Village Global Podcast Recall Sessions: Most SaaS Companies Won't Survive This - Jake Saper (Emergence)
Apr 23, 2026
Jake Saper, General Partner at Emergence and developer of the AI-native services thesis, explains why many pre-AI SaaS firms are at risk. He discusses shifting from selling seats to selling outcomes. He covers disappearing and emerging moats, Mirage Product-Market Fit, the three metrics AINS founders should track, and where the biggest opportunities lie.
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Old Software Moats Are Eroding
- Traditional moats like workflow stickiness and integrations weaken as agents automate workflows and rewire connections.
- Rising moats are mission-critical systems of action, brand trust, and data-based network effects that can guarantee outcomes.
Mainframe Modernization Built As A Service
- Rob Mee's Mechanical Orchard rewrites COBOL mainframe apps using foundation models plus on-prem data and sells the full migration as a service.
- The work expanded into adjacent apps and observability tooling, turning one-time projects into ongoing revenue.
Own The Outcome Not Just The Tool
- Build an AI-native service by owning the outcome rather than merely selling software to providers; own delivery plus the human wrapper.
- Consider hybrid GTM: sell to BPO partners first, then expand direct once the AI proves efficacy.
