What Startups Can Learn from a $1.7B Co. Chief Information Officer | Karthik Chakkarapani, Zuora

The Neon Show

AI is changing how companies build and scale. But most pitch decks haven’t caught up.

Karthik Chakkarapani, CIO of Zuora, has heard plenty of startup pitches but only a few stand out. He shares why most pitches fall flat, how to fix them, and how to present both the founder and the company in a way that drives real interest.

We unpack what should go into your 30-second elevator pitch, why “Time to Value” needs its own slide, and how to bring up AI without sounding like everyone else.

SaaS is changing fast and it’s no longer just about features, but about speed, clarity, and proof of value. We explore how the next wave of SaaS companies can truly differentiate themselves.

Building a startup is different in a post-UI world, where users don’t click through screens but simply prompt systems to act. We discuss what it takes to build in a world of API-driven AI agents, along with real lessons on what most founders get wrong about working with large companies.

If you're building SaaS in 2025, this conversation is for you.

0:00 – Trailer
1:05 – How the CIO Role Has Changed
3:21 – How Zuora Enables the Subscription Economy
5:45 – Is SaaS Becoming Headless?
7:55 – Are We Entering a Post-UI World?
10:37 – What’s the New Competitive Advantage?
12:31 – Will Entry-Level Jobs Be Replaced by Tools?
14:05 – What Metrics Will Matter in an Agentic AI World?
15:55 – How to Measure AI Adoption in Your Company
18:38 – What’s the Hype-to-Reality Ratio for AI?
20:19 – What Is the Biggest ROI AI Has Delivered?
23:53 – How Startups Can Get Deployed in Enterprises
27:10 – How Founders Should Use AI in Their Pitch
28:45 – Bolt-On AI vs. Built-In AI
32:26 – Most Common Myth About CIOs
35:03 – Why You Need a Prompt Library
36:04 – What to Avoid in Your Pitch Deck
37:21 – How Atomic Work Came Onboard
42:47 – The Underrated Soft Skills Founders Need
47:55 – 3 Examples of Killer 30-Second Elevator Pitches
51:59 – The “Time-to-Value” Slide Explained
53:46 – What Founders Get Wrong About Enterprises
54:58 – Top SaaS Misconceptions About Enterprise
57:00 – Where Enterprises Adopt AI the Fastest
59:45 – How the Next SaaS Companies Will Differentiate
1:00:33 – Bay Area vs. Bangalore vs. Chennai
1:03:33 – Rapid Fire Round
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.

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