The SaaS Revolution Show: Recent Episodes
The SaaS Revolution Show
The SaaS Revolution Show, hosted by Alex Theuma, brings you insights and tactics from the greatest SaaS minds in Europe and across the world. Revolutionary founders, executives, and investors openly share wisdom on attracting and keeping customers, growing companies in unlikely places, scaling globally, successfully reaching the SaaS high skies, and never giving up. The SaaS Revolution Show is brought to you by SaaStock, the only media, membership and events business that focuses on SaaS founders scaling to $10mill ARR.
In this episode, Alex Theuma and Mark Walker, CEO of Nue, discuss how AI is accelerating the pace of change in SaaS and the knock-on effect this is having on pricing and monetisation. Mark explains how Nue has become a critical part of the infrastructure powering many of the world’s fastest-growing AI-native and scaled SaaS companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Jasper. Drawing on learnings from these companies, he unpacks how usage-based models, committed spend contracts, and rapid product experimentation are replacing traditional SaaS playbooks.Alex and Mark also reflect on life as an entrepreneur, scaling teams, managing stress, and the need to embrace constant change.- Why AI has disrupted product development cycles and changed how SaaS companies create value.- How faster product iteration is forcing new pricing and monetisation models.- The rise of committed spend, consumption-based contracts and experimentation at scale.- Why you should build revenue systems for the company you want to become, not the one you are today.- How AI-native startups and scaled SaaS companies are converging on the same challenges.- Why speed across product, systems and execution is now the ultimate competitive advantage. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
SaaS Revolution Show with Alex Theuma and Andrew Zhyvolovych, CEO and Founder of Precoro. Together, they unpack a 10-year journey of building a B2B SaaS business to nearly $10M in ARR.Andrew shares how his early career in car sales, finance, and Groupon shaped his mindset as a founder, and how those lessons helped him build Precoro through disciplined execution, customer-funded growth, and a strong “sports team” culture.You’ll learn:- How Precoro grew from idea to nearly $10M ARR- Why revenue is the best form of market validation- How to build and motivate a high-performance team- What AI really means for B2B SaaS today- Why cold calling is making a comeback- How Andrew plans to scale to $100M ARRThis episode is packed with practical insights for SaaS founders, operators, and anyone building a serious B2B business. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
The SaaS Revolution Show with Alex Theuma and Kady Srinivasan, CMO at Freshworks and former CMO at You.com.Kady shares how she rebuilt the You.com GTM strategy from the ground up after multiple pivots. Rather than trying to fix broken SaaS playbooks, she replaced them with a multithreaded marketing model that 10x’d MQLs and grew ACV by 86% in just two quarters.Alex and Kady discuss:- Why traditional GTM playbooks break down in the AI era- What multithreaded marketing actually looks like in practice- How to structure marketing teams for ownership and speed- The role of prompt marketers and AI-native workflows- Using AI as an execution accelerator, not a strategy shortcut- The differences between selling to AI natives and AI laggards- The reality of operating with a complex, multi-tool GTM stack Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma is joined by Nick Turner, CEO of Dreamdata, to discuss the journey from CRO to CEO and what it really takes to scale a B2B SaaS company in the age of AI.Nick shares lessons from Dreamdata’s growth journey, including the company’s $55M Series B, and explains why trust and accuracy matter more than hype when building AI products. He breaks down the risks of applying generative AI and agents to complex revenue and attribution data and what SaaS leaders should consider before putting AI in front of customers, boards, or finance teams.Alex and Nick also discuss: - Nick’s transition from CRO to CEO and what changed at the leadership level.- How Dreamdata approaches AI as a system of context, not just automation.- Why reliable attribution and data integrity are critical for modern GTM teams.- How investors evaluate AI, retention, and fundamentals at growth stage.- Practical advice for founders building sustainable, predictable SaaS businesses into 2026. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma speaks with Audrey Soussan, General Partner at Ventech, about how the early-stage SaaS landscape is evolving and what founders need to understand if they’re looking to raise.Audrey shares insights from 15+ years investing across Europe, including:- Why AI is no longer a vertical but an expected layer in every SaaS product.- The difference between truly “AI-native” startups and mature SaaS companies adapting their stack.- What VCs like Ventech look for now at seed and Series A.- How founders should think about tech debt, market shifts, and timing.- Lessons from the InSided journey, from bootstrapping to acquisition by Gainsight.- How Ventech supports founders beyond capital, what collaborative board work looks like, and the importance of community.Audrey also discusses competitive dealmaking in AI, why expertise and unique datasets matter, and practical advice for founders raising in the current environment, and how to pitch if you’re not building a pure-play AI product.Guest links: Linked - https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-soussan-0309b818/Website - https://www.ventechvc.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
The journey from aerospace engineering at NASA to serial entrepreneur isn’t a well-trodden path but it’s one that’s worked for Adam Markowitz.In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma talks with the Drata Co-founder and CEO about the journey from NASA, to edtech, to Drata and how lessons at each stage led him to the next.From finding product-market fit and executing at speed, to building a culture of trust and timing the market just right, Adam shares the learnings behind Drata’s rapid rise from $0-100M ARR in four years. Listen to learn:- How NASA inspired Adam’s founder mindset and approach to problem-solving- The “lightning in a bottle” moment that catapulted Drata’s product-market fit- How strategy, execution, and timing team became Drata’s competitive advantage- Why a partner-led GTM strategy helped Drata scale faster- How AI is transforming compliance and customer expectations in SaaSGuest links:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markowitzadam/ Website - https://drata.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This is a special episode from the Centre Stage at SaaStock Europe 2025. Áine Mulloy, Account Manager for Startups at AWS, sits down with Thomas Kinsella, Co-founder and CCO of Tines, to discuss what it really takes to build AI-enabled products. From navigating trade-offs to rethinking workflows, and the tactics that truly work when scaling in the AI era.In this episode:- How Tines approaches AI product development and automation- The biggest trade-offs when embedding AI into existing workflows- Why user experience and trust still matter more than hype- Lessons on scaling AI responsibly and iteratively- What’s next for AI-enabled SaaS toolsGuest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kinsella Website - https://www.tines.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, recorded live at SaaStock Europe, Jonathan Chemouny (GTM Europe, ElevenLabs) and Alex Theuma (Founder & CEO, SaaStock) take you behind the scenes of one of the world’s fastest-growing AI startups.You’ll hear how ElevenLabs builds go-to-market like a startup within a startup:- Why moving fast is their key differentiator- Their mindset and approach to experimentation and pipeline growth- How removing “distractions” like job titles fosters team alignment- Why assembling a high-performing team begins with the hiring process- What’s working in their current GTM motion and how they use their own tech to drive it- Jonathan’s personal AI stack and what’s next for ElevenLabs’ GTM engine🔗 Guest Links: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chemouny Website – https://elevenlabs.io/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This episode was recorded live at SaaStock Europe 2025. Alex Theuma sits down with Mariam Hakobyan, CEO and Co-founder of Softr, to explore the evolution of app building in the AI era.Mariam explains why Softr is focusing on AI-powered no-code and why the companies that focus on solving real, hard problems will define the next generation of SaaS.Alex and Mariam discuss how Softr’s journey to over 1 million non-technical builders, the debate around vibe-coded apps, how AI is transforming no-code, and what it really takes to build a product that lasts.- The difference between vibe code and no-code platforms- How AI and no-code together are changing how teams build software- Softr’s organic growth story: 1M builders, zero sales team- Why solving fundamental problems still wins - The hardest challenge for SaaS founders today: distributionGuest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamhakobyan/Website - https://www.softr.io/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Live from SaaStock Europe 2025, Alex Theuma speaks with Hakob Astabatsyan, Co-founder and CEO of Synthflow AI.Hakob shares how Synthflow grew 15x revenue in its first year and how it now powers millions of business calls every month. He explains what it takes to move beyond AI hype and solve the “last-mile problem”, delivering real, measurable value through end-to-end automation and RPA 2.0 (voice + task completion).They also discuss Synthflow’s US-first GTM strategy and the rise of forward deployed engineers.Listen to learn:- How Synthflow AI scaled from 0→15x in a year.- What the “last mile” really means in AI.- The role of forward deployed engineers in customer success.- How RPA 2.0 makes AI agents truly useful.- Hakob’s AI stack.- Why voice AI has crossed the cusp, and what comes next. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
SaaStock Founder and CEO Alex Theuma speaks with Manny Medina, Co-founder and CEO of Paid (and former Founder and CEO of Outreach), about how AI is reshaping SaaS monetisation and the future of work.Manny shares his journey from scaling Outreach to $250M ARR to launching Paid, an AI-native platform built to help SaaS businesses move beyond seat-based pricing models. He explains why legacy systems are holding founders back, how to stay truly customer-obsessed, and why over half of every org chart could soon be filled by AI agents.Tune in to hear more about::- Building a new monetisation stack for the AI era.- Why “seat-based pricing” is becoming obsolete.- The importance of in-person customer relationships.- Avoiding operational debt as you scale from startup to $100M+ ARR.Guest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/medinism/Website - https://paid.ai/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Nikola Mrkšić, Co-founder and CEO of PolyAI, joins Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show to reveal how voice AI agents are driving millions in revenue for its enterprise customers. Nikola shares his journey from competing in math olympiads to building a leading global AI company. They discuss the evolution of AI, its role in social mobility, the impact on customer service, effective enterprise sales and AI pricing strategies, and more.This episode covers:- Nikola's background and how it shaped his approach to AI.- Why AI has the potential to transform customer service even further.- Why building a successful company requires delighting customers and improving products.- The challenges and opportunities that come from rapid AI development.- Sales strategies that align with enterprise customers.- The challenges of outcome-based pricing and why it’s powerful.- How AI voice agents can deliver significant ROI for businesses.- The future of PolyAI focuses on scaling impact and improving customer experience.- A look ahead to Nikola’s upcoming keynote at SaaStock Europe.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikola-mrksic/ Website: https://poly.ai/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Most AI companies launched after ChatGPT went viral in 2022. Fireflies.ai started in 2016 - years before the AI revolution began.This week, Co-founder and CEO Krish Ramineni shares how he built a unicorn AI company with 80% organic growth.Krish and Alex discuss: - How being "too early" to AI became their biggest competitive advantage.- Why they chose a PLG motion when sales-led was still the norm.- Building AI products before LLMs existed and the products they can return to now the technology has caught up.- Scaling to unicorn status with 80% organic growth and creating viral loops.- The future beyond note-taking: AI teammates that attend meetings for you.- How Krish manages his time while working seven days a week.- Advice for founders navigating the AI bubble. Guest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishramineni/Website - https://fireflies.ai/References: SaaStock YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@SaaStock Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This week, we revisit one of our most popular episodes from 2023.Alex Theuma is joined by Jonny White, founder & CEO at Ticket Tailor, who discusses their move from a lifestyle business to a growth business. Jonny shares: - Why he chose to bootstrap Ticket Tailor- The anti-climatic reality of getting acquired (and why he bought Ticket Tailor back!)- How they got from $2K MRR to over $5M in revenue- Why they moved from a lifestyle business to a growth business- How working with a coach helped propel the business- How they deliver on being a "business for good"- The importance of keeping a lean mindset and strategically building out the teamGuest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnywhite1/Website - https://www.tickettailor.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Alex Theuma speaks with Colin Nederkoorn, CEO & Co-Founder of Customer.io, about the 12 year journey to (almost) $100M ARR, running a fully distributed team across 30+ countries, and how AI is reshaping the future of SaaS.Colin shares:- How Customer.io scaled to 7,800+ customers worldwide.- Why AI is no longer optional for SaaS companies, and how Customer.io has adapted.- The challenges and opportunities of building SaaS in the AI era.- Why growth, resilience, and adaptability are key for long-term success.- His personal experience with AI tools and how they use AI internally at Customer.ioGuest links:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinnederkoorn/ Website - https://customer.io/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Alex Theuma speaks with Kieran Flanagan about his learnings from leading AI and GTM at HubSpot. Kieran shares his journey from leading HubSpot’s inbound and PLG transformations to spearheading its AI-powered GTM initiatives, including:- Why integrating AI into your workflow is now essential for top performers.- The rise of new AI-driven roles like AI trainers.- The AI experiments at HubSpot driving 300–500% increases in booked meetings.- How startups can apply AI to GTM without breaking the budget.- A sneak peek at his upcoming SaaStock Europe keynote presentation.Guest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieranjflanagan/ Marketing Against the Grain podcast - https://blog.hubspot.com/podcasts/marketing-against-the-grain Website - https://www.kieranflanagan.io/ HubSpot website - http://hubspot.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This week’s episode comes live from SaaStock USA 2025. Join special guests Greg Head (Practical Founders) and Josh Turley (CEO, RTA) as they discuss the story of transforming RTA from a 1970s COBOL-based business into a thriving SaaS company with a $100M valuation.Josh shares:- Why a fanatical focus on culture and clarity fueled RTA’s growth.- The challenges of replatforming legacy software (and migrating customers.)- How narrowing their niche to government fleets led to 95% retention & 120% NRR.- Lessons from bootstrapping, using debt strategically, and closing a growth equity round.Guest links:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-turley/ Website: https://rtafleet.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Alex is joined by Guy Podjarny, serial entrepreneur and Founder and CEO at Tessl (and Founder of Snyk). In the episode, they discuss Guy’s incredible journey from founding Snyk (valued at $8.5B at its peak) to leaving the unicorn he built to tackle the next frontier: reimagining software development for the AI era.Guy reveals why he believes software development will evolve from code-centric to spec-centric, how Tessl raised $125M to build this vision, and the lessons he’s learned about scaling AI-native companies in this ‘gold rush’ environment. He discusses the challenges of building for an unknown future, managing high-caliber teams, and why he's already rebuilt his product three times.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guypo/Website: https://tessl.io/Hear more from Guy on stage at SaaStock Europe. https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Storyblok CEO and Co-founder Dominik Angerer joins Alex Theuma to share how a side project evolved into a global SaaS company with 270 people in 47 countries and $138M in funding. Dominik reveals the strategies behind scaling a fully remote team, expanding into the U.S., blending PLG with enterprise sales, and integrating AI to transform content management. Hear his funding philosophy, lessons in remote leadership, and what’s next on Storyblok’s journey toward $100M ARR and profitability.Topics covered:- Building a global remote-first SaaS- Scaling from PLG to enterprise sales- Using AI to power personalisation and automation- Funding strategy and expansion into the U.S.- Leadership lessons from a developer-turned-CEOGuest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikangerer/ Website: https://www.storyblok.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This special episode comes live from SaaStock USA 2025. PandaDoc President Keith Rabkin joins Go Nimbly CEO Jen Igartua to reveal the strategies that took them from $70M to $100M ARR in just 2.5 years. In the 20 minute chat, Keith shares: - How PandaDoc wins against incumbents Docusign and Salesforce.- The strategy that helped PandaDoc increase financial results, despite headcount decreasing through attrition.- One metric that eliminates sales and marketing friction.- The AI implementations that are actually driving results. Guest links:Jen Igartua - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-igartua/https://gonimbly.com/Keith Rabkin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krabkin/https://www.pandadoc.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Host Alex Theuma is joined by DuploCloud Founder and CEO Venkat Thiruvengadam. Venkat shares his journey from Microsoft Azure to building a $50M-funded DevSecOps platform. He discusses bootstrapping the company for the first three years, through to leading the company through what he calls an “existential moment” for all SaaS businesses: the shift to AI-native operations. Guest links: Website: https://duplocloud.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkat-thiruvengadam-35a7396/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Dan Hobbs, CEO & Co-Founder of Protex AI, joins SaaStock’s Alex Theuma to break down how his startup is transforming factory safety using AI and how they scaled to triple-digit growth with an enterprise-first GTM motion.In this episode, you’ll learn:- How Protex AI went from YC to 300% YoY growth- Why they moved fast into the U.S. (and why you should too)- The AI tools Dan actually uses to drive team efficiency- How to close enterprise clients- Dan’s biggest founder lessons and what he’d do differently- Top tier advice from Pitbull aka Mr. Worldwide…. Yes, really.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-hobbs-258998ab/Website: https://www.protex.ai/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma talks to Koen Köppen, CEO of Mollie and ex-CTO of Klarna. Koen shares how Mollie is expanding from 6 to 31 markets by 2026, why they prioritise operational efficiency over growth hacks, and how AI reduced their customer contact rate by 3x. Plus: essential lessons for SaaS founders on market expansion, avoiding premature scaling, and embedded finance.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koenkoppen/Website: https://www.mollie.com/gb/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This week, Alex speaks with Yext CEO Mike Walrath about his journey in the software industry, the challenges faced by SaaS companies, and the impact of AI on the market. Mike shares insights on leadership, the importance of judgment in decision-making, and how AI is reshaping marketing and SEO strategies. They also discuss the evolving SaaS landscape and the necessity for companies to adapt to new technologies and customer expectations.Guest links: Website: https://www.yext.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, host Alex Theuma speaks with Joe Hyrkin, CEO of Care Grit Learning and former CEO of Issuu. They discuss Joe's journey in the tech industry, focusing on his experiences with Issuu, its acquisition, and the importance of profitability and growth strategies. Joe shares insights on navigating debt, the challenges of being a CEO, and the significance of coaching SaaS founders. The conversation wraps up with rapid-fire questions that highlight key lessons for tech entrepreneurs.Guest links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joehyrkin/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this re-run episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, originally recorded in 2022, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Ross Andrew Paquette, Chairman and CEO at Maropost, to talk about bootstrapping a B2C CRM to $100MM and a $1.7B valuation.Ross shares:🚀 Maropost's founding story🚀 The big moves that took the company to $26MM in just 28 months (and the strategy to reach $100MM!)🚀 How Maropost achieved a $1.7B valuation🚀 What he was most looking forward to at SaaStock 2022…and more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
After a huge year of growth, Abacum just raised a $60M Series B.In this episode, Co-founder and COO Jorge Lluch joins Alex to discuss how they did it, including: tripling revenue without growing headcount, staying laser-focused on efficiency, and delivering a great product.They discuss:- Abacum’s early stages, including the decision to take time and invest heavily in the product early on. - How Jorge’s frustrations as a CFO helped shape the Abacum platform. - How they stayed disciplined to balance fast growth and efficiency.- The pillars behind Abacum’s GTM motion.- Growing a global company and expanding from Europe into the US. - Life as a co-founder and the true meaning of success. Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgelluch/Website: https://www.abacum.ai/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This is a re-run of a 2022 episode with ClickUp CEO and Founder, Zeb Evans.This is a re-run of a 2022 episode with ClickUp CEO and Founder, Zeb Evans. ClickUp is now doing over $200M in revenue but this popular episode is a look back at the early days. Zeb joins host Alex Theuma to discuss how the company reached $10M ARR in just two years, including.- How ClickUp got its first customers.- Why Zeb chose the VC route and how did they raised their first round.- Focus areas for getting to $1M ARR fast.- What needs to change when you go from $1M ARR to $10M ARR.- The best advice he’s ever received.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zebevansclickup/Website: https://clickup.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This is a special episode from SaaStock Europe 2024. Ryan Floyd (Founding MD at Storm Ventures) and Joaquim Lecha (Former Typeform CEO) discuss pivotal stages and learnings from Typeforms’s journey to $80M ARR and 150,000 customers. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This episode is a re-run of one of our top episodes from 2023. Host Alex Theuma is joined by Marie Martens, Co-Founder of Tally, who shares how the company bootstrapped to 60K MRR with a team of five.Marie shares:- The choice to bootstrap Tally.- Generational expectations for how to 'set yourself up for success' vs reality.- How Tally is positioned against its competition in the form building space. - The journey from idea to securing Tally's first users (including the little trick she used on ProductHunt).- Why Tally chose a freemium model.Guest links:Since this recording, Tally has scaled to $2M ARR - still with a team of five. You can follow the story on the Tally blog: https://blog.tally.so/we-crossed-2m-arr-with-a-bootstrapped-team-of-5/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariemartens/Website: https://tally.so/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This episode comes to you live from SaaStock USA. Fresh off the Founderpath Center Stage, Savneet Singh joined Alex Theuma to discuss how he took PAR from having just weeks of cash left to the billion dollar public company it is today. Tune in to hear Savneet’s candid take on what it really takes to lead under pressure and scale with purpose, including:- Stepping into the CEO role with only a few weeks of runway.- The urgent actions taken to avoid bankruptcy—including a ~20% workforce cut in 10 days.- Why transparency and accountability set the foundation for PAR’s cultural turnaround.- The shift from “feel-good” values to bold principles like Speed, Ownership, and Winning.- How AI is being operationalised at PAR—with a sharp focus on efficiency and product experience. - The real sacrifices of being a SaaS CEO and why you need to be “all in” if you want to be the best. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma sits down with Marcus Ryu - Co-founder of Guidewire and now a Partner at Battery Ventures - for an honest conversation about the highs, lows, and hard lessons of building and backing SaaS companies.Marcus shares how he went from pursuing a career in academia to leading a billion-dollar business, what it felt like to face years of rejection, and why he believes true founders don’t chase easy wins — they lean into hard problems. He also talks candidly about the realities of being a CEO, the shift into venture capital, and whether AI is truly as transformative as it’s hyped to be. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Host Alex Theuma is joined by Neha Sampat, Founder and CEO of Contentstack. In the episode, Neha shares:- Her journey as a serial entrepreneur - From New Kids on the Block fan club to Founder and CEO of Contentstack. - The Contentstack story: Scaling to 600 employees and raising $169M- The difference between being a bootstrapped vs VC funded founder- Life as a female entrepreneur: Giving back to the community, supporting women in tech, and the ERA framework- Key lessons from scaling Contentstack- Growing with Fortune 1000 customers: Why a human approach is key for technology adoption. Guest links: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehasampat/ Website - https://www.contentstack.com/ Kara Lawson talk mentioned: https://youtu.be/oDzfZOfNki4 Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This week, we’re running it back to one of our most popular episodes from 2023. Host Alex Theuma is joined by Mike Tessler, Managing Partner at True North Advisory and founding CEO at BroadSoft.Mike shares:- The BroadSoft journey: from its founding in 1998 , to going public on Nasdaq in 2010, and being acquired by Cisco in 2018 for +$1.8B- The process behind the decision to sell BroadSoft to Cisco- Three key lessons from scaling the business to +$500M ARR- How to build a realistic execution plan and hold teams accountable- Why senior leaders have to act as ambassadors as a company grows- BroadSoft’s secret to success with go-to-market partners- The biggest partner technology challenge the industry is facing- How he handled feelings of loneliness when at the topGuest links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltessler1/Website: https://www.truenorthadvisory.us/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Rahul Vohra (Founder and CEO at Superhuman) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma to discuss how Superhuman stayed ahead of the generative AI wave, how they’re shaping the future of productivity with autonomous email agents, and why great products that delights users — not flashy marketing — are the key to viral growth. Rahul also opens up about the loneliness of being a CEO, his meditation practices, and the game design principles behind Superhuman’s success. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Matt Mullenweg on scaling Automattic to $500M ARR.In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, host Alex Theuma sits down with Matt Mullenweg, Co-founder of WordPress and Founder and CEO of Automattic — the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Tumblr, Beeper, and more.Matt shares the mindset, strategies, and lessons that helped him build one of the most impactful open-source businesses in the world — now generating over $500M in ARR, including:- The mindset and mission behind Automattic.- How AI is reshaping the WordPress ecosystem.- Key lessons from scaling to $500M ARR.- What his ‘ideal’ work week looks like.- How he stays motivated as CEO.Guest links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattm/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
This week, we're running it back to one of our most popular episodes. Recorded live at SaaStock USA 2023, host Alex Theuma is joined by Jason Cohen, Founder of WP Engine.In the episode, Jason reflects on his multi-decade journey as a serial entrepreneur, and shares his lessons from building and scaling WP Engine into a SaaS giant, including:- His journey as a serial entrepreneur. - The science behind why your startup really is like your baby.- Founding WP Engine, the world’s largest managed Wordpress platform- From bootstrapped to venture backed, the decision to raise money.- Why most founders shouldn’t raise money—and how to know if you’re one of them.- How to build a practical strategy that involves the whole team.- How to know your own strengths and why he replaced himself as CEO.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncohen/WP Engine: https://wpengine.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Host Alex Theuma is joined by Max Greenwald, Co-founder and CEO at Warmly. During the chat, Max shares candid learnings about his journey as a Co-founder and CEO and insights into how he's scaling Warmly. Tune in to hear: - How Max went from Google PM to building a high-growth SaaS startup.- The pivots that shaped Warmly’s product-market fit (and what it meant for fundraising).- His approach to blitzscaling Warmly into a future billion-dollar company.🎤 PLUS: An exclusive freestyle rap performance–yes, really! Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-greenwald/ Website: https://www.warmly.ai/Growth Unhinged feature: https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/the-path-from-0-to-100-paying-customers Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Host Alex Theuma is joined by Go Nimbly CEO (and SaaStock USA Speaker) Jen Igartua for this episode packed with practical advice on making your GTM processes more efficient, including:- Why GTM efficiency is now critical for SaaS growth.- How AI and automation are transforming sales workflows.- The biggest mistakes SaaS companies make with their tech stack.- The tools that top RevOps leaders are using to drive revenue.- Why high-touch, relationship-driven selling is making a comeback.- What’s next for Go Nimbly, including the upcoming RevFest event.Guest links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-igartuaWebsite: https://gonimbly.com/RevFest: https://revfest.gonimbly.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Host Alex Theuma is joined by Sendspark Co-founder and CEO (and SaaStock USA speaker) Bethany Stachenfeld.In this 30 minute episode, Beth shares: - Her journey from Marketer to SaaS founder and CEO.- The Sendspark founding story and journey so far.- How Sendspark approaches differentiation.- Advice for founders differentiating their product at scale.- How to stay relevant in a fast-moving product space.And more!Guest links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethany-stachenfeld/https://www.sendspark.com/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Host Alex Theuma is joined by Larry Kim, Founder and CEO at Customers.ai.
"With the benefit of hindsight, it could have been done with even less than $18M. I think what happens is when you raise money, it allows you to make bets that you might not have otherwise made had you been operating on the edge of a knife."
In this 35 minute episode, Larry shares:
– How he transformed a consulting business into a $55M ARR SaaS company.
– The content marketing strategy that generated 50,000 leads per month.
– Lessons from his $150M exit to Gannett (USA Today’s parent company).
– Why traditional inbound marketing is no longer effective in 2025.
– How his new company, Customers.ai, is reshaping digital marketing and lead generation.
– His learnings on bootstrapping vs. raising venture capital.
Follow Larry Kim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrykim/
Website: Customers.ai
Hear more from Larry Kim at SaaStock USA – He'll be speaking on the Founderpath Center stage sharing more on the WordStream journey and how to know when to sell.
Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move their business forward:
🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland
Book tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/
🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, Texas
Book tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/
🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)
🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move their business forward:
🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland
Book tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/
🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, Texas
Book tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/
🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)
🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
One of our most listened to episodes, we're bringing back Keji Mustapha, CMO at Partech, who shares how the best founders scale themselves as their companies scale."If more founders did that, they would probably enjoy what they were doing more. I mean, you quit your job and set out on this journey to build this incredible utopia that you see because you're excited about it. And then if you don't actually get to be excited about it because it begins to drain you, then it's all for nothing. And I think it's a shame. I think you should enjoy the journey while you're on it. And you can only do that if you set boundaries and make time for other things."Keji shares:• The importance of self-awareness and humility (that means knowing when you're not the best person for a task, and admitting it) • Her mantra for hiring great talent - emphasising that leaving a position unfilled is preferable to hiring the wrong person who creates problems for the team• At what stage a founder should get a virtual or executive assistant to help with workload • Why setting boundaries is absolutely essential for founders• Why leaning into imposter syndrome helps founders be betterand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Nathan Latka, CEO and Chief Investment Officer at Founderpath (and the powerhouse behind SaaSOpen!), as he shares the truth about AI in SaaS ...and why it counters Microsoft's CEOs prediction."I would get emails from real sales reps all the time that were terribly written and they'd go right to spam. I'd also get emails from CEOs that were really well written and I would click them or I'd reply and I engage. Nothing changes. All that changes now is that people with less resources can maybe get an outbound campaign going faster. But if you don't structure it in a way that captures the recipient's attention and gets them to reply like it's just useless, you're just spraying and praying. You're just paying for ChatGPT and credits that you know got you no value. So this is why the biggest in demand job towers here is going to be prompt marketing."Nathan shares:• His counter to Satya Nadella: how AI is transforming SaaS pricing to usage-based models ...not killing the industry!• While many SaaS companies are rushing to add AI labels to their marketing, the real opportunity lies in using AI to reduce friction points and help users reach value faster• Why ChatGPT and AI tools have replaced review sites as the go-to for software recommendations• The key to appearing in AI tool recommendations (and why it isn't about gaming the system)• The rise of "prompt marketing" - how to stand out in a world of AI-generated content• How domain ratings and SEO fundamentals will remain a crucial part for AI tool visibility and rankingsand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Aviv Canaani, CRO at Datarails, who shares how he helped move the company from 90% outbound to 90% inbound."One of our best performing ads is something actually I saw, usually it comes from the team, but I saw this TikTok ad for I think it was a B2C company. Something like, someone asked a lady a question and whatever they ask she says 'yup'. 'Oh, does it do this?' 'Yup'. 'Does it do this?' 'Yup'. So I sent it to the team. I'm like, let's try to do something like that for Datarails. It's been our one of our best performing ads on TikTok. So I think it's really understanding, you know, the channel you're focused on and you have to create the fun, engaging videos that align with what works in the channel, but with our own spin of marketing, our own software."Aviv shares:• Diversification and reducing dependency on any single ad channel• TikTok success in B2B; from user-generated content to understanding the algorithm• Reducing attribution confusion: the simple switch the DataRails team made to categorise and analyse data• How they've scaled their marketing budget in direct proportion to AE hiring: their data-driven system that predicts meeting generation based on marketing spend• His transition from VP Marketing to CRO and his biggest learning managing sales teams• Combat rising ad costs: why creating platform-specific content rather than using a one-size-fits-all strategy is keyand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
One of our most listened to episodes, we're bringing back Mark Roberge, Co-Founder at Stage 2 Capital, who shares his sales acceleration formula 2.0 with our SaaStock Founder Members.Mark dives deep into the Sales Acceleration formula followed by his previous company Hubspot. He also answers the questions posted by our SaaStock Founder Membership community. Interested in becoming a member? Apply to SaaStock Founder Membership to supercharge your growth: https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/ Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
One of our most listened to episodes, we're bringing back Chris Walker, CEO at Passetto (previously Founder and CEO of Refine Labs, a progressive demand generation agency that challenges the status quo in B2B marketing). Before launching Refine Labs, Chris led marketing at two B2B firms where he built the foundation of his unique perspective on demand generation. Now, at Passetto, a Growth Advisory Firm for SaaS CEOs Scaling from $10MM - $100MM+, Chris helps CEOs and CFOs get instant GTM clarity. Chris joined our host Alex on an exclusive founder members only workshop as part of our SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM), to share how you can grow your business and improve your demand generation strategies. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
Live from the SaaStock USA 2024 Scale Stage, Ashley Kramer, GitLab’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, sits down with AJ Eckstein, Founder & Creator at Creator Match and Fast Company. Together, they explore the imminent shift in how companies measure AI's impact on efficiency, questioning whether the productivity gains truly justify the risks and costs associated with AI adoption. Ashley argues that forward-thinking companies must move beyond traditional output metrics and focus on those that reflect real business value—such as enhanced software quality, faster time-to-market, consistent delivery, and, most importantly, improved customer satisfaction. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Steve Oriola, CEO at Unbounce, who shares the leadership lessons he's learnt from navigating a SaaS M&A and the transformation AI has had on business."We also survey base of employees and those values are landing pretty well. That's an important part of it, is that people understand how everyone works and how everyone should be working and how we should be making decisions. And we correct ourselves all the time on that."Steve shares:• How he's steering the marketing tech ship through choppy waters - from perfecting landing pages to building an AI-powered platform that actually tells you which customers are worth chasing• The behind-the-scenes of marrying two companies' cultures; complete with leadership team matchmaking and values that actually stuck• Why he's betting big on AI being more than just a buzzword• The secret sauce to staying sane as a CEO, including cold plunges, fitness regimes, and the art of not bringing work drama home (even when your spouse is in the industry)• How he's tackling his biggest CEO headache with everything from Berlin Q&As to leadership pow-wowsand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Kevin Hu, Co-Founder & CEO at Metaplane, who shares how they navigated Metaplane's journey from pivot to Series A and beyond."Most of us come from tens of thousands of years of subsistence farmers and we're one of the first generations that has the opportunity to build something that can have a large impact with software and capitals leveraged. And when it comes to the CEO job, one can hope that the problems never stop. When the problems stop, I think that's when growth stops. The best case scenario is when the problems are new problems all the time and it doesn't feel like Groundhog Day."Kevin shares:• The reasons that drove Metaplane to pivot (twice!)• The importance of attracting strong leaders and building a repeatable sales process as a company grows• His approach to decision-making and prioritisation; from the way he collects information to committing to decisions• Why being upfront about expectations and offering upside potential is crucial to recruiting top talent• Metaplane's unique onboarding process where new hires "ship something" on day one• Overcoming market headwinds through a product-led approach and land-and-expand strategyand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Abakar Saidov, CEO at Beamery, who shares his success story from Wall Street-er to tech unicorn."A lot of entrepreneurs actually start businesses out of necessity. And necessity comes from two parts, either you have to do it because you have no other option, or you feel like you have to do it because you want the idea to exist so much. And usually I feel like if those are not your two reasons, one is like you can't imagine a world without this idea or you just have no choice. You're probably not going to make it through the the grind."Abakar shares:• On a mission to create equal access to work opportunities: The founding story of Beamery• Why customer experience is a key differentiator (and one of the reasons they've achieved such high NPS scores for implementations in an industry where low scores are common)• The top two qualities investors look for in founders• How evolving founder perspectives and motivations have shaped the company's growth• What he does to maintain energy after 10+ years as CEO• Why his ongoing process of growth and development is centred around Andy Grove's concept of the Competence Frontierand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Taylor Hersom, Founder & CEO at Eden Data, who shares insights into their global scaling journey during the pandemic. "Your reputation is everything as you're growing fast and trying to make it to your next round. And when you have multiple competitors in a space, you don't want your customer or prospect googling your name and seeing something like a data breach."Taylor shares:• His approach to growing the business; from focusing on partnerships and referrals to differentiating through branding and content marketing• Key security concerns for founders, including reputational damage and the need for certifications like SOC 2 to close deals• How he capitalised on the increased focus on cybersecurity during the pandemic as more businesses moved operations online• How they identified an underserved niche and tailored their offerings and messaging to serve them effectively• The one thing their team does to drive inbound leadsand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Preston "PK" Keller, Founder at Emergent3, who shares how he overcame an industry Goliath trying to kill his SaaS business. "When you've hit rock bottom and you're, like, going through hell, you cannot control all the environmental factors around you, but you can control how you react to it. And I read this book, The Gap in the Game, and it basically says, like, focus on the good things right now. That book got me through the darkest times. We also, you know, my wife was also pregnant with our third child and that third child had some serious health defects. She spent months in the NICU and this was during the lawsuit, during the rewrite, it was like there was so much going on in my life and I was like, I'm still so lucky. It forced you to just focus on like, hey, you can't control this environment and things that happen to you, but you can control how you react. And I focused on just, like, I just wanted to make someone else smile that day. "PK shares:• Overworked and under-appreciated: the decision PK took that started it all..• The first six months of E3: incredible sales, disbelief in the success they were experiencing, and then..• The moment the sheriff knocked on his door serving him a summons - his previous employer, the 'Big Bad Wolf', was suing PK personally and his new company, E3, all for starting a business that was competing in the same market• Hitting a grand slam: The moment the judge called an instant ruling in their patent infringement case• Reflecting on the toll it took when he got to the point where everything he had, he could've lost in an instant• How this situation taught him that the relationships in his life are the most important thingand more. Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Tony Jamous, Founder & CEO at Oyster HR, who shares how building Oyster HR as a mission driven company helped them scale to SaaS unicorn-dome."It enabled me to also be detached from the outcome. So no matter what happens, we miss a quarter or somebody quits, then you're not reactive to that. Instead, you remain always centred on your goals, on your values, on your principles and more in an acceptance mode. This journey of building businesses, it's, it's highs and lows. So how can you remain yourself in a mode of clarity, stability, no matter the highs and the lows?"Tony shares:• Hyper growth in the early days during Covid: From achieving product market fit without having a full platform to going from zero to a billion in market cap in two years• Maintaining a mission driven culture: Why instilling meaning and importance to the work employees do you is the backbone of a successful mission driven organisation• Reducing headcount costs doesn't necessarily mean laying people off - it should be a strategic shift rather than a financial exercise• How he reprogrammed his nervous system to become a better leader and be less reactive• Behaviour is an equation that has two variables: who the people are and the environment they're in ( ...and the influence leaders have on them)and more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Raluca Ragab, Head of UK & DACH at Eurazeo, who shares how to succeed as a growth company."If you think of all the companies that had to raise a seed or series A in 2022, when it was hard, in 2023, when it was super hard, and even in 2024, anybody who's been successful to do that and is now graduating, right? So Maybe they were 1 million company in 2022 and they're 5 million in 2023 and they're now kind of becoming a growth stage company. Those companies, they were so scrutinised, they found it so hard to get funded that actually they have much stronger unit economics, they have great stories and they know how to deliver growth without having a bloated cost structure. So I do think that there's a second wave now of these companies that had to go through this kind of much harder time funding in their earlier stage and they never got to being efficient, that they just kind of got the basics and the fundamentals right and they're going to scale off a much more reasonable set of unit economics and cost structure."Raluca shares:• Being a visionary founder versus a 'good process' person• What it takes to build a successful growth stage company and get the right investment• Track records and unit economics: The metrics Raluca and her team prioritise• Europe's lack of global winners and business champions compared to in the US• How AI is lowering barriers to entry for software development to quasi zeroand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Marton Medveczky, Associate Partner at Flashpoint Venture Capital, who shares what exactly makes a founder investable in 2025. "There is always a huge difference between talking to the founder and then doing your own desktop research versus talking to a customer. So if you can do that, that's basically the best way to understand what people value about the product. And it also will help you to draw further conclusions about where to look or, like, what is actually the real paper that it solves. And oftentimes it's actually not what the founders think it is, right? Which is very funny, I think. And that's why customer calls are sort of like a super vital component for us to invest."Marton shares:• The key characteristics he looks for in a founder before investing• Nailing value propositions and pain points: the one thing founders need to be doing• What the next 12 months look like and if fewer companies are moving into venture• How his initial VC journey started versus what it looks like now• Winning the market and becoming a category leader: what can SaaS companies do to succeed?• Why net revenue retention is the most important metricand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move theirbusiness forward: 🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, IrelandBook tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, TexasBook tickets: https://saastock-usa.com/🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Palash Soni, Co-Founder & CEO at Goldcast, who shares his journey scaling the business to north of $10M in revenue."We realised that the market is probably in bigger companies because that's where we are getting the pull from, and so our first actual like big customer was this company called Drift in Boston, which very popular Martech company. And that gave us the aha moment that okay, this is where the fit is. And so the moment Drift signed which was in end of Jan. 2021, at that time we were probably like $30, $40k in ARR. And when Drift signed then that started the chain sort of like the messaging and everything came together. Then we got to $1 million in three months."Palash shares:• Having an entrepreneurial itch from a young age; from buying sweets in bulk and selling them at a markup in his school days to renting out a video game console for a cent per hour• Why he believes marketing mediums evolve every 10 years, and how that was an asset to Goldcast• The risk they faced becoming a multi-product company and how he managed internal pushback• Entering the zeitgeist of B2B Marketers• The three key levers getting to $10M in revenue; including investing heavily in post-sales customer success• Why classic outbound doesn't workand more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: 13-15 May 2025 | Austin, Texas. Connect, learn andthrive at the leading conference for B2B SaaS Founders, Operators andInvestors from Pre-Seed to Series C.(https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa-2025)🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe 2025: 12-14 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland. "The bestSaaS conference for founders, execs & investors in Europe, period." -Christoph Janz, Partner, Point Nine.(https://share.hsforms.com/1FbUpCXpJT8um3MehUUYcAg3upof)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Philippe Botteri, partner at Accel, who shares the 2024 Accel Europe: AI Eating Software."Just look at the past couple of years, there's been $56 billion invested in AI companies and two thirds of that has gone into the top six companies of each region of the US and Europe, and also two thirds of that money has gone into foundation models. So what we're seeing is AI is really driving the growth and very concentrated in a very small number of companies both in the US and Europe."Philippe shares:• Capitalising on AI to drive growth• Increasing investment outside of foundational models• Why 2025 is going to be the year of the agentic revolution • Growth vs profitability: what's driving the momentum for software companies• The Game of AI Thrones - will it be a winner takes all market?and more! Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: 13-15 May 2025 | Austin, Texas. Connect, learn andthrive at the leading conference for B2B SaaS Founders, Operators andInvestors from Pre-Seed to Series C.(https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa-2025)🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe 2025: 12-14 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland. "The bestSaaS conference for founders, execs & investors in Europe, period." -Christoph Janz, Partner, Point Nine.(https://share.hsforms.com/1FbUpCXpJT8um3MehUUYcAg3upof)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined live from the SaaStock Studio at SaaStock Europe 2024 by Amos Haggiag, Co-Founder & CEO at Optibus, who shares his biggest learnings from building Optibus to a global unicorn."We sell a mission critical product. When a customer chooses Optibus, if Optibus doesn't work, the public transportation stops working - busses don't arrive on time or don't arrive at all, passengers get the wrong information, like, it's a disaster. So the risk is so high that in order to anyone to choose Optibus, it's not enough to just bring like a really good product, you need to also convince [them] that you're not introducing risk, that you know how to work in complexity, you know how to work in different regions, it's very local. And because of that, at some point, we decided to change the organisation into more focus on the local region kind of management."Amos shares:• Optibus' funding journey to a $100M Series D funding round and a $1.3B valuation• The moment they realised they had surpassed $1M ARR (and why he didn't think they had product market fit at the time!)• Scaling their sales team to accommodate for their global customer base• From localised to centralised- the painful process of restructuring• Challenges with delegating tough decisions as CEO• The importance of having a long term focusand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: 13-15 May 2025 | Austin, Texas. Connect, learn andthrive at the leading conference for B2B SaaS Founders, Operators andInvestors from Pre-Seed to Series C.(https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa-2025)🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe 2025: 12-14 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland. "The bestSaaS conference for founders, execs & investors in Europe, period." -Christoph Janz, Partner, Point Nine.(https://share.hsforms.com/1FbUpCXpJT8um3MehUUYcAg3upof)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined live from the SaaStock Studio at SaaStock Europe 2024 by Muhammad Younas, Founder & CEO at vFairs and Winner of the SaaStock Awards "Founder & CEO of the Year: People's Choice", as he shares his key lessons bootstrapping the business to profitability and $30M ARR."More than half of our business comes from word of mouth from our existing set of customer base. We are a strong believer that the best sales team is your existing customer base. So we go above and beyond. Even though we are in technology business, we typically say internally that we feel that we are in hospitality business. We want to be so close to the customer, give them that seven star experience that they go and spread that around."Muhammad shares:• Achieving profitability from day one• His number one piece of feedback for founders• Their go-to-market model and how they attract customers• Investing in talent above all else• The true definition of business: building long-term value for customers, employees, vendors, and the owner themselvesand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: 13-15 May 2025 | Austin, Texas. Connect, learn andthrive at the leading conference for B2B SaaS Founders, Operators andInvestors from Pre-Seed to Series C.(https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa-2025)🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe 2025: 12-14 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland. "The bestSaaS conference for founders, execs & investors in Europe, period." -Christoph Janz, Partner, Point Nine.(https://share.hsforms.com/1FbUpCXpJT8um3MehUUYcAg3upof)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by SaaStock Europe 2024 speaker Angeley Mullins, Chief Commercial Officer at Resourcify, who shares Founder versus Company Brand. "A lot of founders don't actually understand what marketing is. You have performance marketers and content marketers and brand marketers. You have channel marketers, partner marketers, etc. So really identifying what your go to market strategy is, identifying who your ICP is, and these are just the fundamentals, and then what resonates to your ICP, and you have to identify that first and then back into the type of marketing that you want or need that will resonate."Angeley shares:• Can a company be founder-led and also do product-led branding• Where pre-Series B companies often struggle most when it comes to storytelling• Why step one for founders is taking an index on the things that A) you're passionate about and B) that you're good at• Where authenticity meets communication and what's most important at what stage of the growth cycle• Short term clickbait content versus long term strategic initiatives and long term customer loyalty• What early stage companies can do to build a strong brand• The secret sauce for founders wanting to 'make it' in Times Squareand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: 13-15 May 2025 | Austin, Texas. Connect, learn andthrive at the leading conference for B2B SaaS Founders, Operators andInvestors from Pre-Seed to Series C.(https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa-2025)🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe 2025: 12-14 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland. "The bestSaaS conference for founders, execs & investors in Europe, period." -Christoph Janz, Partner, Point Nine.(https://share.hsforms.com/1FbUpCXpJT8um3MehUUYcAg3upof)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Tomasz Tunguz, General Partner at Theory Ventures, who shares how AI is changing the future of SaaS."AI will be a key part of the product. I would characterise the last two years as adding AI features on top of existing platforms, and I think we're starting to see humans adjust, and when humans adjust, the workflows will change, and when the workflows change, there'll be an opportunity to un-see the big systems of record."Tomasz shares:• What makes a founder investable, from Einstein's compounding interest to selling a market• Where we'll see greater and greater efficiency gains businesses at scale• Why upcoming workflows changes lend to unseating the biggest systems of record• The future of AI and how it'll change SaaS architecture and positioning• The significant pressure that horizontal SaaS is facing, and what companies like Salesforce, Glean and Klarna are doing as a result• How to ensure that the AI brought into your SaaS gives you an edge and is not just commoditisationand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Job van der Voort, Co-Founder & CEO at Remote, who shares their hypergrowth journey and how they scaled Remote to hundreds of millions in ARR."I would always say this is a great problem to have. If you grow really, really fast and it's a luxury problem, and if you just embrace it like that, then everything becomes much easier. Just embrace it in the most honest possible way, which is that, wow, we get so much interest that we have to solve these really difficult problems right now. It's for sake of, you know, our success, or at least the direction of success. To me, that was never difficult. What is difficult is how it affects the rest of your life."Job shares:• From $0 to $1M ARR in six months, and $1M ARR to hundreds of millions in three years: the operational and human problems Remote faced during rapid growth• His attitude towards increased responsibility and fighting fires - 'it's a great luxury to have problems to solve'• Why too many people get distracted by 'building for the sake of building' and deprioritise talking to customers and actively marketing the product• How to stay clear-headed during a period of hypergrowth• 'The sun will shine tomorrow', how he stays motivated when times get toughand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Casber Wang, Partner at Sapphire Ventures, who shares the issues with AI startups and cash burn. "Let's just say we intentionally freeze the progress of technology. There's no ChatGPT five, there's no GPT six. It's only what we have today; GPT four and some of the other, call it 3.5. I believe the next five years we can just build applications on those existing technologies without underlying technological progress. So that's how much progress we made from the starting point. So to me it's less so 'why haven't we seen much progress yet', it's just all the systems take a little bit more time, right? People get used to a new thing and that just takes more time than folks had expected, just given how much attention there is around this topic."Casber shares: - What he's looking for in companies that Sapphire invests in- Why he favours founders who constantly think about talent valuation; from tracking talent to their talent bench- Why building a great software standalone is rarely enough - you need to be backwardly compatible with all the other tools on the stack and nail distribution- The watershed moment in AI and why its garnered so much attention from founders and media - Why specific fields like engineering are seeing a more accentuated economic impact from AI- The five or six prime investment areas where investors spend a lot of time making real bets onand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by SaaStock Europe 2024 speaker Eoin Hinchy, Co-Founder & CEO at Tines, who shares how he went from AI skeptic to advocate and how it informed Tines' roadmap. "I can't tell you how many times over the years I've made a better decision as it relates to a certain part of the business because I've had to do it firsthand myself. At some stage I knew what the problem was and I knew how hard it was or I was able to appreciate the challenges that these kind of new hires were experiencing because I had done it firsthand. So I think founders should almost do like every job for like a little bit just to get that experience."Eoin shares: - How they got tier one investors for Tines' Series A and Series B rounds, totalling ~$115 million - Why, at one point or another, all founders should wear every hat- AI meets snake oil: why the early days put him off- The two biggest things stopping AI from being transformative- How as CEO he maintains the energy to constantly want to grow and learnand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by SaaStock Founder Member Dee Coakley, Co-Founder & CEO at Boundless, who shares her journey achieving growth through challenging times. "There's a founder called Ian Nolan, CEO of a company called Bright Flag. And I remember going for a coffee with him and I remember it so clearly. We were at about 400k or I was focused on getting to a million. And then he said, slow down, slow down. Where are you at today? What's happening today? He was asking me how frequently we were closing a new logo and he said, look, you're closing. Maybe it was one customer a week at the time. He said, your problem isn't getting to 2 million ARR. The problem you have to solve now is how do you close two customers a week? Just focus on that. And I love the simplicity of that and I apply it to so many things right now. Don't run before you can walk. Just figure out that next little step."Dee shares:- Building fanbases: from artist management in the music industry to founding a SaaS company- Why investing in content was (and is) the cornerstone of their go to market strategy- Why you should never ask more than three people for advice about one problem- Eat, sleep and breathe spreadsheet numbers - on repeat- Focus, luck, and long term betting: learning to walk before you runand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Mikita Mikado, Co-Founder & CEO at Unicorn SaaS PandaDoc, who shares his lessons in scaling past $100M ARR."It takes a lot of patience to run a business at scale. I'm not sure I have it, I feel like I need to build a lot of it. And this tendency of, like, getting something done instead of having conversations around the topic so that people get an insight or bring their perspective on, like, how something needs to be done. It's a really tough transition and I still struggle with it."Mikita shares:- Getting to $1M ARR and the tedious work that went into building a functioning customer flywheel- From hiring generalists to specialising teammates - How PandaDoc's tenure-defying CROs helped make the company what it is today- The important transition to optionality (and why he struggles with it)- A sneak peek into his SaaStock Europe 2024 speaking sessionand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Dan Uyemura, gym turned SaaS enthusiast and Founder & CEO at PushPress, who shares his story building PushPress to $13M ARR."Everybody has tried being the CEO, I think it just stuck with me. And probably I'm the most natural fit to be the CEO that we need at PushPress, because even though I consider myself mostly an introvert and somebody who wants to just sit in my room by myself and do what I have to do, being a CEO - the CEO that PushPress needed was an outfacing, stand on a soapbox and talk to the world CEO - and of the three founders, I'm actually the probably the most equipped to do that."Dan shares:- His lifelong entrepreneurial journey from paper routes and lemonade stands to founder & CEO- The one thing that landed them their first investor- Loans, free money, and speakeasy fitness during Covid- Building a high trust quotient with clients- Creating leverage in a companyand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by serial founder Patrick Barnes, co-founder & CEO at AMP, who shares his lessons from the first time to make the second time easier."One of the things we did when we first started the company was actually acquire a small SaaS company, or really more of a product, just with our own money. The reason we acquired it is it had 2,000 customers and having angry customers is a beautiful thing. Anybody listening to this who has customers that wouldn't get angry if the product went down, like should just shut the company down and work on something else. Like you want people calling you up, telling you it needs to do more things, saying, "hey, this bad thing happened, this is terrible". It was a great way for us to get this injection of the customer voice, of the urgency into the company and sort of skip those first, say, six or nine months."Patrick shares:- How (and why) to adapt leadership style when managing a larger team- Getting to eight figures in ARR within 24 months- Why starting with the customer and working backwards is key- Why there needs to be just one CEO- How to get faster at recognising mistakes as a leaderand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Justas Malinauskas, Co-Founder & CEO Whatagraph, who shares his three key growth lessons in getting Whatagraph past $5M ARR."I get it. There's a lot of trend about bootstrapping in VC, and my point of view is if you can bootstrap and still maintain high growth and your business is feasible for that, that's great, do that. And I think if you can deploy more money and grow the business in a year instead of three years, so you should do that. So that's why these funds are there, just to speed up the growth. If the money doesn't speed up your growth, then for sure, why get it?"Justas shares:- His generational advantage towards tech- Whatagraph's founding story, including their north-star focus on the end user- Why retesting marketing channels is crucial to company growth- How to combine strengths and weaknesses of your product to make the customer successful- The benefits of joining founder peer groups; from unbiased advice to genuine connection building- The compounding interest of consistency and disciplineand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we're back at the SaaStock Growth Stage for an insightful panel discussion between David Appel (Head of SaaS & Software Vertical at Sage Intacct), Kathrin Koedderitz (Sr Sales Director at Globalization Partners), Ferran Puig (Director of Partnerships & Business Development at Capchase), and Zack Lipton (Sr Revenue Enablement Manager - EMEA at Salesloft). "When we started Salesloft in EMEA, we had one sales rep that was stellar. Everyone would just watch his calls. They all knew – watch his calls. And he got really good by watching one of the reps in the US. And it's just, you know, very informal, institutional knowledge but the point I'm trying to make here is, if you can identify that then you can coach that behaviour into people. You can tell people who the top performers are, you can make your top performers more vocal so that other people know where to find that content," Zack Lipton, Senior Revenue Enablement Manager at SalesloftThe session was packed full of actionable takeaways to revitalise your sales team, including:- How and why to focus on innovation- OKRs and how to track and adapt long term goals- How to combat lengthening sales cycles- How you can coach and develop your sales reps to learn from top performers- And more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we're live from the SaaStock USA Scale Stage with Klaviyo President Steve Rowland. "No matter where you live, there's this nice radius that you travel and you run all your errands in. I like to go into the local coffee shop or maybe you've got a favourite wine store or maybe a clothing store or a technology store. It's always such a cool feeling when they go, hey, Steve, it's great to see you. We want to be known and we want to be understood, and we want to feel connected to the places we visit physically. That's really hard to do in a digital world because our radius is not 10 miles or 10 kilometres. It's infinite. I buy my deodorant from an Australian company. Is that weird? But they know me. So we have that connection that we want to have as individuals and humans. And so how do you create that in a digital world? That's what we enable," Steve Rowland, President at KlaviyoIn discussion with Creator Match Founder AJ Eckstein, Steve shares practical tips drawn from his 25 years of experience in tech and SaaS. You'll learn: - Valuable insights from Klaviyo’s journey to IPO- How to generate a durable growth business- What it takes to build a globally differentiated go-to-market functionCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://saastock-europe.com/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we're live from the SaaStock USA Scale stage where CEO Coach Mark MacLeod shares strategic insights and practical habits for sustainable success."In January 2021, I attended a retreat on the theme of self mastery with my guru and yoga teacher. As part of that, she had us write our eulogy. So I had to write about my life as if it was in the past and write about how people would describe me. What impact did I have? What values did I live by? How did I touch their lives? What did I stand for? I don't really believe in legacy because there's 8 billion people. I don't actually matter. But you know, how did people remember me until they forget me? There's nothing like looking in your life through the rear view mirror from the point of view of your death to clarify how you should live and the choices you should make today."In the episode, Mark shares:- His journey as a leader and how that experience led him to become a coach.- The aspects of CEO life and hustle culture that lead to burnout and chronic stress.- His reflections on his time as CFO at Freshworks and how jobs can be all encompassing.- Why leading with intention should be your North Star and how to do it.- How to take the intention you have as a CEO and apply it to other aspects of your life.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Eoin Bara, CEO of Tipple, who shares how Tipple won five billion dollar customers in its first year of operation."There's a lot of SaaS companies that do one thing, and I think there is a trend in the market towards consolidation. So if you look at, like, employer records and HRIS systems benefits tools, right, I think there's going to be consolidation of those into one tool. You know, we look at Revolut now doing expenses, you know, you look at offering other products, that's going to be the thing. It's 1. finding the thing that's going to be the killer feature that brings the customers in the cutting through the noise of marketing and like getting to your target customer, then it's going to market getting scale."Eoin shares:- His journey from being a UX designer working with the likes of Goldman Sachs, Vodafone, like Aer Lingus, to 'starting a side hustle' now known as Tipple- How fond memories of his childhood in Tullamore influenced an expression in booze- How building infrastructure for the alcohol industry led to winning the RFP and getting their first billion-dollar customer- The aftermath of winning the SaaStock 2023 Pitch Competition; "inbound from VC's just went nuts"- Their strategy for winning customers; including market education and balancing inbound & outboundand more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we're live from the SaaStock USA scale stage where Jake Dunlap (CEO, Skaled) and Kevin "KD" Dorsey (Sales Leadership Accelerator & Consultant) go head to head in their session on 'The Great Debate: What You Need to Know about AI in Sales'.Ready for a debate? KD and Jake share what you NEED to know when it comes to AI and sales. The future of sales is human powered by AI, and these two renowned sales experts will arm and argue the knowledge and skills you need to thrive in this ever-evolving era. Through the lens of friendship, leadership and sales enablement, these two will debate it out together.Listen to the full episode, watch the video below and subscribe to the SaaS Revolution Show podcast today.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by David Politis, Founder and Executive Chairman at BetterCloud. "If you think about the journey of a company in the various stages of a business, we were getting to a scale where it made sense to find a partner who has a track record of taking companies to that next level, organically and inorganically, just to be really transparent. They have multiple ways of getting businesses to that next level, and we wanted to find a partner who could do that with us."In the episode, David shares:- How entrepreneurial spirit runs in the family- His journey to founding BetterCloud- BetterCloud's journey to $100M ARR- The decision to acquire G2's G2 Track product- How the role of a CEO changes as you scale - The top three things from the Startup Founder Survival Guide- And more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Tim Schumacher, co-founder of saas.group, as he shares his insights on exiting your SaaS business. "The one thing that's moved the needle every time is being open about certain problems which appear in one business and solving them myself, in a way, and that usually made a good business. And those were always been than the ones where I was just looking at some general trend I didn't really understand, those were my failures."Tim shares:- Growing his first business: from three friends in a garage to 300 people (before then selling to United Internet!)- His beginnings in angel investing and what constitutes a fundable founder- A saas.group snapshot: 20 companies acquired ranging between $1-$10M ARR- The key steps involved with acquisitions (and why soul searching is #1)- His advice to founders considering an acquisition... and why it's important to remember valuation is just one factor!and more.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
Live from the SaaStock USA 2024 Scale Stage, Kyle Lacy (CMO, Jellyfish) tells marketing leaders the five ways to not get fired. "I believe marketing should have a seat at the table for all four of these to force alignment, because you are the hub and spoke of the go to market model - in my opinion. So that's why it's important that you at least help own, or at least help report, on these things."The average tenure of a marketing and sales leader at a high-growth startup is short, and it’s short for a reason. How do you build staying power at any company as a marketing leader? It’s important to build specific strategies to gain a seat at the proverbial table. Join Kyle as he walks you through the five ways to position yourself as a marketing leader, from revenue alignment to owning a pipeline/revenue number.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined live at SaaStock USA 2024 by Ashley Grech, CRO at Xero, as she shares the five key moments to drive revenue growth & customer retention.While we're all familiar with sales cycles and customer life cycles, when you take a deeply customer-centric view, there are a few moments that really matter in revenue and retention, and it behooves you as a leader to think through how you handle each of them in order to turn them into force multipliers for your funnel and customer relationship. These moments include: First impressions, Conversion, Establishment, Growth (cross-sell and upsell), and When something goes wrong. Tune in to hear GTM expert Ashley Grech, CRO at Xero, discuss.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
