Bonfire Ventures 🔥

The application software market of the last 30+ years—including what an independent software company is, its core value proposition, the intrinsic value of the code it builds and why it’s better than others for a customer's needs, and how customers buy, deploy, use, and value that software—is forever changed—starting now. To walk everyone through that change, I thought it best to do it the way I did - which is to reflect on the last three decades of my experience in working and investing in application software companies - specifically on the true helpfulness of the user interface layer to end users. We have come a long way on many fronts across what I call the three ages of application software but, ironically, not far at all in regards to the user interface. - The On-Premise Era - Difficult to deploy and use. We've come a long way. - The Cloud Era - Easier deployment and customization, but still complex for users. We thought we solved it all. We didn't. - The AI Agentic Interface Era - This is where everything changes. The AI Era isn't just incremental progress. It's a fundamental shift in how we interact with software. We're moving from complex interfaces that require users to navigate multiple tabs and screens, to intuitive AI-powered assistants that understand and execute complex tasks through simple conversations. This shift leads to some bold predictions from me for the near future: - A 75% reduction in employee-facing software companies - 50% fewer employee-facing software categories - A potential return to "winner takes most" market dynamics This shift will reshape the software landscape. It's not just about adding AI features—it's about reimagining the entire user experience and how software can truly enhance productivity. For a long in-depth “walk down memory lane” as well as a deep profile on a public software company (AppFolio) that is all-in on Ai in the right way, join me at my Substack. Next week, I will publish what I believe this means for the application software market in general and those founders trying to make their big imprints within it.

I have been researching for the last few months, with the help of Minesh Patel, the impact of AI on SaaS companies - specifically how does it change the tried and true SaaS playbook that many of us have been running for the last decade plus. The TLDR is : OMG, so much changes. Today kicks off the intro to our findings as well as implications to and recommendations for founders. We will be dropping content regularly - next week's is the first doozy.

The Aforza #VerticalAI Podcast is here: https://lnkd.in/ecpUa6yu We are super excited to kick off the first episode with enterprise software legend Brett Queener talking about the Vertical AI Opportunity and how it's set to change the software landscape forever. With lessons learned from his time at Siebel Systems, Salesforce & SmartRecruiters, this is a must listen for anyone looking to embrace AI and drive game-changing levels of productivity across the enterprise. Enjoy!

The AI Workforce isn’t coming, it’s here. I’m joining leaders from brands like @Box, @Asana, and @OpenAI to discuss what’s coming next in this AI Revolution and what work looks like as AI Workers take on roles within our teams. AI Workforce Summit presented by @Qualified Wednesday, July 17th | 10am - 1pm PST Virtual Event Register free here: https://bit.ly/3RCwRvC

I’m thrilled to announce a game-changer for sales enablement: Spekit's AI-powered content recommendations!✨ Years ago, I pitched a vision for a new kind of enablement: a world where Spekit 🐙 understands a rep's situation and delivers perfect content just in time. Today, that dream is a reality! We spent months listening to reps. Their biggest pain point? Finding the right content for meeting preparation and follow-ups. Reps waste time searching clunky repositories, often unaware of what to search for or what valuable resources hide within. Spekit’s AI eliminates the guesswork. It recommends the most relevant, personalized content based on a rep's situation seamlessly within their favorite tools, such as Gmail, Gong, Chorus, Salesloft, Outlook Browser, and more! Old way of finding sales content 🥱 1) 🙇 Review your call summary in Gong after chatting with a hot prospect. 2)💡 Realize it’d be great to have a case study that speaks to the ROI of your product for that industry. 3) 🔍 Leave Gong to dig through your CMS and Google Drive before eventually Slacking your marketing team to find it. The new way of finding sales content 🚀 1) ✨ Spekit analyzes the intent and context of your call summary and automatically serves you up that exact case study or battle card on a silver platter. That's it - no leaving, hunting, digging, Slacking required. The result? ⏱ Faster prep & follow-up: Stay focused and close deals quicker. ✅ No more context switching: Find resources without leaving email/call platforms. 🙌 Boosted Confidence: Tackle any situation with the right knowledge. 🚮 Reduced content waste: Ensure valuable resources get used. The best part? There's no extra setup (tagging or integrations). Spekit AI automatically delivers recommendations right where they’re working. This is just the beginning! Thank you to all of the reps who gave us feedback and helped shape this user experience over the last six months to bring this vision to life. Spekit's AI is now available in beta for all reps to experience. Ready to see it in action? Check out our new website! www.spekit.com #salesenablement #salestech #ai #salesproductivity #futureofwork

Congratulations to Robbins S., SafeRide Health CEO and Co-Founder and the entire SafeRide Health team for winning the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Gulf South Award! Schrader and SafeRide Health join an esteemed community of leaders and businesses who have driven success, transformed their industries, and made a positive impact on their employees and communities! #EOYUS #EOYGulfSouth https://hubs.li/Q02C2QjJ0

Running a startup is lonely. As the co-founder and managing partner at Bonfire Ventures and Double M ($1B AUM), I’ve invested in over 100 companies, with notable seed investments in Trade Desk (IPO, $40B market cap), Scopely (sold for $5B), Figment (valued at $1.5B), and many others.  I'm getting lots of DMs from talented founders and aspiring VCs seeking guidance on fundraising and product market fit. So, I've opened up 5 exclusive 1:1 mentorship slots on @Intro. 50% of the proceeds will go to charity. What can we cover together? ✔️ Fundraising from VCs ✔️ Feedback on your pitch ✔️ Advice on selling your company ✔️ How to start and manage a VC fund Disclaimer - only book time if you are interested in no BS advice Honored to be alongside world-class Experts like @Andrew Chen (partner at a16z), @Eric Futoran (founder of Scopely) & @Katelin Holloway (founding partner at 776 Ventures). Comment “interested” and secure your spot now: intro.co/markmullen