--- title: "Founders: Why Work with Michael Bertoni and SaaS Talent to Grow?" description: Michael Bertoni, founder of SaaS Talent, on why early-stage AI, SaaS and tech founders trust his team to build their GTM and tech talent — and grow. image: https://www.saas-talent.com/hubfs/image-2.png --- [![White SaaS Talent Logo NO BG-1](https://www.saas-talent.com/hubfs/White%20SaaS%20Talent%20Logo%20NO%20BG-1.png)](https://www.saas-talent.com/) - [ABOUT](https://www.saas-talent.com/about) - [SOLUTIONS](https://www.saas-talent.com/build-your-gtm-engine-in-the-u.s.-and-latin-america) - [GTM Talent Ladder™](https://www.saas-talent.com/build-your-gtm-engine-in-the-u.s.-and-latin-america) - [Talent & Recruiting](https://www.saas-talent.com/talent-recruiting) - [Growth Coaching](https://www.saas-talent.com/growth-coaching) - [PARTNERS](https://www.saas-talent.com/partner-program) - [RESOURCES](https://www.saas-talent.com/build-your-gtm-engine-in-the-u.s.-and-latin-america) - [Blog](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights) - [Jobs](https://www.saas-talent.com/jobs) - [Pre-Vetted Talent](https://www.saas-talent.com/warmbench) - [EVENTS](https://www.saas-talent.com/events) - [CONTACT](https://www.saas-talent.com/contact) SaaS Talent # Founders: Why Work with Michael Bertoni and SaaS Talent to Grow? Michael Bertoni, founder of SaaS Talent, on why early-stage AI, SaaS and tech founders trust his team to build their GTM and tech talent — and grow. [Michael Bertoni](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights/author/michael) Nov 7, 2026 --- *A letter to a founder or tech leader from [Michael Bertoni, Founder & CEO, SaaS Talent](https://api.uprospect.co/api/card/pT6u-6Cjp1).* *Updated November 2026* Key takeaways SaaS Talent is a go-to-market (GTM) and tech recruiting firm that helps early-stage AI, SaaS and tech founders build the teams that grow revenue — across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Founder Michael Bertoni works in the trenches with you as a fractional chief talent officer and GTM strategist. - 25+ years building GTM engines, SDR teams and pipeline for software companies. - Trusted by 100+ early-stage AI, SaaS and tech companies since 2014; 40+ person delivery team. - The **GTM Talent Ladder™** maps who to hire, when, and where — on a six-rung framework. - Flexible hiring across the U.S., Canada and nearshore Latin America, with coaching that continues after the hire. - Every engagement includes GTM playbooks for lead generation, sales, customer success and marketing. ## With AI, you can build a product in a weekend. Building your GTM team and closing sales is the hardest it has ever been. I've spent 25 years helping software and technology companies grow. I'd even call it my passion. I started my tech sales career at Computer Associates in 1999, selling ERwin data modeling software. They told us to make 80 calls a day. I made 160, every single day. I blew out my quota four straight years and made $180,000 at 27. Nobody made me do this. I learned early on: whoever builds the most pipeline wins. From 1997 to 2014 I was a high-performing sales executive. Until 1999, I worked at Equitable and MassMutual as a Financial Services Advisor. This is where I honed my cold-calling skills and fell in love with small businesses. I worked the daytime business-owner market and the nighttime family market. In two years, I became the top new advisor on my team. I was 22, bought a motorcycle, and my mom almost had a heart attack. From 2006 to 2009 at AppLabs, I built a $6 million book of business in custom software development and QA testing — and this is where I developed a passion for working with founders. I built the best practices and processes in LinkedIn and email for a 30-person international SDR team to work with U.S. sales reps, and generated five qualified meetings per week, every week. I also created the workflow for sales and pre-sales solution engineering to bring in deals in the most optimal way possible. From 2009 to 2014 I continued as a director of sales with industry-leading regional and national software and technology companies, including Alliance Global Services (acquired by EPAM), Apigee (acquired by Google), Razor Technology, Jive Software (acquired by Aurea) and Anexinet (acquired by Veristor). In December 2014, I started PhillyTech, LLC (now SaaS Talent). For 12 years, my team of 40+ people and I have helped 100+ AI, SaaS and tech founders. If you want the numbers behind building a team at this stage, I broke them down in [the actual cost of hiring and growing an AI-first SaaS company](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights/the-actual-cost-of-hiring-and-growing-an-ai-first-saas-company). ## First, let me explain who you're actually working with Before I tell you more about what SaaS Talent does, I want you to understand who I am — because when you work with us, you're working with me. I'm in the trenches with you every day. I was an eight-sport athlete growing up: soccer, football, baseball, basketball, indoor track, outdoor track, swimming and weightlifting. Sports was my life, but I was also great in school, loved math, sang in concert choirs, acted, was an altar boy for seven years and a peer minister, won most talented in high school, and was the 1995 high school football player of the year in MD and DE. I put on 50 pounds of muscle from the end of my junior year to the start of my senior season. I