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Woman advertising phone call having conversation on wired retro telephone helpline hotline support

Video may have killed the Radio Star, but AI shouldn’t kill the SDR.&nbsp;If your SDRs are still pounding phones, tallying dials, and measuring success by sheer volume, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Offloading those tasks to AI isn’t optional—it’s table stakes. But let’s be clear: eliminating SDRs altogether isn’t leadership, it’s laziness. Flooding the funnel with “more, more, more” cheap, low-quality AI leads only makes the noise louder and the signal weaker.Yet the SDR role hasn’t evolved much. They’re still pigeonholed as meeting setters while AEs “own” the opportunity, SEs do the demo magic, and CSMs chase the renewal. Cute org chart, but wildly outdated in an AI-native, as-a-service world.Blurring the Lines The future of GTM isn’t about siloed roles—it’s about blended impact.&nbsp;<ul><li>SDRs shouldn’t be confined to cold calling—they should be market signal amplifiers.</li><li>AEs shouldn’t be lone hunters—they should be orchestrators. SE's shouldn’t just demo—they should influence upstream.</li><li>CSMs shouldn’t just renew—they should co-create value.&nbsp;</li></ul>Better Tools, Just Fewer Tools This isn’t a call for more tech sprawl. SDR's don’t need ten dashboards and six CRMs to toggle through. They need smarter, streamlined systems that eliminate grunt work and surface market insights in real time. Fewer tools, but better ones.The Takeaway&nbsp; While AI may mean fewer “hands” are needed to generate pipeline, more hands-on collaboration is needed to retain and grow recurring revenue. In an as-a-service economy, nurture is no longer optional—it’s survival.<figure id="figure-qp0n46v0mxmfye0hkr"><img id="qp0n46v0mxmfye0hkr" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2217776572/photo/trend-artwork-composite-banner-photo-collage-of-teenager-young-girl-slefie-phone-hello.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=zTuLWypI6ANv0ch8DiK2oMclSuAkipfw4uqvDp5STZ4=" alt="Trend artwork composite banner photo collage of teenager young girl slefie phone hello landline phone back school online lesson pupil fall" title="Trend artwork composite banner photo collage of teenager young girl slefie phone hello landline phone back school online lesson pupil fall" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: 40% 40%;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="" data-positionx="40%" data-positiony="40%" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2217776572/photo/trend-artwork-composite-banner-photo-collage-of-teenager-young-girl-slefie-phone-hello.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=zTuLWypI6ANv0ch8DiK2oMclSuAkipfw4uqvDp5STZ4=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: 40% 40%;"></figure>~ Arielle&nbsp;

The SDR Role Isn’t Dead — But “Dialing for Dollars” Should Be

Anthropic and OpenAI will both be gone in &lt; 3-5 yearsOpenAI and Anthropic are the nerds no one noticed freshman year who, over the summer, turned pretty; and it can be every bit as soapy and melodramatic as the popular series.The problem IMHO both peaked too early to maintain a sustainable arc. Economics of scale, for the time being, mean they have a seat at the table in partnering with the big girls and boys, AWS, Azure, GCP to optimize HPC and training models.They are training their replacements. Been there done that.&nbsp;Do they know this? Was this the plan all along?&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Do we all know this?(SIDEBAR: #Oracle I am sure does, notice how they refused to play the game? Instead owning the board and investing in their own R&amp;D, “Don’t look over here, just racing super yachts and quietly acquiring real estate, snapping up data scientists from IBM and building closed source AI" for years. Check out their earnings. Also note, Oracle also owns Cerner or excuse me, Oracle Health. Can you imagine what they are doing in the field of healthcare and genomics owning full stack soup to nuts the hardware &gt; software&gt; data &gt; widgets!? Mind boggling, they not only own the value, they own the entire chain, everything.)&nbsp;Anthropic and OpenAI own, what a few patents; perhaps aside from that, they own nothing. How #GenZ of them. A modern day WeWork. The Uber/Airbnb argument doesn’t work. Uber wasn’t using taxi’s and Airbnb wasn’t using Marriott hotels.Anthropic and OpenAI followed the hyperscalers Siren’s song of usage based cost efficient compute they now cannot decouple themselves from while those same hyperscalers build better products to replace with deeper pockets and economies of scale owning datacenter assets and supply chain relationships Anthropic and OpenAI simply do not.Don’t believe me? This visual started as a pet project over the weekend. Lots of work still to be done but it serves as a starting point to visualize who has shored up areas of risk through diversification and partnering and who hasn’t.<figure id="figure-eqi6rj8aw5mfe5og87"><img id="eqi6rj8aw5mfe5og87" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/5n6g6xTVGfLpNnvhcuCl1xPfibQmVeZuBeXOC0O5j7HPM4m5bI11SqGcYZP1xwyW.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="3:2" data-caption="AI Ecosystem Ownership Landscape" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/5n6g6xTVGfLpNnvhcuCl1xPfibQmVeZuBeXOC0O5j7HPM4m5bI11SqGcYZP1xwyW.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: undefined undefined;"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">AI Ecosystem Ownership Landscape</figcaption></figure>

