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Ton Dobbe

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.

Tech Entrepreneur on a Mission Podcast

A story about speed as strategy—and why saying no to billion-dollar deals built a stronger company.

This episode is for SaaS founders who feel stuck between landing big logos and building what actually scales.

Most SaaS companies don't fail because they lack ambition. They fail because they chase the wrong customers.

Mark Walker, CEO of Nue, took a different path. With decades in enterprise software—ERP, CRM, NetSuite—he joined Nue in March 2022 when it was pre-revenue and a "science experiment." He made one decision that changed everything: focus on speed over complexity. When Nvidia came calling, he said no. When asked to build for everyone, he picked his peers instead.

And this inspired me to invite Mark to my podcast. We explore why treating speed as your core product creates defensible value. Mark shares his philosophy on saying no to wrong-fit customers, building modular systems that compress implementation from years to weeks, and why honesty beats hype when competing against legacy vendors. You'll discover why OpenAI went live in 8 weeks and Anthropic in 12—and what that speed signals to the market.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

 • They acknowledge they cannot please everyone
 • They aim to be different, not just better

Mark's story is proof that when you optimize every decision for customer speed, saying no to complexity becomes your competitive advantage.

Here's one of Mark's quotes that captures his approach to market focus:

"If you want to be great at something, you have to be bad at something else. There are no NFL linemen who are also World Champion marathoners. They're both elite athletes, but they're not the same athlete."

By listening to this episode, you'll learn:

 • Why the fastest implementations come from saying no to features, not adding them
 • What happens when you tell a billion-dollar prospect they're not the right fit
 • When modularity beats monolithic systems in multi-model revenue businesses
 • Why traditional enterprises are preemptively switching systems before they know what's coming

For more information about the guest from this week:

Guest: Mark Walker, CEO at Nue

Website: nue.io

#385 – Speed is the strategy: Redefining Enterprise software for a changing world

When everyone else optimized for instant answers, Sid Masson built for depth and accuracy—and enterprise customers paid more for the difference.

This episode is for SaaS founders who feel trapped competing on speed—and suspect their customers actually want something else.

Most SaaS companies don't fail because they're too slow. They fail because they optimize for speed over trust.

Sid Masson, CEO and Co-founder of Wokelo, took a different path. He started his career as a management consultant doing private equity due diligence with dozens of tabs open, knowing how costly missed insights could be. When he began experimenting with early GPT models while pursuing his second master's in AI, he saw the potential to automate deep analysis—but refused to compromise on rigor.

While others chased instant gratification, Wokelo focused on producing more in-depth, decision-grade insights. That choice became its edge. Enterprise clients quickly recognized that thoughtful, well-supported answers were worth more than instant ones.

This inspired me to invite Sid to my podcast. We explore why building for accuracy rather than instant gratification creates differentiation in competitive markets. Sid shares hard-won lessons about segment selection, the hidden cost of trying to serve everyone, and why their first 10 customers taught them more about usage patterns than any growth hack could. You’ll hear how customers measured ROI not in hours logged, but in the depth of impact—renewing and expanding after a single insight shifted key client conversations.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

 • They acknowledge they cannot please everyone
 • They aim to be different, not just better

Sid's story is proof that constraints drive innovation—and capital efficiency forces strategic clarity.

Here's one of Sid's quotes that captures his approach to capital efficiency:

"Capital efficiency for us, being slightly constrained at times, actually helps us in being more innovative. The most innovations, the most disruptive ideas, actually come out of constraints. We don't want to give our team that luxury that, hey, there's enough money on the table that I can go and do a land grab. We need to still solve a few fundamentals."

By listening to this episode, you'll learn:

 • Why accuracy at scale requires patience—not just better prompts
 • What happens when you design for outcomes instead of feature parity
 • When capital constraints become competitive advantages rather than limitations
 • Why your first 10 customers teach you more about segmentation than any persona document

Guest Information

For more information about the guest from this week:

 • Guest: 
Sid Masson • , CEO and Co-founder of Wokelo AI
 • Website: 
wokelo.ai • Email: 
sid@wokelo.ai

#384 – How Wokelo built trust (and premium prices) by choosing depth over speed

This episode is for founders stuck building features nobody asked for—who want to discover what customers actually need.

Joshua Summers, CEO of EnFi, took a different path. After helping dozens of startups move their cash during the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, he discovered the real problem wasn't deposits or covenants—it was human capacity to assess risk. While others rushed to capitalize on the crisis, he spent months investigating what actually broke.

And this inspired me to invite Joshua to my podcast. We explore how building from crisis reveals opportunities others miss. Joshua shares hard-earned wisdom about why founder-led sales beats hiring early, what happens when you achieve greater-than-human accuracy, and why building a culture where employees jump at the chance to work with you again matters more than your product. You'll discover why taking more capital early can save your company—even if it means more dilution.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

 • Remarkable software companies focus on the essence
 • Remarkable software companies create something valuable and desirable

Joshua's story is proof that the best insights come when you're not trying to sell anything.

Here's one of Joshua's quotes that captures his approach to building companies:

“Culture itself is an organism. It lives, it breathes, and it is impacted positively or negatively by every single thing around it. You can't design a culture. You can't say here's what our company will feel like, not look like, but feel like as an employee, it's impossible, but you can feed a culture with all the good things that hopefully help it to evolve like an organism."