A company is essentially two things: a group of people and a collection of decisions. How those people make these decisions is the art of running a business (37signals). We make decisions every single day, it’s what often dictates the direction of a business. Some decisions work out and some don’t. Some are quick to make and some tough to call. You’ll never be able to consider every single piece of data, analysis or consequence when making a decision - sometimes a decision has to be made from the gut. Legendary founder, Jason Fried is joined by SaaStock’s CEO, Alex Theuma, to share his decision making philosophy and answer some of the biggest questions founders face today.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Aytekin Tank, CEO of Jotform, as he shares how he bootstrapped a unicorn SaaS with teams of no more than six people."One interesting number I can give is, like, we always had this 50% revenue growth rate and we still have that. That's very interesting. Actually, if we didn't develop the enterprise version, we would actually lose that - we would probably drop down to like 30%. But then the enterprise came to help, and we still have that 50% growth rate today."Aytekin shares:- The one thing he did pre-Jotform that meant he had a much smoother ride in becoming an entrepreneur- Why he's a big believer of free products, and how that goodwill leads to paying customers- How being a company of small cross functional teams has kept a positive company culture- The makeup of each team and how they cultivate innovation, productivity, and creativity- The building blocks of success, where technical skills meet business skillsand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined live at SaaStock USA 2024 by Kyle Hanslovan, co-founder & CEO at Huntress."That nuance of finding the green field, the niche, is probably the single biggest differentiator that will help you escape and go, you know, you can sell to finds at one million or make five million in revenue, but to escape ten you have to have a process and you have to have a real market that is differentiated and that niche will get you there if you can just really ask yourself 'am I differentiated' and again, I didn't respect that."Kyle shares:- The journey to $1M and then $10M ARR- His process of finding and engaging channel partners- His biggest challenge over the next year, and how he plans to solve it- The reality of 'hire slow, fire fast', incl. open communication and employee churn- When work life balance meets sacrifice - is it one you're truly willing to make?and more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Jake Dunlap, CEO of Skaled, who shares the innovations in sales required to hit your goals."Relevancy cuts through the noise. That is the only way to be successful - that is it, it is singular. If your team and your organisation cannot send relevant messages, whether it's via video, whether it's via LinkedIn, voice-note, whether it's email or call, you will not generate meetings. So that's where the human comes in."Jake shares:- The most important thing that CEOs should be doing right now- The core component of hitting outbound targets- Modern sales processes and the vecs concept: vetted, educated, cold and self service - Relevancy vs personalisation, and the only way to win- Meeting the modern customer where they stand- 40% of buyers would like the option to self service buy at 2030, where do sales reps fit in?and more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Adam Robinson, founder & CEO of Retention.com, who shares his lessons from when a bootstrapper tries to grow like a venture backed company."The word bootstrap mostly describes 'okay, I got it to 3 million, it's making a million and a half bucks. I don't have a lot of employees, I don't have a lot of problems, this is great'. The problem is like, most of those companies are actually just slowly dying. But what creating companies like that can allow you to do is you get it to that; you get somebody else running it, and then you try to tinker around and like, make another one. By the time you're like, 'oh, this is working, I'm actually going to focus on it', It ends up being bigger than the last one."Adam shares:- His 10 year stint working "The Big Short"- Equating entrepreneurship with being able to be present- Hustle meets reality: why five years went by before he paid himself a dollar- Churn dynamic and financial discipline - The most capital efficient way to spread awareness in your buyers- The art of getting unstuck and the entrepreneurial cycleand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by David Klein, Co-founder and Managing Partner at One Peak, who shares his insights on how the SaaS and investing market is changing."1% increase in growth, the impact on valuation is the same as a 3% increase in profitability- even today. So growth is just valued at three times profitability, even today. And that number was about 12x in November 2021, so at the height of the bull market. So growth is, in our mind, still really important, and if you want to build a big business, you just have to grow. "David shares:- From resigning on the same day to where One Peak is today; $300M, $500M, and $1B funds- What lies ahead for the European and American markets- The shift from focusing on growth to profitability (and which is more important...)- The the return of the series a and the series b, an uptick in consolidations, and shifting goalposts- Bridge rounds - are they a necessary evil?and more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Ev Kontsevoy, CEO of Teleport, as he shares how to decide which baby to kill..."We never make obviously bad decisions. Every single decision seems rational in the moment. But there is like a certain trend - and the one thing that keeps biting me is ignoring complexity for too long. Eventually I self correct, and I just realised 'hey, the business is getting more complicated, the product is getting more complicated, the way we sell is getting more complicated.' And every time I kind of catch myself, like, I should have thought about this six months ago, now it's too complicated. So letting complexity creep in is just awful. Just don't do that."Ev shares:- Mailgun.com and the beginning of the cloud revolution- Creating a bubble for yourself: diving into internal and external motivators- Coding in a cave: building pieces of software that replace an entire part of an organisation- The year of two growing products - Evaluating total addressable market and the cost of building & maintaining: The trigger event that took the company to a one-product band- The positive randomness that helped Ev get to where he isand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Wes Bush, founder & CEO of ProductLed, who shares his thoughts on product led scale."PLG is going to become the de facto go to market motion that powers SaaS companies of the future, whether you like it or not, it's just everything's going that way. And so with that said, what I want to kind of emphasize is product led growth isn't the be all end all when it comes to actually building a product led business - it's actually just half of the story."Wes shares:- How they've helped their customers generate over a billion dollars of product led revenue- AI's impact on PLG- His most controversial PLG opinion - How to turn what you do best into generating new business - Ying & Yang: Why product led growth and being a product led organisation need to go hand in hand- Why challenging your boss can be key to team alignment- A sneak peek into his #SaaStockUSA session, including the nine core components that every founder needs to implement into their business and more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Martha Bitar, CEO at Flodesk, who shares the top 5 things that helped her bootstrap to $25M ARR. "Someone somewhere told us not to build code for our solution until we had a customer interview that made someone cry because - cry in a good way! - because they were so excited that their problem was finally getting a solution... And we did. At first when I heard it, I was like, of course no one is going to cry because this is not the type of problem that makes people cry. But we eventually did get someone who cried in a demo, and that's when we knew they were ready to build the code."Martha shares:🎨 Flodesk's story going from 0-$1M ARR in their first four months (and to $25M ARR today!)🎨 How they've stayed cash flow positive since day one as a bootstrapped company🎨 The importance of daily customer interviews - even if it means knocking on a neighbours door🎨 The Hotmail model: How viral loops allowed them to focus on making each new user hyper successful🎨 Rolling out an affiliate program and why you should never underestimate the small voices🎨 Why listening to gut instinct and the snap judgements of our subconscious mind can sometimes be better than critical analysisand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by SC Moatti, Managing Partner at Mighty Capital and SaaStock USA 2024 speaker extraordinaire, as she shares how to fix a broken GTM. "When you talk to product folks, what they love is they love good products. I mean, that's their nature. It's that idea that the best product wins is actually becoming a reality. Because when you sell to product people, they want to make sure you have a good product that's going to nicely integrate in their stack and we can talk about what makes a good product, but that's what wins right now."SC shares:🔥 How Mighty Capital is disrupting the dinosaurs 🔥 Why product managers build category kings🔥 David and Goliath: how a community introduction led to a 30% accelerated sales cycle and millions of dollars in revenue🔥 What you can do to rebuild your funnel🔥 Shrinking budgets left right and centre- what founders can do to sell🔥 Why product is poised to become the most important function in businessand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Denis Mosolov, Managing Partner Venture Debt at Flashpoint, as he discusses what's out there (from a founder's perspective) if you don't want to dilute. "It's a big challenge for us, because you know if your company's really going to take-off and show growth levels that are exciting for the VC community, you do need to invest and you do need to know how to raise capital. That's a skill that the founders need to have and so it is a red flag for me if something is like 100% bootstrapped, because there's a big question mark - 'are you guys actually able to raise capital?'"Denis shares:💫 Humble beginnings, half a billion under management, and three product lines later: Flashpoint's founding story💫 The current state of venture debt: from 'flight to brand' to extension rounds💫 Different sources of capital and their requirements - asset backed debt, convertibles, government subsidies, revenue-based financing, venture debt and more💫 When a founder would want to borrow against inventory vs seek out flexible non-dilutive capital, to non-dilutive expensive 'royalties'💫 His advice to 'hustle, scramble, make quick decisions, and be proactive'and more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Matthijs Welle, CEO at Mews, who shares his lessons building Mews to unicorn status and $100M ARR. "Recognise when we've got a challenge and address it. And I surround myself with phenomenal people, I'm not afraid of hiring people that are smarter than me around me, because I'm not always the smartest person. I have more context than anyone else, but these people lift me, and I think the best managers do that - they just find phenomenal talent and then trust that they are not going to be fighting, but showing up for the job and lifting you for the manager that you are."Matthijs shares: - Mews' founding story - from frustrations with a big marble block to building the next generation infrastructure system for hotels- The company's growth path (including 40 new hires MoM!)- From eight acquisitions to receiving $110M on top of raising a round - the pivotal moments speed and drive overlapped with opportunity- The ONE role that helped get them to the $10M ARR mark- Why someone giving them sht was a 'wake up call' to professionalise the business- When to pull away from entrepreneurial tendencies (including the micromanagement trap...)plus the best hotel he's ever* stayed in and how much they had to offer a Maine restaurant for the Mews.com domain Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
From the SaaStock USA 2023 Stage, Des Traynor (Co-founder & CSO at Intercom) discusses the 'Great AI Revolution', exploring just how epic the disruption could be.After many decades of over-promising and under-delivering, the AI revolution has finally arrived. Like every disruptive wave in software before it, it brings a whole host of opportunities for new market entrants, and threats for market incumbents. This talk is all about how to understand the new capabilities that have landed, think through product opportunities they imply, and ultimately capitalise on them, whether you’re a scrappy startup in its embryonic stage, or an established incumbent paranoid about the future.Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Todd Olson, founder & CEO of Pendo, who shares his lessons in building Pendo well past $100M ARR."I would say we're more aggressive than the average company. First off, there's rules. We are not a custom software shop, I do not build things for one customer. However, if there's something on our roadmap anyway and it's, I don't know, let's say, 12 months from now, and this prospect needs it now or sooner, I am willing to rearrange things. As I tell my prod teams "don't get married to your roadmap", married means you have emotional attachment to it and that you can't move things around, because what better proxy for prioritisation than speaking with the customer and them saying "I will buy now if you have it now"."Todd shares: - Pendo's founding story- The greatest signal of prioritisation a business can have- His philosophy of 'hiring for pain'- The impact active coaching had on his team- Their two year journey from $1M-$10M ARR: tripling growth rates and a high percentage of inbound demand- The three strategic anchors Pendo uses to make decisions, incl. being 'bold by choice'- How they've dealt with company growth often outpacing human and professional growthand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by founder & CEO lempire and SaaStock 2024 speaker, Guillaume Moubeche, as he shares how Lempire scaled from $10M to $23M ARR in two years (bootstrapped!)."I was not ambitious enough, for me my ambition was to get a salary so I could help my girlfriend at the time paying the rent. Eventually, having someone, you know, who sees things 10 to 20x bigger for yourself than you, is actually amazing and I think that was the biggest helper that basically forced me to think of things at a way bigger and larger scale."He shares: - Why achieving PMF doesn't mean everlasting success- Understanding the 'S curve' and its implications on a business- How his upbringing encouraged the bootstrapped mindset- If de-risking and ambition go hand in hand- The ultimate founder hack (bank loans up to 7x of your EBITDA)- Fostering motivation within the teamand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Peter Berg, Managing Partner at M12, who shares how AI will be used in the software industry."It's definitely changing, I think, the dynamic of the way software gets built, the speed at which it can get built. There are a lot of amazing tools. I mean, GitHub, obviously is one in the Microsoft ecosystem. GitHub copilot has been transformative, I think for developers, we've heard that from them directly, and I think that's only going to continue in the way software both gets built and as also the notion of what software is might potentially change as well."Peter shares:- His journey scaling Visa Ventures into a global program- How M12 source deal flow opportunities- The net new experiences and possibilities that are going to be created as a result of AI- Modernising legacy infrastructure with AI- The unintended consequences that may be on the horizonand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
From the SaaStock USA 2023 Stage, Thomas Smale (Founder and CEO of global M&A advisory firm FE International) shares what he’s learned from more than $1 billion in closed deals.Thomas shares:- Behind-the-scenes insights into which business models lead to the biggest exit prices- The business types that are most popular with buyers- How you can build a high-value business poised for a smooth exitand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operators are joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days of SaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Barb Hyman, founder & CEO at Sapia.ai, who shares how she overcame three big challenges to build an enterprise AI SaaS and raise $25M."So we tried and we didn't succeed in building a new category. We had this concept a couple of years ago when we rebranded to Sapia that we were going to build this category around smart interviewer. And reality is it takes a lot of money, it takes a lot of commitment, consistency, and focus. And we realised that we were too insular, we were too leading with our product rather than really leading with your problems. And so we've really pivoted now to focus less on the category and much more on "here's the value that you get".Barb shares:- The pervasive bias in tech companies and tackling mirror hiring- Why she believes the resume should've died a long time ago- How Sapia have scaled the science of a structured interview- Raising their $25M series A (incl having their largest customer invest in them!)- How they're solving turnover through machine learning- Why having integrity with customers means having integrity with VCsand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operators are joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days of SaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
From the SaaStock 2023 Bootstrap Stage, Jonathan Klahr (Managing Director at Susquehanna Growth Equity) is joined by Gregory Galant (Co-founder & CEO at Muck Rack) as he shares his journey of bootstrapping to $50M ARR and then raising a $180M Series A.Gregory shares:- Top lessons learned- Key moments and changing challenges on his way to bootstrapping to $50M ARR- When the turning point was when deciding to become VC backedand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operators are joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days of SaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Brendan Noud, co-founder & CEO at LearnUpon, who shares LearnUpon's journey scaling to $30M ARR and beyond."We're now rolling out proper territories, which we really haven't had, loosely up to now. But now we properly have that for our team, it's obviously a much bigger sales team, just the importance of functions like revops, starting to get into that level of data, and how you scale your go-to-market becomes much more important."Brendan shares:- His entrepreneurial journey; from tax returns at 11 years old to strategy consulting at KPMG- Why LearnUpon chose to bootstrap for their first 8 years- The ONE thing LearnUpon does to ensure team members are truly bought-in to the company's journey- The biggest accelerator that founders can control and how it leads to great growth- How they went from $10M to $30M ARR in four years (and their plan to get to $100M by 2030!)- How they navigated expanding into new marketsand more.---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operators are joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days of SaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Harrison Rose, co-founder & CEO at GoodFit.io, who shares why founders get outgrown and what to do about it."So the obsessive, like, need to get ahead of the company growth in yourself I think is important, but I think it's probably really important you focus on the right areas. I think generally we could all be more reflective just as people, so I encourage people to work with coaches and mentors to be honest with you, and recognising where you're both enjoying where you're spending your time, recognising where you're weak, recognising where you're willing and able to let others do work that maybe out of your week out are not enjoying, regardless of title as well sometimes."Harrison shares:- His journey in tech from the age of 17 (including co-founding Paddle with Christian Owens)- When (and how) he realised he wanted to take a step back from his role at Paddle- His GoodFit journey (including how they're growing 100% year on year)- Why founders stepping back can often get greenwashed- The 'year eight' phenomenon and the most common reasons founders move on from their roles- Recognising that you need to work on yourself as well as your businessand more.---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operators are joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days of SaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Alex Mifsud, co-founder & CEO at Weavr, who shares his lessons in scaling Weavr to 100+ people in 3 years."Try to imagine what the ideal, sort of, embedded finance equation of skills and capabilities would be for B2B SaaS businesses not to have to worry about all the complexities of financial services. We work backwards from that. We specifically identified skills that we need - it's like building a football team, you can't just have a great goalie, you've got to have the scorer, you've got to have the midfield players, and you're curating a lot of that. And yet, you also have to make them work as a team."Alex shares:- His role setting up the Malta Internet foundation in the early days of the internet- How Ixaris used the €80B grant from EU Horizon Program to build what is now called Embedded Finance- Why Weavr is being frugal with how they deploy their $50 million worth of capital (majority of which is still in the business)- Delivering success with a smaller team = higher engagement x less communication overheads- How Weavr's building performance frameworks that serve a higher purposeand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Jean-Laurent Pelissier, Managing Director; Head of Enterprise Software EMEA at HSBC Innovation Banking, who shares the different sources of financing in the current fundraising environment."But the whole team basically stayed together. I think if we look at the SVB UK company that was acquired by HSBC, we've had very little employee churn overall, which is fantastic. And I do think that's a testament to the leadership, the ability to retain the employees and also the customer base. I think HSBC was able to bring stability to our customers in a very short order, which was fantastic. And that was kind of the number one priority there."Jean-Laurent shares:🏦 The transition after HSBC's acquisition of SVB UK🏦 If highly efficient growth is going to be the new normal 🏦 At what stage valuations are much more resilient (and why)🏦 In which circumstances he recommends venture debt to venture capital🏦 Combining recurring revenue lines and venture debt facilities to cover different use cases🏦 Why he's cautiously optimistic for 2024and more. ---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by SaaStock Founder Member Jamie Akhtar, co-founder & CEO at CyberSmart, who shares how to build your team and performance as you scale to $5M ARR."Your challenges just shift - in many ways they become more difficult because you're doing stuff that you've never done before. For me, it's been about being passionate. I literally have a mouse map that says 'I love Mondays, My Favourite Day of the Week.' I'm super passionate about what we do and the people we work with, and I think that's allowed me to move the needle the most."Jamie shares:- His entrepreneurial journey (including never having been employed by another company!) - Going from startup to scaleup- Establishing a communication hierarchy as a company grows- How they cracked a certain part of the market- Sharing regular, consistent updates means building discipline- Raising ~ £20M and having 60 investors on their cap tableand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined live from the #SaaStock2023 Podcast Stage by Amir Orad, ex-CEO and now Executive Chairman at Sisense, who shares his lessons in scaling over $150M ARR - twice!"Someone very smart once told me "the last hundred days are as important as the first hundred days". We all talk about the first hundred days when you're joining a company, but the last hundred days - how to manage transition, an exit, when to do it, do it gracefully, professionally - is as important."Amir shares:🔥 Why succeeding means challenging the status quo and reinventing things🔥 His favourite steroid for startups🔥 Why you can't hire your way out of finding product market fit🔥 Finding product market fit is an art and a science, a gut feeling and numbers🔥 Why he moved from the CEO role to an executive chairman role🔥 The importance of looking from the outside in as a senior leaderand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined live from the #SaaStock2023 Podcast Stage by April Dunford, founder & CEO at Ambient Strategy, who shares how to craft a story to stand out and win. "Part of it is opening up the eyes of the customer, looking at the problem in maybe a different perspective or maybe a different way - introducing some concepts that maybe they never thought about. So most sales pitches do not have a section of that pitch that specifically covers discovery. So if you look at when marketing builds a sales pitch, they literally will have this pitch, and if you look at it, you'd be like "well, where does the discovery happen?" and marketing is like "I don't know, that's some weird sales thing, maybe they do that before". And that's a crazy way to think about discovery - discovery should be something that's woven into the actual narrative of the pitch itself."April shares:📲 Why defining your positioning is key to a good sales pitch (and how to do that!)📲 How to contextualise differentiated value to your customers 📲 How to use the low-hanging fruit of a sales pitch to your advantage📲 Why the discovery phase needs to be baked into the setup and structure of the pitch📲 The best process for testing a new sales pitch (and why it's not with existing customers or A/B testing on homepages)📲 How to get marketing and sales to build effective pitches togetherand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Thibaut De Lataillade, Global Vice President of Product at Gartner Digital Markets, who shares what software buyer regret is and how to avoid it."Work on the right things and great results will follow. It sounds very simple, but it means a lot. I mean, it means every day focusing on what matters and being able to say no to low leverage activities."Thibaut shares:⭐️ The pros and cons of having four brands under the Gartner Digital Markets umbrella⭐️ Why 60% of software buyers experience regret (and how no industry is exempt from that!)⭐️ How a misalignment between sales and implementation can lead to over-promising and under-delivering⭐️ Why validated, credible user reviews are crucial⭐️ Understanding the regret warning signs⭐️ Why he recommends The Culture Map by Erin Meyerand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Itamar Novick, Founder & General Partner at Recursive Ventures, who his insights and advice on how to raise your first round. "I think that your odds of success building a startup are much higher if at least one person on the founding team has some orientation to do sales, right? If everybody's technical and everybody's introverted, who's going to talk with customers? Who's going to succeed in doing that?"Itamar shares:⚡️ Why he doesn't want to make Recursive Ventures a multi-partner fund⚡️ His decision to intentionally not take board seats⚡️ Demystifying pre-seed investment rounds⚡️ His advice on not raising money from VCs unless a founder wants to build a VC backable company - that means showing a path to $500k - $1B in revenue for seven to ten years from now⚡️ Why fundraising is a sales effort - as well as high quality collateral, founders need to be able pitch very well and very quickly⚡️ Why he encourages entrepreneurs to consistently build relationships with people in the startup and VC ecosystemand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined live from the #SaaStock2023 Podcast Stage by Lucie Buisson, Chief Product Officer at unicorn SaaS Contentsquare, who shares her lessons in product. "My job is not to create the product anymore - my job is to create the team that is going to create the product. So you need to be ready to be less focussed on the product and more focussed on building the teams that build the product."Lucie shares:🎯 Why generating traction, retaining customers, and having validation from the market is crucial before creating a second product🎯 The importance of journey mapping; particularly when expanding geographies🎯 Why being CPO means being less focused on the product and more focused on building the team🎯 Contentsquare's journey from $30M ARR to $100M ARR🎯 The value of starting small🎯 The importance of an alpha, a beta and a progressive deployment phase when building a second product🎯 How product and marketing can (and should) work effectively togetherand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Mike Tessler, Managing Partner at True North Advisory and founding CEO at BroadSoft, who shares his lessons in building BroadSoft to a $2 billion exit. I had to reserve more time in my pie for internal communications, culture, employees, so on. As a leader, you've got shareholder stakeholders, you have employee stakeholders, you have customer stakeholders, and you've got to figure out how you split your time. Mike shares:⚡️ BroadSoft's journey from their 1998 founding, to going public in 2010 on Nasdaq, and being acquired by Cisco in 2018 for upwards of $1.8B⚡️ The decision making process behind selling BroadSoft to Cisco⚡️ Three key lessons from scaling the business to $500M+ ARR⚡️ Building realistic execution plan and holding teams accountable⚡️ Why the senior team have to act as ambassadors as a company grows⚡️ BroadSoft's secret to success with go to market partners⚡️ The biggest partner technology challenge the industry is currently facing⚡️ How he handled feelings of loneliness when at the topand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel and #SaaStock2023 speaker, who shares insights into the Cloud Euroscape 2023 on Generative AI."An IPO is primarily a financing event, right? These companies don't need the cash right now because they have a lot of cash on their balance sheet, so there is no need to go public. What is important for me, is for a company to continue to perform, to become really enduring and a category defining company, and I think, to me, that's what is the most important. Then at the right time, they're going to go public... but that's just going to be a milestone in their journey. I think the journey is the most important and making sure that all these companies are going to continue to grow and be category defining."Filmed the week prior to SaaStock 2023, Philippe shared: ☁️ Accel's take on the slow-down in growth stage investments this year☁️ How the European cloud ecosystem has shown its resilience and strength in the last few years☁️ Why they chose Generative AI as this year's Cloud Euroscape theme☁️ The trends that are going to redefine the next 2-3 years☁️ Revenue, profitability, M&A trends: how is the industry comparing to previous years?☁️ What a SaaS company needs to have to make it into the Cloud 100and more!Download Accel's Euroscape 2023 here: https://www.accel.com/euroscape---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Jonny White, founder & CEO at Ticket Tailor, who discusses their move from a lifestyle business to a growth business. "Who are you afraid of failing in front of? Confidence has definitely held me back over the years, and this question really put it into perspective of, well, why I'm afraid of failing. And it's usually to do with someone else's perspective. And when you ask that question, you can really break it down and think, actually, do you know what? I'm not afraid of failing in front of anyone."Jonny shares: 🚀 Why he chose to bootstrap Ticket Tailor🚀 The anti-climatic reality of getting acquired (and why he bought Ticket Tailor back!)🚀 How they got from $2K MRR to over $5M in revenue🚀 Why they moved from a lifestyle business to a growth business🚀 How working with a coach helped propel the business🚀 The importance of keeping a lean mindset and strategically building out the teamand more! ---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2023: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2023/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/homeCheck out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Alex David, co-founder & COO of Corrily, to share their YC story and how they won the SaaStock USA Global Pitch Competition earlier this year. "There’s a lot of survivor bias in the startup world - like you don’t really hear about the founders who have failed, you hear about the ones who are successful so you compare yourself to them and you’re like “well I’m not that”. And so I think, that I hesitated to go into that space for a long time because of it, but you know, maybe that was fine because I learned a lot in my career and by having held off I bring a lot more experience to the table than I otherwise would have. Part of why we are having the success that we have is that none of us are college dropouts or first few years in our careers - all of us have had careers, and we’re kind of bringing that weight to the table of you know 10ish+ years of work experience and really bringing that to the forefront of what we’re doing."Alex shares:🥇 His YC experience🥇 The benefits of their 'follow the sun' model🥇 From starting as an awareness play to finishing as the Global Pitch Competition winner🥇 The value in getting honest, real feedback from the judges🥇 The immediate introductions made after winning the competition, including one of the managing partners at Sapphire Ventures🥇 His advice on building the right team early on🥇 The biggest monetisation mistake SaaS companies are makingand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2023: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2023/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Lloyed Lobo, co-founder at Boast AI, who shares how he bootstrapped to $10M ARR and then exited through private equity. "I know it’s an overused term “your network is your net worth”, but trust me, it’s the best way to engineer privilege. You may not have a network or you may not have influence, but if you create influence - just the compound interest on creating that influence - giving, giving, helping, bringing people together over time is you’re going to have everything you want."Lloyed shares: ⚡️ His childhood in Kuwait and the positive impact the community had on him ⚡️ Why risk and companionship are part of his DNA⚡️ Getting to eight figures in revenue with no marketing spend⚡️ Why ignoring the influence of luck is a mistake⚡️ The impact financial freedom had on his mental healthand more!---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2023: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2023/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Carl Fritjofsson, General Partner at Creandum, who discusses what's required to raise VC in this changing world."Put the work that you do, both internally in how you build your own processes, but also the end product experience - put that through a lens of generative AI to see where things can be improve, where efficiency can be gained or where new value can be created. I think the next generation of companies will certainly have some kind of AI capabilities deeply ingrained in their DNA."Carl shares:🎯 His experience with imposter syndrome🎯 Mistakes when basing their strategy and path on market externalities and competition🎯 Battle scars from growing the business🎯 The value of having a strong underdog mentality🎯 If expectations have changed for desired year on year growth🎯 If implementing AI in your business is truly necessary 🎯 Why energy beats brainsand more! ---Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders- SaaStock Dublin 2023: The largest concentration of SaaS decision makers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, and learning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2023/)- SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)- SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world, bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Angeley Mullins, Chief Commercial Officer at Resourcify, who shares if branding in B2B SaaS has taken a back seat. "So every founder and CEO has a voice, they founded their company for a reason, most people that founder their companies, you know, are overcoming a ton of adversity to found their companies and to raise capital. So use your voice, and whichever medium that works for you, if it’s giving panel sessions, if it’s being on the news, if it’s writing articles, doing a content blog, like you said it depends on the type of company and what they’re selling. You have a voice, and use it. That’s the most important thing."Angeley shares: 🔥 Being a builder vs an optimiser🔥 The value of team consensus and cohesion🔥 Being in an era of sustainable revenue growth 🔥 The relationship between product market fit and brand identity 🔥 Building a brand that will keep paying off overtime (best done at Series A stage)🔥 If TikTok is effective for B2B🔥 The importance of being fearless. More people are afraid of success than they are of failureand more!Check out the other ways SaaStock is serving SaaS founders🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2024: 1500+ B2B SaaS founders, investors and operatorsare joining us in the 'Silicon Hills' of Austin, Texas for three days ofSaaS magic (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-usa/)🇮🇪 SaaStock Dublin 2024: The largest concentration of SaaS decisionmakers in one place for three days of networking, connecting, andlearning all things SaaS (https://www.saastock.com/saastock-2024/)🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaSfounders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth andhelping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the mostpressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Eynat Guez, Co-founder & CEO at SaaS unicorn Papaya Global, who discusses how she scaled the company beyond $100 million ARR."So, thinking on scale and thinking of really, really good processes and infrastructures is very important at this stage because otherwise you're just going to find yourself in an endless loop when you are trying to catch up people; we are trying to understand what they need. And obviously, I mean, this will impact their ability to grow, this will impact their ability to meet their targets. And then you're going to find yourself in the second loop, which you're constantly replacing people and training new people, but then you are not changing the narrative or changing the problem that you have."Eynat shares:🔸 Growing the business 300% YoY since year one 🔸 How keeping a lean team helped them scale quicker🔸 Raising $5M in their first three years, and $445M in the following five🔸 The importance of choosing the right clients at the right time- in the early days, focus on those with standards and needs you can meet vs the 'big-name' logos🔸 Why the first $1M needs to be sold by the founder, not a salesperson🔸 Their initial struggle around training infrastructuresand more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Isaiah Studivent, CEO Evron, and Chalique Seabron, COO Evron, who discuss what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
Isaiah and Chalique share: 🔥 The 72 hour call that turned into building Evron 🔥 The hustle - going door to door for their first prop tech customer 🔥 The entrepreneurial founder mindset: humble, positive, and a little bit delusional 🔥 Driving several million in pipeline for their customers 🔥 Marketing isn't magic: communicating expectations with their clients early on
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Godard Abel, Co-founder and CEO of G2, who shares the importance of applying AI to reimagine your product and your company to make a quantum leap forward in tough times.
It'll be easier to get from hundred to a billion than it was to get from, frankly, zero to one, you know, or even zero to a thousand dollars is the hardest right? And then I think each order of magnitude gets a bit easier if you stay with it. But it's, I'd say years of grinding. And then eventually we figured out the flywheel and it started spinning.
Godard shares: ⭐️ G2 becoming the buffet of SaaS and software ⭐️ Their 2-3 year journey to get to $1M ARR ⭐️ The AI alphabet - from LLMs to vector databases ⭐️ Launching Monty - G2’s first ever AI virtual assistant ⭐️ Having to seize technology faster than the big industry leaders ⭐️ His 15+ years of working with conscious leadership coaches and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Zandra Moore, Co-founder and CEO of Panintelligence, who shares the six secrets of SaaS success.
"That ideal customer profile. So we have ten characteristics on what looks like a good customer - if they don't fit those, they don't go into the funnel. Constantly making sure that we're looking. And whilst that isn't a measure, it's actually something that we use to measure the quality of our pipeline."
Zandra shares: • Her journey from employment into self employment • Solving a problem: drawing data out of cloud based systems • The story of their management buyout (including carrying the server across a car park!) • Raising $4.5M in 2019 through private equity and VC • The importance of getting product market fit right • Why there's a fundamental pipeline issue in the (low) amount of females in tech, and ways to improve that
and more!
NEW on the SaaS Revolution Show! We're thrilled to have had the ultimate compliance and security connoisseur, Stevie Case, CRO at Vanta (a unicorn SaaS), join our founder Alex Theuma for this latest episode 🦄🔥
After taking to the #SaaStockUSA Growth Stage alongside Will May (CRO, ClickUp) and Paul De Barros (Sales & Success, Salesroom) for their fireside on "The Future of Selling; PLG, Playbook Selling and Partners", Stevie joined Alex at the Podcast Stage for their live episode recording on What a CRO Does, and Why and When You Need One... 🤔
Stevie shares: ⚡️ Her journey from being the world's first female pro gamer to working in tech ⚡️ Why recruiting a great CRO means going against traditional interview processes ⚡️ How a CRO's responsibilities are reminiscent to a game ⚡️ Vanta's founding story ⚡️ The importance of the CRO to CEO relationship ⚡️ Dealing with copycat competitors
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Chris Herd, Founder & CEO at Firstbase, who shares how Firstbase grew to an eight-figure ARR with a 2,500+% increase in inbounds.
"If you want to replicate office working remotely, you probably shouldn't work remotely, because you're not leveraging the benefits. The benefits are you can hire people anywhere, you can hire the most talented people in the world not the most talented person you can afford in a certain mile radius of your office. You can put people in a position to do the best work that they've ever done in their lives because they can do their best work, organise their life around that, and work when they're most productive."
Chris shares: 🧑💻 His journey from semi-pro soccer to architecture to founding a company 🧑💻 The US being more conducive to risky ventures vs the UK 🧑💻 Firstbase's VC journey 🧑💻 The mindset shift in what being productive looks like 🧑💻 Why hiring the most talented people means meeting them where they are 🧑💻 Navigating company culture and burnout in remote work
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Ryan Staley, Founder & CEO at Whale Boss, who shares how he grew Whale Boss from $5M ARR to $30M ARR in 3.5 years.
Ryan shares: 🔥 His passion for podcasting and starting his Scale Up series 🔥 How to do eight hours of work in 20 minutes 🔥 Overcoming the challenges of building pipeline in SaaS 🔥 His method of creating a steady flywheel of content 🔥 The importance of creating hyper-intentional referral systems 🔥 The hardest things about sales in 2023
and more!
NEW on the SaaS Revolution Show! We're thrilled to have serial entrepreneur and multi-time Unicorn Status SaaS founder Jason Cohen join our founder Alex Theuma for this latest episode 🦄🔥
After giving his #SaaStockUSA Scale Stage keynote on Building a Practical Strategy With the Whole Team, Jason joined Alex at the Podcast Stage for their live episode recording on Engaging Everyone in the Company in a Practical Way 🤝
Jason shares: 🚀 His journey from founding Smart Bear (a SaaS unicorn), to stay-at-home dad, to WP Engine (also a SaaS unicorn! 🦄) 🚀 The human aspect of what it means to be an entrepreneur 🚀 The truth (and science!) of your business being your baby 🚀 Picking which bubble is right for you to be in 🚀 How it can be tough to build company culture and stay upbeat in this climate
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Nick Franklin, Founder & CEO at ChartMogul, who shares how and why ChartMogul became a multi product SaaS company.
Nick shares: ✅ Pros and Cons of ChartMogul’s hybrid remote working model ✅ His thoughts on ChartMogul’s competitors exiting ✅ Build vs Buy: ChartMogul’s true competition ✅ Being a multi-product company: why they released their most recent product ✅ One of the riskiest things you can do in life
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Frederico Hohagen, Co-founder & CEO at Maplink, who shares why and how this $30M ARR SaaS bought out its investors.
"Every contract is made for failure, not success. When you're signing a contract, it's because you have to work on everything that can go wrong, not go right. Because if everything's going right, why would you be signing?"
Frederico shares: 📌 Why and how Fred bought out your investors 📌 The process he followed 📌 Reflecting on it now, does he: 📌 Regret taking VC? 📌 Wish he changed anything? 📌 How long he bootstrapped for 📌 How his $15M round raised in 2014 changed the business
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Ed Lascelles, Partner at AlbionVC, and Deepali Nangia, Partner at Speedinvest, who share their experience as VCs on the early days of SaaS startups.
Ed and Deepali share: 🥇 The journey vs the destination - Deepali’s move into becoming a partner 🥇 Why they encourage founders to focus on team building and go to market 🥇 The lifeblood of the early-stage ecosystem 🥇 Advice for those raising seed funding 🥇 Why founders need to heavily emphasise company culture 🥇 Inspirational SaaS companies breaking barriers (including Surfboard, Darktrace, Onfido, Quantexa)
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Meron Colbeci, Chief Product Officer at Checkout.com, who shares how they built a market leading product.
"I don’t think that it’s ‘important’ - it’s absolutely critical to figure out the full monetisation strategy or ‘how does this become a business’ from the very first day."
Meron shares: 📌 His journey from Paypal to Facebook (Meta) to Checkout.com 📌 The importance of value alignment with coworkers 📌 Driving virality with group products 📌 Starting lean when building a product team 📌 Being an intensely customer focused business 📌 How product and AI will (…or won’t) work hand in hand
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Marie Martens, Co-Founder of Tally, who shares how the company bootstrapped to 60K MRR with a team of five.
"So we thought 'what if we can make forms fun again?' What if we can make a form builder that is actually enjoyable and that people like to use - because forms are just really boring. It is a very competitive space but then we thought if we are going to bootstrap it, it is easier to grab 1% of a really big market than to grab 100% of a small niche one, so let's just try this. We know the demand is there, and that's how we came up with the idea of building Tally."
Marie shares: 🌟 Why they chose to bootstrap Tally 🌟 Generational expectations for how to 'set yourself up for success' vs reality 🌟 How they're positioning themselves against the competition 🌟 The journey of getting Tally's first users (including the little trick she used on ProductHunt!) 🌟 Why Tally chose a freemium model and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by SaaStock USA 2023 speaker and the Co-Founder & CEO at Lative: Werner Schmidt!
