One of the more interesting pieces of research I came across recently is G2's 2026 Buyer Behavior Report.

The headline isn't simply that buyers are using AI. It's what happens after they use it.

G2 found that AI is compressing the discovery phase of software buying. Buyers can get to a shortlist much faster than they used to.

But that doesn't mean the purchase happens faster.

In fact, evaluation has now become the longest stage of the buying journey. IT security reviews, budget approval, and implementation concerns are creating new friction after the shortlist has already been created.

AI may make it easier to find five companies. But, it doesn't make it easier to convince five stakeholders to buy from one of them. And that changes the job of marketing.

There's another data point that stood out to me.

A new September analysis of B2B buyer behavior reports that 7 in 10 B2B decision-makers are using AI during vendor selection, with more than 4 in 10 saying AI has helped them consider vendors they wouldn't otherwise have considered.

That's a pretty significant shift. AI isn't just helping people find information anymore.

It's starting to influence which companies make the list in the first place. And that means marketing has a new challenge.

September is already shaping up to be a busy month, and I'm looking forward to getting back into more conversations with people across fintech, GTM, and technology.

I'll be at FTW: San Francisco September 29–October 1, joining conversations around AI, growth, GTM, leadership, and the future of financial services.

And during SF Tech Week, we're bringing together a small group of founders, marketers, and growth leaders for GTM Unlocked: Marketing in the AI Era on October 8.

I'm looking forward to the conversations as much as the events themselves — especially hearing what other leaders are seeing, testing, and rethinking right now.

If you'll be around, come say hello.

AI has already changed how we search, work, and make decisions.

Now it's starting to change how we pay.

This week, Reuters reported that India is preparing a framework that would allow AI agents to make small digital payments through UPI without requiring approval for every transaction. The proposed framework includes spending limits, identity checks, and ways for users to delegate funds to agents.

We're still early, but this is one of those developments I think is worth watching.

Because once an AI agent can make a payment, it can do more than answer a question.

That’s how I’m looking at the next few weeks.

FTW San Francisco — September 29–October 1

I’m heading to FTW because fintech is moving into a really interesting phase. Payments, AI, embedded finance, infrastructure, and the customer experience are increasingly becoming one conversation, not separate categories.

I’m especially looking forward to the conversations that happen between the sessions.

Go-to-Market in the AI Era — October 1, 4PM | Brex HQ, San Francisco

On October 1, AScaleX and Catalyst Bay are bringing together a small group of founders, operators, and GTM leaders to talk about how AI is changing the way companies find, win, and keep customers. It’ll be a focused afternoon of practical conversations, panels, and networking with people actually building and scaling in this new environment.

Then on October 8, I’ll be at GTM Unlocked: Marketing in the AI Era.

And honestly, this one feels particularly timely.

We’re spending so much time talking about what AI can do for marketing. I’m more interested in what it’s changing about marketing itself — how people discover brands, how trust gets built, how buyers make decisions, and what happens to the traditional funnel when AI becomes part of the journey.

If you’ll be at either event, come say hello.

I’d much rather have a great conversation than another exchange of business cards.

See you there?

With Labor Day coming up, I’ve been thinking about something we don’t talk about enough in business.

The work matters. But so does the person doing it.

We spend so much time talking about growth, targets, momentum, and what’s next that it’s easy to forget to pause.

So, consider this your reminder to take the long weekend.

Sleep in. Go somewhere. Have a long lunch. Spend time with people you love. Or do absolutely nothing.

The work will still be there on Tuesday.

Happy Labor Day weekend — and enjoy the pause!

And speaking of growth, a little closer to home…

At AScaleX, we’ve doubled our ARR year over year. One campaign alone generated more than $3M, and our core initiatives are now driving up to 85% of our total pipeline.

I’m proud of the numbers, of course.

But what I’m even more proud of is what they represent: a lot of testing, learning, adjusting, and sometimes figuring things out as we go.

Growth looks a lot less glamorous when you’re in it. But when you look back, the small decisions really do add up. And we’re just getting started.

- Angelique