Hunters and Unicorns

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Oct 2026

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Introducing ’Hunters and Unicorns’ – the podcast that shows you what it takes to be #1 in software sales. Are you hungry for the inside scoop on what it takes to lead in the dynamic world of software sales? Join us each week as we dive deep into the journeys of the trailblazers shaping the tech landscape’s future. 🔍 Dive into pivotal past experiences. 🎙️ Unveil the Playbooks of Tech Titans! 🚀 Revealing strategies of tech leaders driving growth. 🎯 Insights from thought leaders, entrepreneurs, execs. 🔥 Ignite innovation, leadership, extraordinary achievements. 🌐 1M+ global downloads – a community of tech enthusiasts. 🦄🎉 Subscribe and discover what it takes to be #1 in software sales! 👋 We are your hosts, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, a tech recruitment agency in the UK. Visit our website to find out more: https://huntersandunicorns.com

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October 28, 2026Episode 1781 hr 1 min

The Sign You Are Ready to Lead — Their Win Feels Better Than Yours

How do you know you're actually ready for the next seat and how do you make sure every career move makes you better? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Matthew Fermino, CRO at Fable Security, to unpack what it really takes to move from top rep to first-line leader, to second-line leader, and all the way to the CRO seat. Matthew explains why he has always optimized his career for development over everything else, why your career should tell a story, and how he knew he was ready to lead: when he took more pride in seeing someone he coached win a deal than in winning one himself. He breaks down the shift from telling to coaching ("people rarely argue with their own conclusions"), how to manage the peers you used to sit next to, and why first-line leaders are the most important role in the entire go-to-market team yet the one companies develop the least. The conversation also covers the jump to second-line leadership, reading the business through data, building leaders who find the answers without you, extreme ownership at every layer, staying close to the field as a CRO, his turning point at Starburst, and why Fable Security is going after the biggest problem in cybersecurity: the human layer. In this episode: • Why you should optimize your career for development, not titles • Why your career should tell a story and the danger of short stints • What real development looks like: tying it to each person's "why" • How to know you're ready for first-line leadership • Why you don't have to promote every great IC • The fundamentals to master before you lead: conviction, forecasting, coachability • Managing the people who were your peers a week ago • Going from telling to coaching • How a brand-new leader recruits A players • Why the best sellers can sell anything • The difference between first-line and second-line leadership • Reading the business through data as you scale • Accountability at every layer of the org • Staying close to the field instead of managing from an ivory tower • His turning point at Starburst, from $1M in revenue and 20 employees to 600 • Building a coaching tree • Fable Security and the human layer of cybersecurity About Matthew Fermino Matthew Fermino is CRO at Fable Security, which is tackling the human layer of cybersecurity the risky behavior behind most breaches. Before Fable, he built his career at PTC, Perfecto and Starburst, where he joined at around $1M in revenue and helped scale the company through rapid growth, including building out Europe and APAC for the first time. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for more conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. #HuntersAndUnicorns #MatthewFermino #FableSecurity #CRO #SalesLeadership #GTM #RevenueLeadership #SalesManagement #Coaching #Cybersecurity #B2BSales #Leadership Timestamps: 0:00 – Trailer 1:16 – Welcome & Introduction 1:51 – Why You Should Optimize Your Career for Development 2:42 – Short Stints and Why Your Career Should Tell a Story 4:31 – What Development Really Means 5:49 – Learning From Great Leaders at PTC 7:43 – How to Know You're Ready for First-Line Leadership 9:54 – You Don't Have to Promote Every Great IC 11:40 – The Fundamentals to Master Before You Lead 13:11 – Deal Muscle Memory: Seeing Around Corners 15:15 – Managing the Peers You Used to Work Beside 17:44 – Recruiting and Going From Telling to Coaching 20:12 – How a New Leader Recruits A Players 21:49 – Why Leaders Need to Sell the Vision to Candidates 23:25 – Why the Best Sellers Can Sell Anything 25:22 – Learning From Different Leaders and Playbooks 29:09 – First-Line vs. Second-Line Leadership 31:36 – Matthew's Mistakes as a New Second-Line Leader 34:39 – Reading the Business Through Data 37:09 – Developing Leaders Who Find Answers Without You 40:42 – Accountability at Every Layer 42:02 – When Are You Ready for Second-Line Leadership? 44:16 – Breaking Through to Executive Leadership 46:15 – Staying Close to the Field as a CRO 49:36 – Working Cross-Functionally as One Team 51:03 – The Turning Point: Scaling Starburst 55:24 – Building a Coaching Tree 56:53 – Fable Security and the Human Layer 1:00:25 – What's Next for Fable 1:00:59 – Closing

