Monaco Challenges Salesforce with AI CRM [2026]

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A VC from Founders Fund Launches an AI CRM

  • Sam Blond unveils Monaco, an AI-native CRM startup
  • Stripe founders, the Collison brothers, and YC CEO Garry Tan invested
  • It’s structured as a direct challenge to the Salesforce-centric CRM market

From Brex CRO to VC, and Back to Entrepreneurship

Monaco’s founder, Sam Blond, has a unique background. He worked as CRO at fintech company Brex before joining Founders Fund as a partner in 2023.[TechCrunch] However, he left the VC firm after only 18 months, deciding that full-time investing wasn’t the right fit for him.

Monaco is the result of about a year of stealth mode development. It’s an all-in-one CRM system designed with AI as a core architectural element, not just an add-on feature.[TechCrunch]

Why AI-Native CRMs Threaten Salesforce

Salesforce is the undisputed leader in the CRM market. But AI-native startups are rapidly gaining ground. Attio has raised over $100 million, and Reevo has secured $80 million.[Upstarts Media]

Traditional CRMs layer AI on top of an old database. AI-native CRMs, on the other hand, are built from the ground up with AI handling data organization and pipeline management. This structural difference is more significant than it seems.

What the Investor Lineup Tells Us

Monaco’s list of investors is noteworthy. Stripe co-founders, the Collison brothers, and YC CEO Garry Tan participated.[TechCrunch] Key figures in payment infrastructure and the startup ecosystem are betting on sales software.

The launch of enterprise AI agents by OpenAI and Anthropic, which is shaking up the stock prices of existing SaaS companies, is also a factor.[Fortune] This signals that the entire enterprise software market could be undergoing a major reshuffle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is Monaco?

A: Monaco is an AI-native CRM startup founded by Sam Blond, former partner at Founders Fund and former CRO at Brex. It aims to replace traditional CRMs like Salesforce with an all-in-one sales management platform designed with AI as its core architecture. The founders of Stripe and the CEO of YC have invested in the company.

Q: How is an AI-native CRM different from a traditional CRM?

A: Traditional CRMs add AI on top of an outdated database structure. AI-native CRMs are designed from the start to have AI automatically handle data organization, pipeline management, and sales action suggestions. This structural difference reduces manual input and increases sales efficiency.

Q: Is Salesforce’s market position really under threat?

A: It’s unlikely to be significantly shaken in the short term. However, Attio, Reevo, Day AI, and others are raising tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the launch of enterprise AI agents by OpenAI and Anthropic is putting pressure on the entire existing SaaS market to restructure.

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