Why "Better AI" Won't Fix Your ROI Problem | Ann Davis, Crunchbase

Crunchbase Chief Revenue Officer Ann Davis makes the counterintuitive case that the biggest blocker to AI ROI isn't the model you pick — it's the fragmented, incomplete data you're feeding it. Chasing "better AI" is a distraction; fixing your data foundation is the real work. Host Greg Kihlström and Ann get specific: why the same prompt returns wildly different answers across the top LLMs, how internal data silos quietly drag on revenue, why everyone leaning on the same public data has no edge, and how pre-building the busy work (one rep cut territory planning from five weeks to fifteen minutes) redefines what "revenue-generating work" even means. ▶ CHAPTERS 0:00 The real ROI problem: your data, not your AI 1:09 Why "just get better AI" is a distraction 2:39 Meet Ann Davis, CRO at Crunchbase (7 startups; Looker → Google Cloud) 4:04 "Better AI" is the wrong ask: only as good as the data underneath 6:17 The data gaps behind enterprise go-to-market 8:10 Internal silos: great data no one can reach 8:53 Public data everyone has vs. the proprietary edge 11:22 AI FOMO and the unglamorous work of data wrangling 15:14 How to know you're using AI the right way 17:51 Why AI won't negotiate the deal (at least 5 years out) 18:17 Culture & process: pre-build the busy work for reps 19:32 From 5 weeks to 15 minutes: territory planning with AI 21:38 Redefining "revenue-generating work" 23:18 One year out: quantifying AI ROI 24:39 Staying agile: "hope is not a strategy" ▶ ABOUT THE GUEST Ann Davis is Chief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase, where she leads global sales strategy and drives adoption of the company's AI-powered predictive intelligence solution. With 30+ years scaling enterprise sales at high-growth SaaS companies, she brings deep expertise in data analytics, customer engagement, and revenue growth. She joined Crunchbase from Google Cloud, where she led sales for data analytics solutions — including BigQuery and Vertex — across multiple U.S. regions, and was previously VP of Sales at Looker ahead of its $2.6B acquisition by Google. Ann on LinkedIn:   / anndavis3   Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com ▶ LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE 🎧 Apple: https://advertalize.com/r/e1c79f465f5... 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5a7D5Jw... ▶ All episodes on YouTube:    • The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström Podcas...   ⭐ Leave a review: https://advertalize.com/r/faaed112fc9... 📩 Newsletter: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba ▶ RESOURCES & SPONSORS This episode is brought to you by TEKsystems: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Media partner for #MAICON26 (Oct 13–15) — use code AGILE150 to save: https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658 Reach your customers with Reddit — spend $500, get $500 back in ad credit: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb... Chaser — Slack-native project management, now integrated with Claude. Use code AGILEBRAND for a 3-month free trial: https://trychaser.com WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America (Sep 23–25, San Jose): https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn:   / gregkihlstrom   The Agile Brand Guide (articles + Martechipedia): https://www.agilebrandguide.com Produced by Missing Link: https://www.missinglink.company The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® — enterprise marketing technology, AI & CX. 800+ episodes since 2019. #AIROI #RevOps #martech