October 21, 2026Episode 17750 min

From MongoDB to Startup — 50 Hours of Research Before He Said Yes

What happens when you leave one of the best sales playbook machines in the world to build your own? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Stephen Macfarlane, Global Head of Sales at Pigment, to unpack the reality versus the expectations of leaving MongoDB after nine and a half years to take the top sales seat at a fast-growing startup. Stephen explains why the secret behind MongoDB was never a playbook but a set of standards, and how he brought that thinking to Pigment: from the two questions he asks every hire six months in, to the provocative hypotheses he put to the founders, bootcamps, leader training, and the first key hires he brought with him. The conversation also covers why it's lonely at the top, why commitment matters more than consensus, how to join an organization without being resented, the art of "releasing the work" at the right pace, and why Pigment is replacing incumbents in a market that was ready to be disrupted. In this episode: • Reality vs. expectations: from MongoDB to a startup head of sales seat • "What were you oversold on, and what were you undersold on?" • Why it's lonely at the top • A set of standards, not a playbook • Testing provocative hypotheses with the founders • Make the main thing the main thing • Bootcamps, leader training, and building repeatability • The first key hires to bring with you • Commitment over consensus • Releasing the work at the right pace • How to enter an organization without being resented • Finding champions at every level of the business • What to look for in your next role: leaders, product, and market • Pigment's mission and the AI-first EPM opportunity About Stephen Macfarlane Stephen Macfarlane is Global Head of Sales at Pigment, the AI-first planning and performance management platform. Before joining Pigment, he spent nine and a half years in sales leadership at MongoDB, one of the most respected go to market organizations in software. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for more conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. #HuntersAndUnicorns #StephenMacfarlane #Pigment #MongoDB #SalesLeadership #GTM #RevenueLeadership #SalesEnablement #Startups #EPM #B2BSales #Leadership Timestamps: 0:00 – Trailer 1:14 – Welcome & Introduction 1:34 – From MongoDB to Global Head of Sales at Pigment 2:41 – The Two Questions: Oversold vs. Undersold 3:42 – It's Lonely at the Top 5:36 – Big Company to Startup: A Set of Standards, Not a Playbook 7:33 – The State of Play When Stephen Walked In 9:05 – Testing Provocative Hypotheses With the Founders 10:51 – Driving Change Through Trust 13:02 – What Transfers From MongoDB 15:13 – Make the Main Thing the Main Thing 17:14 – From Frantic Energy to Focused Energy 18:46 – Bootcamps, Leader Training & Repeatability 21:18 – The First Key Hires 23:52 – Commitment Over Consensus 25:24 – Harder Than Expected: Building the Tracks 27:37 – Why Founder Alignment Matters 29:48 – Releasing the Work at the Right Pace 31:39 – Joining Without Being Resented 34:00 – Finding Your Champions 35:05 – Stacking Wins Without Declaring Victory 36:25 – Founder Momentum & Staying Power 37:32 – Three Things to Look for in Your Next Role 39:29 – The Hardest Part: Coming From Outside the Market 41:30 – What Stephen Learned About Himself 43:05 – Pigment's Mission & the AI-First EPM Opportunity 45:00 – Replacing Incumbents: What's Next for Pigment 46:18 – What Was Stephen Oversold and Undersold On? 48:36 – Closing

