Sam Jacobs

Founder & CEO

I build elite, modern GTM operators - CROs, CMOs, CCOs, and Revenue Operations leaders - who drive growth at the world’s fastest-growing B2B companies, including Salesforce, Hubspot, Stripe, Oracle, Snowflake, Clay, Klaviyo, Xero, Upside, Owner.com, Otter.ai, and Square

That’s the mission behind Pavilion, the leading global community of over 10,000 high-performance go-to-market executives. We exist to help ambitious professionals unlock and realize their full potential—not just as employees, but as leaders, thinkers, and builders.  

Pavilion is a paid membership for GTM leaders at every level. We provide tactical support, advanced education - incorporating financial literacy, advanced AI-powered GTM motions, and modern leadership tools - career acceleration, and a powerful peer network to help Members perform better in their roles and grow into the next. We operate in every major global hub and represent a new way of thinking about career development—community-powered, principle-led, and relentlessly practical.

This all started with a belief: that greatness exists within all of us. Sometimes it just needs the right mechanism to bring it forth.

To learn more, visit: www.joinpavilion.com

I also co-host the Topline Podcast with AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman.

And I wrote a bestselling book, Kind Folks Finish First, about building with kindness at the center.

Host, Sales Hacker Podcast

Host of The Sales Hacker Podcast featuring interviews and discussion with leading sales practitioners from high growth companies around the world.  

Learn more here: https://www.saleshacker.com/podcast-announcement/

I thought AI SDRs were a gimmick.  I no longer think that.  I do think that if you have a team of poorly trained people sending thousands of crappy emails, having a bot replace them won't do very much.

But, I can also recognize that an agent sending thousands of emails is cheaper than a team of humans sending thousands of emails.

And I also appreciate instant follow-up.

We've long discussed the exponential half-life of lead value as response time increases.  

Following up within 1 minute is 10x more valuable than an hour which is 10x more valuable than a day.

So there is definitely a place for AI SDRs.

But I think benchmarks and standards are important.  

That's why I partnered with Otter.ai to put together a new guide for B2B sales leaders on how to unlock the potential of AI SDRs.

What you’ll learn:

- Benchmarks that matter: See how AI SDRs outperform traditional reps with 10x outreach, 3x faster replies, and 50% lower cost per meeting.

- Key advantages: AI SDRs persistently follow up and boost meeting conversion rates from 15% to over 25%.

- Common pitfalls: Learn what to watch out for from over-automation to data accuracy and how to balance AI efficiency with human insight.

- Measurement framework: Know which KPIs every sales leader should track, including qualified meetings, cost per meeting, response time, and lead quality.

- Ethical and operational best practices: Maintain transparency, protect data, and know when to hand the conversation back to your rep.

AI SDRs are booking twice as many qualified meetings at half the cost. 

This guide shows you how to get there faster: https://lnkd.in/ezn6i-Vy

Data in the table below provided by Otter.

#sponsored

CEO @ Pavilion | Co-Host of Topline Podcast | WSJ Best Selling Author of "Kind Folks Finish First"

There's a pipeline crisis happening right now in B2B tech. Which means there's a growth crisis.  

And while this website is full of a lot of very talented people who can get a lot of likes and engagement on social media posts, 

Communities are where the real operators are spending time.

Real operators don't have endless hours building their brand on social media.  They're too busy running their teams to try and master the ever changing algorithm.  

But they do have time to talk to each other, share ideas and best practices, and try and find strategies that unlock growth.

This was one of my favorite such conversations this past week in Pavilion.  

And the best part was 15 different CROs, GTM operators, and true practitioners leaning in to share real stories from the front lines.  

The way we're going to navigate our new persistent state of uncertainty is through a community of diverse vetted expert opinions in constant dialogue.  

There is no single framework that will save you.

Nor one single thought leader (including me).

It's going to be about you and your engagement with a group of fellow practitioners.  

We've built the very best GTM community in tech over the past 10 years and I'd be honored if you joined us and contributed to the conversation.  

