How Practical SaaS Founders Can Compete in the AI Economy

Greg Head talks with Vincent Serpico, founder of Founders Workshop, veteran CTO, and early leader helping practical founders build AI-powered software faster and smarter. Vincent has developed over 250 apps for founders and now teaches teams how to apply AI agents and “vibe coding” to multiply output, reduce costs, and rethink how small teams can compete.

They discuss the rapid evolution of OpenAI, Claude, and agentic workflows—and how founders can move from playing with prompts to building production-level AI systems that do real work. Vincent explains why domain expertise—not technical skill—is the new competitive edge in the AI economy.

Key Takeaways
What’s changed in AI since the last Practical Founders Summit
Understanding “agentic labor” and how to build your first AI workflow
Why small teams should hire domain experts, not more staff
Real-world examples of vibe coding and agent-built applications
Practical steps to start building AI inside your SaaS business
The future of apps inside ChatGPT and why most AI tools won’t last

This episode is perfect for:
SaaS founders ready to apply AI beyond experiments
Product leaders exploring AI-driven workflows
Developers curious about vibe coding and agentic design
Founders building lean, AI-powered teams

Chapters:
0:00 – Intro and Welcome
2:00 – What’s Changed in AI
3:20 – The Rise of AI Agents
7:00 – Vincent’s Background and AI Focus
9:50 – How Agentic Workflows Multiply Output
15:50 – AI vs. Human Labor
19:40 – Why Domain Expertise Wins
22:30 – Commerce Moves Inside ChatGPT
27:10 – Building Serpico.ai with Vibe Coding
33:00 – The Great AI Arbitrage Moment
46:00 – Advice for Founders Getting Started with AI
59:30 – Final Thoughts and Takeaways

🔗 Links
Vincent Serpico on LinkedIn -   / vincentserpico  
Serpico AI website - https://serpico.ai/

About Practical Founders and Greg Head

Practical Founders build valuable software companies without big VC funding. This growing community of practical founders are winning the startup game with successful exits of $20 million to $100 million for founders, if they ever choose to sell. There has never been a better time to be a practical founder.

Greg Head is the founder in chief of Practical Founders. He is a 30-year software industry veteran who was part of the startup-to-scale journeys of three different CRM software companies, including one IPO. He is now an active advisor, community builder, and speaker who helps founders of SaaS software startups worldwide.

Greg is a paid strategic advisor to 40 early-stage SaaS company CEOs with his Practical Founders Peer Groups and his 1-1 CEO advisory programs. He hosts the weekly Practical Founders Podcast where he interviews successful founders who grew valuable software companies without big funding.

Connect with Greg and Practical Founders:

Greg Head on LinkedIn
  / gregheadaz  

Subscribe to Practical Founders on YouTube:
   / @practicalfounders  

Practical Founders Podcast
https://practicalfounders.com/podcast

Practical Founders Peer Groups
https://practicalfounders.com/peer-gr...

Greg’s blog
https://practicalfounders.com/articles

Get the Practical Founders weekly newsletter
https://practicalfounders.com/newsletter