October 14, 2026Episode 17650 min

STOP Relying on Inbound — The Sales Muscle You Must Build Before Hard Times Hit

What happens to a sales team built on inbound when the inbound slows down? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Mark Ebert, SVP of Revenue at Profound, to unpack how you build a world class sales organization in the middle of the AI gold rush one that is ready for the hard times before they arrive. Profound went from Mark and five reps in a room in Union Square to well over 50 ICs in about a year, mostly on the back of inbound demand. Mark explains why that is exactly the moment to start building the prospecting muscle, how he gets the whole org from himself on down to own its pipeline number, and why he hires people who want to learn rather than people chasing the hype. The conversation also gets personal: the advice that "no one's looking out for you in your personal life," why being on 24/7 is a myth, how he stays present for his family, and the "make the invisible visible" culture at Profound that changed the way he leads including why your reps may be afraid to tell you what's broken. In this episode: • Why strong inbound can hide a future pipeline problem • Building a prospecting culture from the top down call blitzes, competitions and no free passes • Hiring for learners: "What have you not mastered that you want to master here?" • Lessons from eight years building and leading at 6sense • Development plans and career paths in a hypergrowth sales org • "No one's looking out for you" work-life balance as a sales leader • Why being on 24/7 is a myth, and how to be present at home • MTIV: Make the Invisible Visible and why acting like everything's fine is the worst thing a leader can do • How to get honest feedback from reps who are afraid to give it • Profound's mission and the AEO opportunity About Mark Ebert Mark Ebert is SVP of Revenue at Profound, the AEO platform that helps brands understand how AI talks about their products and services. He started his career as a BDR, grew into complex enterprise selling, and spent around eight years building and leading the sales organization at 6sense before joining Profound. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for more conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. #HuntersAndUnicorns #MarkEbert #Profound #SalesLeadership #GTM #RevenueLeadership #PipelineGeneration #SalesCulture #AEO #AI #B2BSales #Leadership Timestamps: 0:00 – Trailer 1:12 – Welcome & Introduction 1:54 – Building a Sales Org That Lasts Beyond the Good Days 3:51 – Staying Power in the AI Gold Rush 6:48 – Why the Foundations Matter: Hiring People Who Want to Learn 8:39 – Preparing for the Day Inbound Slows Down 11:49 – Everyone Owns the Pipeline Number 14:04 – Call Blitzes & Making Prospecting Fun 15:41 – Tuning Out the Noise & Finishing the Job 18:41 – Development Plans & Career Paths 20:53 – Who Is Mark Outside of Work? 23:06 – "No One's Looking Out for You" — Work-Life Balance 25:43 – The Myth of Being On 24/7 27:35 – Being Present With Your Family 30:33 – Tough Times & Making the Invisible Visible 34:12 – Turning MTIV Into a Culture, Not a Complaint Box 35:40 – Scaling From 5 Reps to 50+ ICs 37:00 – Why Your Reps Are Afraid to Tell You What's Broken 41:18 – Making Decisions Not Everyone Will Like 43:07 – Showing Up for Your Team on a Rocket Ship 44:38 – Profound's Mission & the AEO Opportunity 47:23 – Closing