Click here: https://lnkd.in/gtYxeg7J

We're heading for a crash.  Unit economics was the unlock that drove 20 years of software growth.  Once people understood the basic math, we could confidently invest in GROWTH.  But when a new generation of AI founders don't understand that math, everything breaks.

BACKGROUND

Unit economics describe the relationship between:

- How you much you spend to get a customer
- How much they pay you back
- What it costs you to service them
- How long they stick around

The basic assumptions are:

- It's expensive to change someone's mind (CAC)
- Once they change it, they stick around for awhile (Retention, GRR)
- It costs little to service them (Gross Margin, Cost of Service)

So ... 

- Even if it's expensive to acquire a customer
- Because they stay for a long time and it's cheap to keep them
- You can spend more than you make today knowing they'll be around for a long time and pay you back

THE AI HYSTERIA BREAKS THE MATH

Fast forward to today.

- Is it still expensive to acquire a customer?  YES and it's getting more expensive all the time

- Is it still cheap to service them? NO most AI companies have manufacturing-like gross margins. Replit has negative gross margins.  Meaning they lose money every time they make a sale.  So AI companies don't look like traditional software.

- Do they stick around a long time? Probably NOT.  If you can grow that quickly on Experimental Revenue you have no idea if those people are going to stay.  And you need them to stay MUCH longer because your margins are so terrible. 

The entire equation is broken.

Once the equation breaks, you eventually hit a wall, run out of money, and shut down your company.

As long as investors will underwrite bad math, you're safe.

The minute the winds change direction, you're screwed.

So what do you?

Don't listen to me, I'm just over here trying to teach people to how to build long term businesses.  I'm probably doing it wrong :)

But if you do want to survive the chaos, DM me and we can talk about the little community I'm building to empower GTM operators of the future to flourish in a new world of persistent uncertainty.

5Mins.ai

5Mins helps you support your team's continuous learning with a fun and intuitive app they'd want to use every day - think TikTok for workplace learning. 

Employees and managers get an AI-powered personalised Learning Coach based on their role, experience and interests, so they can grow the skills that matter most to them. With unlimited access to +15,000 bite-sized lessons across technical, hard and soft skills from top global experts, employees can quickly find the insights they've been looking for to help take your business to the next level.

Perkbox

Co-Founder & Exec Chairman

Perkbox is a leading global employee experience platform helping employers help employees live better by focusing on their financial, emotional and physical wellbeing. 
We have raised £25M+ in capital and serve over 8,000 companies from our 4 offices in UK, France and Australia.

Co-Founder & CEO

Kouzina Food Tech Pvt Ltd

Investor

Thirdfort

Pratham UK

Pratham is one of the largest and most respected education NGOs globally and has helped benefit 58 Million children over the last 25 years. Its mission is "every child in school and learning well". Pratham has won numerous international social enterprise awards and is supported by leading foundations such as the Citi Foundation, Google.org and many others.

Member Board of Directors

Huddlebuy

Huddlebuy is UK's leading customer engagement platform helping brands acquire, engage and retain their SME and retail customers. 

The Huddlebuy AIR platform is designed to increase Consumer and SME customer acquisition, engagement and retention and is deployed with a number of FTSE100 companies in the UK.

CEO & Co-Founder

Bytemobile (Sold to Citrix for $435M)

Setup and ran global Channel Partner Program for Bytemobile for key channel partners who drove significant % of Bytemobile worldwide sales.

Director, Global Partner Management and Internet Services

Amobee (Sold to Singtel for $321M)

Amobee has delivered the first holistic, dynamic and targeted impression serving platform to mobile users worldwide. This mobile media system is bridging the gap between the advertising world and the mobile world through a one stop server creating value across the mobile ecosystem. the company raised capital from both Accel (www.accel.com) and Sequoia (www.sequoiacap.com).

