Crafty CTO

JUNE 18, 2025

I hope these notes help you get a sense of the energy, trends, and ideas shaping the future of AI and AI Engineering. Excellent overview of the state of AI, the pace of progress, trends. Benjamin Eckel operates MCP.run , which consists of a registry of MCPs, along with tools to glue together, orchestrate and run MCPs (AI services).

Engineering 52

Engineering AI Search AI Payment Solutions 52

User Pilot

APRIL 24, 2025

A seasoned product leader with over 5 years of experience in product or program management, product marketing, business development, or technology. Requirements 5+ years of product or program management, marketing, business development, or technology experience. Who would be the best fit for this job?

Payment Methods 52

Payment Methods Payment Solutions Retention Churn 52

Stax

MARCH 4, 2025

TL;DR Online payments rely on API or hosted gateways with encryption and fraud detection, while in-store transactions require POS hardware with EMV chip technology and NFC capabilities. For enhanced security, it uses EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) chip technology and contactless payments, like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Payment Methods 88

Payment Methods Payments Payment Services Merchant Services 88

Intercom, Inc.

FEBRUARY 6, 2020

Seeing a real demand for business courses in their consumer marketplace, the team identified an opening in the market to disrupt corporate training and hypothesized that employers would be more than willing to pay. Prospects were confused over how the marketplace worked and the sales team struggled to explain it.

Marketplace as a Service 243

Marketplace as a Service Scale Sales Recruiting Business 243

Neil Patel

MAY 4, 2021

Data as a service (DaaS) is becoming increasingly popular. New advancements in cloud computing technology have made remote, cloud-based data storage and management easier to use and more accessible. What Is Data as a Service (DaaS)? What Are the Benefits of Using Data as a Service Tools? Who Benefits Most from DaaS Tools?

Marketplace as a Service 120

Marketplace as a Service Data Technical Review Marketing 120

SaaStr

MARCH 19, 2021

Here are the latest trends and predictions from the BVP team of Byron Deeter, Elliott Robinson, and Mary D’Onofrio. A lot of elements within Cloud have accelerated in a way that will reflect across long-term tech trends. Cloud Marketplaces. Fintech and crypto players are changing financial services forever.

Cloud 279

Cloud Scale Payment Methods Payment Solutions 279

SaaStr

MARCH 30, 2022

It’s critical for a business to adapt when the situation calls for it, especially in response to new customer preferences, evolving technology, cultural movements, etc. The signs that a change is needed can come externally, like a new trend or wave that impacts your product, business, or mission. In this session, Boast.AI

Scale 274

Scale Sales Hiring Marketplace as a Service Construction 274

Intercom, Inc.

JUNE 23, 2022

The process of purchasing software is increasingly complex – the choices for products and services are endless, and customers have a harder time parsing which companies to trust and which product will better cater to their needs. But once they’re happy with a service, they can help build trust with new customers as well.

Software Review 118

Software Review Trends Software Marketplace as a Service 118

SaaStr

JUNE 3, 2020

The SaaS Trust Crisis is making it harder to market and sell software and services than ever before. And today, I’m very excited to be the co-founder and CEO of G2 where we’re building the world’s leading marketplace for SaaS software. This was a 30 year mega trend into the future. FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW.

Software Review 254

Software Review Scale Technical Review SaaS 254

Neil Patel

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

From Facebook to Microsoft, there is a massive trend to seek out tiny teams of five or less, buy them, and use the technology and talent to gain a competitive edge. Micro Startup Acquisition Trends. Another major trend in micro startup acquisitions is artificial intelligence. Micro startup acquisitions. Micro Acquire.

Technical Review 145

Technical Review Payment Methods Acquisition Development Team Review 145

Clouded Judgement

JANUARY 26, 2024

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. For the first time in a decade, IT services will become bigger than communication services in 2024. Gartner estimates that by 2027, nearly all of the growth in worldwide IT spending will come from software and IT services.

Cloud 167

Cloud Marketplace as a Service AI Payment Features 167

Totango

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

As the digitization of the marketplace reaches near-saturation, organizations will compete for customers based on value derived—and this will be driven by customer success. Flexible subscription and recurring revenue models mean the customer is in control of their service and tech partnerships and reserve the right to move on to a competitor.

Customer Success 83

Customer Success Trends Customer Lifetime Value Scale 83

OpenView Labs

DECEMBER 15, 2020

Now—a happy consequence—cloud marketplaces are on a similar trajectory of growth and have opened up a powerful go-to-market channel for sellers that you probably haven’t heard of yet. Not to mention 73% of B2B buyers prefer the convenience of digital buying through ecommerce, web direct or marketplaces (more on that later). .

