At Beelieve ’26, a panel led by Chargebee’s Erin Gunaratna explored when and how AI-native companies achieve product-market fit (PMF). The discussion included Helen Hastings, CEO of Quanta; Chun Jiang, VP Products at Reforge; and Nikunj Kothari, Partner at FPV Ventures. They emphasized that AI-native PMF depends on delivering consistent outcomes through an operating system that automates workflows end-to-end, rather than just improving productivity with software tools, according to chargebee.com.
The panel highlighted a shift in the PMF playbook, where the product is defined by the workflow completed and the outcome delivered. Nikunj Kothari noted that without demonstrating automation of the entire workflow, finding PMF is difficult. Helen Hastings shared Quanta’s experience, explaining how their AI-powered bookkeeping services had to convince customers that their model could outperform traditional outsourced bookkeeping firms, illustrating the challenge of proving AI-driven service quality.
This shift reflects broader changes in SaaS and AI sectors, where companies must move beyond feature sets or interfaces to focus on delivering complete solutions. The panel’s insights align with trends in AI-native startups that prioritize outcome-based offerings, marking a departure from earlier software models that primarily enhanced productivity. This approach is increasingly critical as investors and customers demand tangible value from AI applications, as seen in Quanta’s market experience.
Chargebee’s panel at Beelieve ’26 underscores the evolving nature of product-market fit in AI-native companies, emphasizing outcome delivery as the core metric. The event took place this year, bringing together founders and investors to share practical insights on navigating AI product challenges.