By listening to this episode, you'll learn:

 • Why building in the open beats perfectionism
 • How 14 people can operate like a company of 150
 • When discovering the essence changes everything
 • What makes employees want to work with you (again)

For more information about the guest from this week: 

Guest: Joshua Summers, CEO of EnFi 

Website: www.enfi.ai

#383 - How Joshua Summers turned a banking crisis into an AI workforce for credit

This episode is for SaaS founders tired of the "grow at all costs" playbook—who suspect there's power in saying no to the wrong customers.

Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad product. They fail because they try to please everyone. Martin Balaam, CEO of Pimberly, chose restraint over reach. Former physicist turned serial entrepreneur, he'd already scaled and exited Jigsaw24 at 3x returns. At Pimberly, he refuses customers his team can't delight—even when they're ready to sign.

And this inspired me to invite Martin to my podcast. We explore how qualifying customers as rigorously as they qualify you creates compound advantages. Martin shares hard-won insights about why he walked away from license-only models, when to choose service depth over customer volume, and what happens when you give your product roadmap to customers instead of VCs. You'll discover why maintaining sub-5% churn matters more than doubling growth rates.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

 • Aim to be different, not just better
 • Focus on the essence

Martin's story is proof that sustainable SaaS growth comes from doing what others call unscalable.

Here's one of Martin's quotes that captures his contrarian philosophy:

"I really don't want to lose customers. I know from my life experience how much time and effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in trying to acquire a customer. We'll openly put our hand up and say I can't see that this is actually gonna add the value—even though they might be happy to sign."

By listening to this episode, you'll learn:

 • Why saying no to willing customers protects your business
 • What "VIP leads" actually means (hint: not big orders)
 • When founder-led sales should naturally transition
 • Why physical presence beats remote-first for market entry

For more information about the guest from this week: 

Guest: Martin Balaam, CEO & Founder Pimberly

Website: pimberly.com

#382 - How Martin Balaam chose depth over scale and built to $7M ARR

A story about winning by not competing—and why saying no creates speed

This 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 better
 • Offer something valuable and desirable

David'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 fighting
 • What happens when you empower task-doers, not technicians
 • Why first principles thinking requires empathy, not just logic
 • When everyone wanting your product means stay focused

For more information about the guest from this week: 

Guest: David Villalon, CEO Maisa

Website: https://maisa.ai

#381 - How David Villalon built AI workers that enterprises actually trust

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 different

Ken'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 businesses
 • When to pivot from technology to psychology
 • Why categories emerge from nerve strikes, not planning
 • What 100 customer interviews actually teach you

For more information about the guest from this week: 

Guest: Ken Rapp, CEO & Founder of Blustream

Website: blustream.io

#380 – How Ken Rapp built a category by solving the problem he lived with

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 desirable
 • Trait #6: Create fans, not just customers

Zohar'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 retention
 • What happens when you ignore VCs' market advice
 • When customer honesty beats sales promises
 • Why hiring slower creates faster growth

For more information about the guest from this week:

Guest: Zohar Bronfman, CEO Pecan AI

Website: pecan.ai

#379 – How Zohar Bronfman built AI that actually delivers ROI

A story about passing lucrative deals to competitors—and building something users refuse to give up

This 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 everyone
 • Aim to be different, not just better
 • Focus on the essence

Ray'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 segmentation
 • What happens when you deprecate features instead of adding them
 • When proximity to customers trumps remote efficiency
 • Why integration beats innovation for enterprise retention

For more information about the guest from this week:

 • Guest: 
Ray Meiring • , CEO QorusDocs
 • Website:
 qorusdocs.com

#378 - How Ray Meiring built fanatical customers by choosing exactly who to ignore

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 momentum

Joao'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 suicide
 • What happens when you do the unscalable things competitors avoid
 • When being annoying drives better retention than being nice
 • Why one metric beats ten strategies

For more information about the guest from this week: 

Guest: Joao Marques, CEO Oscar

Website: oscarapp.com

#377 – How Joao Marques became Portugal's home services market leader in 2 years

A story about building a cult following in the unglamorous world of aviation maintenance

This episode is for SaaS founders exhausted from building "nice-to-have" solutions.

Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad tech. They fail because they prefer to solve sexy problems instead of expensive ones.

Dinakara Nagalla, CEO of EmpowerMX (acquired by IFS), took a different path. He spent 14 years in aviation watching mechanics waste 50% of their day on paperwork. Instead of building another dashboard for executives, he built tools for the technicians themselves—and turned a cost center into a profit driver with 78% gross margins.

And this inspired me to invite Dinakara to my podcast. We explore how solving unglamorous problems creates fanatical customers. Dinakara shares hard truths about why productivity software beats regulatory software, how guaranteeing 10% efficiency shrinks sales cycles by 67%, and why hiring from the industry you serve changes everything. You'll discover why his customers became his sales force—without being asked.

We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:

 • They create fans, not customers
 • They sell the idea, not the product

Dinakara's 14-year journey proves that the most loyal customers come from solving their daily frustrations, not their strategic initiatives.

Here's one of Dinakara's quotes that captures his contrarian philosophy:

"Being remarkable shouldn't just be a slogan. You should make it as a responsibility. It's what you do when no one is watching. It's a system you build after the pitch is done, and it should be built with the highest level of accountability, with the most trust you can possibly put in. To me, the most remarkable companies don't scale high; they scale trust."

By listening to this episode, you'll learn:

 • How his customers became his sales force
 • What happens when you guarantee 10% productivity gains
 • When hiring only from aviation changed everything
 • Why reducing organizational stress beats adding features

For more information about the guest from this week: 

Guest: Dinakara Nagalla, CEO & Founder of EmpowerMX (now part of IFS) 

Website: https://dinakaranagalla.com/

#385 – Speed is the strategy: Redefining Enterprise software for a changing world

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