Marketplace as a Service 64

Marketplace as a Service Cloud Scale VP of Engineering 64

Intercom, Inc.

MAY 10, 2018

Switching to a different service is something that takes a lot of effort. Andrew: I started on the driver side of the business, and as everyone knows about marketplaces, the supply side is often the trickiest, hardest side. I saw both sides of the marketplace, which was a lot of fun. You joined on the supply side, correct?

Acquisition 224

Acquisition Marketplace as a Service Retention Startup 224

Intercom, Inc.

JANUARY 16, 2020

The idea of a virtual whiteboard is so simple that even the least technologically literate amongst us could likely understand the concept. Andrey explains why embracing the professional services sector in a unique way has paid dividends. So our platform is also built for them to use. Andrey: Exactly. So we want to foster a community.

Consulting 249

Consulting Marketplace as a Service Scale Development 249

Tom Tunguz

JANUARY 2, 2016

Which of the 16 major start of categories in information technology will reap disproportionate share of investment dollars in 2016? Using Crunchbase data, I analyzed share of dollars commanded by each of these 16 categories over the last five years to understand the trends in both the seed and series A fundraising markets.

Startup 111

Startup Marketplace as a Service Social Media Advertising 111

Blulogix

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Charting the Future: What Are the Emerging Trends in Subscription Billing and Monetization? The landscape of agile monetization is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer expectations, and new business models.

Artificial Intelligence 52

Artificial Intelligence Trends Payment Features Subscription 52

Blulogix

DECEMBER 13, 2024

For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) , real-time analytics is a game-changer when it comes to understanding customer behavior, improving service offerings, and driving business growth. Traditional billing systems, which often provide limited insights into customer activity, are no longer sufficient in a highly competitive marketplace.

Payments 97

Payments Payment Services Marketplace as a Service Payment Solutions 97

Neil Patel

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

You need excellent marketing strategies unique to Amazon’s marketplace. Most of these ranked agencies offer the same services or only have Amazon marketing as one of their numerous services. Only 3% of online shoppers who search for goods and services on Amazon go on to shop elsewhere. So, with over 2.5 The only problem?

Social Media 145

Social Media Marketing Marketplace as a Service Outsourced Development 145

ChurnZero

JANUARY 13, 2022

Following the trends from the last few years, we fully expect to see an acceleration in the number of Customer Success leaders who join the ranks of the C-suite over the course of 2022. Amir Siddiqi, Chief Customer Officer, CentralSquare Technologies. She understands customer service and puts customers first every single day.

VP of Engineering 98

VP of Engineering Customer Success Outsourcing Services Technical Review 98

How To Buy Saas

APRIL 19, 2024

In recent years, Software as a Service (SaaS) has revolutionized the way businesses operate, offering scalable solutions accessible over the internet. Evolution of Marketplaces Marketplaces have long served as platforms connecting buyers and sellers, facilitating transactions across various industries.

Marketplace as a Service 40

Marketplace as a Service SaaS Payments Payment Services Artificial Intelligence 40

Intercom, Inc.

JULY 11, 2019

As the General Manager for HubSpot’s Service Hub , Michael knows a thing or two about keeping customers close. Kaitlin: You’re the General Manager HubSpot’s Service Hub. Could you give me a bit of background on why HubSpot built Service Hub in the first place and the philosophy behind it?

Scale 188

Scale Scaling Sales Hiring Underperforming Technical Team 188

Neil Patel

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

There are lots of effects that use “augmented reality” technology. To address these issues, TikTok has developed the “ TikTok creator marketplace.”. If you join this marketplace, you will see the metrics associated with a given influencer. Another TikTok best practice is to jump on trends.

Social Media 145

Social Media Marketing Marketplace as a Service Advertising 145

ChurnZero

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

This award is earned by software products and companies that provide best-in-class customer service products and experiences for their customers. Our customers’ performance and satisfaction are what motivate us to deliver the best possible software and service,” says Abby Hammer, chief customer officer of ChurnZero. “The

Software Review 98

Software Review Technical Review Software Marketplace as a Service 98

Sales Hacker

JUNE 4, 2020

The influence of COVID-19 on the marketplace and our sales operations has completely changed the business landscape, and there may be no turning back. For instance, you might need to add extra people to your customer service team, so that you always have someone on-hand to answer questions your clients might have.

