5 posts tagged with "Thought Leadership"

It's February 2026, and the AI SDR market is on fire.

This week alone, Monaco launched with $35M from Founders Fund. 11x is sitting on $74M from a16z. Artisan raised $12M. Clay raised $46M. And dozens of smaller players are entering the space every month.

VCs have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into AI tools that promise to transform sales development. The category is growing so fast that it's becoming nearly impossible to evaluate every option.

But you still need to choose. Here's a framework for cutting through the noise and picking the right AI SDR tool for your team.

The AI SDR Landscape in 2026​

Let's map the landscape by approach:

Full Replacement (AI does everything)​

• 11x.ai ($74M) — "Alice" AI SDR, autonomous outbound
• Artisan ($12M) — "Ava" AI sales agent
• 1mind — AI sales agent for inbound and outbound

Human-Guided (AI + expert oversight)​

• Monaco ($35M) — AI platform with embedded human sales experts

SDR Augmentation (AI empowers your team)​

• MarketBetter — Complete SDR command center
• Apollo.io — Data + outreach
• Clay ($46M) — Data enrichment + automation

CRM-Centric (AI inside the CRM)​

• HubSpot — AI features within Sales Hub
• Salesforce — Einstein AI
• Attio — AI-native CRM

Each approach has trade-offs. Let's figure out which one fits you.

Step 1: Define Your Philosophy​

Before evaluating features, answer this:

Do you want AI to replace your SDRs, or make them better?

If Replace:​

You're looking at 11x or Artisan. These tools run autonomously with minimal human involvement. Good for teams that want to scale outbound without hiring. Risk: quality control, brand risk, limited channels.

If Augment:​

You're looking at MarketBetter, Monaco, or Clay. These tools keep humans in the loop — AI handles data, research, and drafting while humans handle judgment and conversations. Lower risk, higher quality, but requires human SDRs.

Our recommendation: Augment. The data consistently shows that human-in-the-loop platforms produce better results and higher customer satisfaction.

Step 2: Map Your Must-Have Capabilities​

Not every team needs every feature. But here are the capabilities to evaluate:

Tier 1: Must-Haves for Most Teams​

Capability	Why It Matters
Email automation	Foundation of outbound — personalized sequences at scale
CRM integration	Everything must sync to your system of record
Contact data	Need accurate emails and phones to reach prospects
AI personalization	Generic outreach doesn't work in 2026

Tier 2: High-Value Differentiators​

Capability	Why It Matters
Website visitor identification	Surfaces your warmest leads — people already on your site
Smart dialer	Phone is still one of the most effective channels
AI chatbot	Captures inbound leads 24/7, even when you're offline
Daily SDR playbook	Structures your team's day for maximum productivity

Tier 3: Nice-to-Haves​

Capability	Why It Matters
Meeting notetaker	Convenient, but plenty of standalone options exist
Built-in CRM	Nice if you have no CRM; unnecessary if you do
LinkedIn automation	Useful but carries platform risk

Map your must-haves, then compare platforms:

Capability	MarketBetter	Monaco	11x	Artisan	Apollo	Clay
Email automation	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
CRM integration	✅	✅ Built-in	✅	✅	✅	✅
Contact data	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
AI personalization	✅	✅	✅	✅	Basic	✅
Visitor ID	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Smart dialer	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌
AI chatbot	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Daily playbook	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Meeting notes	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Built-in CRM	❌	✅	❌	❌	Basic	❌

Step 3: Evaluate Trust Signals​

In a market this hot, every startup makes big promises. Look for trust signals:

Customer Reviews​

Platform	G2 Rating	Review Count
MarketBetter	4.97/5	✅ Real reviews
Apollo	4.8/5	✅ Many reviews
Clay	4.9/5	✅ Growing
HubSpot	4.4/5	✅ Thousands
11x	~3.5/5	⚠️ Mixed
Artisan	~4.0/5	⚠️ Limited
Monaco	N/A	❌ Too new

Track Record​

• MarketBetter: Customers include CallRail, Hologram, GXC — documented results
• Apollo: Widely used, established in the market
• Monaco: Public beta, no public case studies yet
• 11x: Growing but mixed reviews suggest quality inconsistency

