Draven McConville: AI's Disruption of SaaS, Why Brand Trumps Technology, and the Future of Competitive Advantage

While you're perfecting your code base and polishing your platform’s seldom-used features, someone is vibe coding a cheaper, feature-competitive product in a weekend.

That's the uncomfortable reality facing SaaS founders today. The technical moats that once protected software companies are being undermined by AI coding assistants that can replicate functionality at a fraction of the time and cost.

Most founders haven't fully grasped what this means for their businesses. But Draven McConville has been watching this paradigm shift closely, and he has a stark message: technical excellence alone won't save you anymore.

McConville founded Klipboard, a field service management platform acquired by Kerridge Commercial Systems in 2024. His journey is the stuff of dreams for any Hollywood writer. Homeless and with just £200 and a bus ticket to his name, McConville fought his way from the streets to the boardroom.

But what makes McConville's viewpoint particularly valuable is his background in brand and creative agencies before building a SaaS company. It’s a lens that most technical founders lack.

We sat down with McConville to discuss AI's impact on SaaS, why brand matters more than ever, and what creates lasting competitive advantage in an era of commoditized technology.

How did your brand agency background shape how you built Klipboard?

Branding is where I cut my teeth professionally. When I started building Klipboard, I saw so many SaaS companies focusing purely on features and technical capabilities. They'd list every checkbox on their comparison pages but had no real identity, no emotional connection with their customers.

Brand is so much more than a logo or a tagline. Done well, it’s the emotional and cultural bond that resonates deeply with both customers and employees. That philosophy shaped everything at Klipboard. We didn't just build software. We built a brand that field service businesses trusted and believed in.

What are you seeing with AI that concerns you?

I think AI and AI-assisted code editors will fundamentally transform SaaS. We're in the early stages, but already it’s significantly lowering the barrier to entry. Recent comments from Cursor indicate that that barrier is going to keep coming down with ever more powerful and simpler tooling. That makes it more important than ever to have a strong brand and fundamentals.

Features that used to take an experienced development team months to build can now be prototyped in weeks, sometimes even days. A two-person startup with the right AI tools can compete with capabilities that used to require enterprise engineering teams.

So if technical capability becomes commoditized, what creates lasting competitive advantage?

Brand has always been important, but when you could have a new vibe coded competitor every month, it’s more critical than ever. How we build our products and services might have changed forever, but consumers will still gravitate toward brands they trust.

Your brand isn't just something that customers recognize. Employees buy into it too, and that can have a meaningful knock-on effect in terms of productivity and harmony. The strongest brands are those that employees deeply believe in and champion relentlessly. This cultural alignment makes the brand come alive in every interaction.

Beyond that, a brand can be thought of as a promise that builds trust. When a brand consistently delivers on its promises, it earns loyalty that transcends individual transactions.

How do you convince technical founders that brand matters?

I keep telling them that people buy from people. The ability to inspire and build trust is crucial for success.

Look at Salesforce. Technically, there are dozens of CRMs with comparable features. But they have built a brand and customer loyalty that makes it nigh on impossible to displace, despite having no unique technical capabilities that couldn't be replicated.

I saw this first hand during my time at Klipboard. Technical features helped us get in the door with a customer, but it was the relationships we built that retained them.

Beyond brand, what other fundamentals matter more now?

The cost of acquiring new customers continues to go up and with features so easily replicable, you’ve got to obsess over customer success. That means developing a team with domain expertise and the ability to react with authority when things inevitably go sideways. These remain human skills that AI doesn't erode.

How does mindset relate to adapting to AI?

I’ve always had a growth mindset. Blockers have been an opportunity to rethink, innovate, and come back stronger.

A growth mindset says, "I can't... yet." That single word shifts how we approach our potential. AI is the perfect example. Some founders see it as a threat that will destroy their businesses, which it may well do if they fail to read the room. Others see it as a tool that will amplify what they can do. The difference is mindset.

What practical advice would you give founders?

Invest in brand early. Every customer interaction is a brand-building opportunity. Be intentional about what you're building beyond the product.

Get up and close with your customers. The insights you get from talking with customers about their day-to-day issues can't be replicated by competitors.

And focus on outcomes, not features. Outcomes are harder to commoditize than feature lists.

Looking ahead, what do you think the SaaS landscape will look like?

We're entering a period where operational excellence will be defined by how well you orchestrate both human and machine resources. The companies that build strong brands and fundamentals alongside great products will win and those that rely on technical moats alone will find themselves vulnerable.

But here's what won't change: success is built by creators. Technology will keep evolving. But trust, relationships, brand… those take time to develop and that's where the real competitive advantage lies.