Werner shares: ⚡️ Building his own company and culture as an entrepreneur ⚡️ Going from bootstrapped to raising $1.5 million ⚡️ Lative's upcoming focus on go to market ⚡️ The importance of trusting your instinct ⚡️ How to get the most ROI from your sales team ⚡️ Why a successful onboarding improves ramp times
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Tom Lavery, Founder & CEO Jiminny, who shares the story of how they got to $3M ARR with no sales OR marketing team.Tom shares: 🔥 Why they didn’t follow the ‘growth at all costs’ mentality 🔥 How they realised that at 700k ARR, that they didn't have product market fit🔥 Separating work-life from home-life when your co-founder is your partner🔥 The importance of running your own race and not focusing on competition🔥 Doing unscalable things to become scalable 🔥 Moving from founder-led sales to non-repeatable founder-led sales🔥 The impact of in-house training & personality profiling as a teamand more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Allan Mørch, Founder & CEO AskCody, who shares his story on resilience and how, after overcoming cancer, built a $5M ARR SaaS business. Allan shares:⚡️ The founding story of AskCody⚡️ His new perspective on life/business post-diagnosis⚡️ The importance of team communication and support⚡️The best advice he's ever received⚡️ The hardest thing about scaling in 2023⚡️ Why he joined the SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM)& more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Rob Walling, Co-Founder TinySeed, who shares how to build a $1 million startup with zero venture capital. Rob shares:🔥 Why he's spent 17 years helping founders🔥 The story behind selling Drip🔥 If bootstrapping is more commonplace/ easier in recent years🔥 Three key takeaways to get from zero to $1M🔥 What every bootstrapper in that revenue range should be doing🔥 The hardest thing about building a startup in 2023& more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Esben Friis-Jensen, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Userflow and SaaStockUSA speaker, who shares how SaaS orgs need to change to support PLG.In this episode you'll hear:⚡️ What shapes Esben as a person & entrepreneur⚡️ Why he's bootstrapping Userflow⚡️ How the current market is impacting him and his clients, and what he's doing to navigate through it⚡️ Why Userflow takes a PLG approach to building the business⚡️ The hardest thing about product-led growth⚡️ PLUS what Esben's most looking forward to at #SaaStockUSA& more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Sherrie Fernandes, Vice President of Product Management & User Experience at G-P (Globalization Partners), who shares what makes G-P a product led organisation.In this episode you'll hear:🚀 Three lessons from G-P's growth over the last two years🚀 The impact of G-P being female founder led🚀 Product-led initiatives that have moved the needle at G-P🚀 How her role drives growth within the business🚀 The best advice she's ever received& more!
From the SaaStock 2022 Scale Stage: Kieran Flanagan, CMO Zapier and ex-SVP Marketing at Hubspot, shares why HubSpot bet BIG on media. "The only difference between traditional media companies and software companies with media offerings within them, is really how they make money, right? Traditional media - ads and subscriptions, not a great business model. The subscriptions I think some media brands are going to do really well with them. Software and media, they make money through products and subscriptions, and the unit economics are much, much better. It does mean you have to think differently about how you measure this."No company becomes a success without doing things differently. To win, you need to make big bets and take hard decisions. This presentation goes behind the scenes on why HubSpot bet big on media by purchasing a media company and how that decision got made. We'll go through the insights and beliefs that drove the decision and our efforts to build a world-class media network.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma is joined by SaaStock Founder Member and CSO at Expandi: Stefan Smulders! Stefan shares how Expandi bootstrapped to $7M in just over two years.
"Go hire people, as I was scared to do it, somehow. It was all new for us, but I really feel good now beside all these people in the company call, as they are way more clever than me and are solving things faster... so it's kind of a relief."
In this episode Stefan shares:
🌟 Expandi's founding story
🌟 Why he joined the SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM)
🌟 How they scaled Expandi so quickly
🌟 Examples of what has worked well for the company
🌟 Their social focus (and why he got booted out of LinkedIn...!)
🌟 The hardest thing about bootstrapping a startup in 2023
🌟 Why he moved from CEO to CSO
and more!
Like what you hear? Join us at SaaStock USA 2023 happening 31 May - 2 June in the silicon-lit hills of Austin, Texas to network with SaaS powerhouses like Stefan in-person! 🇺🇸 Save an additional 10% on tickets using code 'SAASREV' https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa/discount/SAASREV
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Asia Orangio, Founder & CEO at DemandMaven and SaaStock USA speaker extraordinaire, who shares the top growth pitfalls that SaaS companies aren't expecting."No one will ever care more about your company than you, and that's not because they don't actually care about working for you, it's just the way that it is. You will naturally just simply care more, but that's not to say that you need to find people that care as much as you, it's much more like, you've got to come down a little bit. I've learned over the years, especially when it comes to hiring, it is natural for me to care 100%, maybe even 200%, but not everyone is going to be on that same level and that's actually OK."Asia shares: 🚀 What's shaped her as an entrepreneur🚀 How the current market is impacting her and her clients🚀 The top five unexpected growth pitfalls (including KPIs...)🚀 What one thing has moved the needle the most for DemandMaven🚀 A sneak peek into her speaking topic for SaaStock USA& more!Like what you hear? Join us at SaaStock USA 2023 happening 31 May - 2 June in the silicon-lit hills of Austin, Texas to network with Asia and other top-tier SaaS experts in-person! 🇺🇸Save an additional 10% on tickets using code 'SAASREV' https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa/discount/SAASREV
From the SaaStock 2022 Bootstrap Stage: Sujan Patel, Co-Founder at Mailshake, shares the 5 ways to identify, hire and retain rockstars for bootstrapped startups. Bootstrapped companies have a different DNA, a smaller budget and are competing with well funded startups or Goliaths. They have to do more with less. Sujan has bootstrapped 6 companies over the last 11 years and will share his secrets that will change your recruiting and hiring process forever.
From the SaaStock 2022 Scale Stage: Tom Lyons, Chief Executive at The Currency is joined by Zeb Evans, founder & CEO ClickUp, who shares how ClickUp grew to over six million users in five years.What does it take for a SaaS company to stand out in a crowded industry and leapfrog over the competition? When ClickUp launched in 2017, it intentionally entered a category full of legacy players and moved full speed ahead by building an industry-leading product. In this session, Zeb Evans, CEO and Founder of ClickUp, will share the secrets behind ClickUp's success, including building a globally recognized brand, developing an innovative product, and cultivating a strong company culture.
From the SaaStock 2022 Bootstrap Stage: Patrick Campbell, Founder & CEO Profitwell and CSO Paddle, shares what bootstrappers do better than venture backed companies (and the tactics they used to sell for over $200M!)Being bootstrapped is a mindset that drives exponential growth. Patrick Campbell, ProfitWell’s Founder and CEO will share his experience bootstrapping ProfitWell to $10M and beyond. He will share the good, bad, and ugly with the essential frameworks to help you leverage maximum lifetime value. Backed by data from over 28.7k SaaS companies, this presentation will pinpoint the most effective retention strategies, agile pricing options and churn-busting tactics that will kick start the growth of your bootstrapped business.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Juan Andrade, Founder Rebank and winner of our SaaStock 2022 Pitch Competition, who shares how the decision to break up with customers will help the business 10x."There’s no time to worry about macro or think about ‘my fundraising plan’ or any of that. It’s just: grow. So the hardest thing is really trying to keep all of that distraction out, because it’s the most important time to focus right now."In this episode you'll hear:✅ Juan's experience at Y Combinator✅ If he recommends SaaS Startups go through an accelerator✅ Lessons learnt building Rebank✅ The hardest thing about building a startup in 2023✅ The one thing that has moved the needle the most in his career& more!Like what you hear? Join us at SaaStock USA 2023 happening 31 May - 2 June in the silicon-lit hills of Austin, Texas to hear it IRL! 🇺🇸Prices increase March 31st at midnight - snag yours before they're gone! Save an additional 10% off using code 'SAASREV' https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa/discount/SAASREV
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Anthony Kennada, Co-Founder & CEO at AudiencePlus, who shares why SaaS companies/ CEOs need to figure out owned media (and fast!). Co-Founder and CEO of AudiencePlus, the leading owned media platform that's building software, content, and community to help every company become a media company, Anthony was previously CMO of industry-leading SaaS companies like Front, Gainsight, and Hopin.In this episode you'll hear:⚡️ Why Anthony made the leap from CMO to Founder & CEO⚡️ If media should be a CEOs priority in today's economy⚡️ Why algorithms are working against us⚡️ If third party cookies are going away⚡️ Hardest thing about building a startup in 2023🌟 PLUS a sneak peek into his speaking theme for SaaStock USA..!& more!Want to network and chat all things SaaS with Anthony in-person? Join us at SaaStock USA 2023 happening 31 May - 2 June in the silicon-lit hills of Austin Texas 🇺🇸Prices increase March 31st at midnight - snag yours before they're gone! Save an additional 10% off using code 'SAASREV' https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa/discount/SAASREV
From the SaaStock 2022 Bootstrap Stage: Nathan Latka, Founder Founderpath, shares a list of the top 100 fastest growing bootstrappers (all $5m+) and how they did it.They don't waste money on Google Ads. They don't have massive budget for huge sales teams. They keep their teams small and drive revenue per employee above $500k/yr. How do they do it? In this session you'll learn from the top 10 fastest growing SaaS bootstrappers and see what channels they used to break $5m in revenue.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Stephen Lurie, USA Growth & Business Development at Appvizer and Chief Engagement Officer at B2B Rocks, why there are opportunities in SaaS when there are headwinds.You'll hear:💡 His lessons from Appvizer & B2B Rocks💡 Why the SaaS industry is maturing💡 What one thing has moved the needle the most for him in his career💡 The biggest failure he's made and lesson learnt& more!
From the SaaStock 2022 Scale Stage: Nicolas & Alina Vandenberghe, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs at Chili Piper, tell us their 6 lessons learned from scaling the next tech unicorn with their spouseOver the last several years, Alina and Nicolas Vandenberghe, have not only built a company poised to become a tech unicorn, they’ve built a family, and raised two children. Along the path to product market fit, then progressively larger market share, they’ve learned lessons about business and life as they’ve undergone personal and professional transformations. These lessons; on scaling marketing, product, on building a global company (Chili Piper has 280 employees across 50 countries), on helping those around them, on revamping personal and company-wide communication, and beyond, have provided a blueprint for other B2B founders to follow.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Dave Kellogg, Executive in Residence at Balderton Capital, who shares his guide to founders for B2B sales. You'll hear:📚 His story behind becoming EIR📚 Why he wrote the Founders Guide to B2B Sales📚 Key takeaways from the guide📚 What SaaS company he wishes he was CEO of🌟 PLUS a sneak peek into his speaking theme for SaaStock USA..!& more!
Welcome back to the SaaS Revolution Show! In this episode our host Alex Theuma is joined by John Collins, consultant and advisor to tech companies, who discusses if we have in fact reached peak content in the SaaS industry. Collins works with B2B clients to develop their content marketing and communications strategies. His clients range from fintech startups to online educators and are located in North America and Europe, and he is also an active angel investor in SaaS and media startups. Previously, Collins held the roles of Head of Content & Communications at Ramp, and Director of Content at Intercom. In this episode, Collins shares:📝 Lessons on building content machines at both Intercom and Ramp📝 How we can win with content marketing going forward📝 His thoughts on SaaS companies buying Communities/Media companies📝 His take on SEO as a strategy - does it work?📝 What's next for him!& more!Like what you hear? Join us in-person at SaaStock USA 2023, happening 31 May - 2 June in the silicon-lit hills of Austin Texas 🇺🇸, to network and learn face-to-face with leaders in SaaS.Get 10% off using code 'SAASREV' https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa/discount/SAASREV
The this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Sujan Patel, Co-Founder at Mailshake, who shares his how Mailshake moved upmarket from SMB to enterprise. Having founded Mailshake in 2019, Sujan also owns 4 other SaaS companies under the Ramp Ventures brand. Sujan has over 15 years of marketing experience and has led the digital marketing strategy for companies like Salesforce, Mint, Cafepress and many other Fortune 500 calibre companies. In this episode you'll hear:📨 The founding story of Mailshake📨 How far Sujan got when solely focused on SMB📨 The impact on the business moving from SMB to enterprise📨 Key takeaways from moving upmarket📨 His biggest failure and lesson learned🌟 PLUS a sneak peek into his speaking theme for SaaStock USA..!& more!Want to network and chat all things SaaS with Sujan in-person? Join us at SaaStock USA 2023 happening 31 May - 2 June in the silicon-lit hills of Austin Texas 🇺🇸Prices increase January 31st at midnight - snag yours before they're gone! Get 10% off using code 'SAASREV' https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-usa/discount/SAASREV
From the SaaStock 2022 Bootstrap Stage: Dave Kellogg, Executive in Residence, Balderton Capital, discusses how to drive your SaaS GTM efficiency in the next two years using these key strategies and tactics. With the need to extend cash runways, a threatening macro environment, and never-ending pressure to improve efficiency, SaaS startups today are thinking hard about how to improve the efficiency of their go-to-market (GTM) operations as they enter the 2023 planning season. In this fast-paced presentation, Balderton's SaaS executive-in-residence, Dave Kellogg, will discuss strategies and tactics that work -- and that don't work -- to improve the efficiency of your GTM operations.
From the SaaStock 2022 Scale Stage: Avi Meir, Co-Founder and CEO TravelPerk, joins Lina Chong, VC at Target Global to discuss the value of values: how following one rule led TravelPerk to the unicorn club.When the pandemic hit in 2020, business travel came to a standstill and TravelPerk faced extremely tough decisions as growth halted. Two years later, we are a unicorn and sticking to our values has been key to not only surviving, but thriving.
From the SaaStock 2022 Scale Stage: Des Traynor, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Intercom, discusses reacceleration: how SaaS companies can find and build new engines of growth for the years ahead. After a turbulent couple of quarters, startups realise that sitting on their hands and waiting for another bull market to make everything right again is not a strategy. Instead, they must control their destiny, find new revenue growth engines, and ultimately push their business forward. This talk is based on conversations with dozens of startups of all shapes and sizes and is all about how to find the areas within your business where the massive opportunities lie, and how to exploit them.
From the SaaStock 2022 Bootstrap Stage: Asia Orangio, Founder & CEO DemandMaven, discusses how to recession-proof your SaaS: 3 keys to surviving just about any economic downturnYou've seen tweets about it, deep-dives on Reddit, and possibly even a few segments on live TV if you've been particularly daring. It's all of the recession-talk, the debates about if it's real or imagined, and the never-ending advice on what to do. This leaves an early-stage SaaS founder thinking: do I need to be worried, and what do I most need to pay attention to? In this session, I'll breakdown the 3 keys to reducing your exposure to just about any economic event and recession-proofing your SaaS in this quick blitz through research, a few key data points, and a real-life story.
From the SaaStock 2022 Scale Stage: Godard Abel, Co-Founder & CEO at G2, discusses surviving and thriving in a downturn: his lessons learned weathering economic storms over 25 years building SaaS leaders.Godard Abel shares what it takes to weather economic storms and market downturns as a SaaS leader. Surviving the downturn and thriving to success can be done. Join him to hear the lessons learned from over 25 years of working to stay ahead of the game.~~~~Want access to ALL content from SaaStock 2022? With a one-time $10 fee, it's yours. Click here to watch all content: https://bit.ly/S22Content
From the SaaStock 2022 Bootstrap Stage: Mohannah Ali (CEO Hotjar) and Alex Delivet (Founder & CEO Collect).Startups need to juggle various critical business decisions when planning for future growth. From VCs and funding rounds, to private equity or staying bootstrapped, the choices are never easy. In this session, Mohannad shares his experience taking Hotjar, the leading product experience insights platform, from its decision to stay bootstrapped to $40 million ARR until its acquisition to Contentsquare in 2021. He provides insights on the strategies used to build continuous growth in the bootstrapped stage, the considerations and processes for acquisition, and the impacts of a new partnership on the business.~~~~Want access to ALL content from SaaStock 2022? With a one-time $10 fee, it's yours. Click here to watch all content: https://bit.ly/S22Content
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Massimo Arrigoni, CEO at BEE, join our host Alex Theuma to share his lessons learned having run remote retreats for the past five years.Massimo shares:✅ Lessons learnt from scaling BEE✅ The company's key data points✅ Mistakes remote companies should avoid✅ His biggest failure and lesson learnt✅ His advice to getting through the headwinds facing SaaSand more!--- SaaStock is heading across the pond to Austin, Texas! Join us May 31 - June 2 2023 at the Austin Marriott Downtown for SaaStock USA 🇺🇸Two-for-one flash sale live NOW until 10/12/22 - head on over to saastock.com/saastock-usa and use code SAASREV to get yours! 💸
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Elias 'Eli' Rubel, CEO at Matter Made, join our host Alex Theuma to share why SaaS companies need to be thinking about demand efficiency. Eli shares:🔥 Interesting lessons learnt from working with Dropbox, Loom, and Calm🔥 What demand efficiency is and why we should care about it🔥 How founders can implement it in their business🔥 How to stop impostor syndrome driving your actions🔥 What he's most looking forward to in 2023 (and what are you most concerned about)and more!Get your SaaStock 2023 tickets at their LOWEST EVER prices during our Friends & Family sale. PLUS take advantage of our buy-one-get-two deal. Prices increase Friday 2 December at midnight: https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-2023/discount/FRIENDS+FAMILY
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Osman Koc, Co-Founder and CEO at UserGuiding, join our host Alex Theuma to share with us the story on how UserGuiding has built a content marketing machine that brings in over 10 million organic impressions a month.
Osman shares: ✅ The founding story behind UserGuiding ✅ Lessons on getting to $2M ARR+ ✅ The key content marketing decisions made to get those results ✅ The best advice he's ever received ✅ The hardest thing about being a CEO ✅ Why he joined the SaaStock Founder Membership ✅ What's next for UserGuiding
And more!
Recorded live from the SaaStock 2022 Podcast Stage: Samir Smajic, Founder & CEO GetAccept, sits down with our host Alex Theuma!
Recorded live from the SaaStock 2022 Podcast Stage: Christoph Janz, Co-Founder & Partner, Point Nine sits down with our host Alex Theuma!
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Eleonore Crespo, Co-founder and Co-CEO at Pigment, join our host Alex Theuma to share with us the methodology for building a SaaS for enterprise.
"You should probably spend some time with investors because we try to think like an investor and I always remember what I learnt at Index, around what makes a company successful. There are so many things you need to think about constantly: How to have as much usage on your platform as possible, how can you generate a network effect, how can you generate trust in no time in your category etc."
Eleonore shares:
How Pigment raised their recent round The value of spending time with investors Why they built a SaaS for enterprise from day one What one thing has moved the needle for Pigment The best advice she's ever received
And more!
Listen to the full episode, watch the video below and subscribe to the SaaS Revolution Show podcast today.
Recorded live from the SaaStock 2022 Podcast Stage: Hanno Renner, Co-Founder & CEO Personio sits down with our host Alex Theuma!
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Zeb Evans, Founder and CEO at ClickUp, join our host Alex Theuma to share with us the story on how ClickUp got to $10MM ARR in two years (and is now well north of $100MM ARR!).
Zeb shares: ✅ How ClickUp got their first customers ✅ Why they went down the VC route and how did they raised that first round ✅ What he focused on to get to $1M ARR ✅ What he needed to do differently when going from $1M ARR to $10MM ARR ✅ The best advice he's ever received ✅ A sneak peek into his SaaStock 2022 speaking topic! 🤫
And more!
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, Founder at Surfboard, join our host Alex Theuma to give us her take on when (and why!) a SaaS startup should start to build a brand.
Natasha shares: 🏄 Surfboard’s founding story 🏄 The key lessons learnt from building Surfboard 🏄 Advice for other solo founders who are just starting out 🏄 How they’ve built a brand that truly connects with customers - and some of those tangible results 🏄 If building a brand helps with hiring 🏄 A sneak peek into her SaaStock 2022 speaking topic! 🤫
And more!
Our Latest SaaS Revolution Show guest is the one and only Kevin "KD" Dorsey! Practice Lead: Revenue Leadership at Winning by Design, Kevin joined our host Alex Theuma to share The SaaS Sales Playbook: $1M to $10MM ARR.
In this episode, Kevin shares: 🎯 How running a podcast ("Live better.Sell Better") helps in business and life 🎯 His playbook to scale to $10MM ARR 🎯 The thing that’s best moved the needle 🎯 The best advice he's ever received 🎯 His typical daily routine 🎯 Plus a sneak peek into his SaaStock 2022 topic 🤫
Our Latest SaaS Revolution Show guest is the one and only Alina Vandenberghe! Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Chili Piper, Alina joined our host Alex Theuma to share why ‘making it' is more than just having a great product.
In this episode, Alina shares: 🌶 Chili Piper’s founding story and the company’s key data points 🌶 How their marketing has evolved 🌶 What GTM means for Chili Piper 🌶 The thing that’s best moved the needle 🌶 The best advice she's ever received 🌶 Her typical daily routine 🌶 Plus a sneak peek into her SaaStock 2022 topic 🤫
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Joaquim Lecha, CEO at Typeform, join our host Alex Theuma to give us his lessons on being an operationally efficient SaaS company.
Joaquim shares: 💫 Typeform's founding story and the company’s key data points 💫 Lessons learnt from raising a $135M Series C 💫 Debating operational efficiency with their VCs 💫 Tips on becoming operationally efficient 💫 The best advice he's ever received 💫 Plus a sneak peek into his SaaStock 2022 topic 🤫
Use code SAASREVOLUTION for your exclusive SaaStock 2022 discount ⚡️
The latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show sees Dan Westgarth, COO at Deel, join our host Alex Theuma to give us his lessons on international expansion.
Dan shares: ✈️ Deel’s founding story and the company’s key data points ✈️ How they sets up infrastructure so rapidly ✈️ Achieving PMF within the various geolocations ✈️ His biggest failure and lesson learned ✈️ The hardest thing about being a COO ✈️ Plus a sneak peek into his SaaStock 2022 topic 🤫
Use code SAASREVOLUTION for your exclusive SaaStock 2022 discount ⚡️
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Øyvind Reed, CEO at Whereby, who sheds light on the hard things about building a SaaS company that nobody talks about.
Øyvind shares: ✅ Whereby’s story and it’s key data points ✅ Why they went from bootstrapped to venture backed ✅ The importance of public transparency during the highs and lows ✅ The value of taking a break ✅ The best advice he’s ever received ✅ The hardest part of the job ✅ A sneak peek into his speaking topic at SaaStock 2022!
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Miguel Fernandez Larrea, Co-Founder and CEO at Capchase, to give us his lessons on building the business and handling competition.
Miguel shares: 🚀 The reasons he became an entrepreneur 🚀 Insight into Capchase’s key data points 🚀 The difference between non-diluted capital and revenue-based financing (plus the growth potential in the market) 🚀 How he differentiates from the competition 🚀 Lessons on fundraising having raised $100M in equity and $800M in non-diluted capital 🚀 The one thing he’s done to make the most difference at Capchase 🚀 Daily habits that have a positive impact 🚀 A sneak peek into his speaking topic at SaaStock 2022
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Avi Meir, Co-Founder and CEO at Travelperk, to give us his lessons on entrepreneurship and adaptation.
Avi shares: 🏆 The backstory behind starting his first business at age 31 🏆 Adapting from entrepreneur to employee with Booking.com (and why he cut his earnout short…) 🏆 How he coped with being a CEO of a hyper growth company 🏆 The initial impact Covid had on Travelperk 🏆 How he handles competition and what he learns from it 🏆 A sneak peek into his speaking topic for SaaStock 2022
and more!
In this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show Michelle You, Co-Founder and CEO at Supercritical, joins our host Alex Theuma to talk us through building a SaaS product to save the world, it's growth lessons from a net zero hero.
Michelle shares: ✅ Why she chose to sell Songkick (and the process behind the exit) ✅ Some of the biggest mistakes she’s made and what she learnt from them ✅ How she's built a mission-driven culture at Supercritical ✅ Where she wants Supercritical to be in 10 years time ✅ Plus: a sneak-peek into her speaking topic at SaaStock 2022
and more!
Richard Mabey, Co-founder and CEO at Juro, on the "Five Things You Need To Be Doing To Sustain ARR While The World Is Collapsing" from our July SaaStock Local: London event.
Love what you're hearing? Join us and 5,000 other SaaS founders, investors and VCs at our flagship in-person event happening this October in Dublin, Ireland: SaaStock 2022. It's the biggest SaaS conference in Europe, full of networking, connection building, learning and more. Get your ticket today by going to https://bit.ly/SaaStock22Tickets 🎟
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Veronika Riederle, Co-Founder and CEO at Demodesk, to talk to us about Demodesk's pre-seed to series A journey and how they raised VC through to $1M ARR.
Veronika shares: - Why she and Alex (co-founder) founded Demodesk together - Why they chose to raise capital instead of bootstrap - The one big thing to avoid when fundraising - Advice she’d give her 2018 self when Demodesk started - Her favourite thing about SaaStock ⚡️
And more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Rajesh Jain, Founder and Managing Director at Netcore Cloud, to talk to us about building a Proficorn: charting the journey of Netcore Cloud from zero to $100M ARR - bootstrapped.
Rajesh shares: - Why he decided to leave politics and found Netcore Cloud - Netcore’s ICP and where the majority of their customers are - The top three things that took Netcore from zero to $10M ARR - His take on the current market and advice for sustainable growth - Learnings from the $100M M&A process with Unbxd
And more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by David Henzel, CEO of upcoach and founder of multiple businesses, to tell us how EOS has been helping him run multiple businesses simultaneously.
David shares: 🔥 The 'infinite' number of businesses he runs 🔥 Stories about his exits 🔥 Why he initially move to LA and now Turkey 🔥 Why he's chosen to work 'on', instead of 'in', the businesses 🔥 The importance of concepts like EOS
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Tim Soulo, CMO at Ahref, to tell us how he contributed to Ahref's 10x growth in ARR to 100M.
Tim shares: 🏆 The secret to his CMO success 🏆 What really worked during his first 12 months in the role 🏆 Getting 10x growth to 100M ARR 🏆 The one thing all CMOs should avoid 🏆 The best career advice he’s ever received
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Nigel Verdon, CEO and Co-founder at Railsr, to give us his lessons in growth as a three time entrepreneur.
Nigel shares: 🚀 The lessons he’s learnt scaling a business 🚀 How to create inbound interest 🚀 Going global from day 1 (and why) 🚀 The toughest part of being a CEO 🚀 The secrets to his success
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Ophelia Brown, Founder and Partner at Blossom Capital, to talk to us about raising in a market downturn.
Ophelia shares: ✅ Her investment thesis - what does Blossom Capital look for? ✅ Her investment strategy in the current climate ✅ If SaaS is better placed during downturns and recessions ✅ Capital efficiency - what should people be doing? ✅ Investing in Pigment
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show our host Alex Theuma is joined by Ross Andrew Paquette, Chairman and CEO at Maropost, to talk to us about bootstrapping a B2C CRM to $100MM and a $1.7B valuation.
Ross shares: 🚀 Maropost's founding story 🚀 The big things that were done to get to $26MM in 28 months (and the plan for how to get to $100MM!) 🚀 How Maropost got to a $1.7B valuation 🚀 What he's most looking forward to at SaaStock 2022
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Guy Rubin, Founder and CEO at ebsta, to give fellow SaaS founders and enthusiasts the inside scoop on predictable sales growth.
Guy shares: 💥 Company growth over the last 24 months 💥 Why ebsta took undiluted capital (and what they’ve done with it) 💥 His three-step process to ensure better predictability for revenue growth 💥 ebsta’s growth-focus areas over the next 12 months
and more!
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by not one, but TWO SaaS superstars. Christian Owens, Founder and CEO at Paddle and Patrick Campbell, Chief Strategy Officer at Paddle (Founder at Profitwell too 😎) give fellow SaaS-enthusiasts the inside scoop on the $200 million acquisition of Profitwell by Paddle.
Christian and Patrick share: 💰 How acquisition talks started 💰 Why Patrick chose to sell 💰 The hardest part of getting the deal done (and if conversations ever got heated...) 💰 Why they chose to film the process for a documentary 💰 Advice for others who want to sell 💰 PLUS: plans for their floorspace at SaaStock 2022
... and so much more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Griffin Parry (Founder and CEO of M3ter) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show to discuss building a usage based pricing SaaS Startup.
Griffin shares: 🔑 The founding story of M3ter 🔑 Where the SaaS market is going with usage based pricing models 🔑 The biggest lessons learnt throughout his career 🔑 How to improve yourself as a CEO
and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Barbra Gago (CEO and Founder of Pando) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show to discuss her journey from CMO to Founding CEO.
Barbra shares: 📊 Business growth the last 24 months 📊 The transition from CMO to Founder 📊 Insight into Pando's seed round with Craft Ventures 📊 How to improve employee growth
and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alexander Konoplyasty (Managing Director and Co-founder of Flashpoint) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show to give first-hand insight into the process of a venture debt deal.
Alexander shares: 🌟 Flashpoint's vision 🌟 The company's balance between venture capital and venture debt 🌟 The process of making an investment offer 🌟 Scaling the company over time
and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Oliver Pinson-Roxburgh (CEO of Bulletproof and of Defense.com) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show to discuss what it's like being the CEO of two SaaS companies on their way to $10MM ARR.
Oliver shares: 💥 The founding story of Bulletproof and Defense.com 💥 Raising capital for the business 💥 Key steps that got the company to $8MM 💥 How to be a good CEO and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Manoj Agarwal (Co-founder of Xoxoday) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show, to discuss Xoxoday's journey from zero to $10mill ARR.
Manoj shares: - The founding story of Xoxoday - How Xoxoday achieved product market fit, and how long it took - How Xoxoday acquires new customers - The top resources that helped Xoxoday on their journey to $10mill ARR and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Meiran Galis (CEO and Co-founder of Scytale AI) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show, to discuss a year in the life of a SaaS startup.
Meiran shares: - The founding story of Scytale AI - Why SaaS startups need to look at compliance - The biggest challenge of being a startup CEO - How to improve yourself as a CEO and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Puneet Kataria (Founder of CustomerSuccessBox) joins SaaStock's Alex Theuma as a guest on the show, to discuss how to utilise your company's organisational structure to drive customer success.
Puneet shares: - How CustomerSuccessBox got their first paying customers - What lessons he's learnt in the 5 years of running the business - How to find the right org structure to drive Customer Success - The biggest challenge in customer success right now and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Petter Erik Nyvoll (AweSM Sales and Marketing) joined SaaStock's Alex Theuma to talk about his journey from going bankrupt to a 7-figure business in 3 years using webinars.
"The entrepreneurial journey of going from 100k to 1M is one mindset, going from 1M to 1.5M is another mindset, 1.5M to 3M is another mindset, and going from 3M to 10M is another mindset. It's about being willing to be coachable and listening to others, and to change out things." - Petter Erik Nyvoll
Petter talks about: - the time when top CEOs reached out to him to help him out and the reasons for turning down their help. - why he decided to become a digital nomad and shared his learnings - how he became ‘bankrupt’ - how he turned it around and built a 7-figure business in 3 years and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Vishal Sunak (Co-founder & CEO, LinkSquares) joined Alex Theuma to shares LinkSquares' journey from one to ten million ARR in two years.
Vishal discusses: - how LinkSquares has evolved to become an end-to-end contract management platform - how they've raised Series B round of $61M - why it's important for founders to be involved in the sales - how he identified product-market-fit and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, David Benigson (Founder & CEO, Signal.AI) joined Alex Theuma to shares Signal.AI's journey from zero to ten million ARR.
"As the business starts to grow, a board can be very effective if used in the right way. It needs to be used as an instrument for strategic insight."
David discusses: - how he founded his business with his Co-founder in his parents' garage in North London and how he got the "entrepreneurial bug" - how they built their initial (and complex) infrastructure and user interface in 6 to 12 months - how they found their first customers and figured out their pricing structure as they went along - how they focused on a specific persona and type of user (inspired by Geoffrey Moore's 'Crossing The Chasm' book) and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Andy Whyte (CEO & Founder, MEDDICC) joined Alex Theuma to share his tips on staying ahead in the complex sale.
Andy discusses: - why he chose to start writing about MEDDICC in his free time and launched his book 'MEDDICC' - how he organically spotted an opportunity and founded MEDDICC - what MEDDICC is and why the top SaaS companies use it - the hardest thing about selling SaaS, whilst focusing on the value, stakeholders and process. and more.
Andy will be speaking at SaaStock Remote on 22-24 March 2022, about How to Understand, Educate & Influence Your Prospects (And Convert them into Customers). Register for free to get his how-to guide: https://www.saastock.com/remote-2022/
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Peep Laja (CEO & Founder, Wynter) joined Alex Theuma to share his tips around B2B messaging and cold emailing.