October 7, 2026Episode 1751 hr 2 min

First-Pick CRO: How to Become the Person VCs Call Before the Job Goes Public

On this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, hosts Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Parm Uppal, Chief Revenue Officer at Chainguard, to unpack what it actually takes to become a "first-pick" CRO, the person VCs and founders call first when they need world-class go-to-market leadership. Parm shares hard-won lessons from his career at AppDynamics, DataRobot, Benchling, Luminary, and now Chainguard, covering: Why "develop down" beats "manage up" and how strong foundations make everything else easier Building internal champions and followship the right way The 3-stage framework for scaling revenue teams: product-market fit → repeatability → scale The "elephant, deer, and rabbits" method for structuring sales territories How his personal CRO scorecard cuts through inflated pipeline data in board meetings Mistakes made chasing hype cycles and picking startups at the wrong stage Why coachability and character are the hardest things to interview for Building a genuine CFO-CRO partnership and a common language with the board Why open-source software security is the next seismic shift as AI coding tools accelerate If you're a sales leader, aspiring CRO, or founder building your go-to-market org, this conversation is a masterclass in leadership, hiring, and scaling with intention. This episode is sponsored by Aurasell—intelligently automate every aspect of your sales cycle with the first AI-native, full-stack GTM platform. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with top revenue leaders and operators. #SalesLeadership #CRO #GoToMarket #B2BSales #StartupGrowth #RevenueLeadership #SalesStrategy #Chainguard #VentureCapital #TechSales #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #OpenSourceSecurity #Leadership Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 1:25 — Introduction & Guest Overview 2:07 — What Makes You a "First-Pick" CRO 3:52 — Authenticity, Internal Champions, and Developing Talent 12:29 — The Elephant, Deer, and Rabbits Framework 17:02 — Your Key Priorities in the First 90 Days 22:01 — Pain Now vs. Pain Later 25:08 — Hiring for Coachability and Character 29:47 — Balancing Managing Up and Managing Down 31:20 — Learning From Your Biggest Mistakes at DataRobot 34:47 — Why You Built Your Own CRO Scorecard 43:52 — Building Relationships With VCs and Boards 47:56 — What Makes Someone a True Internal Champion 51:36 — "Develop Down": The Philosophy Behind Everything 52:25 — Why You Left Benchling for Chainguard 59:59 — Closing & Final Thoughts

September 30, 2026Episode 17459 min

From Customer Success to CRO: The Leadership Lessons That Changed Everything

What if the traditional path to becoming a CRO isn't the only path? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Ollie Kuehne and Simon Kouttis sit down with Ozge Tuncel Ozcan, Chief Revenue Officer at Forter, to explore her unconventional journey from engineering and customer success to leading an entire revenue organization. Ozge shares why revenue is much more than bookings and pipeline, how her experience across customer success, professional services, sales development, and post-sales shaped her leadership, and why listening to customers can become a CRO's greatest advantage. The conversation also explores customer retention, product feedback, GTM strategy, AI, and why companies need to connect innovation, sales, and customer success instead of treating them as separate functions. In this episode: • Ozge's unconventional journey to CRO • Why customer understanding is at the heart of revenue • How customer success shaped her sales leadership • Why CROs need to think beyond bookings and pipeline • Connecting product, sales, and customer success • Using customer feedback to drive innovation • Building a more cohesive GTM organization • Why listening may be the most underrated leadership skill About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for more conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. #HuntersAndUnicorns #OzgeTuncelOzcan #Forter #CRO #SalesLeadership #GTM #RevenueLeadership #CustomerSuccess #B2BSales #gtmstrategy Timestamps: 00:00 Trailer 02:58 What Defines you as a CRO? 04:49 The Power of Listening 07:51 From Engineer to CRO 09:17 From MBA to McKinsey 12:00 The MongoDB Opportunity 18:00 Building a Customer-First GTM 24:00 Why Customer Success Matters 31:59 The Next Generation CRO 34:08 The Future of AI Adoption 36:20 How to Evaluate a Company 41:28 Innovation Meets GTM 45:01 Building a World-Class GTM Team 51:34 The Future of AI Commerce 54:12 Building Careers, Not Jobs 56:08 The New Path to CRO

