Justin Barr

The Headline family is experiencing incredible momentum, and today our portfolio company DeepIP is announcing a $25M Series B, bringing total funding to $40M.  This is the kind of company that doesn’t just add AI to a workflow, but it sets the standard for an entire category. The momentum speaks for itself: 1️⃣ 10x ARR growth in < 18 months 2️⃣ Trusted by 400+ law firms and leading corporate IP teams globally 3️⃣ 2M+ chats on the DeepIP platform We’ve had the chance to back FX (Francois-Xavier) L. and Edouard D., leading their Seed round with Headline. Watching them take on a problem as complex and high-stakes as patent work has been genuinely impressive. And working with them has been an absolute pleasure: these 2 are coupling very high ambition and humility. Tech built in Europe, but opening the US office very early and FX starting a life in NYC with his family with 0 hesitation in order to build a global category leader in the IP industry. What convinced me early is still what stands out today: patent teams don’t need another standalone AI tool. They need something that fits the way the work actually happens: documents, long-running matters, multiple stakeholders, and zero room for sloppy context handoffs. Big congrats to the whole DeepIP team + Korelya Capital, Balderton & Serena Proud that we’re doubling down at Headline and continuing the support for what’s next!

124

10 Comments

YC-Market Fit Everyone loves to talk about product market fit, especially YC founders. They rush to show quick jumps in revenue, get internal YC hype, and call it PMF. In most cases, it is only an illusion. The YC network is powerful. Hundreds of alumni buy from each other, promote each other’s products, and sometimes even acquire one another. This creates a loop of fake traction. A few big logos, a short burst of usage, and some friendly contracts do not mean you have truly solved a market problem. Real product market fit is not about early growth spikes. It is about fixing a pain so deep that users keep coming back, even when the hype is gone. Most YC startups still announce PMF after only a few weeks because it helps with fundraising and visibility. Investors love it, founders feel validated, and everyone claps. Meanwhile churn is ignored, retention is weak, and true product obsession is missing. PMF was never meant to be a marketing slogan. It should be a signal from users, not a headline in a pitch deck. Ask yourself: if you stopped pushing your product today, would users even notice? Would they beg you to return? If the answer is no, you might have YC market fit, not product market fit. 🤔

53

4 Comments

Your PMM role is changing: How to build human+AI workflows that define what's next That's what I'll cover on April 1 at Product Marketing Alliance's Product Marketing Summit in Denver. I will show HOW I guide AI live using various AI platforms. Your launch campaign workflow could connect positioning, messaging, content, and sales enablement in one flow. Your sales enablement workflow could build pitch decks, dynamic sales prep dashboards, and interactive ROI calculators. This becomes possible when you move from using AI to building with it. The PMM's job is changing. Trailblazing PMMs are building AI teammates trained on their expertise, connecting them into workflows across functions, and deciding how humans and AI work together. They're writing the new job description themselves. You'll see real workflows for product launches and sales enablement, and a tool that helps you identify which workflows to build and which AI teammates to connect. You'll learn: ► How to find workflow ideas and decide which are worth building for PMM work ► How to design workflows that create new value, not just speed up existing processes ► How to evolve your role from AI user to builder and orchestrator Looking forward to learning from an insightful line-up of speakers on April 1-2. Come join us. See link in comments for more info and to register.

26

3 Comments

A New Chapter in Commerce: Intent to Action in One Step 🛒Instacart agentic AI use case, featured in the first OpenAI Enterprise Report, marks a major change in the customer journey. Through its partnership with ChatGPT, customers can move from a simple conversation to a ready-to-deliver cart across an ecosystem that spans national retailers and local businesses. Anirban Kundu, Instacart’s Chief Technology Officer, captured the direction of this launch: “Instacart and ChatGPT are redefining what’s possible in AI-powered shopping. Built on Agentic Commerce Protocol, this experience brings intelligent, real-time support to one of the most essential parts of daily life: getting groceries to feed your family. Together, we’re creating a seamless and secure way for people to turn simple conversations into real-world action.” Customers gain a faster path from idea to execution. Holiday menus, weekly meals, and last-minute gatherings can move directly from inspiration to a curated basket. Retailers gain a new entry point into discovery. Recommendations and orders now form inside one conversational flow. Small businesses gain visibility inside intent-driven shopping. Local favorites enter the cart alongside national brands. Universities gain a real-world use case. Applied AI programs can point to this model when teaching digital commerce design, demand creation, and human-AI interaction. The market gains a preview of future commerce. Agentic AI guides the entire journey from question to outcome through a single interaction. Instacart’s new experience redefines how customers move from inspiration to purchase. #instacart #commerce #chatgpt #agenticai #ai #marketing #customerexperience

7

From Acquisition to LTV: Why the Smartest eComm Apps Are Playing the Long Game. 🚀 Having led growth at mobile-first startups and scaled revenue past $100M, I’ve seen the playbook evolve — and the latest AppsFlyer eCommerce App Marketing Report makes it crystal clear: growth today is fueled by retention, not just acquisition. • Remarketing budgets rose 29% YoY in 2025, with iOS up 42% and Android 16%. • China-based apps, already dominant in iOS UA, ramped up remarketing globally. • But the real shift? Owned channels now outperform paid media for both conversions and retention. 🔥The old playbook — pouring budget into paid UA and hoping for retention — is broken. Today’s leading eComm brands are aligning around one goal: maximize long-term LTV through smarter user journeys. That starts by acquiring high-value users early with intelligent bidding tools like tROAS and app-conversion bidding — and keeping them engaged with AI-powered personalization, loyalty offers, and seamless web-to-app experiences. As Lee Jones from Google puts it: “Leading eCommerce brands are using intelligent bidding to find high-value users early, knowing they’ll drive stronger retention and order value.” Winning teams are asking: • What signals from the first session predict high-value behavior? • How do we unify KPIs across web and app to align teams and journeys? • How can AI optimize not just acquisition—but re-engagement and loyalty too? 📊 Standout stat: iOS users convert 1.3 days faster than Android, with a 39% higher first-time purchase rate and 68% stronger re-purchase performance — reaching that critical second conversion faster and proving the power of loyalty-driven growth. 💡 adidas saw 2.4X higher ROAS from app users compared to mobile web. This shows what happens when retention becomes the strategy, not the afterthought. Mobile apps are key to long-term retention, with app users delivering higher order values and stronger brand loyalty than web users. To succeed in today’s landscape, growth must be: • Predictive, not reactive • Product-led, not channel-led • Focused on lifetime relationships, not just installs The long game belongs to companies that align data, product, and performance marketing from day one. That’s where real LTV is won. 👉 Want more insights? Read the full AppsFlyer eCommerce report here: https://shorturl.at/GSxwv #LTV #Retention #Growth #Marketing #MobileMarketing #ProductLedGrowth #AI #eCommerceStrategy #Sponsored AppsFlyer

273

135 Comments