Built By an Operator
Twenty years inside the commercial engine, not beside it
Fessal Rahman is the originator of the Agentic Commercial Model and author of Dead Model Walking and Dead Gods Walking. His career spans McKinsey, Bain, Cloudinary, The Access Group, Emarsys (SAP), Exasol, and enterprise technology companies including Lenovo and Teradata.
Dead Model Walking
Why agentic AI breaks the business of software, and the model that wins.
Dead Gods Walking
How agentic AI builds around business leaders who won't adapt.
Twenty years of operating record
$50m to $105m
Usage-priced developer platform
Doubled in 2.5 years. NRR up 15%, win rates up 10%, unit economics up 25%. Consumption model rebuilt, growth pricing built into every contract.
121% NRR
Marketing automation SaaS
NRR from the low 100s to 121%. New business ACV up 25% through a new sales methodology and packaging.
90% converted
Enterprise data platform
90% of the installed base moved from perpetual to subscription inside four years, with new comp design and territory management. Growth returned.
20 companies
PE-backed software group
Commercial function across 20 businesses, around £1bn combined. NRR up 4%, GRR up 2%, forecast accuracy improved.
As heard on Building Great Tech: How to Price Your SaaS in the Age of AI →