Kohde research · 2026

What’s it like to run a software business in 2026?

That’s the question I’m putting to B2B software founders. My hypothesis: it’s harder, faster and more fractured, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. Tell me where I’m wrong.

About eight minutes to complete. Not a sales form. You choose at the end whether your name goes anywhere, and the default is anonymous.

Part 1 of 3

Your story

Start with the business. Short answers are fine.

How big is the team? Required
Where does AI sit in the business? Required
How do you mainly sell? Required
2How is the business funded?
4Where did your first ten paying customers come from?

Tick everything that applies.

5Where does AI show up in how you design, build and sell?

Three claims

Each of these comes from someone else’s research. Does it match what you’re living? Disagree freely. That’s the useful bit.

Claim 1 · AI return on investment

56%

of CEOs say AI has delivered no significant financial benefit so far. Only 12% have seen both lower costs and higher revenue.

PwC, 29th Global CEO Survey, 4,454 CEOs across 95 countries and territories. Source

Does that match your world?

Claim 2 · Go-to-market

56%

Personal networks were the top source of first paying customers. Cold outreach came second at 35%. And 67% have never tried paid acquisition.

Supabase’s sample skews technical (78% have a technical founder), so it may not hold in your world.

Supabase, State of Startups 2026, 2,000 startup builders. Source

Does that match your world?

Claim 3 · Differentiation

4%

of companies think they have a clear, consistently understood value proposition. Those that do grew about 1.6x faster than average in 2025.

Bain & Company, 2026 B2B Growth Agenda, 1,100+ senior commercial leaders. Source

Does that match your world?
Where do you sit on the line? Required

Same game, faster clock, or something genuinely new?

Same game, faster clockGenuinely different at the root

Your details

Everything on this page is optional except the tick-box at the bottom. Anonymous means I use what you said and never your name or company.

How should I use your answers?

Named means I may quote you and credit you and your company. I’ll check any quote with you first.

If you’d like the report before it’s public.

Your answers are stored by Netlify, which hosts this form, and used only for this research. I’ll keep them for 12 months, then delete them. Email info@kohde.agency to have yours deleted sooner. Kohde’s privacy policy sets out your rights.

Thank you. I read every answer myself.