A new SaaS play book

AI’s New Playbook: Lokalise CEO Sophie Krishnan on Scaling SaaS and Globalizing Content at Web Summit Lisbon 2025

At Web Summit Lisbon 2025, Mafalda Freire, a journalist from businessIT – PC Guia, interviewed Ms. Sophie Krishnan, CEO of Lokalise. Ms. Krishnan introduced Lokalise as a platform that empowers companies to achieve global reach by providing continuous, multi-language content deployment across all digital assets, including applications, websites, and CRM systems. This facilitates seamless expansion into new markets.

Ms. Krishnan dismissed rigid “growth playbooks,” stating that scaling is fundamentally about constant problem-solving. She highlighted AI’s “extremely transformative” impact on localization, noting that this historically complex and often neglected business function is now being revolutionized by automation. AI enables significantly more efficient and comprehensive localization efforts.

The localization industry is shifting from a service-heavy, workflow-management model to an “agent-first” approach. Ms. Krishnan clarified that SaaS is “transforming, not dead,” with workflows increasingly managed by intelligent agents rather than solely through user interfaces. This evolution redefines how software is built and interacted with.

While AI offers immense potential, effective AI localization is intricate. It demands sophisticated orchestration to integrate specific brand contexts, style guides, and technical glossaries for accurate and relevant translations. Lokalise employs Large Language Models (LLMs) for both translation and quality scoring, identifying 5-15% of content that still requires human review for precision.

Beyond mere grammar, localization now focuses on culturally intelligent and personalized experiences. AI-powered solutions have dramatically simplified this process, making it faster and more affordable. For instance, Lokalise enables going live with a million words in three languages in just four minutes, allowing brands to resonate deeply with diverse communities at scale.

Human translators remain crucial, particularly for reviewing AI-flagged content, ensuring compliance in regulated industries, and refining high-visibility content like homepages. The role is evolving from basic grammatical translation, which is increasingly automated, to creative, brand-centric adaptation by experts who understand the product and audience.

For scaling founders, Ms. Krishnan advises a 90-day assessment to prioritize either strategic refinement or operational optimization. She concluded by encouraging boldness in embracing change and anticipating future business models. Success lies in understanding what customers will genuinely value in the long term and differentiating beyond easily replicable features.