5 Go-to-Market Lessons from Authenticx’s Pre-ChatGPT AI Journey
Most founders dream of their market suddenly exploding with demand. But when ChatGPT launched, AI companies faced an unexpected challenge: maintaining credibility in a market suddenly drowning in hype. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Authenticx CEO Amy Brown shared how she navigated this shift while staying true to her company’s core mission.
Here are the key go-to-market lessons from a founder who built an AI company before it was cool – and kept it growing after AI became too cool.
- Start Manual, Then Scale with Technology
Instead of trying to build a complete AI platform immediately, Authenticx began with manual analysis. “In the early days, we started with myself, a laptop and my car, and I had an idea of what I wanted to do with conversation data. But I didn’t have any AI models that I was leveraging at that point in time,” Amy reveals. “When I got those early contracts, we were manually listening using myself and a few contractors and manually tagging and labeling what we were hearing in these conversations.”
This approach provided crucial market validation before significant technical investment. The lesson? Don’t let the perfect technical solution prevent you from testing market demand with a manual MVP.
- Make Strategic Pivots Based on Market Reality
Early success forced a crucial decision: stay consultative or build a scalable platform. “I really had to hit a fork in the road moment of do I want to be in the consulting business that helps enterprises think through these types of opportunities and leverage different technology solutions out there, or do I want to build the SaaS solution in the AI myself?” Amy explains.
The key insight here isn’t just about choosing between services and software. It’s about recognizing when market validation justifies a bigger bet on technology.
- Adapt Your Language to Your Buyer
Before ChatGPT, selling AI required different tactics. “We fell into the business buyer, not so much the tech buyer in the enterprises we sell to,” Amy notes. “We had to use different language to describe AI capabilities. We needed to use analogies, we needed to use other language that could help connect really to the use case.”
This flexibility in messaging proved crucial when the market shifted. Rather than chasing hype, Authenticx maintained its business-outcome focus while adjusting how they communicated value.
- Position Through Contrast in Hyped Markets
When everyone started claiming AI capabilities, Authenticx took a different approach. “Our marketing philosophy is really about being the adult in the room, particularly in this AI hype cycle that we’re in,” Amy shares. “We’ve been very intentional about the markets we’re marketing to. We’ve been very honest about what we say our capabilities are.”
This positioning wasn’t just marketing – it was a strategic choice about company identity. “That’s just an important part of being a Founder and being able to sleep at night for me,” Amy emphasizes.
- Create Categories Through Active Listening
Rather than just joining the conversational AI category, Amy is working to establish “listening AI” as its own space. This effort starts with understanding market concerns. “I was just out at the JP Morgan conference… and I listened to dozens of investors, bankers talk about fears, concerns, the promise of AI, the hesitation of AI, the question and skepticism around use case and risks, rewards, all of that.”
The lesson? Category creation isn’t just about declaring a new space – it’s about deeply understanding market needs and articulating a unique solution. “Through listening, I can hear what the big questions are, where the fear is rooted, where the hopes are rooted. And I tend to weigh in on the things that I have a passion about that I feel might help bridge a gap or add some value to the conversation.”
The Long Game in Enterprise AI
Amy’s vision extends beyond current market hype: “Three to five years, every corporation in the United States will be bringing the voice of their customer into the boardroom, and they’ll be able to do that in a very scalable and real way.”
This long-term perspective shaped every GTM decision. Instead of chasing quick wins or riding hype cycles, Authenticx focused on building sustainable enterprise value. For founders navigating similar market dynamics, the message is clear: in enterprise software, especially in hyped categories like AI, credibility and customer trust are your most valuable GTM assets.
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