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Jonathan Chemouny is GTM at ElevenLabs, where he scaled outbound from 5% to 46% of pipeline in one year with a small distributed SDR team. He previously built and led SDR teams at Intercom and Lattice. His team operates with no job titles, no standups, and no activity metrics , running on async Slack communication and trust-based autonomy.
We discuss:
- Why an AI-native company at 95% inbound decided to build a human SDR team instead of automating everything
- How ElevenLabs defines outbound (pure cold + PLG-assisted) and why the distinction matters for pipeline math
- Why candidates from finance and VC outperform career SDRs -- and the hiring process that screens for it
- The operating system: no standups, no pipeline reviews, no job titles, async Slack ("Slack militaire")
- How SDRs run demos, travel to meet prospects in person, and attend events solo -- one rep skipped President's Club for CCW Berlin and came back with 60+ SQOs
- The AI SDR handling inbound qualification in multiple languages with 78% decisions requiring no human intervention
- WhatsApp as a prospecting channel in Europe and why LinkedIn outperforms email
Referenced:
- Carles Reina on 20VC (20x Base-to-quota model)
- Jonathan Chemouny on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chemouny/
- ElevenLabs: elevenlabs.io
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Chapters:
(00:00) Welcome and Setup(00:25) Why Hire SDRs in AI(01:45) Inbound to Outbound Shift(02:33) Defining Outbound and Pipeline(04:02) Talent Profile and Culture(06:21) No Titles and Global Hiring(07:42) Fast Interview Process(11:32) Testing AI Fluency(13:43) Roleplay and Sequence Review(15:19) Career Paths and SDR Role(18:52) Enabling Non Sales Hires(19:47) Productivity and Outbound Mix(24:42) Full Cycle AE Debate(26:05) Culture Intensity and Remote(28:05) Cutting Meetings with Slack(28:57) Slack Notes Automation(29:27) Coaching On The Road(30:47) Incentives And Outbound Shift(31:42) Modern Qualification And Handoffs(33:50) Pipeline Metrics Dashboard(34:40) SDRs In The Field(38:03) SDRs Running Demos(41:02) AI Outreach Demos(41:22) AI Tools And Inbound Agent(44:44) Iteration And Focus Lessons(46:24) Cold Calling And WhatsApp(49:49) KPIs And Agent SDR Debate