Director of Business Development

Yahoo! Mobile

Buidling partnerships across the mobile content value chain with Operators/OEMS, Mobile platform vendors and mobile content vendors. 
Responsible for key global partnerships with some of the largest mobile operators and OEMs such as Nokia & EU operators. Executed content deals with entertainment and media houses.

Head of Business Development Europe

Deloitte Consulting US

Advised mobile and fixed line operators in US, UK and Italy on their business, product and technology strategy.

Consultant - Telecom and Media

After some years consulting and working for some of the biggest global tech brands, I found my way into the world of tech startups and scaleups, which has been an absolute joy and a privilege. 

Over the last 12 years, I have built from scratch two successful and large scale HR tech ventures, raised $40Million+ from leading VCs, hired and developed over 500 awesome people and built products that serve millions of employees. 

I am really really passionate about helping organisations unlock the potential of their people for better business and a better society. 

Previously I founded and built Perkbox, Europe's leading employee engagement platform helping 5,000+ employers align their people with their purpose with recognition, rewards and wellbeing solutions.

Now I am helping companies build a learning culture to unlock the true potential of their people with 5mins.ai - the TikTok of workplace learning.

Saurav Chopra

Last night was a bit special. 

Savraj K. and I attended the most amazing Pratham gala at the stunning V&A – and the perfect way to roll into my birthday today. 🥂

Having served on the Pratham UK board previously, I’ve seen first-hand how transformational the work of Sakate Khaitan, Nick Sankey and the Pratham UK team is. 

Education, opportunity and dignity for children who need it most. 📚

It was so awesome to bump into old friends like Suresh Kanwar and Farid Haque and ex-colleagues Karan and Raghav – nothing like a great cause to bring good people back together. 🤝

And then my full-on celebrity crush moment 🤩

Meeting Rory Bremner, who I’ve loved since I first watched Bremner, Bird and Fortune – sharp, hilarious, and brilliant in person. 

Grateful for nights that remind you how lucky we are, and how much more there is still to do. 

PS: Pratham Education Foundation is one of the most impactful education charities globally that’s transformed learning for over 75 million children in the last three decades.

Building 5mins.ai | Built Perkbox | Angel Investor

Two keynotes. Brilliant morning. One common question: 

If we built Perkbox in the AI age, how would we do it differently?

🎯 Keynote 1: great group of SME Founders and Directors: with Team People Puzzles, The Marketing Centre and The CFO Centre UK. 

Massive thanks Mark Eaton and Theo Walsh for having me. 

 🎓 Keynote 2: Current and ex-MBAs: at London Business School —my alma mater. When I graduated many many moons ago; never in my wildest dreams, I imagined returning as an exited entrepreneur sharing my journey. 

Big thanks to Rubina Kalra, Jeff Skinner and London Business School for hosting. Coming back to campus always brings back such fond memories. ❤️ 

Perkbox pivoted 3 times over 3 years to reach PMF and GTM fit. 

If it had AI superpowers like every SME does now, that arc would be compressed to months. 

Way faster hypothesis generation, campaign testing at scale, instant analytics, and tighter voice of customer Loops. 🚀

In both rooms, we moved from nostalgia to now—what really changes when you have AI superpowers as a startup or SME.

The patterns were consistent, so here’s a quick framework to get started for those not getting the most from :

🚀 Start small → scale fast: pick one process, 2-week sprint, measure, repeat.
 🧠 Train people before models: AI literacy for every role - do's and don'ts 
 ✨ Show, don’t tell: quick AI demos and use cases teams can feel.
      Not gurus telling you how AI is changing the world. 
 🛡️ Guardrails that allow secure experimentation: simple AI policies
 🔁 Culture compounds: celebrate tiny AI wins and automations.

Before we wrapped, I tied it back to execution, execution, execution—because ideas don’t ship themselves.

I really wish companies obsessed a lot less over innovation...

And a lot more over pattern matching.  🔁

Not because innovation is bad.
But because it’s over-glorified – and pattern matching is almost completely ignored in companies. 

🧠 Pattern matching = spot what already works somewhere else and adapt it to your world.

