Arnie Katz

The hottest role in AI startups right now isn’t Forward Deployed Engineers. It isn't GTM Engineers. It’s Deployment Strategists. Decagon calls it an “Agent Product Manager.” Harvey calls it a “Solutions Architect.” Palantir Technologies has had versions of this role for years. And the salaries are climbing fast: - Decagon: $200k–$285k - Palantir Technologies: $120k–$200k - Figma: $150k–$260k - Ramp: $100k–$180k - Harvey: $190k–$260k So who are these people? They are usually pseudo-technical -- CS or engineering majors, or folks with technical work experience. Many come from 2 years in consulting, IB, or PE, then jump into startups to get their hands dirty. They are young, hungry, polished, and comfortable being in front of customers. What do they actually do? They make sure enterprise AI deployments succeed. A $100k+ deal does not survive on a nice pitch or a self-serve onboarding flow. It survives if the customer sees value in the pilot. That means: - Embedding directly with the customer - Designing prompt logic for specific workflows - Working with engineering to align integrations and data flow - Helping exec teams define their AI roadmap - Running feedback loops into product and GTM Why does this role matter so much? Because enterprise AI is messy. Integrations, data transfer, and adoption make or break a deal. Most buyers are using AI for the first time, and each has unique workflows. Deployment Strategists bridge that gap. They own the outcome. They are accountable for making pilots successful, which often means millions in revenue down the line. At Conversion, Sam Bochner has been leading this work for us. We are now thinking about scaling it into a full team. Because a few successful pilots can fund an entire department, and the cost of failed deployments is too high to ignore. Is this just a rebrand of customer success? Not really. Success is about answering tickets and renewals. Deployment Strategy is about going deep with a few enterprise accounts, extracting maximum value, and ensuring the pilot closes into a multi-year contract. Call it Agent PM, Solutions Architect, or Deployment Strategist. Whatever the title, this is becoming one of the most important roles in AI SaaS.

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YC has done a good job supporting ambitious deeptech projects. Seeds sowed over many years are starting to sprout in meaningful ways. Biggest support to founders (esp those building in the physical world) isn’t money - it’s the right advice, network, and peer support.

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🚀 Hey! Series As and Bs: Feeling some operational growth pains, right? It’s Live! Scaling Teams with Andy Walsh 🎙️ Ever wondered what it really takes to scale a team at speed without the growing pains? 😵‍💫 I promise it's possible! Example of the last one prior to my CoS at Techstars days: 2019: 10 months of sales - 4 to 18 people = $8m in ARR. Raised $1.3m 2020: 18 to 32 people = $34m in ARR. Raised $1.2m Andy and I just dropped his 3rd podcast episode of Method where we unpack one of my 5 Pillars of Scaling: the secrets to scaling teams effectively—without the chaos. We covered: ✅ The biggest challenges founders faced in 2024 (and what’s ahead in 2025) ✅ Why intentionality is a founder’s greatest asset ✅ How OKRs keep teams aligned during rapid growth With my experience scaling 27 global companies from 0 and being a Chief of Staff at Techstars (4.1k Portfolio companies globally) & Kyndryl (Fortune 241), we dive into the real strategies that make or break a growing team. From hiring the right people 🏆 to candidate user journeys to building a culture that actually lasts even if remote which starts with onboarding 💪, we touch upon the must-knows (and a few things we wish we knew sooner!). Plugging in some of my favorite partners for HR Ops and TA: Tim Frazier, Charmaine Green-Forde, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Tianna Johnson, Regina Angeles, Alex Pavlou, Morgan Williams, Emma Leeds, M.S. HR (She/Her) Lesya Arnold Catch the full episode - link in comments 🎧✨ Give it a listen, and let me know—what’s been your biggest challenge in scaling a team? ⬇️ #innovation #technology #venturecapital #startups

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