Our new HubSpot for Startups survey reveals how today's founders are breaking out of the startup slump.
It's been a rough few years for startups. Investors have become more conservative and funding hit new lows, but new data from HubSpot for Startups shows AI might just be the key to reversing the startup slump.
We surveyed more than 1,000 global startup founders to learn about how they're implementing AI in this new era of tech — particularly, how they're using AI in their go-to-market (GTM), the area often responsible for driving business growth. What we found was staggering: nearly 90% of founders have seen positive outcomes from leveraging AI in their company's GTM.
Specifically, 57% of founders reported AI helped boost customer conversion rates, 52% said using AI has enhanced customer engagement, and 41% saw improved lead quality. The data is clear: incorporating AI into GTM strategies can be a game-changer for startups. It helps them do more with less, which means they can scale faster, create personalized experiences, drive repeatable business, and grow.
See the data: How AI is redefining startup GTM strategy.
How successful startups are using AI across the GTM
So how exactly are these successful startups implementing AI across marketing, service, and sales? Let’s dive in.
Marketing:
It’s a difficult time to stand out. From ever-increasing channels to evolving data privacy regulations, startups are feeling this marketing pressure more than anyone. But AI is helping to level the playing field–our data shows founders are using marketing AI tools to improve customer targeting and segmentation, increase engagement, and generate more qualified leads. Some standout details from the report include:
- Marketing AI adoption is on the rise for startups: 62% of founders are using AI in their marketing strategies, with 43% saying AI is most impactful in marketing compared to the rest of the GTM areas.
- The most common ways startups use AI in marketing are customer behavior forecasting (24%) and personalized content recommendation algorithms (23%).
- More than 40% of startup founders use AI to support personalized pricing strategies using customer behavior insights.
Sales:
For resource-constrained startups, the sales process is hard. They need to be able to identify and pursue the best leads, set goals and budgets, and optimize resources, all while being able to move quickly and close deals. At the same time, AI is shifting the customer journey and making it more important than ever for sales reps to deliver personal and effective buying experiences.
The good news is, AI is bringing startup sales reps new levels of efficiency, helping small teams operate like big teams. A few key findings from the report were:
- AI-powered prospecting is paying off: 59% of early-stage startup founders say AI has helped them reach qualified prospects more efficiently.
- The two most common ways startups are using AI in sales are to better understand the customer journey (39%) and in predictive analysis for sales forecasting (38%).
Service:
Startup teams agree that AI is showing immediate impact in customer experience and success. Teams are able to use AI chat support for questions that are easily resolved. Ultimately, this allows businesses to offer always-on support for their customers, and frees valuable time for service teams to focus on the more tailored, human-touch support needed for more complex customer issues.
In particular, the report found that:
- 80% of founders agree that AI has had a positive impact on customer experience and success.
- Fast customer service remains a priority, with 62% of founders having used AI in customer experience, and nearly 40% using AI-powered chatbots or virtual assistants to provide instant customer support.
For startup founders who aren’t sure where to start, Pascal Weinberger, CEO and Co-Founder at Bardeen.ai — HubSpot Ventures portfolio company and HubSpot for Startups customer — suggests a gradual approach: “For startups just beginning to use AI in their GTM strategies, I suggest they start by experimenting with user-friendly tools first before scaling. Think: tools that’ll help them automate time-consuming tasks like writing subject lines or generating social content so founders can spend their time scaling the business.”
The results of this survey are clear. Startups have a lot to gain by focusing their AI efforts on their GTM strategies, and it could change the pace of startup growth as we know it.
See what's working: How AI is redefining startup GTM strategy
Join us to talk about AI for startups at HubSpot’s GenAI summit
While this report highlights the AI opportunity for startups, this research is just a starting point.
If you want to discover even more innovative ways AI can uplevel your GTM strategy, join us for HubSpot for Startups’ second annual GenAI Summit in San Francisco on May 16. The summit, presented in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Fellows Fund, will showcase industry experts like Yamini Rangan (CEO of HubSpot), Vijay Narayanan (Former Chief AI Officer at ServiceNow, GP at Fellows Fund), Denis Yarats (Co-founder & CTO at Perplexity AI), and Arvind Jain (Co-Founder & CEO at Glean), with additional speakers to be revealed shortly.
With AI poised to redefine the startup landscape for years to come, now is the ideal time to dive into the possibilities it offers to drive growth for your business. If you’re a startup leader interested in attending the event, you can learn more here.
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