Dharmesh Shah

Founder and CTO at HubSpot. Helping millions grow better.

Career startup guy.

Author of the book &quot;Inbound Marketing&quot; (http://InboundBook.com)

Specialties: Entrepreneurship, Software Development, internet marketing,SEO

Founder and CTO

Founder of HubSpot, a venture-backed software startup.  HubSpot offers the industry's first inbound marketing system for small businesses.  The software is available as a hosted service (SaaS).

Here's a quick tip on how to build an effective presence on LinkedIn.

Too many people on LinkedIn are "performing" for their current (and future) followers.

Instead of self-centered performing, focus on generous *sharing*.

We all have something to share that will be helpful/useful to others. Things we are experts in or passionate about. What's often even better is sharing mistakes we've made and lessons we've learned. 

Share, don't perform and you'll pull people in.

* I fall into this "performing vs. sharing" mode sometimes too.  

** "effective presence" is not just about the number of followers, likes or comments. It's about having genuine impact on somebody's thinking -- even if just for a moment.

Lots of people much smarter than me have been talking about this compelling new idea called the "Context Graph". I love the idea, but am a wee bit skeptical of far away we are from it being something businesses can use.

A concept is making the rounds in AI circles right now that has many people very excited: context graphs. Foundation Capital published a piece calling

Open article: Context Graphs: Capturing The "Why" In The Age of AI by Dharmesh Shah • 4 min read

Context Graphs: Capturing The "Why" In The Age of AI

We've long known that the best people have IQ + EQ.

When it comes to AI agents and their effectiveness, there's a new element — and it's multiplicative.

Agent Success = IQ  x EQ x  CQ

IQ = How well does it reason?
EQ = How well does it collaborate?
CQ (Context Quotient) = How well does it know YOU?

And because it's multiplicative, if an agent has a zero context quotient, it has zero value. (Apologies for revisiting grade school math).

Here's a quick thought exercise:

You can choose between two agents.

Agent A: 200 IQ. Bonafide Genius. Knows nothing about you.
Agent B: 150 IQ. Brilliant. Knows your business cold.

You pick Agent B. Every time. Why?

Agent A can solve PhD math problems.
Agent B can help solve YOUR business problems.

Raw intelligence without context is just confident guessing. (Also known as "management consulting"). 😀 

AI models know a lot about the world, but you need agents that know about YOUR world.

The real game isn't How smart is your model? It's How are you increasing the agent's CQ?

Imagine if it had...
...your top rep's call recordings.
...your angriest detractor's NPS comment.
...your happiest promoter's renewal notes.
...and everything else swirling around in your company

The agents that help you win aren't the ones with the highest IQ. They'll be the ones who know you best.

This is what we're furiously working on at HubSpot, because nowhere does context matter more than in GTM and nowhere is there more unified context than the HubSpot platform.  (Disclosure: As founder/CTO, I'm biased). 

We're excited about the progress the AI companies are making on delivering smarter LLMs  (higher IQ). We need that to build great agents. Meanwhile, we're working on delivering agents with higher CQ. (And stay tuned for the EQ part -- have thoughts on that too).

Anyhoo...

Key takeaway: In the age of AI agents...

IQ gets attention.
CQ gets results.

Woo hoo! Shipping an early release of a new AI app I've been working on. (Look at me, shipping something in the middle of the day instead of 2am!)

If you're curious about premium website domains and their underlying prices and trends, I think you might enjoy playing with this app:

domainsales .ai (yes, I like simple domains).

You can  ask questions like:

 "what were the top .ai domains sold this year."  

"what was the average price for .org domains every year".

"what's the sales history for chat .com "

All feedback appreciated. Feedback is a gift.

Thanks.

-Dharmesh

NOTE: I'm using this (and other) AI apps to test out new Agent.ai platform features that allow you to use any vibe coding tool to build apps and integrate them into the marketplace. That way, you benefit from 2.5M+ users, shared context and a bunch of tools you can use in your agents.  More on al this next week.

