Last week, we hosted a panel discussion on scaling software businesses in the AI era, bringing together perspectives from investors, advisors, and operators: Hank Chen, Partner at Bain & Company; Isabela ”Bela” Peralta, Principal at Insight Partners; Kunal Agarwal, CFO of Gorgias; and Katherine Zhang, CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company.

The conversation centered on a fundamental question: Is AI changing what it means to be a ”great” software business?

We explored how investors are rethinking moats and revenue durability, how AI is changing the economics of growth and gross margins, where companies are finding real operating leverage, and which metrics leaders should be watching as agentic products become more prevalent.

A few themes stood out: traditional measures like retention still matter, but leaders need to look more closely at the quality and durability of revenue; AI can expand addressable markets; and capturing AI’s full potential often requires rethinking workflows and organizational structures, rather than simply adding AI to existing ways of working.

If you missed the live event or would like to revisit the conversation, you can watch the full panel recording, listen to this podcast episode, or read the full transcript on our website.