Martin Crowley

Performance agencies sometimes think they need to differentiate by building proprietary tech. I’ve seen that story many times — and I disagree. I recently had a check-in with two C-level execs at a performance agency. We’d been delivering exceptional results for their clients, including a $33 CPA using our machine learning optimization engine, compared to $120 manually. But performance wasn’t their focus. They'd decided to build new tech in-house. “If other agencies can use tvScientific,” they said, “we’re not unique.” It brought to mind the New York Times’ decision to build its own ad server — a costly, years-long detour that ended with a move back to DFP. The problem was a lack of clarity about what business they were really in and what they were positioned to excel at. The same applies to performance agencies. They’re not in the business of building ad tech (which is a constantly evolving, capital intensive business and is an entire business in its own right). They’re in the business of delivering outcomes. That means using the best tools available on the market and winning on superior client service. Not rebuilding tools from scratch. The edge comes from execution — knowing how to evaluate, adopt, and apply best-in-class technology to drive better results. Trying to be both a tech company and a service business is a recipe for subpar results on both fronts. Instead, invest in identifying cutting-edge technology, use it better than your competitors, and deliver both superior results and superior client service. That’s the path to agency differentiation. Just my .02. More detailed thoughts on this topic in my weekly newsletter (see comments).

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Your content is an asset, if you know how to multiply it. In The AI Repurposing Playbook, Mark Lebrun will show creators and entrepreneurs how to turn one high-impact piece of content into a constant stream of platform specific posts, videos, and campaigns that build authority, attract clients, and generate revenue on repeat. Learn how to leverage AI to scale your online influence, stay everywhere your audience is, and grow your brand faster without creating from scratch every time.

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🚀 Every.io partners with Capital Factory The Texas startup ecosystem is thriving, and I'm excited to announce Every.io's partnership with Capital Factory to support their growing community of entrepreneurs. Through this collaboration: - Every's back office platform integrates with multiple CF's incubation programs. - We'll be bringing workshops, office hours, and constant founder back-office support. - Our team will support the CF community at upcoming events. - We will reduce the barrier of entry and provide special offers on formation, banking, payroll, accounting, taxes, and much more. These founders need the back-office infrastructure that scales with them. Want to learn more about what we offer? Chat with us here: https://lnkd.in/ggjPP43x Looking forward to supporting thousands of companies annually across Capital Factory's communities. #CapitalFactory #TexasStartups #Austin #BuildWithEvery

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AI’s biggest advantage in fitness? We’re already wearing the hardware. Roughly one-third of Americans now use a wearable device. That means AI isn’t starting from scratch—it’s building on a massive foundation of real-time biometric data. And that changes the game. Fitt Insider’s recent breakdown of AI in wellness nailed the macro view. But zoom in, and the implications for fitness operators are just as compelling: hyper-personalized coaching, predictive recovery, even new business models anchored in health outcomes. The shift won’t be subtle. Entire product categories will get redefined. But here’s the upside: as AI gets better at understanding us, good health gets cheaper, faster, and more accessible. Not in theory—in the hands of your customers. What’s one area of your business that AI could radically improve? #AI #WellnessTech

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Founders! Don't underestimate the power of a good "forwardable email". You want people to help make intros on your behalf...so be thoughtful and strategic about the content and format of your email. Use bullet points. Stick to the top 3-5 points an investor would get most excited about. Make sure you have one sentence that clearly answers: "What does this company do?" Don't make them dig for it! Have a clear ask at the end. Keep it short and make it concise. And double check formatting, spelling, font colors, etc... *Send!*

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Scott A. Smith is about to take the stage at DevLearn Conference & Expo. LearnUpon has continued to lead the way in the perspective of how we blend together the power of AI and Humans. This session is diving into topics we all need to be thinking about right now blending together AI + humans: 📝How AI-powered role-plays help managers safely practice difficult conversations. 📝Practical ways to integrate AI coaching tools into leadership programs at scale. 📝What makes AI simulations effective for building empathy, confidence, and feedback skills. 📝Practical, real-world examples of organizations using AI for leadership development. #learntogether #traintogether #aiintegration

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Sprouty raised a $550k seed round from AltaIR Capital to bring evidence‑based, AI‑powered parenting support to more families worldwide. The app currently helps parents navigate the first two years of their child's life, offering insights, personalized recommendations and exercises during the most demanding phase of parenting. The team built Sprouty from real experience. They bootstrapped the product to 1.7 million families across North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. All of that growth came from a simple idea executed well: give parents clarity, calm, and one trusted place for support. Sprouty's opportunity is clear. AI is creating a new wave in consumer products where personalization drives usefulness, stickiness, and far better unit economics. On top of that, the parenting market renews itself every day, and the need for reliable guidance is universal. But the real reason we invested is the team. They're focused, deeply committed, and they've built a strong product with limited resources. More importantly, they know exactly where they're going next. I'm glad to support founders who execute with this level of clarity and discipline. Congratulations to Dmitrii Rumbeshta and the team on this milestone!

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The AppLovin customer isn't your Meta customer. Nick Shackelford just shared his retention strategy for a two-stage approach for channel-specific offers: - Customize your popup by traffic source - Adjust email timing based on platform behavior Gaming app visitors have shorter attention spans. Meta visitors might need different follow-up timing. At Obvi, we've learned the that channel diversification without message diversification is leaving money on the table. The brands that win aren't the ones with perfect creative. They're the ones that understand platform context.

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