Peep discusses: - the problems with B2B messaging in SaaS companies - the "explosion of technologies" and the jump in direct competitors - why radical differentiation is still something to pursue - the reasons for and against cold emailing, and the value of cold email marketing and more.
Peep will be speaking at SaaStock Remote on 22-24 March 2022, about How to compete and win in saturated markets. Register for free to get his how-to guide: https://www.saastock.com/remote-2022/
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, David Pohlmann (CEO & Co-founder, Billbee) joined Alex Theuma to share his tips around bootstrapping to 5MM ARR with a 100%+ growth rate.
David discusses: - Billbee's 100% remote, 30-hour working team and culture - How to maintain the team's productivity across the long work hours - The team culture and how they have grown to 30+ people and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Jose Cayasso (CEO & Co-founder, Slidebean) joined Alex Theuma to discuss the importance of churn and a content marketing success story.
Jose shares: - Why he founded Slidebean - Tips and lessons from building Slidebean - The secrets to creating a YouTube channel that's led to 330k subscribers and more.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our CEO Alex Theuma is in conversation with Armando Biondi, Co-founder & CEO of BreadcrumbsIO.
Armando shares: - The ins and outs, highs and lows, of starting a SaaS business - His journey as a serial entrepreneur over 10 years, and his investment in 200+ businesses - How he made the decision to sell his last SaaS startup, AdEspresso, which was acquired by HootSuite, and how this impacted his life and more.
Nelson Gilliat is the author of the bestseller ‘Death of the SDR: Birth of Buyer Centric Revenue’, challenging the popular B2B Marketing and Sales model, Predictable Revenue, as well as commissions and quotas.
Nelson joined Alex Theuma on an exclusive founder members only workshop as part of our SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM), to discuss the book. Nelson shares how his book challenges the popular B2B Marketing and Sales model, Predictable Revenue, as well as commissions and quotas. He discusses: - how he realised the predictable revenue model is the cause of many problems SaaS startups and sales leaders face - the state of B2B marketing and sales - how "marketers are very frustrated having to support the SDR model", which is affecting their performance and productivity
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Yoko Spirig (CEO & Co-founder of Ledgy) speaks with SaaStock's Alexander Theuma to discuss how the SaaS raised $10M.
Chris Walker is the Founder and CEO of Refine Labs, a progressive demand generation agency that challenges the status quo in B2B marketing. Refine Labs executes tactics that align with how consumers actually buy instead of generating fruitless leads. Before launching Refine Labs, Chris led marketing at two B2B firms where he built the foundation of his unique perspective on demand generation. Chris also hosts the State of Demand Gen podcast where he shares tangible advice and tactics alongside today’s top B2B marketers.
Chris joined Alex Theuma on an exclusive founder members only workshop as part of our SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM), to share how you can grow your business and improve your demand generation strategies.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Fred Plais (Co-founder & CEO, Platform.sh), shares his step-by-step guide of how the venture-backed SaaS expanded into the US.
Fred shares: - His reasons for being so passionate about entrepreneurship - Why the company moved to the US so early and why it was "super natural" for him to think of Platform.sh as a global business from the get-go - How the SaaS gained traction from the US from day one and how they found product-market-fit and more!
Listen to the full episode for Fred's full guide on launching in the US, watch the video below and subscribe to the podcast.
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Tyler Tringas (GP & Founder, Earnest Capital - now Calm Company Fund), discusses: - what life is like as a VC - what a SEAL is - what's wrong with the term 'bootstrapping' and more.
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Esben Friis-Jensen, Co-founder and CGO of Userflow. Esben discusses how he grew his SaaS to a seven-figure business with just 2 people.
Esben shares: - How to bootstrap the company to a seven-figure mark with a small team - How to build a strong, user-friendly product to drive growth
and more. Listen to the full episode for Esben's lessons, watch the video below and subscribe to the podcast.
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph. Auren discusses how to run a data business with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Thomas Smale, CEO at FE International. Thomas discusses planning a long term exit with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Jaakko Paalanen, CRO at Leadfeeder. Jaakko discusses the journey of Leadefeeder from zero to $10MM ARR with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Keji Mustapha, Global Director of Brand & Community at Partech. Keji discusses how founders learn to scale themselves as their company scales with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Maria Wlosinska, CEO & Co-Founder of Unlock. Maria shares the story of how she created her SaaS with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Osvaldo Spadano, Founder & CEO of Akoova. Osvaldo shares his story of being a second-time founder with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Shelley Perry, General Partner at Scalelogix Ventures. Ahead of the Blueprint for CEOs event on December 7, Shelley shares some of the top mistakes that CEOs make when they're scaling from $10MM to $100MM with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
Shelley will be speaking at our upcoming event, Blueprint Series: CEO on December 7 2021. If you want the blueprint from the top CEOs in the SaaS industry on how to scale your SaaS to $100+MM ARR, apply now: https://www.saastock.com/blueprint-ceo/.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Michael Cardamone, CEO & Managing Partner of Forum Ventures. Michael discusses some of his top learnings for early stage SaaS startups with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Guillaume Moubeche, CEO & Co-Founder of lemlist. Guillaume discusses 5 impactful decisions that helped his company bootstrap to $10mil in ARR in 3.5 years with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Mark Roberge, Managing Director at Stage 2 Capital. Mark discusses his updated Sales Acceleration Formula with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Tariq Rauf, Founder & CEO of Qatalog. Tariq discusses the journey of the first 3 years of a SaaS business with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode features Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel, and Harry Stebbings, Founder of 20VC. Harry interviews Philippe about the Accel Euroscape 2021, which was unveiled on Day 1 of SaaStockEMEA. He shares: - 70% of the top 100 SaaS companies in the Euroscape came from the UK, France, Israel and Germany. Listen to the full episode for the findings and breakdown of the Accel Euroscape 2021 report.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
Ahead of SaaStock EMEA 2021 next week, Philippe Botteri (Partner, Accel) & Varun Purandare (Vice President, Accel) are in conversation with Alex Theuma to discuss the upcoming Accel Euroscape 2021 unveiling which will take place at SaaStock EMEA!
This will be the 6th year (and counting) that Accel have revealed the Accel Euroscape at SaaStock. In this episode: - Philippe digs deep into what the Accel Euroscape is and what you can expect to hear on the main stage on day 1 of SaaStock EMEA (Oct 12). - Varun shares what it means for a SaaS company to make it to the Euroscape top 100 list
and more!
Tune in for some insights and teasers into some of the findings on what's happening in SaaS in Europe.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
To hear more growth stories, tips and strategies, get your free ticket now to join us at SaaStock EMEA on 12-14 Oct! https://hopin.com/events/saastock-emea-online-2021?ref=816f9a5f9bfc
Become a SaaStock Founder Member - join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders scaling to $10M ARR. Apply now: https://cutt.ly/2ECKuDW
This episode's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Nathan Barry, Founder & CEO of ConvertKit. Nathan discusses bootstrapping to $29M ARR or $80M in LTV with Alexander Theuma, CEO of SaaStock.
This episode is sponsored by Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Get your free ticket now to join the session! https://hopin.com/events/saastock-emea-online-2021?ref=816f9a5f9bfc
In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, SaaStock's CEO Alex Theuma is in conversation with Bernadette Nixon, CEO of Algolia. Bernadette discusses ways to combine top down and bottom up sales motion in the most efficient way.
Bernadette will also be speaking at SaaStock EMEA 2021 - a growth-focused conference for SaaS founders and their teams on the journey from $0.1 to $10M ARR. She'll be sharing how to combine the power of your freemium community with direct sales.
Get your free ticket now to join the session! https://hopin.com/events/saastock-emea-online-2021?ref=816f9a5f9bfc
Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
The latest episode on the SaaS Revolution Show features Krish Subramanian, CEO of Chargebee as a guest! Krish is in conversation with SaaStock's Alex Theuma to discuss the ways to drive customer centricity but also being able to say 'no' when necessary. There needs to be a balance.
Listen to the full episode and subscribe to the podcast here: https://thesaasrevolutionshow.simplecast.com/episodes
Krish will also be speaking at SaaStock EMEA Online 2021 on 12-14 October! Get your free tickets here: https://www.saastock.com/emea
Capchase: capchase.com/saastock
Last year, in spite of global market concerns, we've seen strong prospects for SaaS stocks. This is no better reflected in the meteoric rise of Europe's first decacorn. UiPath's win reflects the value of leveraging AI in SaaS, the innovation of the European ecosystem and the benefits of being global from the get-go - even at a time of economic uncertainty. In this fireside chat, Daniel Dines, CEO & Co-founder of UiPath, Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel and Carl Eschenbach, Partner at Sequoia will share the secrets behind UiPath's growth from small start-up to mythical beast (unicorn, then decacorn!). In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, you'll learn how to enter hyperscale mode, dominate your category and find global product-market-fit.
This talk was recorded at SaaStock EMEA Online 2020.
International expansion is a huge milestone for SaaS CEO’s. When perfectly timed, it can boost revenue growth by 13%. But, expanding too early can stifle growth, or burn resources. To succeed, you need a solid go-to-market strategy, underpinned by customer data, cultural awareness and clear objectives. There’s a lot to think about!
In discussion with Krish Subramanian, CEO of Chargebee, commercial strategy expert, Carrie Osman, and two CEO’s of global SaaS companies will share how to perfectly time, plan and execute a global expansion strategy.
This episode on the SaaS Revolution Show is from the SaaStock Blueprint Series: CEO edition.
This week's episode on the SaaS Revolution Show features Karel Callens, CEO & Founder of Cumul.io as a guest. He shares the growth story of Cumul.io and how he came about starting the company.
In this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Asia Orangio (CEO of DemandMaven) is the guest to discuss go-to-market strategies to $100k MRR.
The startup-to-scaleup journey is one of the most challenging growth phases for SaaS companies. As you move out of the startup phase, what the business needs most is clarity.
This week's episode on the SaaS Revolution Show features Marvin Fletcher Rogers (Senior Solutions Consultant, SaaS & Technology, at Sage). Marvin shares Sage's insights from their latest ebook 'Scaling Up', powered by SaaStock.
Find out the 5 key things SaaS finance leaders need to know when scaling, in the latest ebook on Scaling Up by Sage Intacct. A guide for SaaS finance leaders at startups and scale-ups with ambitious growth goals.
Download the ebook here: https://cutt.ly/iQvhALr
In this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, SaaStock's Alexander Theuma is in conversation with Christian Reber, CEO & Co-founder of Pitch. Christian shares lessons he's learnt when building Pitch, compared to his first time building Wunderlist.
In this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, SaaStock's Alexander Theuma (CEO) is in conversation with Arthur Nobel, Principal at Knight Capital. Arthur shares lessons he's learnt from 47 leaders in growth.
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Ryan Bonnici, CMO of Whereby and one the best CMOs in SaaS, speaks with SaaStock's Alexander Theuma to share tips around growth and marketing.
Ryan shares: - His journey through different areas of marketing to becoming a CMO - Moving from G2, valued at around $1.4bn, to Whereby - The trend from a purely sales-driven model to an organic and/or inbound model and more!
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Saravana Kumar, CEO & Founder of Kovai, speaks with SaaStock's Alexander Theuma to deep dive into overcoming the odds of being a single, bootstrapped founder to build a successful SaaS business.
Saravana shares: - Why he’s made the choice to be all three - Which challenges he faced along the way and how he overcame them - Which aspects of the early-stage startup process he did not enjoy - How and why he could not hire the right people
and more!
The biggest SaaS companies are no longer building products to sell over the phone, but driving sales through the product itself. So, how are companies transitioning from a traditional “sales-led” to modern “product-led” motion? & What does this rise in user self-education and expectation mean for the future of b2b sales? In this discussion, SaaS experts Ingrid Bonde Åkerlind (Investment Professional, Oxx VC) is in conversation with Mike Weir (Chief Revenue Officer, G2), Paul Lynch (CEO, Chargify) and Jan Arendtsz (CEO & Founder, Celigo), to explore the latest trends in customer acquisition strategy, and help you find a model that's best for your business.
Christian Gabriel, Co-founder & CEO of Capdesk, is this week's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show to deep dive into the topic of offering equity to employees.
Christian shares: ✅ Why giving equity to employees matters to business ✅ How long the equity process takes for a new business ✅ Why technology companies need to implement equity and more!
Want to join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders? Apply now to become a Founder Member and scale faster together: https://cutt.ly/8bBKmv2
In this talk, Daria Danilina (Co-founder & Chief Customer Officer at Salesroom) speaks with SaaStock’s Alexander Theuma to share lessons from a pre-seed SaaS company.
Kipp (CMO, Hubspot) and Vidya (CMO, Marqeta) run through the most valuable strategic and technical plays to hack your way to a multi-billion dollar valuation by driving enormous increases in non-paid visitation.
Want to join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders? Apply now to become a Founder Member and scale faster together: https://cutt.ly/cnT8Zt7
To get your SaaS company off the ground, you need financing. Yet, whilst VC funding can accelerate growth, it comes with expectation - & giving too much equity away reduces your freedom. Equally, although bootstrapping gives you more decision-power and profit-focus, it can be a lonely, slow road. So, should you raise, or not raise? In this debate, SaaS experts evaluate both routes, to help you make the decision that's best for your business.
Want to join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders? Apply now to become a Founder Member and scale faster together: https://cutt.ly/7nkoD8q
Many of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the world are product-led - think Zoom, Slack and Calendly. In 2019, Auth0 became Argentina’s 5th unicorn. The secret to their success? A product-led, global growth strategy. In conversation with Alexander Busse, Co-Founder & CTO Matias Woloski shares tactics for growing revenue in a product-led way and key lessons learned building an international business from LatAm.
Paul Lynch, CEO of Chargify, is this week's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show to discuss sustainable growth in SaaS using data and pricing.
Want to join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders? Apply now to become a Founder Member and scale faster together: https://cutt.ly/8bBKmv2
Matt Lerner, Founder & CEO of Startup Core Strengths, is this week's guest on the SaaS Revolution Show to discuss product market fit.
Want to join a private community of ambitious SaaS founders? Apply now to become a Founder Member and scale faster together: https://cutt.ly/FbSDVmX
Hannor Renner, Founder & CEO of Personio, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Mike Weir, CRO at G2, is this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Register your interest for SaaStock Blueprint Series - CRO: https://cutt.ly/mbev5Zy
Henry Schuck, Founder & CEO at ZoomInfo, is this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Become a founder member: https://cutt.ly/xvYRaNg
Christian Owens, CEO of Paddle, is this week's guest on our Zero To Ten edition of The SaaS Revolution Show.
Didier Elzinga (Founder & CEO) and Roli Saxena (Board Member) at Culture Amp, are this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show. This is a session from SaaStock Remote 2021.
In the foundational years of SaaS unicorn Culture Amp, Didier Elzinga – CEO and founder – heard a lot of “no’s”. The HR category was perceived as a tough buyer and difficult environment – not the promising industry it’s seen as today. To scale, he had to innovate, iterate, educate and create.
In his recent session at SaaStock Remote 2021, Didier deep-dived into his phenomenal journey from market disruptor to category creator, and shared challenges and opportunities he experienced along the way. He delves into the need for both community and product-market-fit to successfully secure the title of a ‘category creator’.
Ahead of SaaStock Blueprint Series: CMO next week, Tricia Gellman (CMO at Drift) and Brian Kardon (CMO at InVision) are this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Get the Blueprint for CMOs from Tricia & Brian on March 30! https://cutt.ly/PxmzUkd
Hjálmar Gíslason, Founder & CEO of Grid, is this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Tope Awotona (CEO & Founder of Calendly) and Blake Bartlett (Partner at OpenView Ventures) are this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show. This is a session from SaaStock Remote 2021.
Last year, ⅓ of tech founders struggled to secure funding. In the early days of SaaS unicorn Calendly, raising money was also a big challenge for Tope Awotona. To get the company off the ground, he had to take a different path. This included investing his life savings, stretching every dollar and doubling-down on virality. Whilst a struggle, this ultimately benefited the business model, leading to the creation of a product that ‘sold itself’. In conversation with Blake Bartlett, Tope shares how he overcame these early challenges to drive the company's extraordinary growth. You'll learn the secrets behind one of the most successful product-led businesses in the world.
Edith Harbaugh (CEO & Co-founder of LaunchDarkly) & Astasia Myers (Investor at Redpoint Ventures) are this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show. This is a session from SaaStock Remote 2021.
76% of tech founders are now supportive of distributed work - a huge uplift from 56% before the pandemic. The challenge? Remote work requires a different leadership style. Gone are the days where charisma by the watercooler is enough. What your team values most is organisation, clear goal-setting, & connection. Last year, CEO of LaunchDarkly Edith Harbaugh embraced this new world of remote work - & has since hired 50+ employees who have never met physically. In conversation with startup enabler Astasia Myers, she shares how she adapted her leadership style & offers advice for keeping your team aligned, motivated and empowered.
Bridget Harris, CEO and Co-founder at YouCanBook.me, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Subscribe to the podcast.
Dev Basu, CEO of Powered by Search, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Subscribe to the podcast.
In this talk, Chris Savage, CEO & Founder at Wistia, will share why Brand Affinity Marketing goes beyond brand recognition to keep consumers engaged longer by fostering deep connections with audiences. Chris will share why Brand Affinity Marketing is the future and how marketers can use binge-worthy content like videos and podcasts to make their business's brands unforgettable.
SaaStock's Alexander Theuma is in conversation with Brightpearl's CEO, Derek O'Carroll, where Derek walks us through a 3 pronged strategy for a SaaS company turnaround that led to an ARR of $17mill.
AMA and chat with Aircall Jonathan Anguelov Co-founder and COO - One strategy he doubled down on when scaling his rocket-ship was employee specialisation and Sales Fordism.
Fireside Chat and AMA with Nicolas Dessaigne, Co-founder and BOD (ex CEO), Visiting Partner at Y Combinator and Stephen Cummins CEO at AppSelekt. In this conversation with Nicolas, we discuss raising seed and Series A funding, as well as how to seed world-class company culture.
Donatella Callegaris is managing partner at Flashpoint Venture Capital. She joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show to talk about venture debt - a topic that many first-time SaaS founders are unfamiliar with.
Dave Gerhardt, CMO at Privy, joins Stephen Cummins in an exclusive fireside chat. He shares his learnings on marketing organisation structure for companies scaling to $10M.
This was recorded as part of an exclusive session for SaaStock Engage premium members, who also had the opportunity for Q&A with Dave, and network afterwards.
Gilles Bertaux is the CEO and co-founder of Livestorm. Livestorm is a video conferencing software, and in November 2020 Gilles and the Livestorm team raised a $30M Series B round to create a video conferencing ecosystem. He joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show to talk about scaling a company at an exponential pace - as well as Livestorm's recent funding round.
Shelley Perry, Managing Director of Scalelogix Ventures, joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. Shelley is an investor, board director, and advisor and specializes scale-up stage - a unique growth stage for any SaaS company. She joins The SaaS Revolution Show to share the top mistakes she sees first-time founders make when scaling their company. Shelly is one of the speakers at SaaStock’s brand new Blueprint event, taking place on December 15, to provide the Blueprint to help SaaS CEOs go from good startup to great scaleup.
Sarah Nöckel, Seed Investment Manager at Northzone joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. Sarah is responsible for Northzone’s Seed investments, and previously she was a B2B SaaS investor at Dawn Capital. She joins The SaaS Revolution Show to talk all things relating to Seed funding: how to reach out and build relationships with VCs at Seed stage, advice for pitching remotely over Zoom, and who are the right people to send to your pitch meetings.
Jacco Van Der Kooij, CEO of Winning by Design, and Godard Abel, CEO of G2 join Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. Jacco and Godard are two of the speakers at SaaStock's brand new Blueprint event, taking place on December 15. We've put together the Blueprint to help SaaS CEOs go from good startup to great scaleup.
They share the founding stories of their companies and the biggest lessons they've learned on their journey to scaling a SaaS company.
Recommended reading from LB Harvey:
Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Jennifer Vancini, General Partner at Mighty Capital joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show to talk all things startup fundraising. Mighty Capital invests in ‘early growth’ companies, at Series A and Series B stages—that is, after companies have already achieved some level of product-market fit, and are looking to scale through a strategic capital raise.
Elena Verna (Growth Advisor, EIR at Reforge and previously interim CMO at Miro) joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. She talks to Alex about building out a growth function within startups and scale-ups, and how growth teams fit in to the wider business. Elena shares her experiences based on advisor roles at companies such as MongoDB and Miro, including how to turn growth into a whole-company approach - not just a marketing effort.
Meagen Eisenberg (CMO, TripActions) joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. Before joining TripActions, she was CMO of MongoDB (Nasdaq: MDB) and VP of Demand Generation at DocuSign (Nasdaq: DOCU). Meagan talks to Alex about how TripActions has pivoted and adapted in an industry that’s been hard-hit by the COVID pandemic, and the biggest lessons she's learned from this experience.
Darren Chait leads growth and operations for Hugo, a connected meeting notes software company. He and the Hugo team are on a mission to reconnect the way we meet to the way we work. He co-authored the book 10X Culture, and joins Alex Theuma in this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show to talk about what it takes to build a 10X company culture.
Tien Tzuo (CEO, Zuora) joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. They're looking at what the future holds for the subscription economy. Tien also shares how he prioritises learning, to become the best CEO he can be, as well as the biggest lessons he's learned from this challenging year.
Sean Ellis (author of Hacking Growth, marketing and growth leader at 5 billion-dollar companies: Dropbox, LogMeIn, Uproar, Eventbrite, and Lookout) joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. They're talking how to rapidly scale growth - from when is the right time for a startup to really focus on 'growth', to how to create a culture of experimentation.
Reshma Sohoni is Founding Partner at Seedcamp. Seedcamp invests early in world-class founders attacking large, global markets and solving real problems using technology. In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show she joins SaaStock’s Alex Theuma to share how Seedcamp's investment strategy has developed since they started (thirteen years ago!), and how the funding environment in Europe has changed during that time.
Xenia Muntean, founder of Planable, joins Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show. Planable is a content review and marketing collaboration platform used by over 5,000 teams at brands like Jaguar, Land Rover, Viber, Siemens, and more. She was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2019, and for the past four years, she has worked with hundreds of marketing teams, helping them collaborate efficiently from across the room or across the globe
Frederik Groce is a Principal at Storm Ventures and a co-founder at BLCK VC. Storm Ventures is an early stage B2B focused venture firm that specialises in building enterprise leaders. BLCK VC was formed to connect, engage, empower, and advance Black venture investors by providing a focused community built for and by Black venture investors.
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show he joins SaaStock’s Alex Theuma to discuss an often-overlooked part of the startup journey: getting from product-market fit (PMF) to go-to-market (GTM) fit.
Mikael Johnsson is General Partner at Oxx. Oxx backs Europe’s most promising B2B SaaS companies at the scale-up stage. In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show he joins SaaStock’s Alex Theuma to give a detailed look at the types of companies Oxx invests in, the one common theme he sees in companies that have found product/market fit, and what the next stage of growth - business model / market fit - looks like.
Max Altschuler is the CEO and Founder of Sales Hacker, the leading publication for B2B salespeople. In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show he joins SaaStock’s Head of Sales Will Brightling to discuss the changes you can make to your sales process to iterate and show empathy in the face of a global pandemic, and what changes we can expect to see in SaaS sales motions in 2020 – and beyond.
The sales must go on. But in the face of COVID-19, everything has changed. So how do you approach sales during – and after – a global crisis?
Patrick Arippol (Founding Partner, Alexia Ventures) leads an informative conversation with Thomas Preuss (Partner, DTCP), Michiel Kotting (General Partner, Northzone) and Pascale Diaine (Principal, Storm Ventures). This talk was recorded at SaaStock Remote.
As more and more investors look into SaaS than ever before, especially in light of the current crisis, what are the steps you need to go through in order to prepare for your next fundraising round? What are the benchmarks to measure whether you’re being offered a fair price, and what is a 'fair' price in today's uncertain environment? How do you evaluate this to determine the validity of an offer? Should you hold in and cash out, or should you continue to retain control of your company and grow your businesses through alternative capital?
If you’re an early stage startup looking to secure your series A from the growing number of local investors eyeing SaaS, how do you secure an initial or another round of investment?
Mischa Rürup, CEO and founder of Usercentrics is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. He joins Alex Theuma to share his experience of building Usercentrics, the growth of privacy tech, and taking part in the SaaStock Remote Startup Pitch Competition earlier this year.
Saravana Kumar, CEO of Kovai is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. He joins Alex Theuma to share his experience of bootstrapping Kovai - a multi-product company - to $10 million ARR. Kovai currently employs 160 people, with offices in India and the UK.
Listen on to learn: - Why Kovai chose to bootstrap rather than take VC funding - His experience of growing Kovai in the early years, and how that's different to one of their products, Document360, which is following a more typical SaaS growth curve - How he approaches launching multiple products at scale - And what are his biggest learnings from 10 years of running the business
Larry Gadea, CEO and founder at Envoy is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. He founded Envoy in 2013 to start a 'revolution for the workplace'. Envoy is building smart tools to help offices run more smoothly - like welcoming visitors, receiving mail, and booking meeting rooms.
But a global pandemic that closes offices and drives people to work remotely isn't great for companies that sell software for the physical workplace. In this episode he shares his experiences of adapting and pivoting Envoy in response to the pandemic - including building and launching a new product to help businesses return to work safely.
Jeffrey Tiong, CEO and founder at PatSnap is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. He was recently named as EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and has grown PatSnap to over 700 employees and raised over $100M in funding.
In this episode he shares his experience of starting a SaaS company in Asia, and how he's approached scaling across global markets. Scaling a start up is the top priority of all founders, but scaling across global markets comes with an entirely different set of challenges. From attracting investors to navigating different cultural norms, Jeffrey shares his lessons learned from literally taking a business from one side of the world to another.
This week's episode of The SaaS Revolution Show is live from SaaStock Remote 2020. David Heinemeier Hansson, founder of Basecamp and Hey.com, talks to Christoph Janz about hustle culture in SaaS.
“Rest is for the weak”, “Rise and grind”, “You’ll sleep when you're dead”. Guess what, folks, this is what we call Toxic Work Culture. DHH is famous for advocating for a calm office culture. It’s only natural to be worried for the future of your business, but there’s better ways to steer the ship than with an iron fist. DHH is here to answer your critical questions on how to manage your business through a time of unprecedented anxiety, without the BS.
This extra-special episode of The SaaS Revolution Show comes straight from the online stage at SaaStock Remote.
Join Mathilde Collin, CEO and co-founder of Front, in conversation with Alyssa Newcomb, technology reporter for Today.com and NBC News, as they discuss designing for quiet in product and in business.
There's a huge amount of 'noise' in our working lives: emails, slack notifications, calendar reminders, social media alerts... With companies across the world working remotely, we've turned that digital volume up to 11 as we double down on team communication. But this always-on, noisy culture kills focus, eats away at our mental health, and ultimately prevents us from doing our most impactful work. As the background digital noise increases, what can we do - as product owners, as founders and as leaders - to help our users, our teams, and ultimately ourselves find some quiet again?
Stephen McIntyre, Partner at Frontline Ventures is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Currently Partner at Frontline Ventures, Stephen was previously at Twitter and Google, before moving into VC. He was one of Twitter's first employees outside of the US, and joined Google during a period of hypergrowth.
He brings his experience as an operator and now as an investor to The SaaS Revolution Show, to talk about what US SaaS and tech startups need to consider when expanding into Europe.
This extra-special episode of The SaaS Revolution Show comes straight from the online stage at SaaStock Remote.
Join Des Traynor, co-founder of Intercom, in conversation with SaaStock CEO Alex Theuma to learn what Coronavirus means for product-market fit. Uncover the differences between nice-to-have software and must-have software, what that means for total addressable markets, and what it means for very early stage startups
Joel Gascoigne, CEO and founder of Buffer is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Joel shares his top lessons learned over the past ten years building Buffer: a fully-remote, transparent and profitable business. From the early days and Buffer's very first revenue, to splitting with his co-founders and taking on the role of a solo founder, to his experience of and recovery from burnout, this extended episode is an open, honest and engaging conversation.
AJ Bruno, CEO and founder of Quotapath is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Currently founder and CEO of Quotapath, AJ was previously founder and president of TrendKite (acquired by Cision for $225 million). He built the sales function from the ground up and grew it $0-~$25 million ARR in four years, and the company had around 250 employees before being acquired. AJ shares his insights on building a high-performing sales team, goal-setting, and motivation.
Amir Orad, CEO of Sisense is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Sisense is an industry-leading business intelligence company, with 800+ employees worldwide and over $100M in annual recurring revenue. While BI tools are often seen as enterprise tools, Amir discusses why even early-stage startups can benefit from business intelligence tools, and how companies can use analytics for long- and short-term planning.
Online events have surged in popularity as a result of the covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of all in-person conferences and events. One company leading that charge is Hopin, the all-in-one events platform that SaaStock is using for SaaStock Remote next week. Johnny shares his insights on the future of the events industry, why the best online events are those that facilitate the serendipity of in-person ones, and a little of Hopin's sudden jump into hypergrowth mode since March 2020.
Doist is a remote-first, fully-bootstrapped company - and has been for 10 years. Amir Salihefendic shares his advice for adopting and adapting to asynchronous communication - and how that can help your team master the shift to remote work. He discusses how transparency and asynchronous work go hand-in-hand, and why written communication is a key skill for successful async communication.
Lorena Morales, VP of Marketing at Go Nimbly is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
In this episode she shares her experience as a marketing leader, including why Go Nimbly's marketing doesn't focus on lead generation - and how that's all changed with COVID-19. Jason Reichl, CEO of Go Nimbly joined the podcast last year to talk about revenue operations, and Lorena shares the types of companies that can benefit from implementing revenue operations, and why.
Jeff Titterton, CMO at Zendesk is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
In this episode he shares his experience of growing from single-product to multi-product companies - based on his time at Zendesk to date, and previously in senior leadership positions at Adobe. He also discusses what's important for marketers in times of crisis, and how Zendesk is adapting its marketing in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Javier Darriba, CEO and co-founder at Bloobirds is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
Javier is a serial entrepreneur: he previously co-founded UserZoom, one of the most successful SaaS companies to come out of Spain - and is now looking to repeat that success with Bloobirds. Sales is his specialism, so this is a must-listen for any sales leaders (or aspiring sales leaders) in growing SaaS companies. In this episode he shares a wealth of sales expertise, from how to build out your sales team to why every startup needs a sales playbook.
David Apple, Head of Customer Success & Sales at Notion (and former VP of Customer Success and Sales at Typeform) is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
In this episode he shares his experience building out the customer success function at two top SaaS companies: Typeform, and now Notion. He was the first customer success hire at Notion, so he shares some valuable insights on how to get started with customer success, how to decide what to prioritise and focus on, in the early days as a team of one.
Wes Bush, Principal at Product-Led Institute and author of Product-Led Growth is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
In this episode he gives us an introductory masterclass on one of the hottest trends in SaaS right now: product-led growth. He explains why adopting a product-led growth model can be especially helpful for startups in times of crisis - but why it may not be the right fit for everyone. Wes also shares his top tips for starting to adopt a product-led approach, including one thing you can try right now!
Eric Santos, CEO and founder of Resultados Digitais (RD) is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. He shares his learnings from raising their series C and D rounds of funding, including how the company's growth strategies have developed during that time.
Andy Byrne, CEO and founder of Clari is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Clari is his fourth Sequoia-backed business, and has just raised its Series D.
Andy shares his lessons from building and scaling four Sequoia-backed businesses, right from the early stage of getting from $0-1M, all the way up to scaling to $25M.
You Mon Tsang, CEO and founder of ChurnZero is this week's guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
This episode is a 2-4-1: in the first half he focuses on how early stage SaaS companies can build out their customer success function. Then in the second half he shares ChurnZero's framework for rotational remote work, balancing time in the office with remote time for deep work.
Mikael Thuneberg, CEO and founder of Supermetrics, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show.
He shared the incredible story of how Supermetrics grew from $10M to $20M ARR in just twelve months, and what the main levers were to drive their revenue growth. From marketing and sales activities, to product and pricing details, Mikael shares some of the lessons he's learned scaling up Supermetrics.
Rui Brandão, CEO and founder at Zenklub, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Rui shared the personal story that led him to transition from working as a medical doctor to founding Zenklub, a startup transforming the provision of mental health support in Brazil.