September 23, 2026Episode 1731 hr 1 min

Cerebras EVP: His CEO Said One Thing and He Quit Everything to Join Him

What makes a senior GTM leader leave a successful career behind and bet on a company taking on one of the biggest challenges in AI? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, hosts Ollie Kuehne and Simon Kouttis sit down with Alex Varel, EVP of GTM at Cerebras, to unpack the decision that brought him into the world of AI infrastructure. Alex shares what he saw in Cerebras, why the demand for AI compute convinced him, and what he learned from moving between companies like MongoDB and Cerebras. In this episode: • Why Alex chose Cerebras over other opportunities • What makes Cerebras' AI infrastructure different • Taking on established players like NVIDIA • The importance of product differentiation in GTM • What Alex saw when he first met Cerebras' leadership • Why challenging markets attract great sales leaders • The mindset behind building and scaling a GTM organization A conversation about AI, enterprise sales, GTM leadership, career decisions, and what it takes to bet on a massive opportunity before everyone else sees it. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for more conversations with the leaders building the future of technology and sales. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle—from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 1:45 — Welcome & Introduction 4:17 — How Did You Know Cerebras Was the Right Bet? 8:46 — How Cerebras Came to His Attention 11:37 — Meeting Andrew Feldman & the Taco Story 17:10 — Getting Up to Speed on a Technical Product 20:14 — Tackling a Highly Technical Sale 22:32 — Shifting From Feature Selling to Value Selling 26:35 — Growth & Scale — What It Looks Like Now 27:50 — How He Sees the Market Changing in 3 to 5 Years 32:03 — How He's Had to Change as a Leader 34:20 — Hanging Back & Proving Himself First 37:25 — What From the Old Playbook Transferred 43:34 — The No BS Culture at Cerebras 48:08 — Why You Don't Need a Large Sales Team 49:31 — European Expansion 51:42 — Advice for Anyone Making the Hardware Leap 54:30 — How to Assess a Comp Plan 56:47 — Imposter Syndrome at Cerebras 57:53 — Closing

September 16, 2026Episode 17252 min

The CRO Warning: He Was Winning Every Deal and About to Lose His Entire Team

What happens when you're winning every deal—but your team is quietly reaching its breaking point? For Zach Sikora, CRO at Endor Labs, one of the biggest leadership lessons of his career came when he realized that driving results wasn't enough. His team was succeeding, but they were also fatigued and he risked creating a culture built around compliance rather than commitment. In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Zack to explore his journey from EMC and AppDynamics to People.ai and now Endor Labs, and the leadership lessons he learned along the way. Zack shares the moment his COO warned him that he might have a “mutiny” on his hands, why accountability has to come with empathy, and how explaining the “why,” using data, humanizing leadership, and giving people a voice transformed the way his team operated. The conversation also explores building a modern GTM organization, the role of RevOps and enablement, AI and application security, Endor Labs' growth journey, and why developing leaders is just as important as hiring more sales reps. In this episode: • The leadership mistake that nearly cost Zack his team's commitment • Why winning doesn't mean your leadership approach is working • The difference between compliance and commitment • How to balance accountability with empathy • Why leaders need to explain the “why” behind every decision • How data can help bring sales teams along with the strategy • Why RevOps and enablement should come before scaling headcount • Building a culture focused on leadership development • How AI is changing application security and software development • Endor Labs' growth strategy and 100% channel approach • What it really means to build a high-performing GTM organization About Zack Sikora Zack Sikora is Chief Revenue Officer at Endor Labs, with leadership experience at EMC, AppDynamics, People.ai, and Endor Labs. His experience spans high-growth technology, enterprise sales, go-to-market strategy, and revenue leadership, with a strong focus on building teams and developing leaders. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. #HuntersAndUnicorns #ZachSkora #EndorLabs #SalesLeadership #GTM #RevenueLeadership #SalesManagement #SalesStrategy #AI #Cybersecurity #B2BSales #leadership Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 1:28 — Welcome & Introduction 2:43 — When It Started to Click as a Leader 4:18 — Accountability With Empathy — The Turning Point 5:48 — How He Actually Implemented Change 7:47 — From Compliance to Commitment 8:31 — Leaning on Mentors Through the Hard Moments 9:09 — The App Dynamics Story — A Baptism of Fire 12:34 — What Made Him Choose App Dynamics Over MongoDB & Medallia 14:52 — Why Dolly Said He Wasn't Ready 16:05 — The Rise to Third Line — Zigs, Zags & Getting Passed Over 18:11 — How to Systematically Build a Team From Scratch 20:21 — The Power of Activity Data & Leading Indicators 22:55 — When Did He Know He Wanted to Be a CRO? 25:08 — Was He Always Chasing the Title? 28:50 — Playbook First, Domain Second 32:18 — How Important Is Founder Support for Your Strategy? 33:39 — The Critical Criteria When Assessing a CRO Opportunity 35:24 — How to Assess a Founder Before You're In 38:03 — What Drew Him to Endor Labs 40:07 — The Four Problems Endor Is Built to Solve 43:49 — How Endor Stands Up Against the Big Players 46:10 — What's Stopping a Foundational Model From Doing This? 48:04 — Where Endor Is on the Journey & What's Next 49:44 — Why Endor Is a Great Place for Sales Leaders Right Now 51:18 — Closing

