In the third session of our Entirely in Dialogue Masterclass series, we explored what happens when two of the most transformative ideas in MarTech—Composability and AI—collide. But this wasn’t a theoretical debate. It was a grounded, high-velocity exchange between people who work at the edge of what’s possible.
Leading the conversation was Scott Brinker, Editor at chiefmartec, joined by a panel of seasoned operators:
Fabio De Bernardi, VP of Business Development at Adverity;
Elad Simon, CEO at Zeotap;
Phil Arnold, CRO at CI HUB Connector;
René Affolter, Managing Director and Deputy CEO at gateB;
and Patrick Moser, CEO at our Founding Partner Marmind and Entirely Management Board Member.
Each brought hard-earned insight from building, integrating, and scaling Martech ecosystems—insight we distilled into three truths you won’t find in vendor decks.
Spoiler: It takes more than software. It takes orchestration, alignment—and a culture ready to adapt.
Composability is trending—but the panel made it clear: popularity doesn’t equal maturity. True composability isn’t about how many tools you can stack. It’s about how well they align with each other—and with your strategic goals.
“Clients have smartened up. They understand we need to integrate more. They understand it needs to be easy.”— René Affolter, gateB
As René observed, the shift is happening on the ground. Marketers aren’t chasing all-in-one solutions anymore. They’re designing ecosystems that fit. Not just technically—but operationally, semantically, and culturally.
The result? Fewer silos, faster execution, and stacks that support the way teams actually work.
“We’re seeing the explosion of tools… AI is certainly a driver of that.”
— René Affolter, gateB
AI’s role in the MarTech stack is growing fast—but its success depends entirely on what surrounds it. The panel emphasized that artificial intelligence isn’t an answer in itself. It’s an accelerator of everything that’s already present: your data model, your workflows, your gaps.
Brinker framed it not as magic, but as multiplication: If your stack is aligned, AI moves it faster. If it’s fragmented, AI spreads the chaos.
And with AI tools now layering on top of existing CRMs, DMPs, DAMs, and planning systems, integration has never been more critical.
“Not that many years ago, many clients were trying to bet on one provider and one stack that tries to solve all the solutions in marketing technology.”
— René Affolter, gateB
The promise of all-in-one stacks has faded. What replaces it isn’t just a new tech model—but a new mindset. The panel made it clear: the technical challenges of composability are solvable. The human ones are harder.
As Affolter noted, today’s clients are more realistic. They’re aware that composability brings not just freedom, but responsibility. Teams must manage complexity, coordinate across silos, and rethink how they operate together.
That cultural readiness—not architecture alone—will determine whether stacks stay agile or drift back into fragmentation.
Three things to remember from our Masterclass #3:
Composable ≠ random. Build your stack with intent, not just interoperability.
AI is an amplifier. Without clean data and strategy, it speeds up your inefficiencies.
Culture makes it real. People, not platforms, determine the success of your tech.
Prefer watching to reading?
The full recording captures the nuance, energy, and expertise behind every takeaway—well worth the time. Watch it now.
Catch up on the full recordings of each session to go deeper into the insights, strategies, and real-world stories behind composability and AI. It’s not just informative—it’s actually worth watching.
Curious Where Composability and AI Go Next? Then join Entirely Summit 2025 in October 2025 in Lisbon—a gathering of industry leaders, marketers, and tech innovators shaping the future of Martech. Not just another Summit, One that will move you. Get more details and claim your early bird rate until end of May.