In this episode of the SaaS Sessions podcast, Jacob Bank, founder of Relay.app, shares his journey from academia to startup founder, discussing the challenges of building a product in the AI space. He emphasizes the importance of validating ideas, finding early customers, and experimenting with various marketing channels. Jacob also highlights the significance of cohort retention as a measure of product-market fit and the need to balance innovation with competition in a rapidly evolving market.Key Takeaways –1. You’re not failing - your distribution isBuilding is easy; getting customers is the battlefield.Early channels (Reddit, network, cold email) only take you so far.Most startup advice is outdated or irrelevant to your context - test everything yourself.2. Validate with precision, not egoThe Mom Test changed how Jacob gathered honest feedback.10 well-run interviews can kill or greenlight an idea.Getting “likes” is not validation - retention and willingness to pay are.3. Every growth stage needs a new motion0 → 10: Scrappy hustle (Reddit, LinkedIn DMs, direct outreach).10 → 100: Partner marketing, SEO, and high-intent blog content.100 → 1000: Viral LinkedIn content + YouTube for education + community-led growth.4. PMF isn’t hype - it’s cohort retentionRetention is the only true sign of product-market fit.Competitive pressure is a forcing function to build better products.Don’t be afraid to pick a fight in a crowded space - just know your edge.Connect with Jacob Bank:🔗 Jacob Bank - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobbank/📅 Join his Build an AI Agent with Me sessions - https://events.relay.app🌐 Try Relay.app for free: https://relay.appRelay.app is an AI agent builder that connects your tools into smart workflows. Designed to bring humans into the loop where automation fails, Relay combines intuitive UX with AI-native capabilities, enabling teams to move faster without drowning in manual ops.Chapters:00:10 – Introduction00:50 – Jacob’s journey from academia to Google to Relay02:14 – The pain of early go-to-market and what didn’t work06:09 – Using The Mom Test to validate early MVPs07:59 – Breaking through with traction experiments10:52 – Reddit, Product Hunt, and the weak links in early GTM13:49 – From 10 to 100: What channels actually scaled15:18 – Facing the 100 → 1000 wall16:37 – Cracking virality with LinkedIn21:29 – Mid-funnel levers: YouTube and email27:13 – Competing in a mature category and why it’s a good thing33:15 – Defining and validating PMF the hard way38:27 – Retention is king—no tricks, just product40:28 – Lightning round42:41 – Final thoughts + how to join Jacob’s live AI agent sessionsVisit our website - https://saassessions.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilneurgaonkar/

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