The New Wave of AI-First SaaS Companies Serving SMBs w/ Cooper Simson of Martell Ventures - AZ TRT S06 EP16 (278) 8-24-2025

The New Wave of AI-First SaaS Companies Serving SMBs w/ Cooper Simson of Martell Ventures

- AZ TRT S06 EP16 (278) 8-24-2025    

 

What We Learned This Week:

·         Political & product risk can kill a business overnight.

·         AI is lowering barriers to software creation while eliminating low-value roles.

·         SMBs are ripe for AI adoption, especially in workflow automation & marketing.

·         The best AI businesses solve real problems — not just add shiny features.

·         Future-proofing means building where the “puck” is going, not where it’s been.

 

 

Guest: Cooper Simson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-simson-896957b1/

Website: https://martellventures.com

Contact Cooper -  Instagram: @Coop_Doggy_Dog 

Dan Martell's portfolio manager and business partner at Martell Ventures. Cooper talks about what they're building around AI and SaaS software, companies they work with, and the products for SMBs.

  Show Notes Guest: Cooper – Entrepreneur & AI Venture Builder

Bio

·         Started with a finance degree but never pursued traditional finance.

·         First venture: lead-gen & marketing agency (failed when partner left).

·         Pivoted through freelance work → launched a business helping people apply for government grants using AI.

·         Business collapsed overnight due to political risk when U.S. policy changed.

·         Backed by Dan Martel, who later brought Cooper into Martel Venture Studio AI.

·         Lessons learned: Always maintain control of the product and build businesses that can withstand outside risks.

 

 

Segment 1: AI + SMB Software Companies

·         Martel Ventures works with AI-first SaaS companies solving real business problems for SMBs (0–100 employees, $1M–$50M+ in revenue).

·         Examples of portfolio companies:

o    Precision Connect – cleans and organizes business data dashboards.

o    Atlas AI – AI voice agent that can call leads, nearly indistinguishable from a human caller.

o    Hero – recruitment tool powered by AI.

·         AI is the middleman killer → entry-level tech jobs (SDRs, data analysts) most at risk.

·         Core question for any AI product: Does it solve a real problem, or is it just an AI feature?

Segment 2: Dan Martel & Martel Ventures

·         Dan Martel: 27+ years in tech, 3 major software exits, 5M+ followers.

·         Founder of SaaS Academy (coached 6,000+ students).

·         Author of Buy Back Your Time.

·         Martel Ventures (founded 2024):

o    Invests in and advises AI SaaS startups.

o    Target: 10–12 portfolio companies per year.

o    Provides equity, funding, and advisory services to accelerate growth & marketing.

·         Martel Ventures’ niche: AI + SaaS companies with clear use cases and revenue potential.

·         Cooper’s biggest takeaway: “Skate to where the puck is going” — build for future AI demand, not yesterday’s.

Segment 3: The AI Shift in Business

·         Cost transformation: AI drastically reduces software development and coding costs.

·         AI enables SMBs to:

o    Automate workflows & reduce repetitive tasks.

o    Boost employee efficiency → turns “C players” into “B+ players.”

o    Increase ROI per employee by shifting them to higher-value work.

·         SMB Examples: Local service providers, agencies, or firms generating $1M–$50M annually with 5–200 employees.

·         Key insight: If you can’t identify the customer and the problem solved in 5 seconds, the product likely won’t succeed.

AI Use Cases in Marketing & Ops

·         Lead research automation.

·         Retargeting: AI can read your website, identify IPs, and find who visited.

·         Ad research: analyze competitor ads with AI agents.

·         Campaign automation: compresses timelines from weeks to days.

·         Contact management: AI can segment and organize lists for sharper targeting.

Cooper Philosophy:

Frameworks & Systems

·  The "Founding 50" framework walkthrough

·  How to diagnose bottlenecks and build fast paths to MRR

·  Distribution engine strategies that accelerate growth

Contrarian Takes

·  "Distribution beats capital — especially when your offer hits"

·  Why founders waste time perfecting products instead of selling

·  Red flags he spots instantly in founders

AI Market Insights

·  What makes AI-first companies different from traditional SaaS

·  Why SMBs are the sweet spot for AI products right now

·  How venture landscape is changing for AI companies

Leadership & Scaling

·  "Lighthouse, not tugboat" guidance approach

·  Speed over perfection in execution

·  People-first, action-oriented leadership style

 

 

Dan Martell – Bio info

https://www.danmartell.com/ventures/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmartell/?originalSubdomain=ca

https://www.saasacademy.com/author-dan-martell

Dan Martell is a renowned coach and founder of SaaS Academy, celebrated for his expertise in scaling B2B SaaS businesses and significant contributions as an angel investor.

Dan Martell is a Canadian entrepreneur, angel investor, and coach known for his expertise in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry. He's founded, scaled, and successfully exited three technology companies. He's also a prominent figure in the SaaS coaching space, having founded SaaS Academy. Additionally, Martell is an Ironman athlete, philanthropist, and author. 

Book – Buy Back Your Time

 

 

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