Pricing Transparency​

Platform	Pricing	Notes
MarketBetter	✅ Published	Free 60-day trial
Apollo	✅ Published	Free tier available
Clay	✅ Published	From $149/month
HubSpot	✅ Published	Free tier
11x	❌ Hidden	$40-60K+/year
Artisan	✅ Published	From $799/month
Monaco	❌ Hidden	Flat fee, undisclosed

Step 4: Consider Total Cost of Ownership​

Don't just compare platform fees. Consider the full cost:

Platform fee + Additional tools needed + Implementation time + Training cost + Switching cost if it doesn't work

Example:

Monaco approach:

• Monaco: Unknown flat fee
• Need to add: Dialer ($300/user/mo), chatbot ($1,000/mo), visitor ID ($500/mo)
• Total: Unknown + ~$1,800/mo in supplements

MarketBetter approach:

• MarketBetter: Published pricing (includes visitor ID, dialer, chatbot, playbook)
• Additional tools: None for core SDR workflow
• Total: One predictable cost

Step 5: Test Before You Buy​

The best way to evaluate: try it.

• MarketBetter: Free 60-day trial — no credit card, full platform
• Apollo: Free tier available
• Clay: Free tier available
• HubSpot: Free CRM
• Monaco: Public beta access (talk to sales)
• 11x: Enterprise demo (talk to sales)

Don't commit to an annual contract based on a demo. Use free trials to test with real data and real workflows.

The Decision Matrix​

Based on our analysis, here's the quick guide:

If you need...	Choose...
Complete AI SDR platform	MarketBetter
All-in-one for brand-new startup	Monaco (with caveats)
Best prospect database	Apollo
Maximum data customization	Clay
Fully autonomous outbound	11x (with caveats)
Safest established platform	HubSpot

The Bottom Line​

The AI SDR market is exploding — but that doesn't mean every tool is right for your team. Use this framework:

1. Decide your philosophy (replace vs. augment)
2. Map your must-have capabilities
3. Check trust signals (reviews, track record, pricing)
4. Calculate total cost of ownership
5. Test before you buy

For most B2B teams in 2026, MarketBetter offers the most complete AI SDR platform — the only one with visitor identification, multichannel outreach, AI chatbot, and daily playbook in one product, with transparent pricing and proven results.

Related Reading​

• MarketBetter vs Monaco: Full Comparison
• Monaco vs 11x vs MarketBetter: Which AI SDR Works?
• The Rise of Human-in-the-Loop AI Sales
• Why $35M AI Startups Can't Replace Your SDR Team
• Best AI SDR Tools with Human Oversight 2026

Monaco just launched an AI-native CRM. Attio is growing fast with one. Every SaaS newsletter is declaring that AI-native CRMs will replace Salesforce and HubSpot.

The hype is loud. Let's cut through it.

The honest answer: probably not. But the reasoning matters more than the answer.

What "AI-Native CRM" Really Means​

Let's define terms clearly:

Traditional CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive): Built in the 2000s-2010s. Data structures designed for human queries. Manual data entry is the norm. AI features added later (Salesforce Einstein, HubSpot Breeze) but constrained by the original architecture.

AI-Native CRM (Monaco, Attio): Built in the 2020s with AI as the foundation. Data structures designed for machine learning. Automatic data capture. Intelligence surfaces proactively. The AI isn't a feature — it IS the product.

The architecture matters because it determines the ceiling. A traditional CRM can add AI features, but they'll always be limited by data models designed for a pre-AI world. An AI-native CRM doesn't have that constraint.

When You SHOULD Switch to an AI-Native CRM​

✅ You have no CRM yet​

If you're a brand-new startup and haven't committed to Salesforce or HubSpot, starting with an AI-native CRM makes sense. Why adopt 15-year-old architecture when you can start fresh?

Consider: Monaco (built-in, all-in-one) or Attio (standalone modern CRM).

✅ Your current CRM is a nightmare​

If your team hates your CRM, no one updates it, and your data is garbage — maybe a fresh start is what you need. A new CRM won't fix bad habits, but a simpler, smarter one might reduce the friction that causes bad habits.