He talked about the state of mental health in Brazil, highlighting why Zenklub's mission is so important. He discussed the importance of mental health for startup founders and employees alike - and how each group experiences different emotional challenges when growing a startup.
This episode of The SaaS Revolution Show takes us back to SaaStock West Coast in September 2019. This session was delivered by Tae Hea Nahm - Managing Director of Storm Ventures, and 3x entrepreneur Bob Tinker. They discuss how startup founders and employees need to learn and change as their company grows and scales.
Marcelo Lombardo, CEO and founder at Omie, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Marcelo shared his story of growing Omie from a 7 person startup in 2013, to an 800 person company today.
He talked about how Omie built out their sales process and completely transformed from a light-touch sales process to having the majority of their team involved with sales in some part. He also shares his learnings from having lots of competitors suddenly appearing in their market, and how Omie overcame that challenge.
Mark Roberge, MD at Stage Two Capital, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Mark shares his framework for scaling a SaaS startup - to help you understand when your startup is ready to scale, and how fast to grow.
He shares the three stages of his framework: - Reaching product/market fit - Transitioning from product/market fit to go-to-market fit - Growth and moat.
Krish Subramanian, founder and CEO of Chargebee, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Krish talks about revenue operations, and the importance of the operations function for scaling SaaS businesses.
He also shares how his role as CEO has changed as the company has scaled - from what he's learned about hiring and team building to how his day-to-day role has changed.
David Darmanin, founder and CEO of Hotjar, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. At the time of recording, Hotjar has 100+ team members across 20+ countries.
David shares his learnings from scaling a fully-remote, bootstrapped company to $25m ARR, from navigating burnout to understanding the changing role of the CEO as the company grows.
Rahul Vohra, founder and CEO of Superhuman, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. At the time of recording, Superhuman had over 250,000 people on its wait list. The secret of their success?
Game design.
Rahul talks about how most of us treat emails as 'work', but at Superhuman they asked one important question: how can we make software feel less like work and more like play? Listen to learn how they use game design in all areas of their product design - and how other startups can benefit from learning more about the theory of game design.
Jói Sigurdsson, founder and CEO of CrankWheel, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. Events have always been an important customer acquisition channel for CrankWheel, and Jói talks about why other SaaS startups should add events into their sales and marketing strategy.
Additionally, CrankWheel was the winner of the Startup Pitch Competition at SaaStock 2019, and crowned the Best SaaS Startup of 2019. Jói shares his experience of the Startup Pitch Competition, and how CrankWheel has benefited from taking part.
Maddy Cross, Talent Director at Notion Capital, is this week’s guest on The SaaS Revolution Show. She talks about Notion's recent research report: The Unicorn Hiring Trajectory. This looks into the hiring trends of SaaS unicorns compared with other high-performing (but not unicorn) businesses.
When Notion invests in a startup, 80% of that capital goes on headcount - growing the team. But how do the choices you make - when to hire, who to hire - affect the growth trajectory of your company?
Dan Martell, five-time SaaS founder and founder of SaaS Academy, talks retaining top talent on this week's episode of The SaaS Revolution Show. This episode was his keynote session from SaaStock West Coast 2019.
He looks at the main reasons employees leave companies, and gives SaaS founders a strategy for keeping a pulse on your team so there's no surprise departures.
This week David Roldan, Head of Venture Capital & Startup Business Development - Europe, Google Cloud, is chatting to Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show, live from Slush 2019.
Their conversation focused on David’s passion: Customer Success. David offered practical tips to help early-stage startups set themselves up as a customer-success-focused organisation - even before making a single CS hire. They also discussed the areas of a business that are impacted by customer success, and how the discipline differs in Europe compared with the USA.
This week Tina Sharkey, co-founder of Brandless, is chatting to Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show, live from Slush 2019.
They discussed Brandless’ journey to date, including their expansion from a direct-to-consumer model to incorporating a physical retail presence. They also discussed the importance of identifying and communicating your core metrics – and how these have changed as Brandless has grown. This is especially important for an early, growing team – it’s essential that everyone knows the key metric by which you’re measuring growth – and how their contribution aligns with that. Tina offered some great practical advice for founders on telling your company’s story, and measuring success.
This week Phil Chambers, CEO and co-founder of Peakon, is chatting to Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show, live from Slush 2019.
They discuss Peakon's latest report looking at why people leave their jobs. They discuss trends and common themes in employee attrition, the importance of your onboarding process, and the times and reasons when employees are most at-risk of leaving your company. Phil shares some of his lessons in managing people, running distributed teams across multiple regions, and how he keeps healthy and balanced as founder and CEO.
This week Avi Meir, CEO and co-founder of Travelperk, is chatting to Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show, live from Slush 2019.
They discuss Travelperk’s journey to becoming the fastest-growing SaaS company in Europe. Avi shares his insights on building and scaling company culture, and how to maintain that as you scale into new regions. He offers practical advice about how to prepare your company to scale – both in terms of headcount and into new countries and regions.
This week Peter Reinhardt, CEO and Co-founder of Segment, is chatting to Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show, live at Slush 2019.
They discuss the pivots and challenges Segment faced finding product-market fit - from Segment's origins as a classroom learning tool to where it is today. As well as focusing on Segment's journey to product-market fit, Peter and Alex also cover how Segment approached expanding into new regions.
This week Jason Reichl, CEO of Go Nimbly, is chatting to Alex Theuma on the SaaS Revolution Show.
Their conversation focused on revenue operations: how Go Nimbly is working to champion the operators in businesses - the people who influence so much revenue, but never get recognised for the role they play. Go Nimbly is defining the revenue operations category, and demonstrating how revenue ops offers real, tangible business benefits.
This week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show is a live recording from SaaStock 2019. In this episode Philipe Botteri, partner with Accel, interviews G2 cofounder and chairman, Godard Abel.
It was a really interesting conversation that followed Godard’s entrepreneurial journey from his first startup BigMachines, to founding and scaling G2. As an experienced entrepreneur he offered lots of fascinating insights on everything from SaaS pricing, sales, and financing. This is a must-listen for early-stage SaaS founders, with tons of practical takeaways.
This week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show is a live recording from SaaStock 2019. We're talking to Eric Boduch, co-founder and chief evangelist at Pendo.
It was a great conversation in the middle of the show floor, on the Podcast Stage, where we really talked about product-led growth, scaling a massive company like Pendo, and how Eric personally deals with that growth.
Elias Torres is focused on building the best engineering organization based in Boston. His team at Drift is building software to help people live, work and create better together. Anywhere, anytime, on any device. He is obsessed with finding the best talent, while sculpting company culture, and getting things done.
They discuss how drift are making b2b buying simple, frictionless and conversational and they also delve into people, hiring culture & the challenges of hypergrowth - including how to train managers and get the best from ambitious young talent. Enjoy
Coming to you live from Dublin where we just wrapped the fourth SaaStock flagship conference, this week's episode is a live interview we recorded with Michael Litt, Co-founder and CEO of Vidyard. This interview was part of the Podcast stage, where we hosted a plethora of podcasters who interviewed our speakers.
Less than a month ago, Michael did something out of the ordinary. While many entrepreneurs start with a Free software offering, then scale into launching Pro and Enterprise solutions, he did the opposite. What happens when you flip the traditional freemium model on its head? What challenges did his company face in scaling this way? How did the team react? How did the market respond? Alex digs into all of these and more.
When Michael is not bringing leading video-based technologies to market, he serves as a general partner of Garage Capital, a seed-stage fund focused on Super-Cluster companies looking to expand their networks into Silicon Valley.
Hope you enjoy this live show with him. We have three more live episodes coming in the next few weeks.
Remember Enron? A company that went to the highest highs only to have a dizzying fall in 2007. One of the values that Enron had put on the wall was Integrity. In hindsight no one would associate Enron with anything remotely close to integrity.
As you heard in the intro, how you reach your objective matters, the end doesn’t justify the means and you have to be intentional about doing it the right way when it comes to people. As it turns out, putting values on the wall means nothing.
This week on the SaaS Revolution Show we bring you a session from our recent SaaStock West Coast conference where a stellar panel discusses how to nail Company Culture & Mission and How to Build an Environment Fit for Scale. What this means is creating a sustainable company with healthy culture, good demeanor and authentic behaviours exuded by everyone. Moderated by Solu Nwanze, Director, Business Operations, Zendesk it features Sonja Gittens Ottley, Head, Diversity & Inclusion, Asana, Emma Eschweiler, VP, Silicon Valley bank, Steven Shapiro, VP Marketing (Americas), Clevertap and BJ Lackland, CEO, Lighter Capital.
They talk in detail how to prepare for a more dynamic workplace and build a more productive and engaged workforce and touch on important topics such as hiring, culture add, rather than culture fit, how to run a company and why you should act as a parent to your team.
As we are just days away from our flagship conference in Dublin, we want to make sure you think about these softer topics as much as you do about product market fit, go to market and outbound sales strategy. Culture, inclusivity and equality matter far more than you think and if you don’t spend time on them you could find yourself in Enron’s shoes, with empty words hanging off your walls. If you still haven’t, grab a last minute ticket for SaaStock19 where 230 speakers will bring useful and thought provoking content across seven stages.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we host Steli Efti, CEO and Co-Founder of Close about his new book on early stage selling techniques for startups.
If you have been in the SaaS space for a few years you have surely come across Steli at a conference somewhere. His signature talks - loud, filled with equal measure cursing and valuable lessons for anyone who does selling, are always unmissable. Steli moved to the US 14 years ago with a one way ticket and a dream to change the world. He didn’t quite achieve that with the first company he started in Palo Alto but he certainly is making waves with his second, Close. Started back in January 2013 to make salespeople more productive, it only recently got the keys for its comfortable .com home; that itself a fascinating story of grit and hustle on Steli’s part, which he shares on his second appearance on the SaaS Revolution Show.
Listen on to learn:
- Why books have become such a pivotal part of Close’s success
- A fundamental thing about early stage selling
- What is the right model of selling that startups should adopt
Steli will once again grace the stage at SaaStock19, more than once in fact. He will be part of the sales bootcamp, which we will run on Monday the 14th. He will then give one of the opening keynotes on Tuesday, the 15th about the seven deadly lies founders tell themselves, which prevents them from succeeding and how to stop doing that. He is doing a workshop that same day as well as dropping by the Podcast stage, recording a live episode for Growth Everywhere, hosted by Eric Sui. Steli is one of many speakers who will delve into successful sales practices at the conference so if you want to improve your sales strategies, grab your tickets now while we still have them.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we host Rod Ardant, CEO and Co-Founder of Spendesk, about how to build a global company.
An engineer by education, Rod always enjoyed building stuff and co-founded his first company, Wozaik, pretty much straight after college. In 2013 it was acquired and Rod started plotting his next venture. He increasingly saw the discrepancy between how people could pay for things in their personal life and professional. Spending time manually uploading receipts or always needing to borrow a credit card from a manager was outdated he believed. Spendesk was born in September 2015 to improve this. By the following June when the product launched, Rod and company had made a bold statement to the media - they would be operating in multiple markets from the start. To make that happen and scale it, Spendesk has had to be global from day one, doing massive amounts of customer research to understand the local mindset and hiring with inclusivity in mind.
Listen on to learn:
- How Spendesk decided which markets to approach
- One simple thing that has allowed him to build a great foundation for an international team
- How he has created a feeling of belonging among all his employees
Going global from the early days and building teams that are not simply diverse but also inclusive are topics that speakers from around the world will be covering at length at SaaStock19 on October 14-16th. Have a look at the full agenda and grab a ticket now.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with one of the SaaStock19 Keynote speakers, Leela Srinivasan, CMO at SurveyMonkey about how B2B companies can survive and thrive in the feedback economy.
Originally from Scotland, Leela has spent her entire professional life in the US, passing through exciting companies such as Lever, OpenTable, Linkedin amongst others. Leela had been a long time SurveyMonkey user before she joined the company as their CMO about a year and a half ago. And she did so for many reasons, one of which being the proper attention the company gives to Diversity and Inclusion. Both the senior executive team as well as the board at SurveyMonkey are gender balanced and diverse.
As SurveyMonkey has moved more and more into the B2B realm, they have been confronted with the fact that we live in the era of the feedback economy. In that sense Leela and her team have had to eat more and more in their own restaurant, meaning using SurveyMonkey to gather feedback in a variety of ways and acting on it.
Listen on to hear:
- How did we get to the era of the feedback economy
- How SurveyMonkey gathers and acts on feedback
- An example how gathering feedback helped SurveyMonkey land a branding campaign
Leela is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock19 in Dublin this October alongside other fantastic CMOs and VPs of Marketing such as Sydney Sloan CMO at SalesLoft, Alison Murdock CMO at SocialChorus, Kieran Flanagan VP Marketing at HubSpot and others. Grab a ticket now at the best possible price.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we speak with Jason VandeBoom, Founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign about all the unusual things he has done to reach $70M in ARR and counting.
A builder and maker of things from an early age, young Jason thought that the best way to cater for that was to attend Fine Arts school. That pursuit brought him to Chicago. However, to pay for Arts school he started doing consulting on the side. He ended up packaging it into an on-premise solution, which he sold for the good part of the following decade, abandoning the pursuit of the fine arts and establishing himself as a tech entrepreneur. In 2013 he began a transition into building a cloud based customer experience automation platform. By 2016, Jason was employing around 20 people and started growing the company.
Three years later the numbers speak for themselves - headcount is nearing 550, the company has 80,000 customers and is on a healthy growth trajectory, currently earning 70M in ARR. What is not so obvious is how Jason got there. Breaking a lot of hard SaaS rules and doing things that on paper made little sense in scaling but in fact have contributed massively to the success of the company, has been the heart of it.
Listen on to hear:
- An example of an unscalable tactic, many would consider toxic to the bottom line
- Active campaign’s unusual way of doing customer research
- How they break the rules of user conferences
Jason VandeBoom is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock19 in Dublin this October that will be sharing unusual and not often talked about ways to grow. We have over 160 speakers that will be split between 5 stages, including a Podcast stage where your favorite podcasts such as The Top, The Growth Marketing Podcast, Inside Intercom, The SaaS Revolution Show and others will be recording live episodes that you can listen in on. That is just one small part of what you get with your SaaStock ticket so go ahead and grab one now at the best possible price.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we host Dan Adika, CEO and Co-Founder of WalkMe about how he has raised the whopping $217 million in the past 7 years.
Dan follows a somewhat familiar path that has bread many excellent Israeli entrepreneurs. He spent 6 years working for tech unit of the Israeli Defence Forces. He then had a year in HP, before realizing that to truly follow his passion for making things, improving them, all the while solving some thorny problems, he had to build his own company. In 2011 Dan did just that. Together with his co-founders Eyal Cohen and Rephael Sweary they started WalkMe.
In February 2012, the three raised their first round of funding that wasn’t coming from friends and family. There were no customers at the time but there was a dream, a bold one - allow people to “walk” the digital world, the way they did the physical one. That bold dream would not always be enough to convince funders but for those times, Dan and his co-founders learned the art of metrics, benchmarks and the data that matters, and have gone through six funding rounds, which have all been very different. How have they done it each time? That’s the topic of our conversation today.
Listen on to hear:
- What are the key things to understand as a founder if you want to go on the funding path?
- How they managed to raise their most pivotal Series round C when everyone was saying no to them?
- The art of showing the right data to investors?
Dan Adika will be joining us at SaaStock West Coast on September 11th, where he will be sharing how he has grown WalkMe to 800 employees and $100m+ ARR and the mistakes he has made when it comes to hiring and culture. He will be joined by a roster of spectacular speakers such as Dan Martel, Nathan Latka, Leela Srinivasan, Sarika Garg that will be providing actionable lessons for growth stage saas companies on how to scale. Check out the full list of speakers and what you can expect to learn from them on our blog. We have very few tickets remaining for SaaStock West Coast so be sure to grab yours now.
This week on the SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with Sarika Garg, Chief Strategy Officer at Tradeshift about walking the tightrope between tactics and strategy.
Sarika was raised in Africa and India and moved to Silicon Valley about 20 years ago. Fifteen of them she spent working between SAP and Ariba, moving up the ranks of product management. When she felt she had gotten too used to the comfy life that big organisations can create, Sarika jumped into the deep end joining Tradeshift, first as VP of product marketing and then raising up to Chief Strategy officer two years ago. At the time, the company employed 100 people and she was the first CSO.
Nowadays the company employs 1000 people and at its last Series E funding round led by Goldman Sachs, it was valued at $1.1 billion. No wonder then, that Tradeshift is one of the fastest growing Fintech companies in Silicon Valley. That has been achieved by navigating the complex network that Tradeshift offers to businesses and having both a disciplined long term view as well as timely day to day operational excellence. Both of those have fallen within the remit of Sarika and she has learned to walk the tightrope between tactics and strategy.
Listen on to hear:
- What should the role of a CSO be in a small company and how to know you need it
- How should companies navigate between long term strategy and short term execution
- How she makes the decision to pivot from her original strategy
Sarika will be joining us at SaaStock West Coast on September 11th in San Francisco moderating a panel which will aim to tackle another common tightrope SaaS companies need to walk and navigate: how to split their focus between attracting new customers and retaining the existing ones. Joining her on that panel will be Shane Murphy-Reuter, SVP Marketing at Intercom, Omar Nawaz, Chief Product Officer at Chargebee and Jason Reichl, CEO of GoNimbly. We have a few tickets left for SaaStock West Coast so be sure to grab one before August 30th when prices increase.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with Natalie Nagele, Co-founder and CEO of Wildbit about how she and her co-founder and husband, Chris Nagele have run the company for the past nearly 19 years and have created both an effective and calm environment.
During those 19 years, Natalie and Chris have built a lot of products and have shut down many of them. The ones that have stood the test of time have often been SaaS. Currently the company maintains Postmark, Beanstalk and Conveyor. Wildbit currently employs 30 people who are spread between 6 countries.
Natalie’s main goal throughout all this time has been to keep the company a sane place to work. She has never taken VC funding and has never imposed high growth, or unsustainable goals for the company. At the start of the year, however, Natalie and Chris introduced The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to help the company become more effective and productive. So far the experience has been great and they are already seeing great results. It has made them far more effective and aligned, especially as they operate a four day work week.
At SaaStock we also implemented EOS at the start of the year, so this is as much a rundown of how it works as it is an exchange of notes and advice on how to make it better. Listen on to hear:
- How Natalie has assured the company has been around for nearly 19 years
- How they rolled out EOS
- One area in which EOS has already had a massive impact in Wildbit
Natalie is one of many diverse voices we will hear from at SaaStock in Dublin this October. While we will have plenty of stories of high growth and stellar metrics, we will also feature the other, equally as effective ways do SaaS - by growing slowly and sustainably. Joining her on 5 separate tracks will be 150 speakers representing a variety of company stages and verticals. Grab a ticket now at the best possible price.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we take you back to the SaaStock18 stage for a special Ask Me Anything session with William McQuillan, Partner at Frontline. Without any preselected questions, William answers everything on the spot at the Traction stage.
After leaving university, William was one of the founding employees of Ondra Partners, a startup investment-banking boutique. William’s work at Ondra led him to discover his passion for rethinking an industry, and he shortly thereafter co-founded Osmoda, a fashion e-commerce company creating a new way for young and up-and-coming designers to sell online. During the same time, William was also the Global Ambassador for the Sandbox Network, a community of over 1000 innovators under 30. It was through his work at all those places that William experienced firsthand the difficulty that European founders have when fundraising. This inspired him to join the other two partners, Will Prendergast and Shay Garvey to set up Frontline, a fund that would usher in a new generation of early-stage venture capital in Europe. Frontline is based in London and Dublin, but backs companies throughout Europe. Their portfolio includes companies such as Boxever, Roomex and AQMetrics among others.
In the AMA, Will answers a host of questions such as: Does he invest in failed entrepreneurs, advice for “unsexy” companies with a slow start, what is the first company Frontline invested in and where are they now as a result and many others.
Having hundreds of investors around such as William is one of the best features of SaaStock. With targeted matchmaking, a dedicated investor zone and plenty of serendipitious opportunities, you will be sure to have many chances to speak with potential future funders. We just ran a list of 20 investors that will be joining us so be sure to check it out on the SaaStock blog and start prepping. We will link to it in the show notes. Grab a ticket at the best possible price now
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with Nazma Qurban, Chief Revenue Officer of Cognism about how she has managed to build a predictable outbound sales machine in the past 2.5 years.
When Nazma joined Cognism she was the first sales employee. The company had one paying customer so the world was hers to conquer and bring in the revenue. Nazma knew the way to go was outbound so she started building a predictable outbound strategy. Driven and ambitious, Nazma would go to every networking event she could and knock on many doors to get a ton of advice and spur as much interest about Cognism as possible.
Two and a half years later she has built a team of 25, mostly comprised of graduates that she carefully upskills. The learning mentality is still present among them and you would be hard-pressed to go to a meetup in London and not run into someone from Cognism. The efforts have paid off. The retention of employees is incredibly high and nowadays Cognism earns $5M in ARR. Cognism’s is a truly remarkable story, with outstanding salespeople in the heart of it.
Listen on to hear:
- How Nazma makes sure the graduates she hires stay in the company
- The secret to upskilling graduates
- One key tenet to building a predictable revenue machine
Nazma Qurban is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock19 in Dublin this October who will help you improve your sales efforts. During the three days, you will learn much more from the likes of Jacco vanderKooj, CEO of winning by design, Steli Efti, CEO of Close.io, Patricia Duchene, VP Sales, and GM Europe, Wrike and many others. Grab a ticket now at saastock.com for the best possible price.
On this month’s episode of the Struggle, with talk with Joachim Klein, President of ThreeKit. Originally from Germany, Joachim has been living in San Francisco for the past three years.
ThreeKit is Joachim’s fourth foray into Enterprise SaaS, a field he is fully subscribed to at this point. He started off his path in a company called BigMachines, the subject of the conversation on this episode.
Joachim joined it in September 2000 as EMEA MD, nine months after BigMachines had been started. The startup helped manufacturing companies provide the best possible quotes for their big machines. Joachim remembers the first year as particularly exhilarating. They were receiving a lot of interest from prospects, had many great conversations with them and all in all got a lot of praise for the problem they were tackling. On top of that, they had raised $30 million in funding so there was plenty of money in the bank. Bullish about the future of the company, BigMachines hired a lot of people that year, preparing for the demand they would get once these prospects became customers.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? This wouldn’t be an episode of the Struggle if BigMachines lived happily ever after, would it? They ran out of money before they had sold anything. On the verge of bankruptcy, BigMachines was forced to lay off 70% of its workforce. Joachim lost his entire team.
One night during this rocky period, Joachim's wife asked him, "Would you invest in BigMachines right now?" and Joachim admitted, "No, I wouldn't put even $100 in. The company is dead."
The company didn’t die and instead eventually got acquired by Oracle but not before a major turnaround, achieved thanks to a lot of self-reflection, change, and learning how to sell. That’s the story of this episode of the Struggle.
If you can be as honest and open as Joachim or any of the other guests we have hosted on the Struggle, get in touch and send us your story on podcast@saastock.com. Thanks for listening, see you next time.
This week’s guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is John Doran, Director of Engineering at Phorest Salon Software, a cloud-based management solution and marketing suite for salons and spas.
Born and bred in Dublin, John has always loved building product and iteratively improving it. Phorest is the first SaaS product he was involved with, jumping in from professional services. which he found far more unsatisfactory. When John joined Phorest four years ago, there were only 5-6 engineers who all reported to Ronan Perceval, CEO and Founder of Phorest.
Two years into his tenure, John became the Director of Engineering. For a while, he continued operating under the flat structure he inherited but quickly that began to cause problems. Individually siloed and not in sync, the engineering development suffered. John and his team began to experiment with changes and are on a journey of continuous improvement.
Listen on to learn:
- The warning signs that the engineering team will need to be restructured
- One change John and the Phorest team implemented
- How John keeps the engineering team aligned
John Doran will be one of many speakers we are bringing to SaaStock 19 to talk about engineering and product. He will be joined by Des Traynor co-founder of Intercom, Janna Bastow, Co-founder Mind the product, Dan Martell, 5-time founder and chief instigator at the SaaS Academy and many others. Use code IRINA20 to get a ticket at the best possible price.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show we chat with SalesLoft CMO, Sydney Sloan. She shares lessons from her vast experience in customer-focused marketing and the metrics she has learned to swear by and report.
Sydney has always been customer focused. Even back in the 90s when there were no CRM systems and no one spoke about the importance of myopically focusing on the customer. At the time she was doing what would end up a 15 year stint at Adobe - the place Sydney says she grew up in a way. At trade shows she would stand beside her sales colleague and have long conversations with people who visited their booth about their problems and challenges. Towards the end of her time in Adobe, she finally had a more customer experience role, leading the Customer Marketing. From then on, there was no going back.
Her career would see her work for companies such as Jive Software and Alfresco. A little over a year ago, she joined Salesloft where she has been building a strong relationship between Marketing and Sales and has influenced how the work of marketing is reported to the board.
Listen on to hear:
- What are the most important metrics in B2B marketing
- Which are the ones that Sydney focuses as CMO specifically
- Why marketing should own the pipeline
Sydney Sloan is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock19 in Dublin this October alongside Claire Hughes Johnson, COO, Stripe, Leela Srinivasan, CMO, Survey Monkey, Kathryn Petralia, Co-Founder and President, Kabbage, and Girish Mathrubootham, CEO, Freshworks. Grab a ticket now at the best possible price.
This week’s guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Sophia Eng, VP of Growth Marketing at Trade the Fifth and Founder of Women in Growth, a support group for female executives. In August 2017 an article she wrote in response to an internal memo that a Google engineer had written to discredit the ability of women to be in STEM careers, became viral overnight. Quoting outdated facts, the internal memo was leaked to the public and as soon as Sophia read it, she wrote a manifesto to urge women and other minorities to speak up and tell their stories so the facts can be straightened.
On the episode, Sophia shares more about the experience and what has happened since. She talks in detail about the continued importance that people of diverse backgrounds tell their story, how vital it is not too give up on efforts to bring more diversity and inclusion in tech as we are only at the tip of the speer and one characteristic that women and other minorities possess that is essential for innovation.
A child of Vietnamese immigrants, Sophia experienced a tremendous amount of pressure to succeed from a young age. She developed a strong sense of dedication, resilience, and grit. Her upbringing helped to foster her growth-hacking mindset from a very young age, which she has applied at every job she has had. She worked harder than any of her peers but the negative part of growing up like this was that Sophia didn’t know how to speak up for herself. Consequently, she has learned to do that very well, as you will hear on the podcast.
Sophia is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock West Cost the most actionable conference for growth stage SaaS Founders & Execs, taking place in San Francisco on September 10th and 11th. There she will be joined by speakers such as Sonja Gittens Ottley, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Asana, Leela Srinivasan, CMO, Survey Monkey, Dan Adika, CEO and Co-founder of WalkMe and many others. Grab a ticket now at the best possible price.
Find out more about the initiatives we have in regards to fostering Diversity and Inclusion through the Taking Stock Program. If you have experienced any form of discrimination, which prevents you from attending SaaStock West Coast or any other of our conferences, please apply for our Taking Stock Scholarship.
The start of Dan Martell entrepreneurial path has all the markings of a Hollywood film - driving a stolen car, chased by police, with a gun beside him. The latest guest on the Struggle, the Canadian 5-time founder has quite the story of trials, tribulations on the way to success.
Beyond being a dad, a husband and a Canadian, Dan would tell you that his defining characteristics are someone who is driven, someone who constantly asks what is possible and what does he need to do to fulfill his dreams and goals. We know where, when and how his entrepreneurial story begins but what has followed since is as interesting, tough and educational.
A lot of it was, in his words, soul crushing. It took him nearly 10 years and 2 failed companies to get a better idea of how to do business right. That coupled with coming across the book “Love is the killer app” gave him the knowledge to be successful.
15 years and three more companies after, Dan has managed to achieve successful exits all the while learning a massive amount of lessons when it comes to running SaaS companies. This total of 25 years from that night when he was 17 and the honesty with which he is able to speak about them, makes him a true treasure trove and we are grateful for the time he gave us on this extended conversation.
Hope you enjoy the interview and pick up some of the many lessons about building companies the right way.
If you can be as honest and open as Dan or any of the other guests we have hosted on the Struggle, get in touch and send us your story on podcast@saastock.com.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we host Rory O’Driscoll, Partner of Scale Venture Partners and talk about the things he believes SaaS entrepreneurs should be mindful of even as the SaaS industry seems to be thriving.
Originally from Ireland, Rory moved to California 28 years ago. For 25 of those, he has been investing in enterprise software with Scale Venture Partners and its predecessor. In that time he has learned a lot of things about the world of venture funding, starting with the fact of just how deceivingly easy all of it seems, yet how difficult it is to make the right decisions about entrepreneurs and their companies and have the conviction to see them through the tough times.
Rory has also learned to count his blessings and remember that a lot of the successful bets he has made have a lot to do with luck. That humbleness is what keeps him cautious even in the best of times for SaaS and in this interview he shares some of his reservations about valuations, market saturation, the increasing competition, making the economics work and others.
Listen on to hear:
- How worrisome is the market saturation in SaaS
- How other companies are dealing with that issue
- How to become recession proof
Rory O’Driscoll is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock19 in Dublin this October alongside Claire Hughes Johnson, COO, Stripe, Leela Srinivasan, CMO, Survey Monkey, Kathryn Petralia, COO, Kabbage, and Girish Mathrubootham, CEO, Freshworks. Grab a ticket now at the best possible price.
One of the last sessions at SaaStock18 was a bonus chat that brought a double dose of Canadian accents - April Dunford, the world’s foremost expert on positioning sat for a conversation with Mark Organ, CEO and founder of Influitive. Even though they spoke at 4;20 on the day weed was legalised in Toronto, the topic they covered on the day was slightly different - category creation. On this week’s episode we are bringing you their entire chat.
Category creation had been coming up again and again during the two days of the conference. It’s something that Mark, who has started 7 companies in his career, two of which category creators, is all too familiar with. His first one was Eloqua, which he founded 20 years ago and the second is his current company, Influitive, which he started 8 years ago. In their conversation, April and Mark talk about the origin story of each, to what extend Mark realized he was creating categories at the time, how he sold the idea to funders and customers, and many other. Both agree just how difficult category creation is and why you need to be built for the ordeal it would take.
Mark and April also touch on the subject of the future of marketing and where the industry as a whole is going.
Both Mark and April will be returning to Dublin, for SaaStock19. There, they will be joined by SaaS thought leaders such as Claire Hughes Johnson, COO, Stripe, Leela Srinivasan, CMO, Survey Monkey, Kathryn Petralia, COO, Kabbage, and Girish Mathrubootham, CEO, Freshworks. Grab a ticket now at the best possible price.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we speak with Alison Murdock, CMO of SocialChorus, a platform for planning, creating, publishing, and measuring employee communications.
Alison has spent the last 25 years in Silicon Valley working in a variety of media and SaaS companies. She started her career wanting to be a writer and her very first job was writing for a magazine in Paris. As she transitioned more into marketing, writing remained a fundamental skill for her and to this day, Alison believes that what companies choose to write or speak about matters most. Everywhere she has worked, she has always aimed to find the crux of the issue that companies are trying to nail with content and the story they are trying to tell.
When it comes to Social Chorus that is a particularly important thing to focus on as they sell to a plethora of companies, that are often undergoing digital transformation. In this interview Alison shares many nuggets from her experience including:
- How to stand out in the sea of content
- How content marketing works in the context of selling to enterprises
- An example of great use of content marketing that Alison admires
Alison Murdock is one of many excellent marketing executives that we will host at SaaStock19 in Dublin this October including Leela Srinivasan, CMO, Survey Monkey, Sydney Sloan, CMO, Salesloft, Dave Gerhardt VP Marketing Drift and Kieran Flanagan, VP Marketing HubSpot. Grab a ticket to see them and many other fabulous marketers who will be in Dublin.
On this month’s episode of the Struggle, Alex Theuma speaks with Liam Boogar-Azoulay, Head of Marketing at MadKudu, a predictive lead scoring solution for SaaS companies.
Liam has had somewhat of an unusual path professionally and personally. When everyone was moving to Silicon Valley, he moved away from it, landing in Paris. While most people would hone their skills in a particular area first and then dare to start their own company, Liam’s first job was starting Rude Baguette, a blog devoted to startups.
