VMblog sits down with Alex Valente, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Quarterzip, to discuss the company’s launch and how they’re tackling one of the software industry’s most expensive hidden problems.
VMblog: Congratulations on the launch of Quarterzip! Let’s start with the basics – what problems are you solving?
Alex Valente: Thanks! We’re solving what we call the onboarding crisis. Even the best software products fail when users never reach their “aha” moment. Companies invest millions in acquiring customers, but broken onboarding experiences cause them to disengage and cancel contracts. Our industry analysis suggests this costs companies an average of $537 million annually in unused software licenses – that’s roughly 50% of licenses going unused. It’s a massive, invisible drag on growth.
VMblog: You’ve coined the term “Activation Debt.” Can you explain what that means?
Valente: Activation Debt is the cumulative cost of stalled onboarding. When users don’t get properly onboarded, adoption slows, acquisition spend gets wasted, and customer success teams scramble to compensate. It shows up hidden in churn reports and unused licenses. But here’s the key: Activation Debt is really just a symptom of a bigger challenge – the inability to scale personalized onboarding and training as software becomes more complex and AI-driven.
VMblog: This comes from personal experience, doesn’t it? Tell us about your journey with Redactive AI.
Valente: Absolutely. At Redactive AI, which we successfully sold to RecordPoint earlier this year, we experienced this challenge firsthand. Rolling out enterprise software meant our small team became full-time change managers, constantly training users. We tried everything – more playbooks, product tours, custom training programs – but nothing scaled effectively. That’s when we started experimenting with AI agents to help customers reach value faster. After selling Redactive, we confirmed this wasn’t just our problem – it’s industry-wide and demands a completely new approach.
VMblog: So what exactly is Quarterzip, and how does it work?
Valente: Quarterzip is the world’s first Continuous Onboarding AI Agent. We simulate a complete onboarding experience through AI-driven voice and video interactions. Imagine every user having a dedicated account manager who understands their specific goals and guides them to outcomes quickly and efficiently. That level of scalable success management has never been possible – until now.
Unlike traditional one-time onboarding flows or static tools like tooltips and product tours, our AI agents provide each customer with a high-touch, adaptive experience from day one. Through ongoing engagement, we accelerate activation, improve retention, and reduce cost-to-serve – all without requiring additional headcount.
VMblog: Why is AI the right solution for this problem, and why now?
Valente: Two reasons. First, software is increasingly complex while teams are leaner than ever. The traditional approach of hiring more Customer Success Managers simply doesn’t scale, and static onboarding tools aren’t sophisticated enough to handle today’s complex products.
Second, AI has finally matured to the point where it can understand context, intent, and voice – not just text. The latest multimodal LLM technology makes true continuous onboarding possible for the first time. We can now deliver personalized, conversational guidance that adapts to each user’s needs in real-time. Companies that embrace AI-driven onboarding today can turn it into a competitive advantage.
VMblog: Can you share any early results or customer feedback?
Valente: We’re already working with more than 20 high-growth software and AI companies across the United States and Australia. They’re seeing measurably faster time-to-value, higher activation rates, and significantly lower cost-to-serve.
Chris Cagiou, Chief Customer Officer at FirstAML, told us that Quarterzip transforms onboarding from a static checklist into an intelligent, continuous experience that adapts to every user. His team can create guided, personalized onboarding journeys instantly – with zero engineering work – helping them maintain quality and consistency as they scale.
Ben Darlow from EstateXchange said having our AI voice agent support users contextually, right when they need it, is incredibly powerful. He called it a glimpse into how the next generation of onboarding, training, and customer support will feel.
VMblog: What’s the broader impact if companies solve this onboarding crisis?
Valente: The numbers are staggering. Our industry analysis indicates that effectively addressing Activation Debt across the software sector could unlock $8 billion in new annual recurring revenue and $80 billion in enterprise value. But beyond the financial impact, imagine a world where software and AI adoption is seamless, where onboarding becomes a competitive advantage rather than a bottleneck. Companies could move faster, scale more efficiently, and deliver exceptional customer experiences without the friction that holds them back today.
VMblog: Looking ahead, what’s your vision for the future of software onboarding?
Valente: We envision a world where onboarding isn’t a one-time event but a continuous, adaptive experience. Where every software update, every new feature, every change in user needs triggers intelligent guidance that keeps users engaged and productive. Quarterzip isn’t just about eliminating Activation Debt – it’s about redefining how software success is achieved at scale. We’re turning onboarding from a bottleneck into a growth engine, and that’s just the beginning.
VMblog: Where can readers learn more?
Valente: Visit us at www.quarterzip.ai to see a demo and learn how we’re helping software companies eliminate Activation Debt and accelerate adoption at scale.
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