Build a Stack That Doesn’t Slow You Down

This Week

Everyone’s talking about the explosion of AI tools, but stacking more software isn’t going to help you work smarter. Want to know what will?

Keep reading!

This week, I’m sharing:

• A breakdown of how the smartest teams are building faster, more flexible stacks (without starting from scratch)

• 8 of my favorite AI tools that are low-cost, high-impact, and easy to plug in

Let’s get into it.

How to Build a Stack That Doesn’t Slow You Down

The Martech stack has exploded. 

The State of Martech 2025, counts 15,000+ tools in the ecosystem—a 9% jump from last year. That stat gets all the attention, but what’s more interesting is what’s happening inside the stack itself.

Marketers (and their sales and CX counterparts) aren’t waiting on engineering or relying on legacy platforms. The most advanced teams I know are building what they need on demand. They're embedding AI agents into daily workflows, spinning up microapps to fill gaps and using low-code tools to turn ideas into working products.

The Stack is Going Modular

The old approach was an “all-in-one”, where the big platforms — think Hubspot, Salesforce, Adobe — tried to cover every function. For teams this meant using a single system to manage everything from assets, campaigns and data, even if it wasn’t a great fit for their work flows.

Times are changing. Today’s stacks are being built piece by piece. Teams are choosing tools that solve specific problems and connecting them around shared data. 

Brinker and Riemersma (authors of the report) call this “composability” and it gives you the freedom to pick and choose the best tools for your workflows.

Microapps Are Filling The Middle

The middle of the stack (where teams once relied on spreadsheets, manual processes, or support tickets) is also getting an upgrade. 

The adventurous are spinning up microapps (citizen-developed software in the chart below) in real time using low-code tools and AI prompting. These include lightweight automations, internal dashboards and apps that solve simple problems. Think: campaign checklists, lead routing flows and Slack alerts tied to CRM data. 

But there is a catch. Microapps are fast to build and even faster to break if you’re not careful. Security risks, API leaks, and data exposure are real risks. If you’re experimenting here (and you should be), bring IT and infosec in early. For more on this topic, head over to Section.

Agents Are The New Interface

Instead of navigating menus or juggling tabs, teams are handing off tasks with a prompt. Ask an agent to update the CRM, draft an email, route a lead, summarize a meeting and it gets done. 

And while the hype can feel ahead of reality, adoption of AI agents is accelerating.

According to the Martech report:

• 36.5% of companies are already using website chatbots

• 12.5% are using AI agents for outbound messaging

• 10.4% have agents replying to inbound messages

• And a small but growing group is experimenting with voice agents

That’s nearly half of teams already deploying some form of AI to directly interact with customers.

Do You Need to Rebuild?

What if you’re stuck with a traditional tech stack and have no automations or agents in sight… should you rip it out and start again? 

The short answer is no.

The smarter move is layering AI into the systems that already work. This way you can build confidence with small wins, and expand from there.

Here’s what to do:

• Keep your CRM and marketing automation platform (or CDP) as the foundation

• Use AI to automate repetitive tasks and fill gaps between systems

• Connect your stack to live data

But you’re not finished there. Optimizing the stack is only part of the equation. How your team uses it matters just as much.

Watch Out for Capability Gaps

Most teams don’t need a new stack. They need new skills.

Composable tools, AI agents and microapps only work if your team knows how to use them.

While agile marketing methods are out of fashion, Brinker and Rimmersman say they’re an imperative for the new stack. They call for small, empowered, crossfunctional teams conducting fast, iterative implementations with tight feedback loops. 

Some teams have already made the shift. Others are still stuck.

Here’s a quick checklist to see where you fall.

What the frontrunners do:

• Give teams room to experiment

• Prioritize speed over polish

• Measure outcomes, not headcount or tool adoption

What the laggards do instead:

• Stay stuck in pilot mode

• Gate progress behind process

• Assume a new tool will fix a broken workflow

Your stack isn’t slowing you down. Waiting is. The tools are here and the tech is ready. What matters now is how quickly you and your team can move.

The Hottest New AI Tools to Add to Your Stack

Here are 7 AI tools I keep coming back to. Each one solves a specific problem, comes with a low monthly price, and is easy to start using right away.

If you’re looking to upgrade your stack without adding complexity, start here:

1. Attio

What it is: A modern, customizable CRM that feels like Airtable but is built for relationship-driven teams.

Best for: Startups and small teams that want a flexible CRM.

Starting price: Free for up to 3 users. Paid plans start at $29/user/month (Plus) and $69/user/month (Pro).

Website: attio.com

2. Clay

What it is: A prospecting and enrichment platform that combines 100+ data sources with AI to help you build and personalize outreach at scale.

Best for: Sales and growth teams that want to automate lead research and messaging.

Starting price: Free plan available with 100 monthly credits. Paid plans start at $149/month for 2,000 credits.

Website: https://www.clay.com/

3. Eleven Labs

What it is: An AI voice synthesis platform that creates lifelike, expressive speech in multiple languages.

Best for: Content creators, developers, and businesses needing high-quality voiceovers or voice cloning.

Starting price: Free plan with 10,000 characters per month. Paid plans start at $5/month (Starter).

Website: elevenlabs.io

4. Gamma

What it is: An AI-powered tool for creating presentations, documents, and web pages with a clean, interactive format.

Best for: Anyone who want to build polished decks without fiddling with design.

Starting price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $8/month (Plus) and $15/month (Pro) per user.

Website: gamma.app

5. Genie AI

What it is: An AI legal assistant designed to help with tasks like contract analysis, legal research, and drafting.

Best for: Business development, finance and marketing teams.

Starting price: Free for individuals. Teams start at $38/month.

Website: genieai.co

6. Hiver

What it is: A email-based helpdesk solution that adds customer support features like shared inboxes, automation, AI chatbots and analytics.

Best for: Customer support teams using Google Workspace who want to manage support without leaving Gmail.

Starting price: $19/user/month (Lite).

Website: https://hiverhq.com/

7. Lovable

What it is: An AI-powered full-stack app builder that turns natural language prompts into working web apps.

Best for: Anyone adventourous who want to prototype and build apps without extensive coding.

Starting price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $20/month (Starter) and $50/month (Pro).

Website: lovable.dev

8. Sybill

What it is: An AI sales assistant that records, transcribes, and analyzes sales calls, providing summaries and follow-up emails.

Best for: Sales teams looking to automate note-taking and improve call outcomes.

Starting price: $19/user/month (Essentials).

Website: sybill.ai