How The Best Startups are Using AI in 2026
If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me…
How are other startups using AI?
What’s the best way to get started with AI?
How can I use AI to sell more?
…I would be a billion dollar company! (#momjoke)
Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the kind and brilliant Beata Rouleau, fractional CRO and startup AI expert, who gets rave reviews from founders I trust, to get her take on these burning questions.
She’s on the front lines, improving Go-To-Market processes for startups — using AI of course.
Now you get her best advice right here on the O’Daily!
For more of Beata’s helpful insights (and access to her workshops), follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe on Substack.
1. CRIT (aka #1 Most Recommended Way For Startups To Use AI)
Do you have your notepad AI notetaker ready?
Here’s Beata’s #1 piece of advice, available for use in the next 5 minutes.
Use the CRIT framework: a prompting method to transform AI from a glorified search engine into a strategic thought partner.
This simple framework is magic…
CRIT
Context
Role
Interview (This is the secret sauce)
Task
It’s easy, repeatable, vendor-agnostic, and works for almost any AI need you can think of!
Context
Give the background information.
Examples: include your situation, goals, challenges, audience, and constraints. The more context you give the better the output!
Role
Tell AI who to be. Assigning a specific expertise focuses the response and shapes the tone.
Examples: strategic advisor, copywriter, investor, researcher, brainstorm partner
Interview
Before AI produces anything, have it ask you clarifying questions - one at a time. This is what separates CRIT from other frameworks.
Here’s the prompt: “Interview me asking me 1 question at a time, up to 5 questions, to gain additional context.”
^^ this is key!! Gives you and AI more clarity by forcing you to slow down and think. AI learns what actually matters; you surface insights you didn’t know you needed to articulate.
Task
Explain the output you are looking for. Be specific about format, length, and what success looks like.
Examples: Come up with 5 non-obvious strategies to solve this problem, draft 3 email templates, create a 10 slide pitch deck
Boom! You are the thought leader, AI is a thought partner.
No more wondering where to start or asking why your AI doesn’t “get” you.
Share this prompt with your team, your friends, even (gasp) your parents!
2. Glyphic To Close More Deals
You’re gonna love this.
Beata recommends Glyphic as your AI sales copilot.
A Gong-disruptor at a fraction of the price. Yes, please!
(Not there yet? Otter.ai is great for audio recording and transcripts. Fathom has good video recording if you are more presentation and screenshare heavy.)
Once you have call recording data, you can start doing cool things with AI agents.
Don’t be scared of AI agents!
As Beata explains, agents are just “triggers and specific asks.” When X happens, do Y. That’s it. Totally manageable! 😅
Glyphic lets you build these directly in the platform.
Example AI Agents To Accelerate Sales:
Follow-up Email Generator: based on specifics in the call transcript, auto-generate a customized follow up email that references what was actually discussed. No more generic templates!
Competitor Analysis: run a monthly analysis of sales calls to understand what prospects are saying about competitors (good and bad). Use that insight to fine tune your objection handling or run a targeted outreach campaign to users of that product.
Trending Topics: similar to your competitive analysis, what are customers talking about or asking questions on? Pull out the trending topics to plan your next marketing campaign, LinkedIn posts, or webinar.
Deal Stage Patterns: look at transcripts of closed won deals, closed lost deals, and calls that moved forward but stalled. What patterns emerge? For example, if most closed lost deals are not the right fit, can you use an AI agent to better qualify leads before a demo?
Call Scorecards: using BANT, MEDDIC, or other sales framework, you can assess a sales rep’s calls and overall sales process. Any common misses? Use AI to create training materials around that topic. 😉
As Beata wisely points out, at a startup, every lead matters.
Once you have them on the phone, er, Zoom — make the most of it!
3. Hubspot - Still The Favorite Startup CRM
Not an AI recommendation per say but since I get asked about CRMs at least 5x/wk, I know it’s top of mind!
Beata says Hubspot continues to be the go-to startup CRM and is her recommendation for most startups.
(Kathryn’s note: can confirm - most of our portfolio companies use Hubspot!)
It is simple to set up with good out-of-the-box functionality but robust enough to have many integrations (including Glyphic) and customizations.
Salesforce — while obviously still the greatest company on earth since I worked there post-Pardot acquisition — is too complex and expensive for what most startups need unless they are enterprise or highly niche.
Most founders start with a spreadsheet (love this, stay scrappy).
Then they agonize over which CRM to use, often starting with a smaller, lower-cost option, which — if things go well — they’ll outgrow in a year.
Then they painfully switch to Hubspot and berate themselves for not starting with Hubspot in the first place.
To which I say, you had very few customers before and even less money so it was probably a good decision. Growing pains are high class problems!
#PROTIP: If you’re thinking about Hubspot, make sure you get yerself a deal!!
Hubspot offers major discounts — to the tune of 90% — through partners like startup hubs (ahem, Atlanta Tech Village), accelerators, VC firms, or sometimes credit cards like Ramp or Brex.
It will be very inexpensive to start and then get annoyingly expensive when you’re further along.
Sneak Peak — A Hot New CRM?
Beata has been hearing good things about GoHighLevel but needs to dig in further. She can neither confirm nor deny if it’s the next Hubspot or another low cost CRM that you’ll painfully outgrow in a year. Stay tuned! 😉
4. Slow Down, #1 Way To Troubleshoot AI
AI not doing what you want?
Before you swear off all technology and rage post about the overhyped AI bubble, Beata recommends:
Take a pause.
Reset.
SLOW DOWN.
Mostly likely you were going too fast and didn’t give enough information.
Whatever do you mean, Kathryn asks, as her 1 line prompt didn’t result in a perfect email draft?? 😜
Here’s the secret:
Give clear instructions.
Getting AI to work for you requires the same skills that make a great team manager:
Can you explain what you actually want?
How specific are you with deliverables?
Did you provide enough context?
Back in the day (when I was walking to school in the snow uphill both ways), great managers managed people.
Today, your team probably has more AI agents than humans.
Not only are they more cost-effective and don’t expect donuts on their birthday, but they don’t care about your demanding tone, snarky comments, and unreasonable asks like a 20 page report in 30 seconds!
Regardless of whether you’re managing people or AI agents, clear communication and more effort on the front end will save you time and frustration overall.
Using AI Wisely
Is AI the answer to all of our startup problems? Of course not!
As Beata reminds us — we still need to work the muscle of our brain!
AI + human creativity is where the magic happens.
AI is your thought partner, assistant, researcher, sounding board, and force multiplier.
YOU are still the thought leader!
How is your startup using AI? What’s your best AI tip? Favorite tool?
P.S. Want more Beata? (I know I do!) Go say hi on LinkedIn and subscribe to her Substack!
Following Beata now! Thanks, Kathryn!