How This Viral AI (Hyperbound) Company is Reinventing Roleplay Practice

In this episode of the SaaS Sales Performance Podcast, Matt Milligan sits down with Sai Guduguntla, the founder and CEO of Hyperbound — a company that’s redefining how sales teams practise and improve through intelligent AI-powered roleplay.

From Engineering to Enablement Innovation

Sai’s background isn’t in sales. He and his co-founder are engineers who spent over a decade working in conversational AI. After years of building human-like AI models, they launched Hyperbound — but not with the idea you might expect.

Their first product? An AI SDR tool.

But after thousands of cold outreach messages and over 2,000 user interviews, they discovered something much bigger: sales teams were starving for practise. Real, hands-on, performance-shaping practise. Not theory. Not content. Not another SKO. Practise.

And so, idea #22 was born — an AI-powered roleplay platform.

The Lightbulb Moment

At a conference dinner, a CRO asked how Sai and his co-founder had ramped so quickly without prior sales experience. The answer: they were practising with their own AI bot.

That moment changed everything.

They showed the bot to a few CROs — and jaws dropped. What started as a side project quickly became the core product. Since launching in January 2024, Hyperbound has gone viral — driven entirely by inbound traction and word of mouth.

The Case for AI Roleplay

Why does roleplay matter?

Because reps don’t lack information — they lack application. Sales is a performance discipline, and yet, many teams overlook practise as a strategic advantage. Hyperbound lets teams roleplay objections, discovery calls, or pitches with realistic AI personas — at scale, on-demand, and without needing manager time.

Top performers are already doing it. Bottom performers? They need a structured, safe space to build confidence and sharpen skills. That’s where AI shines.

Enablement is Evolving — Fast

Sai believes we're entering the era of reinforcement enablement. That means:

• Moving beyond SKOs and one-time trainings
• Replacing passive learning with active practise
• Reinforcing product knowledge, messaging, and skills continuously

But to do that, enablement leaders need better tools — and a more strategic seat at the table. Hyperbound’s platform isn’t replacing enablement; it’s multiplying its impact. One AI coach, hundreds of reps, unlimited practise.

Building with Purpose, Not Hype

While AI excitement is at an all-time high, Sai warns leaders against “shiny toy syndrome.” Too many companies are adopting AI tools without a clear understanding of the problems they’re trying to solve.

His advice?

Start with the revenue gap. Work backwards. Identify the critical behaviours and capabilities that drive those numbers — and then design enablement around those. That’s how you make AI work.

What’s Next for Sales Coaching?

Sai envisions a future where:

• Sales coaching is continuous, not event-based
• Roleplay becomes a daily habit, not an awkward one-off
• Enablement leaders focus on measurement, coordination, and strategy
• AI tracks performance, flags gaps, and reinforces training in real-time
• Sellers feel supported — not overwhelmed

And with advances in voice AI, avatars, and (eventually) AR/VR, the experience will only get more human.

A Final Takeaway

Sai’s story is proof that great sellers are made, not born. He didn’t come from a traditional sales background. He became one through practise — the very thing Hyperbound now helps teams scale.

If sales is a performance sport, then tools like Hyperbound are the new gym — and your reps’ success depends on how often they show up.

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Try Hyperbound’s public roleplay bots → hyperbound.ai

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