September 9, 2026Episode 1711 hr 10 min

If You Think Taking Time Off Means You Are Losing — This Conversation Will Change Your Mind

What happens when one of the most intense, competitive leaders in software sales finally decides to slow down? For Alex Patman, former CRO at Drata, stepping away from the game wasn't about losing his edge—it was about gaining perspective. In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Alex to unpack his journey from Fuze and Okta to becoming CRO at Drata, the mindset that drove his rapid rise through the software industry, and the leadership principles behind his success. Alex opens up about the tragic loss of his brother, why he made the decision to take time away from work, and how stepping back has changed his perspective on family, health, leadership, and his next professional mission. The conversation also explores the rapidly changing AI era, the pressures of modern sales leadership, and what it really takes to build and lead high-performing go-to-market teams. From increasing intensity and narrowing the focus to raising standards and leading from the front, Alex shares the playbook, principles, and competitive mindset that have shaped his career. In this episode: • Alex's journey from Fuze and Okta to CRO at Drata • Why pressure is a privilege—and the mindset of a “90-day contract” • How tragedy and time away from work changed his perspective • The importance of family, health, and mental resilience • Why curiosity and competitiveness can accelerate a career • Alex's perspective on the AI era and the future of software sales • The leadership principles behind high-performing GTM organizations • Why leaders need to increase intensity, narrow the focus, and raise standards • The importance of trust, communication, humility, and collective responsibility • How taking a step back can become the slingshot for the next chapter About Alex Patman Alex Patman is a former CRO at Drata and an experienced go-to-market leader who has built his career across high-growth technology companies including Fuze, Okta, and Drata. Known for his intensity, curiosity, competitiveness, and pace-setting leadership style, Alex has become one of the most prominent emerging leaders in software sales. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle—from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching. #HuntersAndUnicorns #AlexPatman #Drata #SalesLeadership #GTM #SoftwareSales #AI #SalesStrategy #RevenueLeadership #B2BSales #ArtificialIntelligence #sales Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 1:17 — Welcome & Introduction 2:50 — Why Alex Is Taking Time Off 6:03 — Filling the Void & Keeping the Mind Active 10:47 — Why It's Important to Sit Through This 15:30 — Evaluating the Hardware Space 19:09 — Separating Signal From Hype in AI 21:19 — What He Looks for in a Founder 26:33 — How to Assess Founder GTM Commitment 30:04 — Career Arc — Fuse to Octa to Drata 37:33 — What Set Him Apart at Octa 41:37 — When Adam Arens Took Notice 44:17 — Managing Impatience & Over-Ambition 51:05 — Transitioning Into the CRO Seat 53:35 — Is It a Lonely Seat? 56:48 — Work-Life Balance as CRO 1:01:34 — What He Loves Most About the Game 1:02:54 — Guiding Principles & Leadership Style 1:05:41 — Closing

August 26, 2026Episode 1701 hr 4 min

From Terrible Manager to CEO — Here Is the Leadership Lesson That Changed Everything

