What makes AI SaaS products actually stick with Benedikt Böringer @Jamie

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/, a serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies.

In episode #25 of season 5 of the saas.unbound podcast, Anna Nadeina sits down with Benedikt Böringer, co-founder of Jamie, an AI-powered meeting assistant designed to transform how professionals capture, summarize, and act on meeting insights. Together, they explore Benedikt’s entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of building an AI SaaS product in a saturated market, and strategies that helped Jamie not only gain traction but also build lasting user engagement.

Benedikt Böringer’s Journey and Early Ventures

Benedikt, originally from Cologne, Germany, began his entrepreneurial path while studying international business. Alongside his best friend and co-founder Lewis, he launched their first B2B SaaS product over five years ago. Their initial ventures included:

• Respond: A tool aimed at improving employee feedback processes within larger companies.
• Team Tab: An internal micro-blog platform for asynchronous status updates.

Despite their early efforts, Benedikt and his team realized these products didn’t fully resonate with users, prompting a pivot towards Jamie, their AI meeting assistant, which they have focused on for the past two and a half years.

The Birth of Jamie: Idea and Validation

Benedikt shares that Jamie was conceived just months before the release of ChatGPT, at a time when AI-driven note-taking tools were scarce and often limited to English language and online meetings. Noticing the repetitive nature of note-taking and the potential of GPT models to automate this, the team conducted a rapid validation experiment:

• They set up a landing page after a week of brainstorming and invited their network to sign up.
• The response was overwhelming, with hundreds signing up and expressing eagerness to use the product.
• Rather than charging immediately, they requested users’ time for 15-minute onboarding calls, gaining valuable feedback and demonstrating initial commitment.

This approach helped Jamie understand user needs early on, refine the product, and build a loyal base before formal monetization.

Growth Strategies and Overcoming Challenges

In a market flooded with AI tools post-ChatGPT, Benedikt highlights how Jamie differentiated itself by focusing on delivering tangible value and an excellent user experience. Key growth insights include:

• Personal Connection: Engaging directly with early users helped build trust and foster forgiveness during initial product imperfections.
• Habit Formation: Since meetings are integral to many professionals’ daily routines, Jamie naturally became a frequently used tool, increasing user retention through habitual use.
• Organic Growth: Leveraging existing networks and prioritizing SEO early on brought about 90-95% of Jamie’s growth, capitalizing on rising search interest around AI note-taking.

Benedikt also reflects on the importance of focus. Initially, Jamie experimented with multiple product features and growth channels simultaneously, which slowed progress. The turning point came when they doubled down on SEO and refined the core meeting summary experience, leading to accelerated growth and higher customer satisfaction.

The Challenge of Marketing a Versatile Product

Jamie’s broad applicability is both a blessing and a challenge. While the product can be used by diverse customer segments, marketing it requires a nuanced approach:

• SEO efforts target problem-focused keywords like “save time in meetings” or “get more out of your meetings,” rather than generic terms.
• Product development prioritizes features tailored to specific user groups to avoid building a one-size-fits-all solution.

Such strategic positioning helps Jamie resonate with users despite its universal appeal.

Social Media, Brand Building, and Podcasting

Benedikt and his team use social media, particularly LinkedIn, to authentically document their journey, sharing ups, downs, and lessons learned. This transparency builds community, supports word-of-mouth referrals, and aids in talent recruitment by showcasing company culture.

Jamie also recently launched a podcast focused on productivity and conversations with entrepreneurs and experts. While still in its early stages, the podcast serves as both a knowledge-sharing platform and a growth channel, leveraging guest networks to extend reach.

Leveraging AI Tools and Productivity Hacks

Jamie’s team embraces AI to enhance internal workflows and customer interactions. Examples include:

• Automating initial customer success responses.
• Using AI in outbound sales to boost efficiency.
• Employing SEO-optimized content tools to improve marketing efforts.

Benedikt’s personal top AI tools include Jamie itself, ChatGPT for a variety of tasks (from work to personal fitness planning), and Superhuman’s AI-enhanced email client. This highlights the practical integration of AI both within and outside of Jamie’s core product.

Fundraising Insights and Investor Relations

Jamie’s funding journey has been gradual, involving angel investors and funds over several years. Benedikt emphasizes that their investors came on board due to belief in the team and product, rather than riding the AI hype alone. The product’s broad appeal also made it easier to demonstrate value to investors, as many could experience Jamie firsthand.

Currently, Jamie is not actively raising funds but remains open to future rounds based on needs and growth opportunities.

Reflecting on Wins, Failures, and Lessons Learned

Benedikt cites Jamie’s launch day—when they hit their signup target within 24 hours—as a major win, validating their product-market fit and motivating the team.

Conversely, his biggest failure across ventures has been building products without proper validation, resulting in offerings that users did not truly want. Within Jamie’s journey, early technical glitches during live demos taught the team valuable lessons about readiness and user expectations.

His key advice for founders is to practice radical honesty within their teams, openly confronting what works and what doesn’t, and having the courage to pivot or cut losses decisively.