5 Reasons AI Startups Are Growing So Fast

Hello!

We’re all working hard to help companies grow.

And some are on fire right now - like Lovable, racing to $100M ARR in just 8 months, or Cursor, onboarding thousands of developers without a traditional sales team.

So what’s working for these AI darlings that can work for you too?

Something wild is happening in SaaS:

📉 Traditional startups are playing defense — cutting burn, over-revising messaging, and getting stuck in feedback loops.
📈 Meanwhile, AI startups are shipping fast, building in public, and growing like it’s 2021 again.

And I’ve experienced both! Hyper-growth is way more fun than being stuck on the sidelines, waiting for signoff while momentum slips away.

Today’s AI tech is:
→ Launch the messy version
→ Learn in real time
→ Let the market shape the story

Yes, the tech is impressive.
But the GTM mindset is what’s really driving growth.

After digging through dozens of AI companies, I spotted 5 traits that separate the hypergrowth players from the hype-chasers. Here’s the skimmable version. Let’s go…

🔥 1. They move faster than your roadmap process

They don’t wait 3 months for a positioning doc.
They ship → test → learn → relaunch — fast.

The GTM function is built for speed:

• Founders talk to users constantly

• Marketers are embedded in product

• The brand evolves with the product, not after it

These teams are making marketing decisions in hours, not quarters.

🎯 2. They market the product shift, not just features

The best AI startups don’t just say “it’s AI!”
They sell the before/after story.

Example 1:
→ Cursor isn’t selling “AI coding help.”
→ They’re saying “Your entire engineering workflow is about to change.”

Example 2:
→ Lovable isn’t pitching “AI design tools.”
→ They’re saying: “Non-designers can now launch pro-quality brands in minutes — no agency required.”

It’s not about specs.
It’s about reframing what’s possible, and then backing it up with product.

The messaging is high-conviction, founder-led, and laser-focused on the buyer’s shift.

📈 3. They skip the funnel and build demand loops

Traditional B2B funnels are built on the company’s internal needs. These startups aren’t obsessing over MQL handoffs or drip sequences.

They’re building compounding momentum:

• Founders post product demos, thoughts, and roadmap updates daily

• Users share their own workflows, wins, and “wow” moments

• Each launch → drives content → drives traffic → drives more users → and on it goes

They manufacture demand by showing up consistently, inviting the community in, and making the product the center of the conversation.

You don’t need a funnel if buyers are already choosing you.

🧱 4. Their website is the sales pitch

Most SaaS websites are still built like it’s 2015:
→ vague headlines,
→ feature fluff,
→ and the “Request a Demo” button.

But AI startups?
They know their site isn’t just a landing page, it’s a discovery engine.
For buyers and for LLMs.

The best ones:

• Explain the shift (what's changing and why now)

• Show the product (GIFs, videos, use cases, no fluff)

• Let users take action immediately (try it, share it, or buy it)

And behind the scenes, they’re thinking AI-first:
→ Structuring their pages so tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can find and summarize their value
→ Making their content skimmable, contextual, and GPT-ready

And because they’re indexed in AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT, the site is doing sales work 24/7, no rep required.

🧪 5. They experiment publicly

Traditional GTM = behind closed doors
Modern GTM = build, test, and talk about it in real time

These startups aren’t afraid to:

• Share what flopped

• Post raw thoughts

• Launch “unfinished” things

It’s not messy. It’s magnetic. You trust people who take you behind the scenes.

Want help building a modern demand system like this?
→ Book a Demand Diagnosis

💥 TL;DR: AI startups are crushing because they…

✅ Move faster
✅ Build real audiences
✅ Show the shift
✅ Let the product do the work
✅ Operate in public

It’s not just an AI thing. It’s a modern GTM thing.