He had started it almost as soon as he moved to Paris. Rude Baguette would end up being one of the biggest startup publications in France, which employed 10 people. That is until Liam brought it to bankruptcy, a slow one as you will hear him describe in this interview, but a bankruptcy nevertheless. In retrospect, he knows exactly what went wrong but at the time some of his flaws were hidden. One thing he realized from the experience is that he had enjoyed building the brand far more than being a CEO. With that in mind, he joined Algolia as their first ever Brand Director, 11 weeks after he had filed for bankruptcy. They caused mistakes, which he would repeat at Algolia, a company he joined 11 weeks after filing for bankruptcy.
He would spend a total of a year and a half at Algolia, leaving it in almost as dramatic a fashion as folding Rude Baguette. His time there was marked by some incredible feats like a full rebrand but also some pretty big mistakes, deriving from often not knowing what to do but never admitting to it or asking for help, his innate need to always portray he knew the answer getting in the way. By the time he started with Madkudu, Liam knew there were major gaps he needed help with or he would fail again. Admitting to his vulnerabilities openly Liam asked for an executive coach. MadKudu’s founders said yes.
As with all the other guests on The Struggle, we have the utmost respect for Liam for his openness, honesty, and willingness to learn from his shortcomings so others can learn from them too.
As you will hear in the interview, Liam met Madkudu’s founder Frances at SaaStock. In fact, for a long time, Liam used to think SaaStock was called SaaStalk because of all of the invaluable conversations that take place during our conference for founders, executives and investors. If you want to partake in the networking, the life-changing conversations and lasting relationships, join us in Dublin this October for SaaStock19.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with SaaStock East Coast speaker Eran Ben Shushan. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Bizzabo, a holistic event management platform, and shares how to make better hiring decisions as a company grows.
Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, Eran moved to New York, three and a half years ago, as soon as the company found product-market fit. A former air force officer and a system’s engineer, Eran had his first experience with the magic and challenge of events over 12 years ago. His fascination with events was so intense that he decided to dip his toe in building a platform for them. He started Bizzabo with two other co-founders 7 years ago. Initially it was improving networking at events and aiming to engineer serendipity for attendees. However, early on, Eran and his two co-founders saw a far bigger opportunity.
Nowadays Bizzabo boast two offices, an employee count of 120 and has to date raised $57 million in VC funding. The growth has been tremendous but what Eran has made sure all along is that hiring the right people to support that growth has never been compromised.
Listen on to hear:
- The fundamentals of hiring well
- One foundational rule about recruitment Eran learned the hard way
- Should a CEO speed up the hiring process if they feel they may lose a great candidate
Eran Ben Shushan is part of an absolutely stellar lineup SaaStock East Coast in New York next week on June 4-5, which includes Ragy Thomas, CEO of Sprinklr, Patrick Campbell CEO of ProfitWell, Meghan Keany Anderson, VP marketing Hubspot, David Thompson, CMO of Freshworks. If you are interested in learning about implementing Product led strategies & Product led growth, scaling your sales team, moving your SaaS upmarket, convert users better and many other topics, join us there.
Grab a 50% discounted ticket.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show we speak with Diane Adams, Chief Culture and Talent Officer at Sprinklr and author of the book It Takes More than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee.
Diane has devoted her career to building and studying the role of culture in a company’s success. As the Chief Culture and Talent Officer at Sprinklr, Diane and her team are charting the course for building a high-performing and inclusive culture. No wonder then that the word her colleagues would use to describe her is obsessive in relation to figuring the puzzle that is company culture.
When asked what company culture is, Diane says it’s the consistent set of behaviours displayed inside an organization, rather than the words, the culture decks or the free coffees. Actual culture starts by understanding what people truly care about.
When she first joined Sprinklr over a year ago, she found a situation often observed in high-growth companies. The company culture had been great until it wasn’t anymore. Diane rolled her sleeves and began fixing that. One of the first things that was born out of that was the Employee delight Assurance Program
After they implemented that seemingly simple program, the results were incredible both in terms of engagement and attrition. Diane attributes that to the feedback mechanisms that showcases clearly what works and what doesn’t. As a result the company is showing a great deal of self-awareness.
Diane will sit down for a panel with Ragy Thomas to talk about how to empower leaders to motivate their teams to ensure they are disciplined in executing their strategy at SaaStock East Coast on June 4 and 5 in New York. The two are part of an absolute stellar line up that includes Nathan Latka, Aaron Krall, Patrick Campbell, Meghan Keaney Anderson, VP Marketing HubSpot, David Thompson, CMO of Freshworks. The list goes on and on. If you are curious you can read all about them and how they will help you scale your company. The important point is that we love our SaaS Revolution Show listeners so much that we want to give you a special 50% discount off tickets. Just use code REVOLUTION50 or just click here
On this month’s episode of The Struggle, we speak with Janna Bastow, Co-Founder and CEO of ProdPad, a SaaS platform for product management that helps product managers develop product strategy.
It took Janna about a week on the job as a product manager to realize that she didn’t have the tools necessary to do her job. Creating roadmaps, managing a backlog of features and writing specs was all done in Powerpoint and Excel, tools never created for such purposes. Yet for two years that is exactly what Janna used. Until one day she decided she had had enough of waiting for better tools and together with what would become her co-founder, Simon Cast, began building the tool she never had. Initially, Janna and Simon used it just for themselves but it didn’t take long until they realized that many other product managers just like them would find it useful.
In 2012 they quit their jobs and in February 2013 ProdPad was officially launched. They signed their first customer within the month, a customer that is still with them to this day.
However, it hasn’t been all breezy for ProdPad. On the contrary. In the six years since launching, Prodpad has been through the Plateau of Doom and has entertained the idea of VC funding back and forth, ultimately deciding to bootstrap and accepting the challenges that path comes with. The experience comes with many lessons, some regrets, and some mistakes. One thing that has been there from the beginning is the fundamental agreement between Janna and Simon that they were building a business, not a startup. Every decision has stemmed from that.
Like all the other guests on The Struggle, we have the utmost respect for Janna and the fact she never gave in to the struggle but instead always remained aware of why she was doing all this.
You can see Janna and many other incredible founders like her at SaaStock19 in October or if you cannot wait until then, at SaaStock East Coast this June 4-5. They too will share the struggles and the lessons they have picked up from the experience of growing and scaling their SaaS companies. Some of the speakers at SaaStock East Coast include Ragy Thomas, CEO and Co-Founder of Sprinklr, Jonathan Cherki, CEO and Co-Founder, ContentSquare and Julie Weill Persofsky, Partner at Winning By Design. As listeners to the show, you can avail of our 2-for-1 ticket deal. Grab yours now.
Listen to our previous episode with Janna.
On this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we are bringing you the Growth Stage fireside chat Nathan latka had with Adrien Menard, CEO and Co-Founder of Botify. Adrien unravels a host of interesting data behind Botify’s growth - when they became profitable, what is their ACV and net churn, how their sales and customer success organizations look like and many other. Botify is a search engine optimization platform designed to optimize websites for Googlebot.
Started in 2012 in Paris, the company currently has 450 customers and is spread between three offices. Adrien established the New York HQ. He moved there in 2016. We spoke with him about the experience of moving there and establishing US operations about a year ago on the podcast. Have a listen.
Nathan Latka has an unmatched ability to extract data and information from SaaS founders and has over 3000 podcast episodes under his belt, making him incredibly knowledgeable on the subject of what it takes to be a successful SaaS company. It’s why we are bringing him to every SaaStock conference this year, starting with SaaStock Asia on May 14 and 15 and SaaStock East Coast on June 4 and 5.
There, he will be giving us insights from 10,000 SaaS data points, as well as sitting down for more fireside chats with founders. Even though Nathan comes across as a hard interviewer, he is actually a super lovely guy, happy to chat to anyone so this is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with him.
At SaaStock East Coast, taking place at the Altman Building in Manhattan, he will be joined by Ragy Thomas, CEO of Sprinklr, Dan Adika, CEO and co-founder Walkme, Alison Elworthy, SVP customer success HubSpot and many others. We are bringing the East Coast SaaS community together for CEO, Sales leadership and Growth marketing bootcamps, as well as 15 talks on how to grow and scale your SaaS business. You will have many opportunities for meetings with peers and investors. We are throwing in some cool dinners and parties for networking into the night. Listeners of the show can avail of our 2-for-1 ticket deal. Grab yours now
Watch Nathan Latka's presentation on the State of SaaS
To mark the launch of our fourth flagship conference, SaaStock19, we are bringing a special radio hour episode collating the wisdom from 5 speakers we hosted at SaaStock18, who will be joining us again at SaaStock19.
We have gathered tactical advice from Patrick Campbell, CEO and founder of ProfitWell, April Dunford, Founder of Ambient Strategy, Bridget Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of youcanbook.me, Eris Siu, CEO of Single Grain, and Steli Efti, CEO and Founder of Close.io who in different ways and for different reasons would agree on the essential importance of speaking to customers. As you are listening it may seem like they are talking about something completely separate, yet they always get to the same conclusion: whatever the challenge, part or the resolution is directly connected with talking to your customers.
That is as valid for building better products and improving them, as it is to positioning your product better, getting more traffic to your website and improving your sales emails. Super early bird tickets are now on sale, so grab yours now.
You can watch Eric Siu's entire presentation here
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, fresh off the SaaStock LatAm stage, we bring you one of the favourite panels of the day - best practices in hiring for culture creation.
Maira Gracini, LatAm Marketing Director at Zendesk moderates the panel, which hosts Valeria Porto, HR Director at PayPal, Gabriela Viana, LatAm Marketing Director for Adobe and Raju Vegesna, Chief Evangelist at Zoho. They share how their respective organizations are rethinking their recruitment process: opening up candidate pools to cater to diverse groups, from ethnicity through gender, and all the way to ability and neurodiversity. What they share, clearly proves how hiring with diversity in mind, shortens recruitment cycles and creates tangible benefits to both company culture and the bottom line.
Among other powerful nuggets, you will learn how and why Zoho abandoned the requirement for college degrees, why referral programs are the best way to recruit according to PayPal, why Adobe was the first company in Silicon Valley to reject bell curves assessment and many more
After a highly successful and sold out SaaStock in LatAm our journey across the world continues. Next up on our itinerary we have SaaStock Asia on May 14-15 in Hong Kong and SaaStock East Coast on June 4-5 in New York, where we are bringing equally useful, practical and provocative ideas for SaaS founders, executives and investors.
On this week’s episode, we host with Hande Cilingir, Co-founder and CEO of Insider, a Growth Management category creator, hailing all the way from Singapore.
Originally Turkish, Hande divides her time between Turkey, Singapore and 17 other Insider offices, in order to manage what has become a 400-people company. Started by Hande and five co-founders six years ago, it has been global since day 1. While the US would have been a tempting location to expand to, Insider is only now beginning to consider it. At the beginning it was all about Europe and APAC, regions typically seen as more difficult, not as primed for adoption of SaaS. Yet, the lack of competition made them far more exciting regions, especially Asia. Tapping into it, Insider has become a trailblazer in the region, seeing 3x growth since last year alone.
What has made Insider successful in markets like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond has been laser focused local approach to each of them. If you are in any way thinking of expanding into Asia, this episode is filled with nuggets such as:
- How Insider views venturing into different Asian markets
- What the expansion plan was
- What has been the secret sauce in making this expansion successful
Hande will be joining us at SaaStock Asia in Hong Kong, May 14 and 15th to talk more about how Insider won Asia and became a category creator. There she will be joined by a stellar line up of speakers, including Vinod Chandramouli, Global Head, Pre Sales, Freshworks, Anna Gong, CEO & Founder, Perx Technologies, Jeffrey Paine, Managing Partner, Golden Gate Ventures and over 20 other speakers. Grab a ticket for SaaStock Asia while you still can.
On this week’s episode, we take you back to the SaaStock18 Scale stage for a panel discussion of what is arguably one of our favorite topics - European SaaS companies succeeding on a global stage.
The panel brings together two SaaStock regulars - Martin Henk, Co-founder of Pipedrive and Christian Owens, Founder and CEO of Paddle who chat about their experiences starting up in Europe and then taking their businesses global. Interviewing them is Teddie Wardi, Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners. As you will hear, the two companies had a very different approach - Pipedrive opened international offices early on while Paddle kept a single base in Europe for quite a while.
Supporting entrepreneurs like them and seeing them grow successfully is one of the chief reasons we started SaaStock over 3 years ago. Every story of success makes everything we do that much more meaningful. Martin and Christian get into detail about many aspects of going global including:
- Advice on the timing of when to go global
- Strategies for deciding where to expand
- What are the strengths of being a European company
Listen to another episode we recorded with Christian, as well as Martin
To find your own path to success the way Pipedrive and Paddle have, join us at SaaStock19 this October in Dublin. Super early bird tickets are now on sale.
On this month’s episode of The Struggle, we host Jakob Marovt, a serial SaaS product builder and Growth consultant. In the last 10, years he has worked for and with around 15 SaaS companies, co-founding one of them - Pipetop.
A computer science graduate by education, Jakob never actually practiced it professionally. Instead his fascination early on was with product and growth and Jakob naturally evolved into a technical growth expert.
This isn't the first time we host Jakob. Back in 2015, Alex spoke with him when he was about a year into his Pipetop experience. At the time things were going great. As we find in the conversation for this episode, making the lead generation SaaS database work as a business model was already showing as tough at the time. He and his co-founder persisted for another six months but as Jakob admits in retrospect, they let it linger on for too long. Eventually they folded the company.
On this episode, Jakob tells us in detail about the Pipetop story and what he has learned from the experience about SaaS in general and what it takes to succeed.
On this week's regular episode of the show, Alex chats with Aaron Krall, Founder of the SaaS Accelerator and the SaaS Growth Hacks Facebook Group. Aaron spends his time helping SaaS companies operating a trial to paid model get more traffic, increase conversions and reduce churn.
In the last over 2 years, Aaron has managed to help 80+ SaaS companies with their onboarding initiatives, bringing as much as 300% improvement in conversions. To get that good at onboarding and emails, Aaron has had to learn a lot about the art of emails, onboarding or else. When he started, his emails were according to him, flops. To learn better Aaron wrote onboarding emails for companies, asking founders and marketers for feedback in exchange. With time he got better and came up with frameworks that he now uses extensively. He still steadfastly believes in treating every person who receives an email as a VIP.
Listen on to hear
- What are the most common mistakes companies do with onboarding emails and how to fix them
- What ground work needs to be in place before a single email is written
- How to create email sequences
Aaron is one of our excellent speakers at SaaStock East Coast, taking place in New York on June 4 and 5.
During the two days of the conference you will gain much more insight to help your SaaS get traction, grow and scale with talks such as how to make your customer onboarding awesome, how to develop a remarkable product launch strategy, how to leverage a framework for customer driven growth and strategies for successfully moving upmarket.
Make sure you grab a ticket before Friday, March 29th to grab those early bird tickets and save yourself $100 per ticket.
Tune in for an extra bonus episode hosting SaaStock LatAm speaker André Baldini, CEO of Superlógica.
Superlogica was started back in 2001 as an ERP software for condominiums. André Baldini started out as VP of Sales In 2017 he was promoted to CEO. Previously his career path had traversed a variety of industries including banking, health and EdTech. The common denominator between each was the use of technology and making an impact on people’s lives.
He has certainly had a massive impact on Superlógica. In the last three years, it has grown from 60 to 225 in headcount, 10x in revenue and now serves 4 different verticals. The biggest reason behind that growth is a switch to a full blown SaaS model starting in 2016. In my conversation with Andre we get deep into the story behind that switch, how pricing plans were created and the pitch adjusted.
André is one of the speakers we will host in São Paulo for SaaStock LatAm on April 23-24th. There, he will be joined by speakers such as Aaron Ross, Co-CEO of Predictable Revenue, Lauren Vaccarello, VP Marketing Box, Eric Santos, CEO of Resultados Digitais and many others. As Andre told me on the podcast, conferences like SaaStock coming over to Latam are key to helping the SaaS industry mature from its Early stages. I certainly hope we can contribute to the strengthening of the community. Join us SaaStock LatAm and grab your ticket before we sell out.
Also, be sure to sign up for our Insider Sale to get access to one of the 500, 2 for 1, tickets for SaaStock19 in Dublin this October.
The guest on the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show is Ashley Murphy, Director of Growth at OpenView Ventures. She shares insights about the benefits of product-led growth and how to go about implementing it in your company.
Ashley has spent the last two and a half years helping the OpenView portfolio companies with their go to market strategy including product led growth. The unique model that the Boston-based VC firm has is to provide strong support to companies post their investment to help them refine business models, pricing, marketing so they can ultimately scale. Prior to joining OpenView, Ashley cut her teeth in Wayfair.com where she executed their expansion into B2B. As the company grew, Ashley found herself craving the early days of figuring GTM from scratch. OpenView and their great portfolio of companies such as Expensify, Calendly, Datadog and many others was the perfect ground for that.
In the last year or so, OpenView have been on the forefront of product led growth and its benefits to SaaS companies and Ashley has been one of the most active proponents. In the podcast, she digs deep into topics such as::
- What is Product-Led growth
- What needs to change first in an organisation before it can start implementing PLG
- How to flip the switch for areas like marketing and customer success
Ashley will be covering the topic even more extensively at SaaStock East Coast where she will be taking the stage alongside Michael Litt, CEO of Vidyard, Meghan Keany Anderson, VP Marketing at HubSpot and Aaron Krall, a mastermind in SaaS onboarding who you will hear from in next week’s episode. To see them and a ton of other amazing speakers, make sure you grab a ticket before March 29th to save a $100. And while you are on the saving side, be sure to sign up for our Insider Sale to be in for early access to our 2 for 1 tickets for SaaStock19 taking place in Dublin in October.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we take you back to the SaaStock18 stage for a panel discussion on what growth investors look for. Jos White, General Partner at Notion Capital, moderates the panel featuring Nicola McClafferty, Investment Director at Draper Esprit, Michael Brown, General Partner at Battery Ventures, and Tom Mendoza, Venture Investor at EQT Ventures.
Growth investors like Jos, Nicola, Michael, and Tom look through a different lens for Series B/C rounds as compared to earlier stage venture investors. How they make decisions and what they see as the key drivers of a high-quality growth round tends to be different at this stage where they expect millions in ARR, a solid product-market fit and an international outlook.
They share views on:
- Growth round readiness and what needs to be in place to even start
thinking about Series B * Their own key considerations, including metrics and parameters * How investors make sure Series B funds will be spend the right way
Bringing investors like Jos, Nicola, Michael and Tom and hundreds more to share their insights as well as meet excellent SaaS companies at SaaStock is one of our favorite things. To make sure you can soak up their actionable advice during conference sessions as well as sit down for many potential funding chats with the myriad of investors from around the world, you really want to bring a co-founder or exec along. If you sign up for our Insider Sale , you will get early access to our 2 for 1 tickets for SaaStock19 and bring them along for free. You will double the learning, the networking, and the fun.
On this month’s episode, Alex speaks with Hannah Chaplin, Co-Founder, and CEO of Receptive, a SaaS company that helps other SaaS companies make the most of the product feedback they get and turn it into insights that can help them grow.
Receptive is Hannah’s fourth company, the second which is SaaS. She has been an entrepreneur since the age of 21 and knows all too well the struggles of starting a company. But also the exhilaration. Her first Saas company, Order Harmony, was her learning ground about all things SaaS - from the basic metrics to the marketing, pricing, running a product and gathering feedback. The experience was priceless but the company never really took off. Four years ago, it morphed into Receptive.
Her greatest challenge has been the nagging question whether “a product feedback platform is a sustainable business.” Even as customers signed up for Receptive, Hannah still struggled with the doubts if this was a viable idea. What helped her was the numbness to negative feelings she had developed through years of taking many risks.
As we mark International Women’s Day on March 8th, at SaaStock we celebrate all the remarkable women of SaaS like Hannah who push through the challenges of starting and running businesses, all the while growing families and dealing with a myriad of other responsibilities, and making SaaS a better place.
You can see Hannah and many other incredible women like her at SaaStock19 as well as our global series of events in São Paulo, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, and Sydney. If you have your heart set on Dublin for SaaStock19, be sure to sign up for our Insider Sale to get early access to our 2 for 1 tickets.
On this episode of the show, we host with Dave Gerhardt, VP Marketing at Drift, and talk about the importance of brand in B2B and how to go about creating an awesome one.
Dave joined Drift at the very start as the first marketer. When I asked him whether it had been his impressive resume, featuring names such as HubSpot and Constant Contact that got him the job, Dave admitted it was actually his side project, the Tech in Boston podcast, slack channel and email list that had caught the attention of David Cancel.
Dave’s experience is particularly interesting because he has always marketed to other marketers. He says he has learned the most in the past 3 and a half years, where the heart of the marketing operations has been the unique Drift brand. That has helped Dave and the company to create a new category of conversational marketing, sign up over 150K customers and become incredibly distinct in their marketing.
Listen on to hear:
- How to win the hearts of customers
- How Drift approached building its brand
- How to determine the way to approach your brand
Dave will be joining us once again at this year’s SaaStock flagship conference this October in Dublin. Don’t forget to sign up for the Insider Sale and be the first one to find out when we release our 2 for 1 tickets in April. There are only 500 tickets up for grabs, and once they're gone that is it!
Today we bring you the first of our extended podcast episodes, where Alex gets to ask the nitty-gritty details he usually doesn’t have time for. These hour-long episodes offer a well-rounded insight into the workings of some of the most successful SaaS founders and their companies.
The guest this week is John Thompson, a Co-Founder and a CEO who has taken 2 businesses from zero ARR through seed and A rounds. His first company Commerce Decisions was an early SaaS exit back in 2008. Today he is the Chairman of Wax and ProspectSoft - two later stage PE-backed SaaS companies. He also works closely with Forward Partners, a London-based seed stage VC fund advising their B2B SaaS portfolio companies on sales and growth. As he told me in the interview - he has 8-9 SaaS CEOs in his life every week.
Listen on to learn:
- The fundamentals of building a strong SaaS company, and the most important elements for success,
- What has made John a successful CEO
- What was the wake-up call for him to start taking care of his mental and physical health and how he goes about it.
Some of his beliefs may be seen as controversial but he steadfastly believes in them because they all stem from his own experience, in which with each good year, 3 or 4 bad ones came.
John has been at every SaaStock flagship conference to date and will be joining us a fourth time this October in Dublin. Sign up for the Insider Sale and be the first one to find out when we release our 2-for-1 tickets in April. SaaStock is always better with a Co-Founder or a colleague, so you can cover more ground and learn at multiple tracks and bootcamps.
Let us know if you like this longer format by leaving a review and a rating on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcast, or by reaching out on twitter @SaaStock.
If you want to get in touch with John, you can email him john@briggsassociates.co.uk
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we host Max Armbruster, Founder of Talkpush, about being truly global from day 1.
It’s a topic that fits Max all too well as he would easily qualify as a global citizen of the world. Having lived pretty much everywhere around the globe, his current home is Hong Kong. Talkpush is his fourth company, which he started in 2014. While the HQ of the company is technically Hong Kong where Max sits with two other people, the reality is that the conversational Candidate Relationship Management system has been global from day 1 and has 5 homes.
That wasn’t the advice Max had received at the beginning. Instead of focusing on one market alone and growing slowly, Max decided to approach growth differently - working with enterprise customers he would follow existing customers around the world and expand in each market where they were present rather than seek to find new customers in one place. The plan has worked out well and Talkpush currently employs 45 people and after an initial seed round is a 100% customer-funded.
Listen on to hear:
- How Max de-risked expanding into new markets
- How to approach each market individually from a technological
perspective * One way to make sure your positioning is right in each market
Max is one of the excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock Asia, which will take place in Hong Kong, May 14th - 16th. He will be joined by other successful founders from Hong Kong such as François Chabaudie, Co-Founder & CEO, Neoma and Paul Lugagne Delpon, Co-Founder Easyship as well as international founders who have already ventured onto the Asian market successfully such as Eric Siu, CEO at Single Grain, Bjoern Zinssmeister, CEO and co-founder, Templarbit and Peter Coppinger, CEO and co-founder Teamwork. Find out more information about SaaStock Asia and get tickets.
If you are curious to learn what other companies are succeeding from the region, have a look at our list of 38 bright Asian SaaS stars from 11 countries.
On this month’s episode of the Struggle, Alex speaks with Yesware co-founder and chairman of the Board, Matthew Bellows. He interviewed him a year ago for another episode of the SaaS Revolution Show where the focus was on the part of the story that showcased Yesware’s success to date. Today they take a step back and, in the spirit of The Struggle, chat about the myriad of struggles that Matthew has been through, that isn’t often discussed, on the way to that success.
Matthew started Yesware in 2010 together with his co-founder and CTO Cashman Andrus. The plan was to bootstrap but as demand for engineering talent increased while savings were drying up very quickly, Matthew and Cashman decided to fundraise. According to the blog posts, they had read it was meant to be easy. The reality turned out anything but.
While the experience was difficult, Matthew believes that for Yesware it was the right thing to do. It also served as an important gut check - Do we actually want to run this company and build this product? The answer was yes and eventually, they managed to raise a $1 million in 2011, which helped fuel the initial build of the communication platform for salespeople. Yesware has gone on to raise a total of $48 million. The Yes answer to that question has always remained. Matthew goes in-depth on why he never wanted to give up.
He is incredibly open and honest throughout the conversation and covers a large array of topics such as the inherent conundrum of being CEO, how he has grappled with a very strong case of Imposter Syndrome, the struggles of managing executives, how meditation has helped him immensely, why he stepped down as a CEO in August last year and he feels about it. We finish off with the one piece of advice he would give to fellow founders and CEOs.
This is the untold story of Yesware: 7 years in the making.
If you would like to share your story of struggle with us on the show, get in touch by emailing podcast@saastock.com
Listen to the original SaaS Revolution Show episode with Matthew Bellows
You can find more information about his executive coach, Jerry Colonna here
On this episode of the show, we chat with Kieran Flanagan, VP Marketing at HubSpot, about the essentials of product qualified leads.
A software engineer by education, Kieran very quickly figured out that he would be average at best when it came to building software products. Where he go excited was in getting people to use them, and grow that usage.
Kieran’s path in figuring that out has seen him go through companies like Salesforce and Marketo, finally landing at HubSpot 6 years ago. Such a long tenure is unusual for people like Kieran who get easily bored but HubSpot has proved an incredibly interesting playground for experiments that he hasn’t been tempted to leave. In the past two years, he has been in charge of the entire top of the marketing funnel, which represents all the demand created through users and leads. A lot of that has been led by trials and use of freemium products.
Listen on to hear:
- What is a product qualified lead
- How to know if a product-led strategy makes sense for your business
- How to begin transitioning to product qualified leads
Kieran has spoken at three SaaStock conferences and will be back at SaaStock19, where we will bring many more marketers just like him. Sign up for our Insider sale to be the first to get access to our 2 for 1 ticket sale.
On this bonus episode of the show, we bring you the keynote that Meghan Keaney Anderson, VP Marketing at HubSpot, gave at last year’s SaaStock on Tour in New York. Meghan goes in great detail on the year-long traffic plateau HubSpot’s blog went through in 2017 and how after the initial heart palpitations, the team upended the editorial strategy and are stronger than ever today.
A creative writing major, Meghan joined HubSpot in 2011 when the growth graph of the blog looked like any content marketers dream - a hockey stick. That lasted for a few years until in 2017 it hit a plateau. In the first few months, Meghan and the team ascribed it to seasonality but as months went by with no changes they began to worry. As they would find out, many other companies were reporting similar results, and named that year, the great flattening of 2017. The journey to get out of the plateau began.
Listen on to hear:
- Why were all companies seeing the plateau at that time?
- What was the first thing HubSpot did to accommodate to this new
reality * How did HubSpot optimize content to fit Google’s new algorithms
To fully enjoy this podcast you can follow Meghan’s deck as you are listening. From June 4th to the 6th, we will be back in New York to run a bigger and better SaaStock East Coast conference featuring incredibly successful SaaS founders and executives such as Meghan, as well as key investors from the region. Find out more about SaaStock East Coast and buy tickets.
On this week’s podcast, we talk with Cristina Vila, Founder of Cledara, which was crowned the Best SaaS Startup of 2018 during SaaStock18 in Dublin last year.
Cristina grew up in Spain and from a young age enjoyed the dinner conversations with her dad, in which he would speak about running his business. The aptitude for entrepreneurship only increased from there, and on June 30th, 2018, Cristina left the startup she had been working for to start her own. The problem she had decided to solve was managing the abundance of SaaS products that companies were using. She had faced that very issue and upon failing to find a solution to help her, she decided to build one.
Cristina raised a small angel round, employed the services of a dev agency and applied for the SaaStock Best SaaS Startup of 2018 competition as her master plan for launch. What followed were a chain of smart decisions and hard work, which led her to ultimately winning the title.
Listen on to hear:
- How one single event determined their go to market strategy
- How Cristina managed to get the Cledara Virtual Debit Mastercard much
faster * What’s the most important feature of a Best SaaS Startup
In 2019, we will be running our signature startup program at each of our events around the world. Zendesk is our global startup partner helping us support the next generation of SaaS startups. From Sao Paulo and Hong Kong, through to New York and Dublin, all the way to San Francisco to Sydney, the opportunity to fast track your growth through workshops, networking and connection will be just a short flight away at most. If you are interested in participating, send an email to gabriel@saastock.com to learn more.
On this week’s podcast, we talk with Liam Martin, Co-founder of Time Doctor and staff.com and organiser of Running Remote, a conference devoted to leaders and executives from companies with remote work culture. We chat about hiring well and creating a healthy and strong culture remotely.
Time Doctor measures remote employee productivity and staff.com acts as a two-sided marketplace for hiring remote workers. Liam eats his own dog food and both organisations are entirely remote with 100 employees spread between 26 countries worldwide. Liam started Time Doctor back in 2012 when very few companies were making the move to go for a fully remote organisation.
But Liam had a perfectly good reason - the weather in Canada in winter time, which he really wanted to escape from. To make remote work, Liam has had to put in a lot of processes in place and has had to accept the reality that VC investors would not agree to fund him with such a spread organisation. Liam and his business partner have bootstrapped the company, which is currently at $5 million in ARR.
Listen on to hear:
- What is the key ingredient to making a remote organisation effective
- How to create the right processes
- One unexpected and eye-opening tactic for hiring a healthier organisation
Wherever in the world you are based, SaaStock will be landing on your continent in 2019. Unless you are in Antarctica. Just like Liam, we are not fans of thumbs-falling-off kind of freezing weather. Pick your destination. From Sao Paulo to Hong Kong and San Francisco to Sydney, we will be within a short flight at most from you so join us to learn from experienced SaaS practitioners such as Liam who are open to sharing their pitfalls, connect with peers and potential partners. And have fun, which as Liam argues is the most important thing to stay sane on this journey.
In December of last year, we attended the first ever SaaS E[quality] unconference, organised by the Women’s Work Institute and held in Toronto, Canada. In a room of about 100 D&I champions and leaders, we had a day of fascinating stories, provocative ideas and discussions around Diversity and inclusion challenges in SaaS. On the day after the conference, I sat down for a chat with the founders of the Women’s Work Institute, Kristen Liesch and Anna Dewar Gully to hear their thoughts from all the interactions and to lay down some steps for pushing diversity and inclusion forward. A conversation we are bringing to this week's SaaS Revolution Show.
Without prior experience in SaaS, Anna and Kristen approached the industry for two very specific reasons. One is that they believe the intersection of services and tech is where the best results can be achieved in terms of fixing diversity issues but also because as they reached out to leaders in different spaces to see if they would be interested in participating in a conference aiming to address this, SaaS was where they saw incredible uptake.
Both Anna and Kristen are equality champions but as business strategists, they inherently believe that the topic of Diversity and Inclusion is a business objective above all and it needs to be approached as such. In that, every company should start with Why.
Listen on to learn:
- What problems SaaS leaders experience when it comes to D&I
- Why diversity and inclusion remains an unsolved issue
- How should each business get to a clear Why diversity matters to our business? which will be more effective in bringing improved results
Improving the diversity and Inclusion at both SaaStock and SaaS is something we will be putting much more effort in 2019. By our side, we have Zendesk, our Global Diversity and Inclusion partner. We already have started the #TakingStockPledge, and look forward to doing many more initiatives throughout the year so stay tuned.