✅ You're spending more time managing the CRM than selling​

If your CRM requires a full-time admin, complex workflows to do basic things, and your reps spend 30%+ of their time on data entry — the ROI case for switching might be there.

✅ You're small enough that migration is manageable​

If you have 6 months of CRM data and 3 users, switching is a weekend project. The smaller you are, the lower the switching cost.

When You Should NOT Switch​

❌ You have years of data in your current CRM​

CRM data is an asset. Years of customer interactions, deal histories, pipeline analytics — that's institutional knowledge. Migration is possible but always lossy. Some context will be lost.

❌ Your team is trained and productive​

Switching CRMs means retraining everyone. The productivity dip during transition can last months. If your team is productive on the current system, the switching cost may exceed the benefit.

❌ You have integrations built on top​

Most B2B teams have 5-15 tools integrated with their CRM. Email, marketing automation, billing, support tickets, custom apps. Each integration needs to be rebuilt or replaced. That's months of work.

❌ You're evaluating based on hype, not need​

"AI-native" sounds cool. But cool isn't a business justification. If your current CRM is working fine, switching to an AI-native CRM is a solution looking for a problem.

❌ The AI-native CRM is unproven​

Monaco is in public beta. No G2 reviews. No public case studies. Betting your team's pipeline on unproven software is risky — especially when there are proven alternatives.

The Third Option: Add AI on Top​

Here's what most teams miss: you don't have to choose between your current CRM and AI-native capabilities.

You can keep your existing CRM AND add AI-powered tools on top. This gives you:

• Zero migration risk — your data stays where it is
• No retraining — your team keeps using what they know
• AI capabilities — visitor identification, chatbot, smart dialer, daily playbook
• Best of both worlds — proven CRM + proven AI tools

How This Works in Practice​

Your CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce): Handles contacts, deals, pipeline, reporting — what it's good at.

MarketBetter (on top): Adds what your CRM can't do:

• Website visitor identification — person-level data on who's browsing your site
• AI Chatbot (FloBot) — captures and qualifies inbound visitors 24/7
• Smart Dialer — AI-powered calling with scripts and intelligence
• Daily SDR Playbook — prioritized daily actions for every rep
• AI email automation — personalized outbound sequences

Everything syncs bidirectionally. Your CRM stays the system of record. MarketBetter adds the AI superpowers.

This is what AI-native should mean: not replacing your infrastructure, but making it intelligent.

The Decision Framework​

Ask these questions:

1. Do I have an existing CRM?

   • No → Consider AI-native (Monaco, Attio)
   • Yes → Continue to question 2

2. Am I happy with my current CRM?

   • No → Evaluate switching (but consider the migration costs)
   • Yes → Continue to question 3

3. Do I need AI capabilities my CRM lacks?

   • No → You're fine. Keep what you have.
   • Yes → Add AI tools on top (MarketBetter)

For most teams, the answer is #3: keep your CRM, add AI on top.

What About Monaco Specifically?​

Monaco's AI-native CRM is part of its all-in-one platform. It's interesting for seed-stage startups starting from zero. But:

• It's in public beta (risk)
• No visitor identification (gap)
• No multichannel outreach (gap)
• No chatbot (gap)
• No pricing transparency (friction)
• Startup-only positioning (limitation)

If you're evaluating Monaco's CRM specifically, compare it against:

• Attio — better standalone AI CRM
• HubSpot — proven, full-featured, free tier
• MarketBetter + your existing CRM — AI capabilities without CRM replacement

The Bottom Line​

You probably don't need an AI-native CRM. You need AI-native capabilities — and you can get those without replacing your CRM.

Keep HubSpot or Salesforce for what it does well. Add MarketBetter for what it can't do: visitor identification, AI chatbot, smart dialer, and daily SDR playbook.

That's the honest answer.

Related Reading​

• AI-Native CRM vs Traditional CRM: What Changed in 2026
• MarketBetter vs Monaco: Full Comparison
• Best AI Sales Platforms for Startups 2026
• End-to-End AI Sales Platforms: Buyer's Guide

Today, February 11, 2026, Monaco officially launched its AI-native sales platform with $35M in the bank.

