The Two Ways to Sell AI: Lighthouse or Landgrab?
The a16z Show
- Published
- August 13, 2026
- Duration
- 44:37
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Aug 19, 2026
Discusses ai.
Summary
Elena Burger is joined by a16z's Andy McCall and Joe Schmidt to break down two very different ways AI startups can go to market: the lighthouse and the landgrab. Should founders win a handful of marquee customers whose credibility unlocks an entire industry, or move quickly across a broad market where the ROI already speaks for itself? Drawing on Joe's Li…
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Show notes
Elena Burger is joined by a16z's Andy McCall and Joe Schmidt to break down two very different ways AI startups can go to market: the lighthouse and the landgrab. Should founders win a handful of marquee customers whose credibility unlocks an entire industry, or move quickly across a broad market where the ROI already speaks for itself? Drawing on Joe's Lighthouse or Landgrab framework and Andy's experience building sales organizations at Samsara and Meraki, they explore how founders can determin
Themes
- ai