Rob Blaine
Software is becoming a commodity. Distribution and trust are the new moats.
I write at the front of the AI shift. What it's doing to software, services, and the shape of a company. I run TNT, the accelerator and community for MIT and Harvard founders.
TNT is what I'm building for student founders at MIT and Harvard. An accelerator, Boston's largest AI founder community, and the connective tissue between them.
For each cohort: cloud credits, mentorship, legal, and direct VC introductions. For the broader community: cofounder matching, firesides, and build nights.
Visit tnt.soExceptional founders shouldn't have to leave school to get the resources to build.
What TNT actually looks like.
Positions
Talent is everywhere. Community is necessary.
Background
Currently founder of TNT and finishing my MBA at MIT Sloan (May 2026). Before MIT, I consulted on AI strategy and go-to-market for B2B and PE-backed companies at Thinktiv, which is where most of my thinking on software business models started. Based in Boston.
Writing
Subscribe on Substack →Outcomes Over Tools: What Comes After SaaS
When everyone can ship a credible product in weeks, the moat has to come from somewhere other than the product itself.
AI & The Noise Pollution Problem
The signal-to-noise ratio in AI content is collapsing. What that means for anyone trying to think clearly.
AI Is Ready for You. Are Your Operations Ready for AI?
Capability is outpacing operational readiness. The bottleneck isn't the model anymore.
The Market Research Paradox: When Everyone Knows Everything, What Matters?
Research isn't dying. It's being rewritten. The job is now extracting signal from abundance.
Building at the Speed of AI: Go-To-Market Strategies in a New Era
AI isn't just speeding GTM up. It's flipping the playbook on its head.
The Appeal of Services as a Software
The golden age of SaaS is ending as AI levels the product layer. The next category sells outcomes, not seats.
In Search of a Moat: The Decline of B2B SaaS
Speed is no longer a moat. Build-vs-buy is flipping. The new moats are distribution and trust.
The Renaissance of the Non-Technical Cofounder
AI lets non-technical founders move at engineering speed if they're systems thinkers.
AI Messaging: Lessons for Startups
Don't copy OpenAI's GTM. Audience-first messaging is the actual lesson.
Trust Issues: Navigating Our Relationship with AI
The question isn't capability. It's verifiability.
Systems Thinkers: The New 10X Employees
The 10X employee compounds because they orchestrate, not because they execute faster.