The coverage has been everywhere — TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider. The founding team reads like a B2B sales dream team. The investor list includes the Collison brothers (Stripe), Garry Tan (YC president), and Founders Fund leading the round.

But beyond the headlines, what does Monaco's launch actually mean for B2B sales teams? Here's our take.

What Happened​

Monaco raised $35M in total funding — $10M seed and $25M Series A, both led by Founders Fund. The platform is now in public beta.

The founding team:

• Sam Blond — formerly head of sales at Brex, then VC at Founders Fund
• Brian Blond — VC at Human Capital and Sutter Hill Ventures
• Abishek Viswanathan — formerly CPO at Apollo and Qualtrics
• Malay Desai — formerly SVP Engineering at Clari

The product: an all-in-one AI-native sales platform combining CRM, prospect database, email outbound, and meeting notes — targeting seed and Series A startups.

Five Things This Means for B2B Sales​

1. AI-Native Sales Tools Are the New Standard​

Monaco's launch isn't just about Monaco. It's a signal that the market has shifted. Building from scratch with AI as the foundation — not bolting AI onto legacy software — is now the expected approach.

This matters for every existing sales tool. If you're Salesforce, HubSpot, or any incumbent CRM, Monaco's launch is a reminder that AI-native competitors are coming. Fast.

For buyers: Expect every sales platform to accelerate its AI roadmap. Competition drives innovation. You benefit.

2. Human-in-the-Loop Is Winning the Narrative​

Notice what Monaco DIDN'T promise: fully autonomous AI SDRs. Instead, they embedded experienced human salespeople to guide the AI.

This is a deliberate philosophical choice — and it's the right one. Sam Blond has seen enough sales tools from the Founders Fund portfolio to know that full automation doesn't work in complex B2B sales. The 11x/Artisan "replace your SDR" approach is fading in favor of "augment your SDR" or "guide your AI."

MarketBetter has been saying this for years. It's good to see the market converge on the same conclusion.

3. The All-in-One Battle Is Heating Up​

Monaco wants to be the only tool a startup needs for sales. That's ambitious — and it means every platform that offers a piece of the sales stack is now a competitor.

• CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Attio, Pipedrive
• Data: ZoomInfo, Apollo, Clearbit
• Outreach: Outreach, SalesLoft, MarketBetter
• AI SDR: 11x, Artisan, MarketBetter
• Meeting notes: Gong, Chorus, Fireflies

Monaco wants to replace all of them. The question is whether one platform can truly do everything well, or whether best-of-breed tools integrated together deliver better results.

History suggests best-of-breed wins for most teams. But all-in-one wins for simplicity-focused teams. Both paths are valid.

4. Startup-Focused Sales Tools Are a Real Category​

Monaco is explicitly building for seed and Series A startups. Not mid-market. Not enterprise. Startups.

This is smart positioning — there's a clear underserved segment. Most sales tools are either too expensive (Salesforce, ZoomInfo) or too complex (HubSpot at scale) for a 5-person startup.

But it's also a limitation. Companies grow. If Monaco's ideal customer raises a Series B and hires their 50th employee, will they outgrow the platform? That's the risk of narrow positioning.

Platforms like MarketBetter avoid this by building for startup through mid-market — you never outgrow the tool.

5. The Feature Gaps Create Opportunities​

Monaco launched without:

• Website visitor identification
• Smart dialer / phone outreach
• AI chatbot for inbound
• Daily SDR playbook
• Published pricing

Each of these gaps is an opportunity for other platforms. If you're evaluating Monaco and need any of these capabilities, you'll either need to supplement with additional tools (defeating the all-in-one promise) or choose a more complete platform.

What Should You Do?​

If you're a B2B sales leader watching Monaco's launch, here's our advice:

If you're a seed-stage startup:​

Monaco is worth evaluating alongside MarketBetter. Consider your specific needs — if email-only outbound is sufficient and you want a built-in CRM, Monaco could work. If you need visitor identification, phone, chat, or daily playbook, MarketBetter is more complete.

If you're Series B+:​

Monaco isn't building for you. Continue evaluating platforms that scale with your growth — MarketBetter, HubSpot, or purpose-built tools for your specific needs.