Was recently on a podcast with Manny Medina from Paid.

Was a great conversation around business strategy, pricing and of course, AI.

I'm not used to being on podcasts (not my natural habitat), but I think it turned out pretty well. Hope you like it.

Dharmesh Shah helped write the SaaS playbook.
Now he’s explaining why parts of it are about to get ripped out.

In today’s episode of Get Paid, the HubSpot co-founder doesn’t sugarcoat it:

AI agents aren’t a feature.
They’re a platform shift.
Seats still matter. For now.
Credits are inevitable.

And most “AI strategies” are just SaaS habits in disguise.
They go deep on why reasoning models changed the game, why vibe coding won’t save you, and why pretending this is a normal upgrade cycle is how incumbents quietly die.

If you’re building AI and telling yourself “we’ll figure pricing out later,” this episode is a warning shot.

🎙 New episode is live. Link in comments.

Nice to see folks combining the flexibility of Agent.ai and its access to a rich set of AI capabilities and data with the power of HubSpot Workflows for automation.

Senior Software Engineer | HubSpot-Focused Integrations & CRM Automation

I've been having a blast combining Agent.ai workflows with HubSpot automation lately, and the results have been impressive.

Here's what I've been able to automate:

Buyer Intent Detection -> Agent.ai monitors signals across multiple channels and automatically scores leads based on engagement patterns, content consumption, and behavioral triggers. When intent spikes, HubSpot workflows kick in with personalized outreach.

Company Intelligence Gathering -> No more manual research. The system automatically enriches company records with technographics, funding data, org structure, and relevant news. Everything flows directly into HubSpot properties, keeping our CRM current without lifting a finger.

Lead Qualification & Routing -> AI agents assess fit based on ICP criteria, then route qualified leads to the right team members with full context. Sales reps get notifications with a complete brief, not just a name and email.

Follow-up Orchestration -> Based on engagement signals, the system determines optimal timing and messaging for follow-ups. It's like having a sales ops team working 24/7.

The real power is in the combination: Agent.ai handles the intelligence gathering and decision making, while HubSpot executes the workflows and maintains the source of truth.

For teams drowning in manual research and qualification work, this stack has been a game changer.

Huge thanks to Dharmesh Shah for making this technology accessible and for his visionary presentation on AI at INBOUND this year. The future he outlined is already here, and it's incredibly exciting to build with these tools.

Want to automate your workflows with AI? Whether you're looking to streamline sales processes, enhance lead management, or build custom integrations, I'd love to help. Drop me a DM or comment below with what you're trying to solve.

#AIAutomation #HubSpot #SalesAutomation #AgentAI #CRMIntegration #MarketingAutomation #SalesOps #AIAgents #WorkflowAutomation #B2BSales #RevOps #SalesTech #AITools #BusinessAutomation #LeadGeneration #INBOUND2025

Shahed Islam

Tech Innovator & Mentor | Boost Your Business with AI Solutions | Leading NY’s Premier Digital Development Agency

At SJ Innovation LLC, my focus as Co-Founder & CEO has been on integrating AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, into business solutions that drive innovation and client success. With over two decades at the helm, our team's commitment to customer relations and agile project management ensures tailored strategies that align with client objectives.

As a Business Mentor at ManagedCoder, I empower agency owners with tools and insights pivotal for growth and scalability. Our collaborative approach has been key in creating valuable content and fostering a community dedicated to excellence in digital marketing and effective team management.

Co-Founder And CEO

As CEO and Co-Founder of SJ Innovation LLC, my role is multifaceted and dynamic. I actively manage business development, seeking new opportunities and partnerships with both Fortune 500 companies and promising start-ups.

I provide strategic leadership in our pursuit of AI technologies and solutions, with a special emphasis on ChatGPT. I am enthusiastic about fostering innovation within our team and continuously exploring potential applications of these technologies to benefit our clients.