Open Source AI’s Chokepoint: Dependence on OPEX in an Own Nothing Economy

Had fun playing around with my Octobuddy in the Parent pickup line. To which I humbly present to you this weeks vlog + blog :)<figure id="figure-od35nsvet6mf2yly3g" class=""><iframe id="od35nsvet6mf2yly3g" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KD7-y3F4pS0" class="w-full bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" allowfullscreen="" data-url="https://youtube.com/shorts/KD7-y3F4pS0?feature=share" data-corners="default" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KD7-y3F4pS0" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></iframe></figure><ul><li>The Account Mapping Venn<ul><li>High Touch: Accounts that require constant handholding and frequent outreach</li><li>High Value: Accounts driving significant current spend</li><li>High Opportunity: Accounts with strong growth potential but not high spend today<figure id="figure-2csn1n8irnmf2wwwo4"><img id="2csn1n8irnmf2wwwo4" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/274pZ0WEqM4WEPDw4STEEoPTPfxB6jDVswVQfYmoXt2WFcA4Q2aGmxPGZb9w03Ld.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: center center;" data-corners="no-rounded" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="Account Mapping Venn" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/274pZ0WEqM4WEPDw4STEEoPTPfxB6jDVswVQfYmoXt2WFcA4Q2aGmxPGZb9w03Ld.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: center center;"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">Account Mapping Venn</figcaption></figure></li></ul></li><li>Why It Works<ul><li>Offers a holistic view of an account manager’s patch</li><li>Highlights trends and shifts over time</li><li>Surfaces imbalance (e.g., too many high-touch, low-value accounts)</li></ul></li><li>Closing the Gaps<ul><li>Build tactical plans to move accounts from “high touch” or “high opportunity” into “high value”</li><li>Focus resources where growth potential and current revenue align</li></ul></li><li>Graduation to Enterprise<ul><li>Accounts that overlap all three circles are enterprise candidates</li><li>Recognition model: one-quarter quota relief to reinvest in portfolio and incubate new growth</li><li>Executive acknowledgment of transforming mid-market into Enterprise business</li></ul></li><li>The Outcome<ul><li>Smarter allocation of time and resources</li><li>A repeatable framework to morph strategy into daily execution</li><li>Recognition and reward tied to measurable growth</li></ul></li></ul>

QBR 2.0: Enter The Account Mapping Venn

Diverse Group of People Joining Hands in Unity

When building out an effective channel plan the challenge comes in finding the unique balance of adequate realized margin, less the opportunity and channel "franchising" costs to acquire.&nbsp;Bottom Line: Know your Layered Comp Exposure &amp; Align Revenue (Type Recognition/Timing).&nbsp;The partner margin type starts with a simple but critical question in who sourced the deal. Whether it’s the OEM, a partner, or a distributor, the booking source determines how revenue is credited — and in turn, how compensation is structured. In a partner-sourced model, the partner owns the origin and typically receives larger margin and control over the deal. In an origination sourced motion, the OEM retains the bulk of revenue credit, with partners playing a fulfillment role.<figure id="figure-kpl43osa4xmevlto5t" class=""><img id="kpl43osa4xmevlto5t" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/0yuUsLmz7KPriOemWOK3DosTXmloHVnJBWgJ1BaHNHfxGbDshXvqYMPJBlZu4CgQ.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="OIP - Partner Led" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/0yuUsLmz7KPriOemWOK3DosTXmloHVnJBWgJ1BaHNHfxGbDshXvqYMPJBlZu4CgQ.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: undefined undefined;"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">OIP - Partner Led</figcaption></figure> Teaming models, where the OEM and partner co-sell, require more nuance — attribution must be split clearly to avoid double comp or missed incentives.<figure id="figure-rp1ihoxoofmevmvans"><img id="rp1ihoxoofmevmvans" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/0Kg2daBJUdag9Qi6yKzq2GWHaU46qKNg3LmTuKQbLccnp3Yx0XFzNKf6J5OTtAAz.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="TIP - OEM Led" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/0Kg2daBJUdag9Qi6yKzq2GWHaU46qKNg3LmTuKQbLccnp3Yx0XFzNKf6J5OTtAAz.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: center center;"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">TIP - OEM Led </figcaption>There are also nuances around who controls the deal, which stakeholders are involved, and when key milestones occur, all of which shift depending on who originated the opportunity.</figure>Equally important is revenue recognition timing. For traditional resale models, revenue may be recognized at the point of booking or delivery. In SaaS or consumption-based models, it unfolds over time — which directly affects when and how comp is paid to internal teams and partners alike. Aligning your revenue reconition policies to each workflow (origination, partner-led, and teaming) ensures that incentive structures match reality and drive the behaviors you want.Other Factors to Consider:&nbsp; - Align sales comp (OEM + partner) to either TCV, ARR, GP&nbsp; - Partner origination vs partner influence — which gets paid and how much? - % of deal value retained by partner after OEM discounts and/or distributor margin stack. - Distributor cut Either set, fixed or variable % margin — affects both partner margin and OEM margin. - Referral or Sourced Fees&nbsp;If a partner refers a deal but doesn’t close it, what % of deal value do they get? - Back-End Rebates Post-deal incentives that affect net margin, must be accounted for in rev comp model. - Spiff Impact&nbsp;Short-term incentives—track cost and tie to actual closed revenue.Lucid Chart workflows can be found here: https://lucid.app/lucidchart/ea63689c-a845-44a8-826e-f0b89f45dc37/edit?viewport_loc=-1558%2C-998%2C3310%2C1572%2CK05yejjk9E5u&amp;invitationId=inv_e73f4b51-e062-4902-b09c-cce06c3acb85~ Best, Arielle

