Rampell: Greenfield software success requires patient founders avoiding locked-in buyers
Alex Rampell · Why AI Moats Still Matter (And How They've Changed) · Dec 3, 2025 · at 15:00
Alex Rampell, General Partner at a16z, outlines the strategic prerequisites for software startups seeking to succeed in greenfield markets rather than attacking entrenched incumbents.
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“When you look at Greenfield opportunities, you need two things to be true. You need the entrepreneur to be very, very patient and say, I'm not going to try to sell to everybody who's, if I'm starting a net new payroll company, I'm not going to try to sell to GE because I recognize that they are hostages to ADP and that's never going to change. So one is that patience of entrepreneur, and the other one is you just need a high enough rate of new company creation To really make it work”
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