If you're already on a sales platform:​

Don't switch based on hype. Evaluate based on gaps. Does your current tool identify website visitors? Does it have an AI chatbot? Daily playbook? Smart dialer? If you're missing these, consider adding MarketBetter to your stack.

If you're watching the space:​

The AI sales category is still early. The winners haven't been decided yet. But the direction is clear: AI-native design, human-in-the-loop philosophy, and multichannel coverage. Look for platforms that check all three boxes.

Our Take​

We respect Monaco's launch. The team is excellent. The approach is philosophically sound. The funding gives them runway to iterate and improve.

But today — right now — Monaco has significant feature gaps. No visitor identification, no dialer, no chatbot, no daily playbook. For a platform promising to be all-in-one, that's a lot of missing pieces.

MarketBetter offers all of those capabilities today, with proven results (4.97/5 on G2), transparent pricing, and a track record of helping B2B teams drive pipeline.

Monaco's launch is great for the industry. It's great for competition. But if you need results now, don't wait for a beta to mature.

Related Reading​

• MarketBetter vs Monaco: Full Comparison
• Monaco Sales Platform Review 2026
• Is Monaco Worth It?
• Best AI Sales Platforms for Startups 2026

Monaco just launched with a bold promise: one AI-native platform that replaces your CRM, your data provider, your email sequencer, and your meeting recorder. No more tool sprawl. No more integration headaches. Just one login and one bill.

It's a compelling pitch. Every sales leader has felt the pain of managing 8-12 tools that barely talk to each other.

But the all-in-one approach has real problems — problems that the marketing pages never mention. Here's an honest look at the trade-offs.

The All-in-One Promise​

The pitch goes like this:

"Your sales team uses Salesforce for CRM, ZoomInfo for data, Outreach for sequences, Gong for call recording, Drift for chat, Orum for dialing, and three Chrome extensions held together with duct tape. What if ONE platform did all of that?"

It sounds amazing. And sometimes it works. HubSpot built a massive business on this promise. But more often, it creates a different set of problems.

Problem #1: Jack of All Trades, Master of None​

When a platform tries to do everything, it usually does nothing exceptionally well.

Monaco's version: CRM + prospect database + email outbound + meeting notes. But:

• The CRM is brand new (no track record vs. Salesforce/HubSpot)
• The prospect database is built from scratch (no track record vs. ZoomInfo's years of data)
• The email outbound competes with specialized tools like Outreach and MarketBetter
• The meeting notes compete with Gong and Chorus

Can Monaco beat Salesforce at CRM, ZoomInfo at data, Outreach at sequences, AND Gong at call intelligence — all at once, as a brand-new startup?

History says probably not. At least not yet.

Problem #2: Missing Capabilities Get Ignored​

All-in-one platforms decide what's "in" and what's "out." Monaco's all-in-one includes CRM, data, email, and meeting notes. It does NOT include:

• Website visitor identification
• Smart dialer / phone outreach
• AI chatbot for inbound
• Daily SDR playbook

If you need those capabilities (and most B2B teams do), you're back to buying additional tools — which defeats the all-in-one value proposition.

The irony: you switch to an all-in-one platform to reduce tool sprawl, then buy 3-4 more tools to fill its gaps.

Problem #3: Vendor Lock-In​

When everything is in one platform, switching costs are enormous. Your CRM data, prospect lists, email templates, pipeline history, and meeting recordings are all trapped in one system.

If the platform raises prices, changes direction, or disappoints — you're stuck. Migration becomes a major project.

With best-of-breed tools, you can swap one component without disrupting the rest. Don't like your email sequencer? Change it. Your CRM data is untouched.

Problem #4: Innovation Slows Down​

All-in-one platforms have to maintain and improve multiple products simultaneously. That's hard. Engineering bandwidth gets spread thin across CRM features, data infrastructure, email tooling, and meeting recording.

A focused company (like MarketBetter focusing on the SDR workflow, or Gong focusing on conversation intelligence) can iterate faster on their core capability because that's ALL they work on.

Problem #5: One Point of Failure​

If your all-in-one platform goes down, everything stops. CRM, email, data, pipeline — all unavailable simultaneously.