Deal Registration Workflows & Partner Comp

3D Render Of Power Transmission Lines with 3D Digital Visualization of Electricity. Fantastic Visuals of Night Sky Full of Bright Stars. Concept of Renewable Green Energy Powering Human Progress.

Scale and concentration are real: The data set I was able to find and build from includes 34 U.S. projects, with $108.9B disclosed CAPEX across 23 sites. Spend is concentrated: PA ($26.7B), IN ($12.8B), and IA ($12.5B) dominate, while Texas leads by project count (7 total / $5.37B disclosed).&nbsp;Top 10 Commited 2025 US Datacenter Projects with Estimated CAPEX<img id="urtu4kn70dmeiqbav2" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/11xEfTzNge8bsOSRzm5m1WAjavtRKIDqgJU01aXnFpB0vIGbOPOlzDW0neWheBPu.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100" data-corners="no-rounded" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="2025 Top 10 States Estimated Datacenter Project CAPEX Committed " data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/11xEfTzNge8bsOSRzm5m1WAjavtRKIDqgJU01aXnFpB0vIGbOPOlzDW0neWheBPu.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: undefined undefined;" style="border-color: rgb(229, 231, 235); --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-pan-x: ; --tw-pan-y: ; --tw-pinch-zoom: ; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-gradient-from-position: ; --tw-gradient-via-position: ; --tw-gradient-to-position: ; --tw-ordinal: ; --tw-slashed-zero: ; --tw-numeric-figure: ; --tw-numeric-spacing: ; --tw-numeric-fraction: ; --tw-ring-inset: ; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(62,172,255,.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-blur: ; --tw-brightness: ; --tw-contrast: ; --tw-grayscale: ; --tw-hue-rotate: ; --tw-invert: ; --tw-saturate: ; --tw-sepia: ; --tw-drop-shadow: ; --tw-backdrop-blur: ; --tw-backdrop-brightness: ; --tw-backdrop-contrast: ; --tw-backdrop-grayscale: ; --tw-backdrop-hue-rotate: ; --tw-backdrop-invert: ; --tw-backdrop-opacity: ; --tw-backdrop-saturate: ; --tw-backdrop-sepia: ; --tw-transform: translateX(0) translateY(0) rotate(0) skewX(0) skewY(0) scaleX(1) scaleY(1); --tw-border-opacity: 1; --tw-filter: ; --tw-backdrop-filter: ; --tw-bg-opacity: 1; background-color: rgb(243, 244, 246); width: 640px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;">Texas is leading in volume, but with energy risk: Deck data and sheet confirm Texas is the most active project market, spanning from $31M niche builds to $3.5B mega-campuses. Energy sourcing leans heavily on on-site natural gas turbines (Crusoe, Rowan) as a reliability hedge, versus more grid + nuclear/renewable PPAs in PA, NC, and LA. This strategy provides uptime but increases exposure to fuel price volatility and emissions scrutiny. Grid strain and policy shifts are escalating: ERCOT faces demand potentially doubling by 2030; Senate Bill 6 already empowers curtailment of “large flexible loads” like AI datacenters. Similar pressures are emerging in PJM (queue reform, cost allocation) and at FERC (Order 2023). Expect operators to increasingly shoulder upgrade costs or deploy on-site firm power, network and storage. Enter economies of scale and OPEX vs CAPEX cloud cost optimization down to the consumer.&nbsp;<figure id="figure-uja20ho0pameiqn7lz"><img id="uja20ho0pameiqn7lz" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/2aqk4rCZ7IE5ioQzbewrvNGNwbw5R8UsjfkAaap8FZqbdVD3uIe8QsBpLBrOXltc.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100" style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="no-rounded" data-aspect="3:2" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/2aqk4rCZ7IE5ioQzbewrvNGNwbw5R8UsjfkAaap8FZqbdVD3uIe8QsBpLBrOXltc.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: undefined undefined;"></figure>National mix vs. Texas divergence: Nationally, the build pipeline tilts toward nuclear (AWS PA) and clean/renewable matching (Meta LA, CoreWeave PA). Texas, by contrast, remains gas-heavy. Federal incentives and state-level legislation could nudge diversification, but in the near term, ERCOT’s profile will be more fossil-dependent than the U.S. average.GPU/HPC-oriented builds account for ~35% of disclosed dollars ($38.5B), anchoring the “AI-class” load. AWS, GCP and MSFT top that list in order of magnatude. Email <a href="mailto:info@fortravia.ai" data-mce-href="mailto:info@fortravia.ai">info@fortravia.ai </a>for the full list.&nbsp;Legislation + shortages frame 2025–30 as a crunch: DOE, EIA, and multiple utilities are already flagging record demand growth, with AI loads projected to more than double data center share of US power consumption by 2028.&nbsp;Coming Soon: •&nbsp; Global Energy Strategy, tariffs, nuclear cost &amp; dependencies&nbsp; •&nbsp; EMEA/APAC EED Emissions Regulations •&nbsp; 2025-2030 Closing the US Energy Gap &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Best,&nbsp;Arielle&nbsp;