What does it take to go from a Manager to a CEO—and become the kind of leader who helps others surpass you? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Christina Brady, CEO and Co-Founder of Luster, to explore her journey from account executive to revenue leader, founder, and CEO. Christina shares how her passion for communication, leadership, and sales enablement shaped her career, why she believes leaders should be the “soil” that helps their people grow, and how AI can make sales teams better without replacing the human element. The conversation explores predictive enablement, emotional intelligence, sales performance, and why the future of AI in sales is about giving people better data, training, and feedback—not removing them from the process. In this episode: • Christina’s journey from account executive to CEO and founder • Why great leaders should help their people surpass them • How communication can transform sales performance • The role of emotional intelligence in sales • Why traditional sales training often fails • How AI can make salespeople better—not replace them • The future of predictive sales enablement • Why enablement should become a revenue center, not a cost center • How AI can identify and correct bad sales behavior before it happens • What the future of sales training and enablement looks like About Christina Brady Christina Brady is the CEO and Co-Founder of Luster, a company focused on transforming sales enablement through AI, predictive insights, training, and performance improvement. She has spent more than 20 years in go-to-market leadership, including roles across sales, enablement, customer success, and revenue leadership. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. #HuntersAndUnicorns #ChristinaBrady #Luster #SalesEnablement #SalesLeadership #AIinSales #SalesTraining #RevenueLeadership #GTM #B2BSales #artificialintelligence Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 2:07 — How Christina Became CEO & Co-Founder 6:32 — From Concept to Product 8:36 — Why This Problem Was Personal 11:11 — The Highs & Lows of the Journey 13:55 — Sales Methodology & Getting Certified 16:21 — From Terrible Manager to CRO 20:25 — Breaking Down Communication Barriers 25:46 — Reinforcement & Doing the Work 31:00 — Controlling Emotion in the Moment 35:04 — Radical Candor & Earning the Right 38:32 — The Psychology Behind It All 42:01 — Can Emotional Intelligence Be Learned? 44:38 — Where Luster Is Today 51:57 — Measurable Impact & Real Customer Results 54:37 — Identifying & Cloning Top Performers 57:37 — The Human Element in AI Enablement 59:33 — The Next Five Years for Luster 1:02:34 — Closing

August 20, 2026Episode 1691 hr 4 min

The REAL Reason Your Sales Team Is Only Selling 25% of the Time — And What Fixes It

What separates a productive sales team from one buried in operational work? For Srinivas Bandi, it comes down to eliminating the endless toil that keeps sellers away from actually selling. In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Srinivas Bandi, Co-Founder and CTO of Aurasell, to explore how AI is reshaping the modern go-to-market stack and changing how sales teams work. They discuss why most sellers spend less than 25% of their time selling, how AI agents can automate everything from prospecting to forecasting, and why the future of sales is about letting humans focus on high-value conversations. The conversation also explores AI-native software, data ownership, the fragmentation of today’s GTM stack, and why companies need to focus on business outcomes rather than simply adding more tools. In this episode: • Why sales reps spend less than 25% of their time selling • How AI can move selling time from 25% to 75% • Why the future of sales is AI agents + human conversations • The problem with fragmented GTM stacks and 50+ tools • Why high-fidelity data is becoming a competitive advantage • How AI is changing product development and customer success • Why speed and execution are becoming critical moats • What the future of the GTM stack could look like About Srinivas Bandi Srinivas Bandi is the Co-Founder and CTO of Aurasell, with previous leadership experience at VMware, Nutanix, and Harness. He has spent his career building enterprise technology and scaling products across cloud, infrastructure, and AI. Subscribe to Hunters and Unicorns for conversations with the leaders building, scaling, and transforming high-growth technology companies. About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform that replaces the 15+ disconnected tools your sales team is juggling — prospecting, deal management, forecasting, and coaching all in one place. Available as a layer on your existing Salesforce or HubSpot, or as a standalone AI-native CRM. https://www.aurasell.ai/ #HuntersAndUnicorns #SrinivasBandi #Aurasell #SalesAI #AIAgents #GTM #B2BSales #SalesLeadership #RevOps #RevenueGrowth #ArtificialIntelligence Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 1:09 — Welcome & Introduction 2:17 — Career — VMware to Nutanix to Harness 6:02 — Identifying a Company's Real Moat 9:09 — Creating Real Differentiation in a Crowded Space 15:38 — What Drew Him to Solving This Problem 20:28 — Building for the Future With Aurasell 26:33 — The Nutanix Product & Its Impact 30:41 — Balancing Customer Feedback With Product Vision 35:14 — Staying Ahead When Innovation Moves Fast 38:51 — Will the Founder Profile Change in the AI Era 41:34 — The Future GTM Stack 44:33 — Will AI Make the Market Too Noisy 47:35 — How the Seller Profile Will Change With AI 49:31 — Could Salespeople Ever Be Fully Replaced 52:02 — Aurasell's Impact on Sales Rep Productivity 56:04 — Is Customer Success Being Replaced by AI 58:02 — Closing