With a diversified stack, an email tool outage doesn't affect your CRM. A CRM issue doesn't stop your dialer. Redundancy isn't sexy, but it's practical.

When All-in-One Actually Works​

Despite the problems, there are legitimate cases for all-in-one:

✅ You're starting from absolute zero​

If you literally have no sales tools — no CRM, no data provider, no outreach tool — an all-in-one platform gets you from zero to functioning fastest. Monaco's pitch to seed-stage startups makes sense here.

✅ Your team is tiny​

With 2-3 people, integration complexity is a bigger burden than feature depth. One tool that does everything "well enough" beats five tools that each do one thing perfectly but require constant management.

✅ You value simplicity above all else​

Some teams would rather have 80% of the capability in one tool than 100% of the capability spread across ten tools. That's a valid preference.

The Smart Middle Ground: Focused Platforms + Integration​

There's a middle path between "12 disconnected tools" and "one platform for everything":

Choose a few focused platforms that integrate deeply.

Here's what this looks like in practice:

1. CRM — HubSpot or Salesforce (proven, full-featured, ecosystem)
2. AI SDR Platform — MarketBetter (visitor ID, email, dialer, chatbot, playbook)
3. Conversation Intelligence — Gong or Chorus (if you need deep call analysis)

That's 2-3 tools instead of 12, with deep bidirectional integration. You get:

• Best-in-class CRM (proven, your data is portable)
• Best-in-class AI SDR tools (visitor ID, multichannel, daily playbook)
• No vendor lock-in (swap any component independently)
• Deep integration (everything syncs automatically)

This is the approach MarketBetter is designed for. It doesn't try to replace your CRM — it integrates deeply with HubSpot and Salesforce while adding AI capabilities they don't have.

How to Evaluate All-in-One Platforms​

If you're still considering an all-in-one platform, use this checklist:

Critical Questions​

1. Does it cover your must-have channels? (Email + phone + chat + LinkedIn?)
2. Does it have your must-have features? (Visitor ID? Chatbot? Dialer? Playbook?)
3. Is the data quality competitive? (Compare against dedicated data providers)
4. Is the CRM robust enough? (Compare against your current CRM)
5. What happens if you want to leave? (Data export? Migration path?)
6. Is it proven? (Reviews, case studies, customer references?)
7. Is pricing transparent? (Can you budget without a sales call?)

Red Flags​

• "We do everything" but can't name a single capability where they're best-in-class
• No customer reviews or case studies
• Hidden pricing
• No data export or migration tools
• Narrow target market (startup-only)

The Bottom Line​

All-in-one platforms like Monaco offer appealing simplicity. But simplicity comes with trade-offs: feature gaps, jack-of-all-trades quality, vendor lock-in, and slower innovation.

For most B2B teams, the smart choice is focused platforms with deep integration:

• Your existing CRM for pipeline and contacts
• MarketBetter for AI-powered SDR capabilities (visitor ID, chatbot, dialer, playbook)
• Deep bidirectional sync between them

You get the simplicity of 2-3 tools instead of 12, the quality of focused products, and the flexibility to swap components as your needs evolve.

Related Reading​

• MarketBetter vs Monaco: Full Comparison
• End-to-End AI Sales Platforms: Buyer's Guide
• Do You Need an AI-Native CRM?
• Monaco Sales Platform Review 2026

Monaco just raised $35M. 11x raised $74M. Artisan raised $12M. Billions are flowing into AI sales tools with one implied promise: your human SDR team is about to become obsolete.

Except it's not.

And here's the thing — the smartest founders in the space know this. Sam Blond, Monaco's CEO, specifically designed his platform with human-in-the-loop guidance. He ran sales at Brex. He's seen what works. And he chose not to promise full automation.

So why does the "replace your SDRs" narrative persist? And why is it wrong?

The Automation Fallacy​

There's a persistent belief in tech that if you throw enough money and compute at a problem, you can automate it away. It works for some things — data entry, scheduling, report generation.

But sales isn't data entry.

