GTMfund Has Rewritten the Distribution Playbook for The AI Era
GTMfund says distribution—not product—is the final moat in the AI era. Here’s why startups must rethink go-to-market now.
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GTMfund Has Rewritten the Distribution Playbook for The AI Era
Why Distribution Is the New Product in 2026 In today’s hyper-competitive startup landscape, building a great AI product isn’t enough. Even well-funded teams with cutting-edge tech are struggling to gain traction. So what’s missing? According to Paul Irving, COO and partner at GTMfund, the answer lies not in better code—but in smarter distribution. In the latest episode of Build Mode , Irving argues that in the AI era, distribution is the final moat , and startups that master it early will outpace rivals regardless of product parity. Credit: GTMfund The Old Playbook Is Broken For years, enterprise SaaS startups followed a predictable go-to-market (GTM) formula: hire sales reps, build a marketing engine, and scale linearly. But that model assumed long innovation cycles and limited competition. In 2026, AI tools compress development timelines from years to months—and copycat products emerge almost instantly. “What used to be a three-year head start can vanish in 90 days,” Irving warns. The res…