State of the Market - U.S. Datacenter & Energy (2025)

Digital overload and its impact on the human brain, showcasing fragmented thoughts, information overload

&lt;&lt; For those of you in the TL;DR category: Don’t Get Executive — Get Customers &gt;&gt;A GTM (Go-to-Market) and RTM (Route-to-Market) blueprint isn’t just a strategic exercise—it’s your startup’s go-live playbook. It shows you how to turn a product into revenue, how to hit the market with focus, and how to scale without spinning your wheels.At Fortra Via our Revenue Execution blueprint maps out nine key areas giving early stage companies the structure to execute and adapt as they grow. My take, upending traditional GTM/RTM thinking, follow <a data-mce-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gall_(author)#Gall's_law" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gall_(author)#Gall's_law" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gall’s Law</a>.Don’t waste your early days creating *assumed* buyer personas, segmenting your market, and developing complex, intricately specific ideal buyer personas and signals. This over-engineered mythical scenario will never in practice exist.&nbsp; Instead, carve out a space in time to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. Cast a wide net, see what ingenious pain points people adapt your product/widget/service for.Why? Because what you think your market is and what actually gains traction rarely line up early on.Real Talk from the Early Cloud DaysA million years ago I was selling cloud infrastructure (back when IaaS still needed explaining), we assumed our buyers would be traditional IT teams replacing on-prem servers. Instead, our biggest growth came from born-in-the-cloud startups—engineers building gaming platforms, marketing tools, encrypted voice apps. They found us, not the other way around. And they didn’t match our imagined “CTO Chad - with budget from the Board” persona.What won? Listening and adapting our thought process to real world use cases. Like shaving milliseconds off GPU latency - who knew cyber athletes and WAN parties would shape the future of cloud consumption.Pharma as an industry has all sorts of examples that follow this intended persona to real world use mismatch Oh..Oh..Oh don't they :). &nbsp;The Smarter Path for Startups or Companies Looking to Reinvent&nbsp;The Fortra Via blueprint doesn’t lock you into theory. It gives you just enough GTM structure—ICP, messaging, sales plays—to move fast while letting your market shape itself around real traction. Think scaffolding, not a straitjacket.Faster to market. Smarter to Scale.&nbsp;Best, Arielle&nbsp;

Your ICP Is a Guess; Until the Market Proves Otherwise

Fortra Via LLC

Fortra Via partners with AI-forward tech and XaaS firms to accelerate revenue via sharp Go-To-Market strategy, hands-on sales activation, and partner-channel scale. We’re your growth engine in today’s digital native era.

Blog

The SDR Role Isn’t Dead — But “Dialing for Dollars” Shoul...

Open Source AI’s Chokepoint: Dependence on OPEX in an Own...

QBR 2.0: Enter The Account Mapping Venn

Deal Registration Workflows & Partner Comp

State of the Market - U.S. Datacenter & Energy (2025)

Your ICP Is a Guess; Until the Market Proves Otherwise