Proprietary data beats software as AI's true differentiator

Sep 17, 2026 · The Revenue Builders Podcast
🎧 PodShort 33 min squeezed to 2 ARMARM Sales Tech New
Episode artwork
Ann Davis
Chief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase
John McMahon
Host at Revenue Builders Podcast
John Kaplan
Host at Revenue Builders Podcast
The Revenue Builders Podcast
33 min squeezed to 2
Full episode from The Revenue Builders Podcast
Quotable Moments

AI is only going to be as good as the data that it's built upon. And everyone, you know, the big seven or eight that are out there, they're gobbling up as much proprietary data as they possibly can so that they have a competitive differentiation in the market.

Ann DavisChief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase
02:20

You are the driver of this, not the customer. So make sure you're in the driver's seat and you're not just being driven by them. Because they'll take you through all the windy roads and end up at a dead end and what are you going to get for your time?

Ann DavisChief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase
09:00

I knew data is the new gold, and I knew that this is what is going to feed successful AI ventures for many, many years to come.

Ann DavisChief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase
04:00
Key Insights
  • AI's effectiveness is directly tied to the quality and proprietary nature of the data it's built upon, making proprietary data the long-term value driver over software itself.
  • Salespeople should always be the 'driver' of the sales process, not merely driven by the customer, to effectively guide the conversation and avoid dead ends.
  • A minimal level of preparation for a sales call includes understanding the customer's priorities, reviewing their K1 filings (for public companies), and researching the individual contact.
  • The shift from product-led growth (PLG) to an enterprise motion requires a clear understanding of who within the organization can adapt to this change and who cannot, with many people opting out.
  • The role of RevOps is not consistently defined across companies, leading to confusion about responsibilities ranging from CRM management and reporting to recruiting and training.
  • The future role of an enterprise seller will continue to focus on driving value propositions, business outcomes, and ROI for their offerings, especially in complex, high-value deals.
Metrics Mentioned
  • 510 billion (Global venture funding in the first half of 2023.)
  • 50% (Percentage of global venture funding in H1 2023 that went to OpenAI and Anthropic alone.)
  • 2.6 billion (Amount Google paid to acquire Looker, a company with a $100 million run rate.)
  • 2x (Pipeline growth driven by focusing on the right accounts in 6 months.)
  • 25% (Top-line revenue growth driven by focusing on the right accounts in 6 months.)
  • 5 weeks (Time it used to take for Google sellers to create territory plans before AI tools.)
  • 5 minutes (Time it now takes to create a territory plan using Crunchbase's MCP server.)
  • 3 months (Typical sales cycle for an SMB deal.)
  • 12-18 months (Typical sales cycle for an enterprise deal.)
  • 92% (Accuracy rate of predicting funding rounds 2-6 months in advance.)

RevBots.ai View:

  • ARM teams should prioritize proprietary data acquisition over generic AI tools.
  • Tab Hoppers risk being left behind without structured data strategies.
  • AI Sprinklers waste resources on models without unique training data.
  • Enterprise sellers will thrive by mastering complex deal orchestration.
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