I oversee our marketing team, devising and implementing strategies that effectively promote our company and its wide-ranging services. Part of this strategy involves advocating for the benefits of emerging technologies like OpenAI to our team members, clients, and my broader professional network.

In addition to this, I am committed to supporting the small business community. I understand the challenges they face with digital transformation, and I am dedicated to providing resources and guidance to help them navigate CRM implementation and digitalization.

As part of my role, I also cultivate and maintain our company culture and leadership. This includes mentoring members of our leadership team and ensuring our company remains competitive in a fast-evolving tech landscape.

I actively engage with the broader business community, sharing insights and learnings through webinars, podcasts, and speaking engagements. I firmly believe in continuous learning and upskilling to meet the ever-evolving demands of our clients and the industry.

Lastly, I manage the day-to-day operations and decision-making for the company. This includes overseeing our talented employees located in New York, Goa, Dhaka, and Sylhet.

Last night I sat in a room with founders who have been building for decades.

Tech. Roofing. Electric. Paving.
Different industries. Same story.


None of us started with investors.
We started with love for the work.
We started with clients who trusted us before we had a track record.

We started by figuring out how to make profit the old fashioned way.
That felt good to hear.

Because sometimes in the AI hype cycle you forget the basics still matter.
→ Deliver results
→ Love what you do
→ Make money doing it
The conversation eventually turned to AI.
Everyone wanted to know how others were using it.


Not the headlines. The real stuff.
What I learned is this.
The founders who struggled for years before success are the same ones asking the best AI questions now.

They are not chasing trends.
They are asking what actually works.
That is the entrepreneur mindset.

Patience first. Then execution.
Thank you to OffDeal  and Goldman Sachs  Sachs for bringing this group together.
Wonderful meeting Justin Schlacks, @Jacob Glassman, Varun Agarwal  Agarwal, and  Sarah McKenna  (Ransom) McKenna.
These are the rooms where real conversations happen.
#Entrepreneurship #AIAdoption #FounderLife #SmallBusiness #CollabAI

Co-Founder And CEO @ SJ Innovation LLC | Strategic leader in AI solutions

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Sometimes, it’s the younger generation that opens our eyes to what’s really going on.”

The other day, my daughter Sariyah Islam  caught me watching a video, and she said, “Baba, you know that’s AI-generated, right?” I was honestly surprised. I work with AI all the time, but here she was, pointing out subtle things that I just didn’t notice.

It made me realize that just like we figured out our own challenges, our kids are going to figure out theirs. We just need to trust them and also keep an open mind to learn from them. Sometimes the best insights come from those we least expect—even our own kids.
Photo : recent trip with my family

AI agents are not tools.
They are part of your workforce.

And like any workforce, they need goals.

Right now, many companies deploy agentic AI like software.
They expect ROI without management.

That is why 30 to 60 percent of AI spend produces no clear business outcome.

Unmanaged agents do not fail loudly.
They drain margin quietly.

Token usage grows fast when there are no stop rules.
Cost spikes come from logic no one owns.
And when leadership asks about ROI, answers are vague.

There are two ways leaders approach this.

Tool mindset.
Measure usage.
No owner.
No budget ceiling.
High activity. Low impact.

Employee mindset.
Measure outcomes.
Clear ownership.
Cost limits.
Lower usage. Higher return.

Every junior hire gets structure on day one.

A clear role.
Limited access.
Defined success.
Regular review.

The same structure reduces rework.
Cuts risk.
And surfaces problems earlier.

Good agent OKRs look boring.
That is why they work.

Reduce cycle time by 35 percent.
Maintain accuracy above 92 percent.
Escalate below confidence threshold.
Hard stop after fixed actions.
Daily cost ceiling.

If you cannot explain what success means for your AI agent,
you do not have an AI strategy.

You have unmanaged risk.

Are your AI agents employees with goals,
or interns wandering your systems?

