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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
AI-native CRM platform fully automates lead generation and personalized cold email marketing for blue-collar service businesses.
Key people at Cohesive.
Cohesive was founded in 2024 by Nam Nguyen (Founder) and Kevin Zhang (Founder).
Based in New York, NY, Cohesive develops an AI-native customer relationship management platform that automates lead generation and marketing workflows for blue-collar service businesses. The software operates by scraping local business leads and owner contact information directly from Google Maps, subsequently utilizing artificial intelligence to personalize and execute cold email outreach campaigns. Operating as a SaaS provider, the company charges a $500 monthly subscription fee alongside a $75 one-time onboarding cost for its managed marketing and deliverability services. The platform primarily targets skilled trade sectors, including commercial janitorial, landscaping, and roofing contractors, operating with a current headcount of two employees. Cohesive is backed by the startup accelerator Y Combinator, having participated in the firm's Spring 2025 batch to further develop its automated sales infrastructure. The enterprise was founded in 2024 by Kevin Zhang and Nam Nguyen.
Key people at Cohesive.
Cohesive is an agentic CRM platform designed specifically for blue-collar service businesses such as janitorial, landscaping, HVAC, pressure washing, and pest control companies. It empowers these service business owners to take control of their growth by in-housing lead generation and sales processes, which are typically outsourced or dependent on external agencies. Currently, Cohesive supports over 350 commercial service owners, helping them manage growth more autonomously and efficiently[1].
Founded in late 2024 by Kevin Zhang and Nam Nguyen, Cohesive builds a CRM product that automates and manages sales outreach, lead generation, and marketing campaigns tailored for blue-collar service providers. The platform addresses the challenge that many such businesses face: owners are often in the field and rely heavily on outsourced sales talent or paid ads, which can be costly and less effective. Cohesive’s solution streamlines growth by automating local lead scraping, personalized cold emailing, and campaign management, enabling service businesses to grow sustainably and cost-effectively[1][4].
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Cohesive was co-founded in late 2024 by Kevin Zhang and Nam Nguyen. Kevin brings experience from leading product development at Charthop (an a16z-backed HR tech company) and consulting at McKinsey, where he worked with national service franchises on go-to-market strategies. Nam has a background in building large language model-powered recommendation systems at Microsoft and was a founding engineer at Starlight, a fintech startup backed by South Park Commons and General Catalyst. Both founders have strong technical and operational expertise, and they previously built a service business together that reached $50K MRR, which informed their understanding of the challenges faced by blue-collar service companies[1].
The idea for Cohesive emerged from recognizing that over 1 million blue-collar businesses in the U.S. struggle with growth because owners are frequently on the move and rely on external sales and marketing resources. Early traction includes onboarding over 350 customers and receiving strong validation from users who appreciate the platform’s ability to automate growth and reduce dependence on expensive lead generation agencies[1][4].
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Cohesive rides the growing trend of automation and AI-driven sales enablement tailored to underserved markets. Blue-collar service businesses represent a large but traditionally under-digitized segment, often reliant on manual or outsourced growth tactics. The timing is favorable due to increasing adoption of digital tools in small businesses and the rising costs and inefficiencies of outsourced lead generation and paid advertising.
Market forces such as the proliferation of local business data online, advances in AI for personalized communication, and the shift toward owner-controlled growth strategies create a strong tailwind for Cohesive. By enabling blue-collar businesses to internalize growth functions, Cohesive is helping to democratize access to sophisticated sales technology, potentially reshaping how these businesses scale and compete[1][4].
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Looking ahead, Cohesive is poised to expand its customer base beyond the initial 350+ users by deepening its AI capabilities and broadening integrations with other business tools. Trends such as increased AI adoption in sales, growing digital literacy among blue-collar entrepreneurs, and demand for cost-effective growth solutions will shape its trajectory.
Its influence may evolve from a niche CRM to a comprehensive growth platform for blue-collar services, potentially incorporating more automation in operations and customer management. Cohesive’s success will likely inspire further innovation in agentic CRM models tailored to other underserved sectors, reinforcing the shift toward AI-powered, owner-controlled business growth.
By addressing a critical pain point with a specialized, automated solution, Cohesive exemplifies how technology can empower traditionally manual industries to thrive in a digital economy[1][4].
Cohesive was founded in 2024 by Nam Nguyen (Founder) and Kevin Zhang (Founder).