Most breakout businesses aren’t pure invention. They’re pattern matches.

💳 Subscriptions from Cable TV applied to software, gyms, education.
 🎮 Gaming mechanics (streaks, levels) applied to learning, fitness, 
 📱 TikTok-style feeds applied to B2B training (just like 5Mins.ai).

Most founders tend to do this instinctively.

Inside most companies though, teams are told to “be innovative” instead of:
“Go find a proven pattern and reuse it.” 

If more of your team focused on pattern matching, you would:
⏩ move faster 
 🎯make fewer blind bets
🛡️and massively de-risk projects

So how do you build the pattern-matching muscle?

📂 Build a swipe file. 
Try to capture things around you that clearly work: Screenshot them, save them, and add one line: “Why does this work in this context?”

❓ Change the default question. 
Instead of “How should we innovate?”, ask “Where has this problem already been solved?”

🔗 Use analogies on purpose. 
Describe ideas as “It’s like X but for Y.” If you can’t, you might be sometimes inventing more than you need to.

Innovation is still great.

However if you want a real edge consistently, teach your teams to also see and reuse patterns, not just chase innovation all the time. 🚀

A 1916 gem everyone should discover...

Just read "Obvious Adams" - written over a century ago.

Perfect capture of what we overlook often as modern leaders.📚

Oliver Adams rose from filing clerk to partner at a top NYC ad agency in five years.

Not through brilliance or connections.

Just by seeing what others were too sophisticated to notice. 🎯

📰 Trade paper was haemorrhaging subscribers. Teams debated content for months.

Adams noticed the renewal form hidden on page 48.Moved it forward. 

Renewals doubled in a week.

🚗 Major Automotive company was seeking new agency. Everyone pitched artistic campaigns.

Adams visited dealerships. Found salespeople couldn't explain the car.

He suggested simple selling guides and won the massive account.

The elegance of simplicity often hides in plain sight.
1️⃣ We intellectualise problems - Complexity makes us feel smart.
2️⃣ The curse of expertise - We can't see what beginners see instantly.
3️⃣ We default to complexity - When the answer's staring at us.

At Perkbox, many years ago, we spent a year building revolutionary card-linked employee perks offering. A world-first in our space. Went nowhere.

What our customers actually wanted? Simple HR integrations to automate joiners and leavers. 🤦‍♂️

With 5Mins.ai, we try to focus on the "Obvious". Every banner reads: 
"TikTok of Workplace Learning." "TikTok of Compliance Training"

No complex jargons. Everyone gets it. 🎯

Our customers and our people hold the map to obvious solutions. Sometimes, we're just too sophisticated to listen…

What obvious solution are you overthinking right now? 🤔

PS: Give Obvious Adams a quick read if you can!

As a first-time founder, I obsessed over outcomes.

As a second-time founder, I obsess over decisions and decision-making. 🧠

Yesterday, I listened to a fantastic episode of The Knowledge Project where they unpack the legendary Charlie Munger’s "Poor Charlie’s Almanack". 🎧

Charlie, Warren Buffett's right-hand man, dedicated much of his intellectual life to understanding why really smart people make really bad decisions.

When I was building Perkbox, I was too busy making decisions to reflect on them. 🏃‍♂️

Now, while building 5Mins.ai, I spend a lot more time reflecting on decisions  — not to beat myself up, but to upgrade my decision making. 🔁

A few ideas from the podcast resonated with my own journey, so I pulled them into a short carousel you can use for your own decision reviews.

Here are a few favourites included in the slides:
💈 "Never ask a barber if you need a haircut." (Incentive Response)
🙈 "It's not the bad news that kills you; it's the bad news you ignore." (Denial)
📉 "If I didn't own this today, would I buy it at this price?" (Loss Aversion)
🕵️ "Does this make sense if a stranger said it?" (Authority Bias)

Curious: how intentionally are you working on your decision-making as a leader?

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The Battle

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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);}Sam Jacobs's LinkedIn Performance

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