CRM got interesting

The AI × CRM space has gotten very, very interesting over the last few weeks. These are the recent moves that got my attention:

I’m optimistic about both the startups and the incumbents in this space. It’s already a big, important category. I’d bet it gets bigger.

There’s an interesting class of startups in and around this space: Attio, Clarify, Day AI, Dreamhub, Rox, Reevo, Aurasell, Actively.

Attio raised a $52M Series B in August 2025, bringing its total funding to $116M. Day AI raised $20M from a Sequoia-led round and went GA in February.

In Ramp’s September procurement and renewals data, 5% of businesses that bought CRM software over the prior 12 months bought Attio, up two percentage points year over year. Ramp also puts Attio’s share of first-time CRM buyers at 4% over the prior 12 months.

I’ve always disliked Salesforce products as a user. Hard to just login and find what I need. But I love them “headless.” Incredible when used by my agents (Claude code, Codex). Getting more value and never have to touch that UI.

The incumbents are smart to make their existing system of record agent-ready. The public markets seem to be more optimistic, too. Salesforce shares jumped 22.6% on August 27, following earnings and the Claudeforce announcement. The company also raised its annual revenue forecast.

I’ve talked about the Summer of CLIs and why I love software being agent-friendly. In my own experience as a user, these systems are more valuable when my agents can get access and do work without me clicking around 14 browser tabs. The CRM space has been proactive about this idea. Incumbents in other spaces have seen the same opportunity – ZoomInfo launched GTM.AI with CLI as the front door.

CRM is already a giant TAM. I can imagine it getting even bigger in a couple ways:

Human time puts a ceiling on how much we can put into a CRM, take out, and act on. Agents can research more accounts, maintain more customer context, and follow up on work that never made it onto anyone’s list.

HubSpot already prices Customer Agent by resolved conversation. More useful work can generate more revenue without adding another human seat.

My bet is that new buyers and paid work outweigh any lost seats.

The AI-native products promise easier setup and customization. YouSpot shows how this idea goes all the way to solo operators. If it’s easy and cheap enough, the market will expand.

Maybe some companies will do it in specialized cases. Charlie Saunders at CS2 recently built a working CRM around his company’s existing client data. He has a small team and a simple sales process. His advice to larger B2B companies: keep Salesforce or HubSpot and build custom intelligence and workflows around them.

That’s where I’d put my bet, too. More companies building around their CRM than rebuilding the whole thing.

Aurasell, for example, launched a GTM operating system designed to work with an existing CRM.

I’m both positive on Salesforce and HubSpot, and on the companies trying to replace them. They’ll compete for existing budgets in some cases. But I wouldn’t assume every startup ARR dollar has to come out of an incumbent’s book.

It’s all good for CROs and RevOps. More choice, more innovation.

I’m watching which newcomers win first-time CRM buyers, which replace an incumbent, and which grow alongside one.

Are any of these newcomers on your evaluation list for 2026?