earned a full football scholarship to The College of William & Mary, and sophomore year I was playing the best football of my life. Then I broke my wrist. I went from starting at LB/DE to second string to third string, and it crushed me inside and out. Nobody was going to hand my spot back. So I did rehab every single day, and when I found out the best therapy for the wrist was hitting a heavy bag, I hit the heavy bag every day. Senior year, we won the conference title and I was named first-team all-conference as a defensive end. That's how I'm built. I don't quit on things. I win. I've since finished an Ironman and completed 60+ triathlons — the same lesson stretched across a very long day. I started SaaS Talent on my own. No team, no brand and a website I built myself that was terrible. For six years I did sales consulting, custom software development and recruiting. Year one, I made around $44K. It was very tough, but I kept fighting. Three different times I did the sales for a client, brought in the deals, and got cut out — I helped build three seven-figure businesses for three different founders. I love, love, love selling, but I just couldn't do that anymore. During one of those engagements I helped build a $1.2 million Latin America custom software development business in a single year. Then COVID hit and almost wiped the business out. I went from $40,000 a month in 2020 to $4,000 a month in 2021. So I decided to focus 100% on recruiting in 2021. The problem was, I had no idea how to build, run and operate a recruiting company. Most of 2021 to today was an uphill battle. Luckily, I could always sell a deal, and we were good at recruiting. My problem was never sales — I was always selling. That attitude of Always Be Selling (ABS) is what it takes to climb out of a hole. Over the last two years, AI has completely changed the recruiting industry. Many firms went out of business. We didn't. We kept fighting, and I got back to my roots: selling, lead generation, social selling and GTM. I found my niche, built a strong delivery team, and we became one of the industry leaders helping $0 to $3M ARR AI, SaaS and tech companies with GTM and tech talent. In October 2026, I had the best MRR month in my company's history at $175,000, and we're on track to do roughly $2 million in 2026. It's my vision to build an industry-leading GTM platform that covers four areas for founders: - **GTM and tech talent** — top people in the U.S., Canada and Latin America - **GTM technology platform** — for recruiting, lead generation and growth - **GTM coaching** — for startups, founders and team members to grow - **GTM community ecosystem** — for everyone to build relationships ## What does working with SaaS Talent mean for you? I've been the founder staring at the numbers late at night, not sleeping, stressed out of my mind, wondering how it was all going to work. So when a founder tells me, "I want to grow my company and I don't know how," I don't hear a job order. I hear myself talking to myself. I'll be in the weeds with you — daily or weekly, whatever it takes. I'm here to be your partner and help you grow. I'd run through a wall for the founders I work with, and I mean that. When we place someone in the United States for you, I'll make sure they're successful, or we'll replace them and find the right person. In Latin America, they're on my team, and we coach them every week, because their success is my success. One time, a founder came to me with a budget for a salesperson that would have bought him an intern in the United States. I could have taken the order. Instead, I showed him what that same money could do in Latin America, and we hired him a founding BDR in Argentina. That's the kind of thinking behind [hiring faster and smarter with LATAM talent](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights/how-saas-startups-can-hire-faster-and-smarter-with-latam-talent). But passion alone doesn't grow your company — skill does. I was running GTM motions and social selling on LinkedIn back in 2004 and 2005. I built an offshore SDR engine nearly 20 years ago, took a sales territory from $11,000 a month to about $500,000 a month, and built a $6 million book of business in two and a half years. I built the pre-sales process, the SDR playbook and the delivery workflows myself. And since 2014, I've focused on one kind of company: early-stage AI, SaaS and tech — you. So you get all three: - Someone who will fight for your company like it's his own. - Someone who knows exactly how to build the GTM engine. - Someone who knows how to hire the talent to run it. Most founders tell me they've never had that combination before. You'll have it when you work with me. SaaS Talent is trusted by 100+ SaaS and tech companies. I was put here to help you succeed. ## How does SaaS Talent help you grow? It all starts with a conversation, not a job description. Before we talk about a single candidate, I want to understand your business: - Where do you want to be in 12 months? - What's working? - Where are you stuck? - What does your team look like today? That intake comes straight from the pre-sales discovery process I've been running for 20 years. It's how I find the real problem, not just the role you think you need. Then we map your growth on the **GTM Talent Ladder™**. I created the GTM Talent Ladder™ because founders kept asking me the same three questions: *Who do I hire next? When do I hire them? Where can I hire them?