#AgenticAI #AILeadership #CEO #EnterpriseAI #CollabAI CollabAI

Ai agents are junior employees not magic tools 

Your employees won’t be replaced by AI.

They’ll become supervisors of it.

Last week, a COO at a 120-person services firm told me something interesting.

“The tech works. The problem is my managers don’t know what to delegate to agents yet.”

That’s the real shift happening right now.

Google just dropped their 2026 AI Agent Trends Report.

The big change isn’t about better tools.

It’s about how work itself changes.

We’re moving from “instruction-based computing” to “intent-based computing.”

Employees stop executing tasks manually.

They start orchestrating agents that do the work.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

→ A marketing manager used to pull data, draft posts, watch competitors.
Now they direct a system of agents that handle each piece.

→ A finance team used to spend 42 hours responding to customer queries.
Now agents handle 80% of transactional decisions in near real-time.

→ A telecom company used to manually open tickets when networks failed.
Now agents detect issues, open tickets, and alert customers automatically.

The report says 52% of executives already have AI agents in production.

But only 23% are actually scaling them.

Most are still experimenting.

The bottleneck isn’t the technology.

It’s the workforce.

Google’s data shows 71% of organizations see revenue increase after investing in AI training.

The companies winning in 2026 aren’t the ones buying more tools.

They’re the ones teaching their teams to work alongside agents.

This is exactly what we build at CollabAI.

Custom AI solutions that fit your workflows and help your team lead, not just use, the technology.

The question isn’t “should we use AI?”

It’s “are our people ready to lead it?”

What’s stopping your team from making this shift?

#AIAdoption #CollabAI #FutureOfWork #MidSizeUSA #AIAgents​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ CollabAI

Culture is behavior when nobody asks you to do anything.
This week I saw it happen.
One of our managers joined a client success meeting he did not have to attend. He tested the portal. He found bugs. He asked the uncomfortable questions. He brought the best ideas in the room.
Nobody assigned him this. Nobody asked.
That is not process. That is culture.
After 21 years building companies, I learned this the hard way. You cannot slide deck your way into culture. You cannot policy your way into ownership.
It shows up in small moments. One meeting. One person stepping up when they did not have to.
Leaders, what was the last moment you saw culture show up on your team?
#Leadership #FounderStories #SJInnovation #FutureOfWork #USABusiness

Culture code

“AUTOMOBILES TURN CITY STREETS INTO DEATH TRAPS”
Newspaper headline. Early 1920s. USA.

That was the mood back then.

Cars were new.
Loud.
Fast.
Untrusted.

People hated them.

Pedestrians protested.
Newspapers blamed drivers.
Cities said cars were a mistake.

Then something interesting happened.

Car companies did not just make cars cheaper.
They changed the story.

→ They invented the word jaywalker
→ They blamed people, not machines
→ They used ads, schools, even Boy Scouts
→ They framed cars as progress
→ And resistance as backward thinking

It was messy.
It was controversial.
It worked.

Slowly, benefits showed up.

People traveled farther.
Businesses expanded.
Cities grew.
Life changed.

Now fast forward to AI.

I see the same pattern every week.

When I bring AI into companies, the first reaction is fear.
Not curiosity.

Employees focus on the 3 percent problem.
They miss the 97 percent help.

→ “What if it makes mistakes?”
→ “What if it replaces us?”
→ “What if it breaks something?”

Same fear.
Different decade.

AI today feels like cars in 1920.
Unpolished.
Disruptive.
Misunderstood.

Cars did not win because they were perfect.
They won because the upside was bigger than the fear.

AI is the same.

You can focus on the noise.
Or you can focus on where this is going.

The companies that accept the mess early
will shape the rules later.

That is the real lesson from Ford.

Curious.
When new tech hits your team, do you see fear first or opportunity first?

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The Battle

Dharmesh Shah

Shahed Islam

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taplio

The Battle

Dharmesh Shah

Shahed Islam

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dharmesh Shah's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreDharmesh Shah's LinkedIn Performance