Sales 130

Sales Marketplace as a Service Communication Government 130

CloudGeometry

MARCH 22, 2022

First, SaaS is a business strategy, not a technology strategy. The intensity of competition in the SaaS marketplace puts a premium on new, stable, and reliable features. Their conclusion: Delivering software quickly, reliably, and safely is at the heart of technology transformation and organizational performance.

DevOps as a Service 130

DevOps as a Service Software Delivery Well Architected Framework AWS 130

Sales Hacker

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

And to facilitate that their website shows some of the services they provide with a vague “get in touch” option and no pricing listed. In what you’ll see is a trend in high-value field-sales oriented companies, their website doesn’t list pricing, and instead offers product demo — pushing you towards a rep. ACV and $17M ARR.

Scale 131

Scale Outsourcing Services Sales Technical Review 131

Neil Patel

JANUARY 1, 2021

Suffice it to say, new laws and changes in technology have made EHR systems essential. Dashboards and data visualization tools help providers understand trends in clinical data. A welcome trend is the growing number of EMR systems tailor-made for specialty practices. This can be confusing though. Consider a specialty option.

Systems Review 145

Systems Review Healthcare Software Review Marketplace as a Service 145

Stax

AUGUST 20, 2024

TL;DR Embedded finance integrates financial services into non-financial business processes, while embedded fintech integrates fintech solutions into the processes of an institution in the finance industry. Embedded Insurance Embedded insurance allows customers to purchase insurance for products or services at the point of sale.

Payments 88

Payments Payment Methods Merchant Services Finance 88

Neil Patel

APRIL 5, 2023

Spying on your competitors can strengthen your position in the marketplace, but not without having three crucial factors in play: First, what are you looking for? Google Alerts Google Alerts is a free service offered by Google to keep you up-to-date on the latest news, conversations, and web content.

Payment Methods 139

Payment Methods Social Media Payment Services AI Search 139

FastSpring

DECEMBER 5, 2018

It’s important to remember that software can be any solution or service that is powered by code. Traditionally, developers would list their games on marketplaces or work with publishing studios to get their titles in retail stores. Digital Trends to keep an eye on for the future. economy and the output in new software solutions.

Marketplace as a Service 80

Marketplace as a Service Software Technology Software Engineering 80

OpenView Labs

JANUARY 13, 2022

Given the lingering impacts of the pandemic and the rising specter of inflation, the impact of pricing on community value will likely remain below the surface for most companies in 2022 but this remains a long term trend. Usage-based pricing (UBP) was an undeniable trend in 2021. Now onto pricing transformations for 2022.

Pricing 98

Pricing Payment Services SaaS Payments Payment Solutions 98

How To Buy Saas

DECEMBER 1, 2020

SAAS is also abbreviated as software as a service. With so many SAAS getting visibility in online marketplaces, we found that new saas businesses are struggling hard to make it to the right set of customers. SaaS as we already understood is a software as a service. Start Listing your saas on Software and saas Marketplaces.

Growth Hacking 105

Growth Hacking Payment Methods SaaS Payments Payment Solutions 105

Stax

JANUARY 17, 2024

PayFacs typically partner with a payment processor or a bank to provide merchant services. This is pretty much similar to the service that PayPal offers. With ACH payments, they can simply make a one-time payment or set recurring payments for your services. On the other hand, ACH PayFacs process payments directly.

Payment Services 88

Payment Services SaaS Payments Merchant Services Payment Facilitation 88

Intercom, Inc.

APRIL 7, 2022

It doesn’t matter if they have the best vision of how to leverage their technology or if they’re experts in the ways of the future when all your customers are trying to do is go live. You may be set on how you want to serve customers, but until the service hits the market, you have to be flexible. Agility is central to the role.

Customer Success 118

Customer Success Technical Review Sales Hiring VP of Engineering 118

FastSpring

APRIL 13, 2023

From leading sales at Zillow to brand strategy at Tumblr to revenue at FiscalNote (a global policy platform), Justin Scott started noticing a trend. Thanks to massive technological advances happening in big data and AI, Justin saw new possibilities for improved user experiences with a brand. Experience is the keyword here.

Payment Methods 147

Payment Methods Marketing Payments SaaS Payments 147

Sales Hacker

APRIL 1, 2021

While that can feel like a B2C trend, your B2B shoppers and targets are doing much the same thing. McKinsey notes that B2B decision-makers are pushing to e-commerce and e-commerce-like sales cycles, and up to 80% prefer either digital self-service tools or to contact teams remotely. The future of this space is digital and streamlined.

Outsourcing Services 91

Outsourcing Services Payment Services SaaS Payments Transportation 91