Growth is Back – Can You Keep Up?

This executive briefing explains why growth has re-emerged as the dominant driver of valuation—yet why most SaaS-Native companies can no longer achieve it sustainably. Drawing on BenchSights data, GTM efficiency benchmarks, and real-world AI-Native examples, the paper shows how growth is increasingly being “bought” at rising cost rather than earned through repeatable systems. It introduces a new AI-Native GTM architecture—where AI operates as an operating system, not an application—and outlines how CEOs must lead a system-level transformation to restore compounding growth, investor confidence, and long-term competitiveness.

Best For

• Scale-up & growth-stage CEOs accountable for valuation, growth rate, and market leadership

• Founders transitioning from founder-led to system-led growth

• CFOs managing GTM efficiency, CAC payback, and investor expectations

• Boards & executive teams evaluating AI’s impact on growth strategy and GTM architecture

• Private equity & growth investors assessing which companies will lead—or lag—in the AI era

Key Takeaways

• Growth above ~40% commands 3–4× higher valuation multiples than slower-growing SaaS peers

• Most SaaS-Native growth today is bought, not earned, as GTM efficiency deteriorates

• Rising CAC, shrinking customer lifetimes, and falling NRR create compounding risk

• AI applied to broken GTM processes only accelerates failure, not growth

• AI-Native companies embed AI as an operating system, enabling real-time learning and closed loops

• The CEO becomes the decisive factor: architect, not operator or financier

• Delaying GTM re-architecture makes catching up exponentially harder