AI SaaS: The Next Sales Forces | 매거진에 참여하세요

A New Turning Point for SaaS

For the past two decades, SaaS (Software as a Service) has been the growth engine of the tech industry.

Companies like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Atlassian, and Zoom transformed specific areas, CRM, ITSM, collaboration, video conferencing through the cloud.

But as of 2025, SaaS is hitting another turning point: AI-Native SaaS.

Unlike traditional SaaS with AI features bolted on,

AI-Native SaaS is born with AI at its core from architecture to business model.

What Is AI-Native SaaS?

AI-Native SaaS means that the core value of the service is powered and continuously improved by AI. Its traits include:

• Data-centric by design:

• Services collect, process, and analyze data to continuously improve.

• Automated workflows:

• AI handles a large share of tasks with minimal user input.

• Personalized experiences:

• Services adapt to each user or organization.

• Self-learning systems:

• The service evolves as its AI learns over time.

In short, the product isn’t just a tool—it’s an intelligent agent.

How It Differs from Traditional SaaS

Traditional SaaS was built as a tool for specific problems.

For example, Salesforce took CRM online, but people still did the actual work.

AI-Native SaaS flips this model: when users bring a problem, the service itself finds and executes the solution.

It’s the evolution from “tool-centric SaaS” to “agent-centric SaaS.”

Global Market Players

We’re already seeing AI-Native SaaS companies emerge worldwide:

• Jasper AI

• → Automates marketing content creation.

• Glean

• → AI-powered enterprise search and knowledge management.

• Deel + AI

• → Adds AI-driven contracts and tax handling to global HR/payroll SaaS.

• Notion AI

• → Expands from note-taking into an AI-powered productivity hub.

These companies aren’t just adding AI—they are inseparable from it.

The Conditions for Becoming “The Next Salesforce”

To become the next Salesforce, AI-Native SaaS companies must:

• - Solve universal problems beyond niche markets.

• - Leverage data network effects—the more users, the smarter the AI.

• - Build extensible platforms that allow ecosystems to grow.

• - Ensure trustworthy, ethical AI—a non-negotiable in enterprise SaaS.

Why Asia Holds Big Opportunities

Asia is fertile ground for AI-Native SaaS:

• SaaS penetration is still relatively low → leapfrogging straight to AI-centric SaaS is possible.

• High demand for AI tuned to local languages and culture.

• A rapidly expanding startup ecosystem ready to compete and collaborate globally.

From Southeast Asia to Japan and China, B2B SaaS players embedding AI early could capture massive regional opportunities.

Who Will Lead the Next Decade?

AI-Native SaaS is more than a trend, it’s a shift in the entire SaaS business model.

Just as Salesforce redefined CRM in the 2000s, today’s Jasper, Glean, Notion, and others may define the next decade.

And this time, Asian AI-Native SaaS startups have a real shot at becoming global leaders.