What AI Can Automate​

• ✅ Finding prospects in databases
• ✅ Writing initial email drafts
• ✅ Scheduling meetings
• ✅ Logging CRM data
• ✅ Researching companies
• ✅ Prioritizing lead lists
• ✅ Following up on sequences

What AI Can't Automate (Yet)​

• ❌ Building trust with a stranger
• ❌ Reading the room on a discovery call
• ❌ Adapting a pitch in real-time based on subtle cues
• ❌ Navigating office politics to reach the decision maker
• ❌ Knowing when to push and when to pull back
• ❌ Genuine empathy when a prospect shares a problem
• ❌ Creative problem-solving for unique objections
• ❌ Relationship-building over months of a sales cycle

The first list is grunt work. The second list is what actually closes deals.

The Results Speak​

11x.ai, the most well-funded "replace your SDR" company, has a ~3.5/5 rating on G2 after more than a year in market. Multiple reviewers cite generic-sounding outreach and lack of nuance.

Meanwhile, human-in-the-loop platforms like MarketBetter (4.97/5 on G2) consistently outperform on customer satisfaction. Why? Because they augment humans instead of replacing them.

The data is clear: AI that makes SDRs more productive beats AI that tries to replace them.

What $35M Buys You (and What It Doesn't)​

Monaco's $35M buys:

• World-class engineering talent
• An impressive AI-native CRM
• A built-from-scratch prospect database
• AI-powered email outbound with human oversight
• A meeting notetaker

What it doesn't buy:

• The ability to replace human judgment in complex sales
• Magic that makes email-only outreach compete with multichannel
• Website visitor identification (Monaco doesn't have it)
• An AI chatbot for inbound leads (Monaco doesn't have it)
• A smart dialer for phone outreach (Monaco doesn't have it)
• Instant credibility (they're still in public beta)

Monaco is smart to embrace human-in-the-loop. But even their approach outsources the human element to Monaco's own experts — rather than empowering your team.

The Right Way to Think About AI + SDRs​

The question isn't "Can AI replace my SDRs?" The question is "Can AI make each SDR 3-5x more productive?"

The answer is yes. Here's what that looks like:

Without AI SDR Tools​

A typical SDR's day:

• 30 min researching prospects manually
• 45 min writing and personalizing emails
• 20 min logging CRM data
• 30 min figuring out who to call first
• 15 min looking up prospect context before calls
• = 2+ hours of admin before any real selling

With AI SDR Tools (MarketBetter)​

• Daily Playbook: Opens to a prioritized task list — no figuring out what to do
• Visitor identification: Warm leads surfaced automatically — no cold list building
• AI email drafts: Personalized sequences ready to review and send — no starting from scratch
• Pre-meeting intel: Auto-generated briefs — no manual research
• Smart dialer: AI-powered scripts and call intelligence — more effective calls
• AI chatbot: Inbound leads captured 24/7 — no leads slipping through

Time saved: 2+ hours per SDR per day. That's 2+ hours of additional selling time. Multiply by your team size. That's the ROI of AI — not replacement, but augmentation.

Why the "Replace" Companies Will Pivot​

Here's a prediction: within 18 months, most "AI SDR replacement" companies will pivot to "AI SDR augmentation." The market is telling them what works:

1. Buyers prefer human interactions for complex B2B purchases
2. Fully autonomous outreach produces diminishing returns as every company uses it
3. Human-in-the-loop platforms have higher customer satisfaction (G2 ratings prove it)
4. The total addressable market for "augment SDRs" is larger than "replace SDRs" — because every company with SDRs is a prospect, not just companies that want to cut headcount

Monaco already got the memo — they embedded human guidance from day one. The question is whether their feature set will catch up to platforms like MarketBetter that deliver the complete SDR stack.

The Bottom Line​

$35M doesn't replace human judgment, empathy, and relationship-building in sales. It never will.

What money CAN buy is better tools that make every SDR dramatically more effective. That's the right investment — in AI that empowers your team, not AI that replaces it.

MarketBetter gets this. Your SDRs keep their jobs. They just become superhuman at them.

Related Reading​

• The Rise of Human-in-the-Loop AI Sales
• Monaco vs 11x vs MarketBetter: Which AI SDR Works?
• MarketBetter vs Monaco: Full Comparison
• AI SDR Market is Exploding: How to Pick