ParallelStaff at the Austin Technology Council: Tech Sales in the AI Era

The technology landscape is moving quickly, and conversations between the people building, selling, and scaling technology companies are becoming more important than ever.

That was the setting for the Austin Technology Council September Roundtable Breakfast, sponsored by ParallelStaff and attended by Luis Peralta, CEO of ParallelStaff, and Rita Keller.

The event brought together leaders from across Austin’s technology ecosystem for a timely discussion around “Selling Tech in 2026: What Still Works, What’s Changing, and Where AI Fits.”

From evolving buyer expectations to artificial intelligence, talent, training, and new approaches to growth, the morning created an opportunity for technology leaders to exchange perspectives on how businesses are adapting to a rapidly changing market.

For ParallelStaff, being part of the conversation was also an opportunity to continue supporting the community of technology leaders, innovators, and companies shaping what comes next.

Bringing Austin’s Technology Community Together

The Austin Technology Council’s Roundtable Breakfasts are built around conversation.

Rather than approaching technology trends from a single perspective, these events bring together executives, founders, operators, and community leaders to discuss the challenges companies are facing and the ideas influencing the future of Austin technology.

The September conversation focused on an issue affecting virtually every technology company:

How do you sell, grow, and compete when AI is changing the way companies operate?

The discussion explored the current technology sales landscape, what companies are adjusting, which challenges are emerging, and what business leaders should be paying attention to as they plan their next stage of growth.

• It was a particularly relevant conversation at a time when AI is influencing much more than individual tools.
• It is changing workflows.
• It is changing customer expectations.
• It is changing how teams communicate.
• And it is changing how technology companies think about the people, skills, and processes required to grow.

The Panel: Different Perspectives on Tech Sales in 2026

The Roundtable brought together three technology and business leaders with perspectives spanning sales leadership, AI, strategy, and growth:

• Brooke Hovey, CRO at KUNGFU.AI
• Noah Zandan, Co-Founder and CEO of Quantified.ai
• Brandon Taylor, Principal/Advisor at The Northwood Group

The conversation was moderated by James Beecham, Austin Technology Council board member.

Together, the panel explored the realities of selling technology in the current AI era and the changes companies are experiencing across the sales landscape.

The response from attendees reflected how relevant that conversation has become.

One participant leaving the event summarized it simply:

“All of my sales team should have been here.”

That reaction captures an important part of what makes events like the ATC Roundtable valuable.

Technology companies are navigating many of the same questions, but they do not have to navigate them in isolation.

Luis Peralta and Rita Keller Representing ParallelStaff

Zach Mcllroy, Rita Keller, and Luis Peralta during the September Roundtable Breakfast.

ParallelStaff was proud to support the September Roundtable Breakfast as the event sponsor, with Luis Peralta, CEO of ParallelStaff, and Rita Keller joining the Austin technology community for the discussion.

Their participation gave ParallelStaff an opportunity not only to support the event, but also to connect directly with technology executives and business leaders navigating many of the same challenges we see across the companies we work with.

Those challenges increasingly extend beyond hiring alone.

Technology organizations are evaluating how to grow efficiently, adopt AI responsibly, maintain delivery velocity, access specialized engineering expertise, and build teams capable of responding to changing product priorities.

Being part of communities like the Austin Technology Council helps ParallelStaff stay close to those conversations.

It allows our leadership and team to listen directly to what technology companies are experiencing and understand how priorities are evolving across engineering, product, sales, and business strategy.

That connection matters because better technology partnerships start with understanding the business challenges behind the talent request.

AI Is Changing Technology, But People Remain at the Center

One theme continues to appear across the technology industry: AI is creating more leverage, but people and leadership still determine how effectively that leverage is used.

Technology teams have access to increasingly powerful AI tools.

Sales organizations can research and personalize faster.

Product teams can evaluate ideas faster.

Engineering teams can accelerate parts of software development.

Businesses can automate processes that previously required significant manual effort.

But technology alone does not determine the outcome.

Organizations still need experienced people who can make decisions, understand customers, establish priorities, collaborate effectively, and turn new capabilities into measurable business results.

That connection between technology and people closely reflects how ParallelStaff approaches engineering talent and technology delivery.