* The six rungs lay out a framework for founders and tech leaders to grow. (It's part of [the ultimate growth system for SaaS and tech founders](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights/the-ultimate-growth-system-for-saas-tech-founders).) | Rung of the GTM Talent Ladder™ | What it does for you | | --- | --- | | 1. Technology | The technology foundation: the people who build and support your product | | 2. Executive Support | Gives you back your time so you can lead and sell through founder-led growth | | 3. Pipeline Development | SDRs and BDRs who generate leads, meetings and pipeline and run campaigns | | 4. Sales & Customer Success | AEs, sales leaders and CSMs who close and keep customers happy | | 5. Revenue & Sales Operations | RevOps and sales enablement that makes your revenue repeatable and measurable | | 6. Product & Content Marketing | Marketers who build demand, positioning and visibility | | *Flexible delivery options: United States · Canada · Latin America* | | You aren't just getting a recruiter. You're getting a team. You get me, fractionally and on call — think of me as your chief talent officer and go-to-market strategist, helping you decide who to hire, why, and how they fit your growth plan. You get a dedicated hiring lead who owns your priorities and screens every candidate, and a head of recruiting who runs the search and keeps the team hunting. Behind them are recruiters and sourcers going after your exact talent across Latin America, the U.S. and Canada. A lot of our clients have six or seven people actively working for them. Founders tell me it's like getting a whole talent department overnight. We own the process, from the first call through 90 days and every month after: 1. **Discovery:** We understand your goals, your gaps, your current team and your growth plan. 2. **Proposal:** We give you clear recommendations, a plan and a scope, and we walk through it together. 3. **Kickoff:** We learn everything that makes your company special — the must-haves, the nice-to-haves, and exactly who you need to grow. 4. **Search:** We build the requirements, you approve them, and we start hunting. Candidates usually show up within one to two weeks. 5. **Screen and submit:** Your dedicated hiring lead screens and interviews, so you only see people worth your time who meet our strict guidelines. 6. **Hiring process:** We schedule, coordinate and keep decisions moving. 7. **Close:** We negotiate as the go-between both sides trust, and we close the hire. 8. **Onboard and coach:** We help your new hire ramp and succeed. And we stay with you after the hire. For U.S. and Canadian hires, we help build the onboarding plan and check in with your new hire — and with you — at week one, week two and day 30, with a 90-day replacement guarantee behind it. Latin American talent is full-time on our team and dedicated to you, so we go further: we coach them weekly or biweekly, give them our playbooks, and stay accountable for how they perform. If something isn't working, billing stops and we start the replacement search immediately. ## Proof, not promises: SaaS Talent client results Since 2014, SaaS Talent has worked with more than 100 early-stage AI, SaaS and tech businesses. Here are a few of their stories. | Client | What we built together | | --- | --- | | **Chain.io** | We started with their first hires in the seed round and went on to make 30+ hires across technology, go-to-market, customer success and support. *"SaaS Talent is a great partner and helped us hire 30 people in 3 years. They go beyond the basics to help us think through tricky challenges."* — Brian Glick, Founder & CEO | | **OpenBOM** | We built a full go-to-market team in Latin America covering sales, lead generation, marketing and RevOps. A BDR we placed rose to VP of Sales, and I coach the team on GTM. (Read the full [OpenBOM GTM case study](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights/case-study-how-saas-talent-helped-openbom-build-and-scale-a-quota-crushing-gtm-team-in-latin-america).) | | **Intelligent Contacts & Champion Leadership Group** | U.S. and Latin American talent across GTM, technology and SDR roles. *"SaaS Talent is the only recruiting firm that we use to hire talent. We've hired multiple SDRs, EAs, a Director of Engineering and Head of Product Marketing."* — Jeff Mains, CEO | | **The Activate Company** | About a dozen hires, mostly in the United States. *"SaaS Talent helped us find the best fit for our roles and over-delivered on all projects."* — Brian Giamo, Co-Founder & CEO | | **Camino Learning** | The founder came to me wanting a founding BDR on a budget that would have bought an intern in the U.S. I showed him what that same budget could do in Latin America, and we hired an outstanding founding BDR in Argentina. In one conversation, his outlook on what he could accomplish completely changed. | We've also built teams for TransPerfect, ArcWeb, Pacer, B-Side Events, Estenda and UE Labs. And the line I hear most often from founders, word for word: *"Mike, are you really going to get me the full-time GTM talent and then continue to work with me on a monthly basis to make it work?"