite Podcast , this episode features Gururaj Pandurangi , a 3x founder, as he unpacks the gritty realities and golden lessons of building and scaling startups. You can tune into the full conversation on Apple Podcasts or Spotify . In a recent episode of the Ignite Podcast, serial entrepreneur and cloud security veteran Gururaj Pandurangi shared invaluable insights into t...

Originally posted on the Stratyve podcast , this episode features Gururaj Pandurangi , a 3x founder, as he unpacks the gritty realities and golden lessons of building and scaling startups. You can tune into the full conversation on Apple Podcasts or Spotify . For founders navigating the complex maze from an idea to a thriving company, this episode is a treasure trove of practical insights. Gururaj...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming sales and marketing, equipping businesses with tools to innovate, uncover insights, and connect with customers like never before. It’s no longer about just saving time; it’s about creating new possibilities. In this context, we draw insights from Sam Mallikarjunan , an experienced marketer, entrepreneur, and AI advocate whose career spans impactful role...

In this episode, Doyle Albee , CEO of Comprise , shares how startups can leverage PR strategies to establish brand authority and credibility. Doyle explains why PR is no longer just about press releases and highlights the importance of tailored messaging to stand out in today’s crowded media landscape. Listen now on Apple , Spotify , Castbox , Google and YouTube . PR Today- What It Is and What It...

RevOps (Revenue Operations) is more than just a buzzword—it's a critical function for companies looking to streamline their revenue-generating processes. In a recent ThriveStack webinar, Peter Wheeler hosted an insightful discussion with James McKay (Founder, Venn ), Matt Rocha (Director of RevOps, B2B Catalyst ), and Gururaj Pandurangi (Founder, ThriveStack ). Together, they explored the evolving...

In a lively discussion, three voices in the SaaS world came together to talk about the future of product-led growth (PLG): Wes Bush , the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth and the creator of the PLG system ; Vincent Young , VP at Dealfront and author of Product-Led Sales ; and Peter Wheeler , a product growth expert. With Wes Bush preparing to release his new book- The Product-Led Playbook...

Balancing Product-Led Growth (PLG) with traditional sales efforts can be challenging but rewarding. With insights from Amplitude ’s Franciska Dethlefsen , the session explored how self-serve and sales motions can work together without compromise. Hosted by Gururaj Pandurangi and Peter Wheeler , the discussion highlighted Amplitude’s journey to integrate PLG and sales seamlessly, with collaboration...