Our goal is not simply to provide companies with more developers.

It is to help technology organizations add experienced capacity to the teams, leadership structures, and processes they already have in place.

Technology Growth Requires the Right Capacity

For engineering organizations, the AI era is creating an interesting challenge.

Teams can do more with technology, but that does not mean engineering capacity suddenly becomes unlimited.

Companies still need experienced people to build products, modernize platforms, manage cloud infrastructure, work with data, implement AI systems, improve customer experiences, and maintain the software their businesses depend on.

When those capabilities are difficult to hire locally—or when traditional hiring cannot keep pace with product priorities—companies need additional ways to expand their teams.

That can include IT Staff Augmentation, Dedicated Development Teams, or broader Software Outsourcing models depending on how much capacity, ownership, and delivery support the organization needs.

For U.S. technology companies looking for talent in compatible time zones, Nearshore Software Development can provide another path to experienced engineering capacity.

Senior nearshore engineers can integrate into existing teams and help organizations expand capacity without requiring them to rebuild their entire engineering operation.

The strongest model is not about replacing internal teams or leadership.

It is about extending what strong technology organizations are already capable of doing.

Supporting the Austin Tech Community

ParallelStaff at the Austin Technology Council Roundtable

ParallelStaff’s participation in the September Roundtable Breakfast also reflects something broader: our commitment to staying connected with the technology communities we serve.

Austin continues to be one of the most important technology ecosystems in the United States, bringing together established technology companies, startups, entrepreneurs, investors, engineers, and business leaders.

Maintaining that ecosystem requires organizations willing to participate—not only by doing business in the community, but by supporting the conversations and connections that help the community move forward.

We appreciate the Austin Technology Council for creating spaces where technology leaders can exchange ideas openly and learn from one another.

We also want to thank Brooke Hovey, Noah Zandan, Brandon Taylor, and James Beecham for contributing their perspectives to the discussion.

And we are proud to have Luis Peralta and Rita Keller representing ParallelStaff, connecting with Austin technology leaders and helping us continue strengthening our relationship with the local tech community.

What Comes Next for Technology Leaders?

AI will continue changing how technology companies operate.

Buyer expectations will continue evolving.

Engineering organizations will continue adapting.

And the skills companies need today may look different from the capabilities they need a year from now.

That makes conversations between technology leaders increasingly valuable.

It also makes access to the right technical capabilities more important.

For ParallelStaff, participating in events like the Austin Technology Council Roundtable is part of staying close to those conversations and understanding where technology organizations are heading next.

Because the future of technology will not be shaped by tools alone.

It will be shaped by the companies, leaders, and people who know how to put those tools to work.

Extend Your Engineering Capacity With ParallelStaff

If your organization has ambitious technology goals but needs additional engineering capacity, specialized expertise, or a more flexible way to scale, ParallelStaff can help you choose the delivery model that fits your business.

Our Software Development Services support organizations that need experienced technology professionals to build, modernize, extend, and maintain business-critical software.

Companies looking to expand an existing internal team can use IT Staff Augmentation to bring experienced engineers into established workflows, tools, and engineering processes.

For organizations that need a stable team around a defined product, platform, or long-term initiative, our Dedicated Development Teams provide a scalable way to add coordinated engineering capacity.

Businesses looking for broader external delivery support can also explore Software Outsourcing for software initiatives where additional execution capacity and technical expertise are required.

For companies prioritizing proximity, time-zone alignment, and access to LATAM engineering talent, ParallelStaff also offers:

• Nearshore Software Development for organizations looking to extend software development capacity with nearshore engineering talent.
• Nearshore Dedicated Teams for long-term product and engineering initiatives requiring a stable, integrated team.
• Nearshore IT Outsourcing for companies looking to move specific technology capabilities or initiatives to an experienced nearshore partner.
• Hire Developers in Latin America for organizations that want direct access to experienced LATAM technology professionals working in U.S.-aligned time zones.

Whether the need is one specialized engineer, an integrated extension of an existing team, a dedicated development team, or broader software delivery support, ParallelStaff helps technology organizations access the capacity they need while keeping their business goals, technical direction, and product strategy at the center.

Explore the ParallelStaff model that fits your organization and discover how the right technology talent can help your team build, scale, and move forward.