* Yes. That's the whole model, and my commitment. ## GTM playbooks included with every engagement Every SaaS Talent engagement comes with our GTM operating framework. Whether we're helping you negotiate with a new hire, onboard a placement, or give you solutions on executive support, pipeline development, sales, customer success and marketing, there are playbooks you can access to spark ideas and help you grow. In **lead generation**, the playbooks cover working your warm network, referral mining, ICP target lists and automated LinkedIn campaigns through Dripify. In **sales**, the signature sales presentation, meeting-to-proposal support with drafts at 70–80% for your review, and CRM discipline. In **marketing**, founder-led LinkedIn content drafted to 80%, LinkedIn and website optimization so your traffic converts, and blog, case study and social-proof production. It's the same thinking behind [our AI-first, revenue-aligned GTM playbook](https://www.saas-talent.com/insights/the-ai-first-revenue-aligned-saas-talent-playbook). The playbooks are coached, not just handed over. We train your team on the framework at onboarding and set up a daily standup with you. Then U.S. GTM coaching, led by Michael Bertoni, works with you and your team every month on pipeline, ICP, messaging and priorities — and we improve the playbooks as we learn what works in your market. ## More than a hire: a founder community in your corner I believe in giving before getting. It's called being a Go-Giver, and it's how I've built everything. For more than a decade, I've brought Philadelphia's AI, SaaS and tech founders together every month at the **SaaS & Tech GROWTH Meetup** — the largest AI, SaaS and tech community in the region, and Technical.ly's Programming of the Year for 2025. Real networking, and a speaker who's a tech operator you can actually learn from. I've hosted more than 120 video podcast episodes putting founders in the spotlight and giving them content they can use right away. I also have a network of 30,000+ SaaS and tech connections, including thousands of founders, CEOs and CTOs. When there's a real fit, I make the introduction. You're not buying a transaction. You're joining an ecosystem built to help founders win. And we're just getting started — I'm building an AI-driven go-to-market platform that brings talent, lead generation, coaching and community into one place, for the wave of founders who will need a revenue engine from day one. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does SaaS Talent do? SaaS Talent is a go-to-market and tech recruiting firm for early-stage AI, SaaS and tech founders. We help you build GTM and technical teams — SDRs, AEs, CSMs, RevOps, marketers, executive support and engineers — across the U.S., Canada and nearshore Latin America, and we coach that talent after the hire. ### Who is Michael Bertoni? Michael Bertoni is the founder and CEO of SaaS Talent (the DBA of PhillyTech, LLC, founded in 2014). He has 25+ years in tech sales and GTM, has helped 100+ early-stage companies hire and grow, and hosts the SaaS & Tech GROWTH Meetup. He works with each client as a fractional chief talent officer and GTM strategist. ### What is the GTM Talent Ladder™? The GTM Talent Ladder™ is SaaS Talent's six-rung framework for who to hire, when, and where. The rungs are Technology, Executive Support, Pipeline Development, Sales & Customer Success, Revenue & Sales Operations, and Product & Content Marketing — hired flexibly across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. ### How is SaaS Talent different from a traditional recruiter? You don't just get a recruiter — you get a team and an operator. Michael works alongside you as a fractional chief talent officer, a dedicated hiring lead screens every candidate, and recruiters source across three regions. We also coach placements and improve your GTM playbooks after the hire, not just fill a seat and leave. ### Does SaaS Talent hire nearshore talent in Latin America? Yes. SaaS Talent places full-time GTM and tech talent across Latin America, where founders often get senior people for the cost of a U.S. intern. LATAM hires are on our team and dedicated to you, coached weekly or biweekly. If a placement isn't working, billing stops and we start the replacement search immediately. ### What size companies does SaaS Talent work with? We specialize in early-stage AI, SaaS and tech companies, typically from $0 to $3M ARR, that need to build go-to-market and technical teams. We've worked with 100+ of them since 2014, from first seed-round hires through scaling a full GTM org. ### Is there a hiring guarantee? Yes. U.S. and Canadian placements come with a 90-day replacement guarantee and structured check-ins at week one, week two and day 30. For Latin American talent, if a placement isn't working out, billing stops and we begin the replacement search right away. ## Let's build your GTM growth engine You built the product. We'll build the team that grows it. [**Book a free GTM strategy session**](https://api.uprospect.co/api/card/pT6u-6Cjp1). We'll talk about where you want your company to go, find the real growth problem, and map your next hires on the GTM Talent Ladder™: who, in what order, and where. If we're a fit, I'll show you exactly how we'd build your team. If we're not, you'll still walk away with a clearer plan than you came in with. **Michael Bertoni** Founder & CEO, SaaS Talent [mbertoni@saas-talent.com](mailto:mbertoni@saas-talent.com) · 215.817.3295 [linkedin.com/in/michaelbertoni33](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbertoni33) · [saas-talent.com](https://www.saas-talent.com) **Every problem is a talent problem. 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