The guest on this month's episode of The Struggle is Rory Codrington, founder of WeDelight, a customer rewards platform. His entrepreneurial journey began in 2014 when straight out of college he started the holding company that would become WeDelight. At the time his product was an action sports meetup app. After a couple of years, Rory and his CTO figured the idea wasn’t going to take off so they pivoted to WeDelight. They first operated a pay-as-you-go model and eventually switched to a subscription model. Rory still keeps a screenshot of the first Stripe payment that came through from his first customer, CharlieHR.
WeDelight’s go-to-market model was simple. A focus on outbound, mainly done through email and Linkedin and this way he managed to sign some pretty notable clients. Things were trickling along but as he realised not fast enough. It was something very difficult and frustrating to deal with as he was too close to the ground and had been at it for too long to just give up.
Eventually, he got a piece of very valuable advice from Ben Gateley, COO and co-founder of CharlieHR how to know it was time to fold, an experience which wasn’t easy but Rory handled with grace.
Rory’s story is both inspiring and humble, filled with powerful lessons and we hope you will enjoy listening to it.
If you have a story of struggle you would like to share with us, get in touch by emailing podcast@saastock.com.
This is a reply of our most popular episode of 2018, hosting April Dunford.
Seven startups. All seven of them acquired. 16 launched products. All 16 of them repositioned. Roles as varied as CEO, CMO and COO. There has never been a dull moment in April Dunford’s career. Throughout all that, she has become the world’s foremost expert on positioning.
Improving the context a product creates for its customers became April’s lifelong passion. It’s why she has taken on seemingly very different roles in the various startups and their acquirers she joined. As she puts it, positioning encompasses the entire organisation.
Currently, April is working on a book, which she hopes will offer the first scalable methodology for doing positioning right.
Listen on to hear:
- Why so many startups and companies fail at positioning
- What are the signs you are having a positioning problem
- How to start fixing your positioning and create the right context for your customers
- Examples of product repositions April has executed
- What is the best way to track the effect of repositioning
You can watch April's talk from SaaStock18 where she gets into much more details on all of these subjects by getting one of our SaaStock on Demand pack.
On this short bonus episode, we take you back to our podcast stage at SaaStock18 for a chat with Olivier Pomel, CEO of Datadog. Alex and Olivier talk about how he has been hiring for hypergrowth.
Originally French, Olivier moved to the US in 1999. Eight years ago he co-founded Datadog and the journey has been exhilarating and scary in equal measure. Datadog has been doubling its workforce every year and currently employs 800 people. Hiring has been one of Olivier’s main responsibilities and as he says his ability to hire has been the best predictor of future success. Datadog has a 9 figure ARR and has raised 140 million in funding.
You will hear more about the founding story of the company, how Olivier has managed to double the workforce each year, how setting a clear focus early on has allowed for this and much more.
This week’s guest on the SaaS Revolution Show, hailing all the way from Brazil, is Diego Gomes, CEO of content marketing platform and SaaS-enabled marketplace Rock Content. Alex and Diego talk about the content marketing strategy the company has executed for their blog to reach 2 million unique visits and 50K new subscribers each month and help the company on the way to $12mm ARR.
An entrepreneur by heart, Diego started Rock Content with two other co-founders, nearly six years ago. At the time they had no idea they were building a SaaS company, what made a subscription-based company successful or who else was building SaaS in Brazil. What they knew was to blog about marketing. Marketers became their core audience. Currently, at $12M in ARR, the company employs 300 people and has been profitable for three years in a row.
Listen on to learn:
- How the customer acquisition strategy is reflected in the content marketing of Rock content
- What are the pillars of a truly successful content marketing strategy
- Whether you should be worried about the over saturation of content
Diego is one of many speakers we will host at SaaStock LatAm on April 23-25th 2019 in Sao Paulo. He will be joined by Renata Centurión, from Winning by Design who will help you make sales a team sport within the organisation, Lauren Vaccarello, VP Marketing, Box who will share how to do marketing at scale, André Baldini, CEO, Superlógica Tecnologias who will walk you through how to grow 10x in three years and reach profitability and many others. Grab a ticket at a Super Early Bird rate until Friday, December 21st.
The guest on the second episode of the Struggle is Emeric Ernoult, CEO and Co-founder of social media platform AgoraPulse. On that subset of the show, we aim to tell the part of the SaaS journey often omitted: the struggle to get traction. A struggle which sometimes ends in success but other times in failure.
His story of struggle dates back to July of 2000 when as a successful business lawyer, Emeric found first hand a fundamental truth about the human existence - money alone will never make you happy. Earning close to €17,000 euros a month at the age of 27, Emeric was already destined for a comfortable and wealthy life. But his heart said no to that comfortable perspective. Instead, he wanted to build his own company.
He started a business on the side with a friend of his. The idea they were working on was a social network, not too different from Facebook which launched 4 years later. But as it can sometimes be the case, for one company and idea to lift off, timing is key. With the dot-com crash about to happen, Emeric and his co-founder had picked the wrong year to start a web business. What has followed are 15 years of playing around with different ideas, going back and forth between his law career and the business, with the struggle never really subsiding, until AgoraPulse began to take shape but it would still take a lot of time to make it work.
At times it felt excruciating and Emeric’s personal life would take the toll on this. But he couldn't let it go. This is the story of AgoraPulse: 18 years in the making.
To hear more about the early years of AgoraPulse, listen back to the episode we recorded with Emeric in 2016. You can also watch his very candid presentation from SaaStock17.
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we take you back to the SaaStock18 stage for a panel on the role of the B2B SaaS CMO. Moderated by Eileen O'Mara, EMEA CMO, it features Heather Zynczak, CMO at Pluralsight, Meagen Eisenberg, CMO at MongoDB, and Ryan Carlson, CMO at Okta.
Their insightful conversation covers a large array of topics, on which, sometimes, their opinion differ. From how their companies stay more customer focused, what their marketing tech stack looks, and how they help their teams be on the cutting edge of MarTech all the way to what room there is for branding, creativity, and knowing your own weaknesses.
What you will learn from them:
- What is the best B2B lead generation program
- How to hire and retain great marketing talent
- How to think about social media in an industry obsessed with ROI
Beyond this panel, during the two days of SaaStock18, we packed a lot of SaaS marketing content. Invaluable advice from April Dunford on how to position products better, Kieran Flanagan explaining how to run growth-minded teams, and David Gerhard telling how to make the brand the biggest revenue generator were just a few of the highly tactical and practical sessions we held.
What these speakers and other marketing professionals shared will advise how you think about SaaS marketing and help you implement cutting-edge practices to improve your activities. If you didn’t get a chance to see these and all the other talks at SaaStock18, we have recordings of all of them, which you can binge watch.
In just a couple of weeks, on December 6th, we will be bringing the SaaStock experience all the way to SaaStock Oceania in Sydney. On this week's episode, we bring you another great speaker we will host there - Ashik Ahmed, CEO and CTO of Deputy.
Ashik will talk about the shit he wishes he knew as he was growing the company. One of the central themes in that is the learning curve in making better decisions, which is the subject of this week's podcast.
Ashik and his co-founder Steve Shelley founded Deputy ten years ago after grappling with scaling issues at Steve’s previous company where Ashik worked. As they fixed a lot of the problems, many people in Ashik's network would enquire how it had happened. The problem of managing work and workers was huge so they decided to fix it.
Bootstrapped for 8 years they relied on whatever they were earning in MRR to grow the company, which called for a specific kind of decisions making - never too long term but always fast-paced. Two years ago, they signed a term sheet with OpenView and have been doubling in size each year since.
Listen on to learn:
- The most impactful advice Ashik ever got about making decisions
- What aside from applying that framework is essential for making good decisions in a fast-growing SaaS company
- An example of how Ashik made the decision to go with Openview after pitching to 27 other VC companies
On December 6th in Sydney, Ashik will be joined by other exciting speakers such as Alex Fala, CEO, VendHQ, Luke Anear, CEO, Safety Culture and Kirsti Grant, CEO Populate and HOP Ventures. You can use discount code ALEXT30 for 30% off tickets. Get one now.
The latest guest on the SaaS Revolution Show is Alex Fala, CEO of New Zealand company Vend. One of the speakers at SaaStock Oceania, which takes place on December 6th in Sydney, he gives a taster of the topic he will cover extensively at the event: how to hire executives without using the Silicon Valley playbook, which Alex deems irrelevant unless you are the hottest company in the Bay area.
Vend was founded in 2011 and Alex joined in March 2015 as VP of Strategy. Three months later he became CFO. In both roles, he focused on the business and commercial side of things. By February 2016, then CEO and sole founder Vaughan Rowsell decided it was time to let someone else lead the company while he focused on the product side of things, which was his passion to begin with. Alex was put in place as acting CEO while the board searched for a permanent one. Four months into the search and Alex’s tenure, they figured he was the best person for the job and kept him.
First order of business for Alex was pivoting the company structure to fit the different go-to-market strategy he believed was necessary to truly scale the company.
Two and a half years later, the company is 250 people strong with half of the team based in its HQ in Auckland, New Zealand and the rest spread in offices in London, Toronto, San Francisco, Melbourne, and a few other places. Alex has successfully hired 7 of his 9 direct reports in the last year.
Listen on to learn:
- Why he so steadfastly believes that the more traditional, Silicon Valley, playbook does not work outside
- How Alex approached hiring instead
- What are the things that have helped Alex the most to keep people aligned throughout all the different offices
Make sure you grab a ticket to see Alex Fala live in Sydney on December 6th. He will be joined by 20 other speakers who will cover topics like the future of B2B marketing, building true diverse cultures, strategies for global success from a local start and many others. Grab a ticket now
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma takes a break from hosting and Irina Dzhambazova takes over, recording live at the Podcast Studio at SaaStock18. The guest is Tae Hea Nahm, co-founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures. We talk about his book "Survival to Thrival: A guidebook for building enterprise companies and leaders” which he co-authored with Bob Tinker. The book combines Tae Hea's perspective as a VC and board member and Bob's perspective as a founder/CEO and aims to provide advice to founders who want to grow.
The book, split into two parts, focuses on the frameworks surrounding a successful growth and in particular what Tae Hea and Bob call the search for Go-to-market fit, and the more personal challenges associated with growing a company, namely the change of responsibilities that the CEO and VP will undergo and the loneliness that every CEO inevitably will have to face and how to counteract that.
The conversation mostly focuses on the first part of the book and explores how companies should approach the search for Go-to-market fit but in the end, skews toward the change management aspect of things.
Listen on to hear:
- What Go-to-market fit means
- What is one thing a company can do to find the right GTM fit
- What are the signs that the GTM fit includes an effective Wow moment?
Tae Hea was kind enough to give us a few physical copies of "Survival to Thrival", which we would like to give to you, our devoted listeners of the show. Send us a message to podcast@saastock.com telling us what are some of your greatest challenges as a SaaS founder and which are your favourite episodes of the show that have helped you address them and we will mail you a copy of the book.
You can find more information about SaaStock LatAm 2019 here Get your SaaStock18 On demand pack here
The first guest on our new series, The Struggle, is Clay Smith, CEO and co-founder of Akita. Started five years ago as part of the Launchpad program at NDRC in Dublin, the company earned its first 50 dollars in revenue last year. As Clay puts it, they became ramen profitable. The instant kind.
It took 4 years, two pivots, consulting on the side, being creative about rent and possessing a dancing goat to make it through.
Clay told this story at the SaaStock18 stage but also separately sat for a chat with Alex Theuma before the conference. As you will hear he never quite lost hope and kept on pushing through. In retrospect, some tough situations were avoidable, others were inevitable.
If you have a story of struggle you would like to share with us, get in touch by emailing podcast@saastock.com
You can watch Clay’s entire presentation where he has a picture of the dancing goat, as well as 40 hours of recorded content from 130 speakers, by getting our SaaStock18 on demand bundle.
You have until the end of today, November 1st to snatch an early release ticket for SaaStock19 at the lowest price it will ever be. This is your last chance before March 2019.
We hope you enjoy our new series.
We want to tell you about a new series that we are starting as part of the SaaS Revolution Show that will be dropping in this very feed starting this Thursday. It’s called The Struggle and it aims to showcase the story not told often enough. Once a month we will share stories of companies and founders who have a particularly difficult time in finding their way to traction. Sometimes they find their way through it. Sometimes they don’t.
No matter how difficult and painful, every story carries lessons and takeouts which are as valuable to those who were part of the story as they are to the community. There are mistakes that can be avoided which our guests are kind enough to share for everyone. And there are tips on how to keep going through the tough times.
Subscribe to the Saas Revolution Show if you haven’t already, on iTunes or wherever you get your podcast to get The Struggle episodes. The first episode coming this Thursday.
During SaaStock18, alongside three tracks and a Startup Pitch stage, we ran a podcast studio. During the two days of the conference, Inside Intercom, Nathan Latka, Growth Everywhere, Build by Openview, Open SaaS Mic, The Startup Chat, and 14 Minutes of SaaS all recorded interviews with our speakers, which they will be releasing in the following weeks.
We too recorded three episodes of the SaaS Revolution Show, which we look forward to publishing in the coming weeks.
This week we are bringing you the first of those, a conversation with Corey Thomas, CEO of Rapid7. When he joined 10 years ago, the company was just about making 5 million in revenue and employed about 50 people. By the time Corey became the CEO, 5 years later, the revenue was 40 million. In 2015 the company went public. This year it is forecasted to reach 250 million in revenue. When asked how all that came about Corey says it was a lot of people, figuring out a lot of complicated stuff non-stop.
As the CEO, Corey has a clear plan in place how they are going to reach the next important milestones such as 500 million and 1 billion in revenue.
But what is the role of the CEO in such scale, concretely?
Listen on to learn:
- How Corey views the role of the CEO
- A key CEO strategy for success
- One innovation that has really helped Rapid7 scale
Alongside popping at the podcast stage, Corey also sat down for a conversation with David Skok on the Scale stage. You can watch that conversation as well as a 100 other sessions we hosted by getting our SaaStock On Demand pack. You can grab a super early bird ticket for SaaStock19 until November 1st.
On this week’s episode, we host one the SaaStock Oceania speakers - Dale Clareburt, CEO and Co-founder of Weirdly to talk about diversity and inclusion. We just launched our very own diversity and inclusion pledge in partnership with Zendesk. Learn more about the #TakingStockPledge
Weirdly hails from Auckland, New Zealand and was started 4.5 years ago to help businesses and people stay aligned with their quirky and even weird characteristics in place. It had taken Dale and her three co-founders 3 months to come up with the name of the company. Dale has spent 20 years in the recruitment industry and has an incredibly deep and genuine interest in people. In her time spent working in agencies and services for the recruitment, she found most processes lifeless and unengaging. Weirdly was an antidote to that.
Listen on to learn:
- The most important value behind a diverse and inclusive culture
- How should companies hire with fair representation in mind, yet make sure the best candidate is chosen
- What organisations can do to promote diversity and inclusion and move the entire space forward
Other great speakers joining Dale at SaaStock Oceania include Alex Fala, CEO, VendHQ, Ashik Ahmed, CEO, CTO & Co-Founder, Deputy, Kirsti Grant, CEO & Co-Founder, Populate.io and many other local and international founders, executives and investors. Join them for a day of learning, networking, meeting investors, partners and friends in lovely Sydney. Grab a ticket now.
With SaaStock18 in just a few days and to get you even more excited and pumped, this week’s conversations is especially useful and interesting. Alex chats with Eric Siu, CEO of SaaS marketing agency Single Grain on all things content marketing. Eric is the host of not one but two podcasts - Growth Everywhere, which gets 100,000 downloads a month and The Marketing School co-hosted with Neil Patel, which is well on track for reaching a million downloads a month. Aside from speaking at SaaStock, Eric will also be recording a few live episodes of Growth Everywhere at our podcast stage, which will host 8 different podcasters for the duration of the conference. You can see the full line up on our event app. We will have limited seating available for people who would like to listen in.
The podcast stage is one of many exciting things that come with a SaaStock ticket. In case you don’t have one, we have very very few remaining ones available before we sell out. Get one using code ALEXT20 for a 20% discount.
Eric Siu joined Single Grain 5 years ago and 4 years ago took over as CEO. When asked to describe himself, he simply says "I love Marketing" and as you will hear in the interview he certainly does. Tune in to hear a myriad of helpful advice including:
- One key advice he has about running content
- What is the most important role in content marketing you need to hire
- A simple tactic on promoting your content, which as Eric says should take about 95% of your time especially at the start
Join Eric and 132 other speakers and learn from them all you need to know about content, marketing, sales, customers success, fundraising, crossing oceans and whatever else stands between you and growth. If for some reason you cannot make it, we have just launched a live streaming on demand option for watching SaaStock from your home or office and still participate in the conversations happening online. It’s the next best thing to being in Dublin with us. Purchase here
Jada Balster, VP Marketing of Workfront is the latest guest on the SaaS revolution Show. She has been in the B2B Marketing space for over 12 years, focusing on demand generation. She has built and led teams in a few SaaS companies in that time and currently heads Workfront’s EMEA marketing and account development teams.
When she joined Workfront nearly 5 years ago, the company was 300 people. It is now touching 1000 and In this time she has had to shift her thinking from solely focusing on demand generation to also incorporating the more fluffy parts of marketing such as brand and story. Combining them together has allowed the company to scale and become a category leader.
Listen on to learn:
- How Workfront does demand generation
- Why the business imperative behind creating a category is essential
- How to direct the organisation to scale and create a category
Jada is joining us for SaaStock to talk in detail what it takes to become a category leader. According to her, it’s never too early to start on that journey. We will talk much more marketing, brand, sales and other key facets of growing a SaaS company at SaaStock18, just 10 days away. We are about to sell out so if you still want to join us you have to be very quick and grab a ticket asap. Use code ALEXT20 for 20% discount.
Patrick Campbell is something of a pricing guru in the SaaS world. He wasn’t always though. It was a job he had for a short period after he had spent time in Google and the Intelligence services in Washington DC, that showed clearly to him the sort of impact even small price alterations can have on the bottom line.
A statement more valid than ever in the subscription economy. So six years ago, young and without family commitments, Patrick decided to give entrepreneurship a go and see what he could build with his background in econometrics and math and curiosity for price elasticity. Price Intelligently was born. Patrick gave himself 9 months to see if there was something and he could make a viable business out of it.
Six years later, the company has rebranded to ProfitWell and is going from strength to strength.
Listen on to learn:
- Why professional services and product need to go hand in hand
- What has been the evolution of ProfitWell
- Why ProfitWell relies on a freemium model
Patrick is joining us for SaaStock, running a pricing workshop and bringing a couple of new talks, including a very personal one about battling with cancer throughout the whirlwind journey of growing ProfitWell. We will have many more pricing and metrics talks during SaaStock and you are sure to leave much better equipped to tackle them.
You can still book your ticket for SaaStock. Do so before October 1st to save €200
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with Jessica Weisz, COO of SoapBox, a meeting platform that helps managers and companies have better conversations.
Jessica joined SoapBox as employee number 5 and her role was to take care of customers. Five years on, she has transitioned through several roles with her current being COO. As she says it, it’s the role of making sure shit gets done, which complements very well the visionary nature of her CEO. At the start of the year, the company completely revamped its business model moving from enterprise sales to freemium and has seen great take up since.
In the heart of what SoapBox does is the notion that better conversations between managers and employees is the most essential thing for the business to succeed.
Listen on to learn:
- What is the essence of the 1-1 conversation
- How 1-1s differ depending on the cadence
- How to tactfully address negative feedback at 1-1s
On last week’s episode, we introduced a special raffle we are running for listeners where one lucky SaaS Revolution Show listener will get a ticket to SaaStock for free, as well as something money, can’t buy on top - an invite to our Speaker’s dinner. Inspired by the chat with Jessica and the importance of good conversations, we have decided to extend the deadline until next week so more people have a chance to participate. Go to saasrevolution.show and sign up until Wednesday, 26th at midnight. This is your last chance.
For one time only, Alex Theuma sits in the interviewee seat and tells Irina Dzhambazova who are the speakers he would be most bummed about if they didn't show up. It's one of the nightmares he has been having for the past couple of weeks and probably will have all the way to SaaStock18.
You have a little over a day left to sign up for the SaaS Revolution Raffle and win a ticket for SaaStock18 so you don't miss any of the 129 speakers. The winner also gets an invite to our speaker's dinner. Head over to saasrevolution.show For everyone who joins, Alex promises to reveal his favourite pubs for a perfectly poured pint of Guinness.
To grab tickets, head over to https://www.saastock.com/tickets/
It was early on in his time at Salesforce that Frederic Kerrest knew SaaS was going to be huge. On paper, enterprise on-premise software ruled the world, banking $500B in revenue a year. In comparison, Salesforce, which in 2002 was the only one charging on a subscription basis, had an ARR of around $25M. But Frederic knew that was destined to change. The tables would turn.
He spent five years at Salesforce, working in sales and business development. He started and built the Latin America sales organization, Mobile group and OEM / Reseller programs. This week’s guest on the SaaS Revolution Show, Frederic Kerrest, left Salesforce when he had learned a huge amount about SaaS and in 2009 co-founded Okta, a company that brought identity management to the cloud. The company went public last year on NASDAQ, an experience Frederic covers extensively on the podcast.
Listen on to learn:
- What the road to IPO has been like for Frederic and Okta
- What is essential in the preparation for it
- What has played the biggest role in its success
Inspired by Okta and Frederic’s story we want to bring one lucky SaaS Revolution Show listener to SaaStock and SaaS.City for free, with something money can’t buy on top - an invite to our Speaker’s dinner. It’s a once in a lifetime chance to meet exceptional founders and have up-close conversations with them. To enter, go to saasrevolution.show and sign up for the raffle until Wednesday, September 19th at midnight. We will announce the winner at next week’s episode.
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, we take you back to the SaaStock New York stage. David Skok, Managing Partner, Matrix Partners is in conversation with Seth Besmertnik, CEO of Conductor, which was recently acquired by WeWork. They chat about the journey of 10 years to get to this exit. Speaking of journeys - our own SaaStock journey is only 6 weeks away from hitting a major milestone - our 3rd annual conference! There are still a few passes available so grab yours at saastock.com if you haven’t yet, it’s going to be epic.
When WeWork acquired Conductor, Seth mentioned to WeWork’s CEO, Adam Neumann that he Adam may have built a billion dollar company very fast but Seth had made many more mistakes than him.
He wasn’t exaggerating.
Starting Conductor straight out of college, Seth messed up in a myriad of ways and had on many occasions almost given up and closed the company.
Almost. But he never actually gave up.
Seth has learned to play the long game and it paid off for him. Sitting for a chat with David Skok, he now wants to help you do the same.
Listen on to learn:
- How he dealt with a very high churn
- How he made sure customers understand his product
- What Seth wishes he knew in the early days of Conductor
David Skok is coming to SaaStock18 again this year, featuring in 2 sessions.
Firstly a keynote - Get inside your buyers head to improve funnel conversion rates and then he’s moderating a fireside chat with Corey Thomas, CEO of Rapid 7 entitled From $15M to $250M - Scaling with Soul. You don't want to miss either. David doesn't leave back to Boston after his talks. He will stick around meeting with as many early Stage SaaS Founders as possible, looking for the next HubSpot. Maybe that’s you. if you do want to join us at SaaStock18- grab your ticket online ASAP https://www.saastock.com/tickets
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, we talk with Lidia Lüttin, VP Marketing at Happeo, a company hailing from Helsinki, which aims to connect the global workforce of enterprises.
Lidia has always been a marketer. The kind that prefers the early scrappy days of starting up than the arguably settled clear days of scaling up. It’s why she recently moved from 300-person Bynder to the 20-person Happeo, formerly known as Universe. It was the employee count plus the vision of the CEO that convinced Lidia to join the company. However, there was also a drive in her to implement what she calls revenue-driven marketing from scratch. At Bynder, Lidia had learned that just looking after vanity metrics such as lead numbers, engagement and awareness was not a way to have a real impact on the business. Rather it had to be directly connected to revenue, something she now is fully subscribed to.
Listen on to learn:
- What is revenue-driven marketing
- What does the marketing team focus on when doing revenue-driven marketing
- What are some of the best channels to use when doing revenue-driven marketing and why Linkedin isn’t one of them
At SaaStock Lidia will take us through her experience in building and scaling marketing operations and teams. There will be much more marketing wisdom at SaaStock and SaaS.City from the likes of Dave Gerhardt, VP of Marketing at Drift, Megan Eisenberg, CMO, MongoDB, Ryan Carlson, CMO at Okta, Kieran Flanagan, VP Marketing at HubSpot, April Dunford and many more. We are offering a special end of summer discount for podcast listeners. Use code SUMMER20 and get 20% off tickets. Head over to saastock.com/tickets now.
After he left Eloqua and before starting Influitive, Mark Organ tried really hard not to go back to SaaS. The experience of seeing Eloqua, the company he had built with his two hands, go public without him as the CEO had been too painful. He didn’t want to inflict that sort of pain on himself once again. No matter what he tried, it never really brought him contentment.
So he decided to do it once again. But do it right.
The start of Influitive was slow as they were introducing a completely new category but once it took off it really took off. For awhile Influitive was one of the fastest growing SaaS companies in the world. There was a time their LTV to CAC ratio was 6 to 1. Everything was going stellar until it stopped. Just like that. Influitive hit a ceiling, which as it turns out is a common occurrence for many other MarTech SaaS companies.
It was time for some major changes. Employees had to be let go, perks had to be stripped down, costs reduced severely. But to truly survive and prevail, Mark had to implement fundamental strategic and operational changes, affecting customer base and the product.
In this truly honest conversation, Mark talks about all that, offering numbers and emotion and not sugar coating anything. He has been very successful in what he has achieved so far, cutting churn rathe and burn by 70%. And he has managed to keep the promise he made to himslef when he started Influitive - none of this at the expense of company culture and morale. On the contrary.
As Mark says during the interview, SaaStock is one of his favourite conferences to attend because instead of chest bumps it brings honesty and intimate conversations between founders. A lot of the changes he implemented came as a result of conversations he had had at SaaStock 17. Also some international clients he has recently closed. To see him speak, have similar valuable conversations in a friendly and fun environment and meet new potential customers join us in Dublin, 15th to the 17th of October https://www.saastock.com And if you are a startup, we have just launched the application for our Global pitch competition so head over to https://www.saastock.com/global-pitch/ and apply before September 16th.
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Ryan Bonnici, CMO at G2Crowd talks about empowering the voice of the customer in marketing activities.
Before Ryan headed the marketing activities of G2Crowd, he used it as one of two main sources of figuring out whether to apply for a certain company. The kind of reviews a company got was a clear indication of upward growth or lack thereof. This is how he would determine if it was worth the leap.
Ryan career choices have taken him from ExactTarget and Salesforce all the way to HubSpot and now, G2Crowd. Through all that he has tasted very different flavours of marketing - from spending big enterprise budgets to building a frugality ROI muscle in SMBs. As a marketplace which is as much about B2C as it is about B2B, in G2Crowd Ryan gets to combine skills from each of his jobs. And he loves it. What unites his efforts is empowering the voice of the customer through reviews.
Listen on to hear:
- How the customer voice evolves as a company grows and how to be prepared for some common pitfalls
- Where to start with getting reviews
- How to measure the effect of word-of-mouth
At SaaStock Ryan will take us through his decade-long experience in marketing, picking up the five most important lessons he learned. We will hear much more marketing wisdom on the SaaStock stage from the likes of Dave Gerhardt, VP of Marketing at Drift, Megan Eisenberg, CMO, MongoDB, Ryan Carlson, CMO at Okta, Kieran Flanagan, VP Marketing at HubSpot and many more.
You can catch Ryan together with Dave and Kieran at the Growth Marketing bootcamp during SaaS.City on October 15th where they will share practical tactics and frameworks to achieve hypergrowth.
Places are limited so grab a ticket for SaaStock and claim your spot at the bootcamp now https://www.saastock.com/tickets
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, I talk with Jonathan Kim, CEO and Founder of Appcues about the user onboarding that acquires, wins and retains customers.
While working as a front-end engineer at HubSpot, Jonathan got increasingly frustrated by the fact that B2B companies didn’t have the sort of seamless self-service onboarding that the likes of Facebook or Twitter had. Whether it was salespeople, account managers or customer success reps, they all did the same thing day in and day out manually onboarding users.
Before long Jonathan decided to leave HubSpot and pursue finding a solution on his own, fulfilling his dream to be an entrepreneur. That was five years ago and Appcues was born. Today, the company based out of Boston has 55 employees and has just raised a Series A funding.
Listen on to hear:
- Why user onboarding is important
- How to go about creating great user onboarding
- What are the effects of good user onboarding
Appcues Director of Marketing, Ty Magnin will be joining us on the SaaStock 18 growth stage where he will talk about product-led growth. For the three days of the conference, he will be joined by speakers such as Morten Primdahl, Co-founder, Zendesk; Heather Zynczak, CMO, Pluralsight, Corey Thomas, CEO Rapid7 and many more. Grab a ticket for the conference now and sign up for the bootcamps and workshops we will be running on Monday the 15th, which are limited in capacity https://www.saastock.com/tickets
User onboarding is such an important part of any SaaS success that we are collaborating on the creation of the most extensive onboarding book to date. We will be presenting 30 case studies from companies like Intercom, Drift, Buffer, Clearbit and Typeform among others during SaaStock18. We still have a few more case study slots so if you are particularly proud of your user onboarding you should get in touch. Be quick and Send an email to irina@saastock.com stating your interest.
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Stan Massueras, Intercom EMEA Sales Director talks about sales and customer acquisition at Intercom.
Born and raised in a small village in France, as soon as Stan Massueras graduated college he decided Dublin was the place to be. He bought a one-way ticket and with a thousand euros in his back pocket he went on to experience the booming tech scene in the Irish capital. That was back in 2004 and Stan immediately fell in love with Dublin and has never looked back. His career path has passed through Xerox, HP, Facebook and Twitter before joining Intercom. In each of these companies, he has built European sales operations from the ground up, never expecting the successes they would reach. When he joined Intercom, there was already a small Sales team but Stan ramped up the EMEA sales efforts to new highs.
The conversation traces back how Intercom’s sales thinking has evolved and how currently Stan enables everyone to do the best work they can.
Listen on to hear:
- How Stan has organised the sales team
- What is the winning formula of doing great sales
- His secret to keeping the team motivated and engaged
Stan is one of many speakers we will welcome to SaaStock18 for what will be three epic days of learning, connecting and bringing your SaaS to new highs. You can still save €200 on tickets before the end of the day August 3rd. Head over to https://www.saastock.com/founder-exec and grab a single ticket or a team bundle now.
Andrus Purde, Founder and CEO of Outfunnel has been a marketer for 21 years. Yet he would tell you he is only getting the grips of it now. That, though, is more humbleness than reality as he has been instrumental to the growth of Pipedrive where he was the VP of Marketing for 7 years and helped the company reach 70,000 customers. Before he knew what Outfunnel would become, he embarked on a massive customer development exercise.
Listen on to hear:
- How Andrus conducted his customer development interviews
- What were some of the biggest challenges on the way
- How he gathered everything he knew about marketing to kickstart Outfunnel’s GTM strategy
Andrus is one of many speakers we will welcome to SaaStock18 where he will give us a live update of where Outfunnel is. We released our agenda last week so check out the myriad of keynotes, bootcamps and fun loving opportunities that await you for three days in Dublin. https://www.saastock.com/agenda We still have a few discounted tickets available for you, our devoted listeners. Tune in to get it and a grab a ticket before July 31st https://www.saastock.com/tickets
This week of the SaaS Revolution Show, we devote the entire episode to Customer Success. Alex Theuma takes you on a journey that spans from the stages of SaaStock 16 and 17 through to SaaStock on Tour Helsinki and New York to pick up some of the best stories and advice from Customer Success practitioners.
The episode is divided into four parts. The first part defines Customer Success, helps you figure out when is the best time to start with it, and looks at how companies like Slack and Drift kicked it off.
In the second part, our speakers cover how to build and scale a customer success team and how to figure out the compensation for CSMs.
We then look at the all important metrics that measure the efforts and help you adjust.
Finally, the episode brings you ideas about what customer success programs could look like and how to enable them. Some obvious, some not so.
Throughout the episode, you will hear quotes and excerpts from Dan Steinman from Gainsight, David Apple from Typeform, Rav Dhaliwal from Slack, Julie Hogan from Drift, Dave Blake from Client Success, Michelle Danis from Datadog, Jane Medeiros from NewsCred and Lauren Crocetti from Yext.
Listen on to hear:
- When should companies start thinking about it and implement it
- How do you start with building the team and then scale and evolve it
- What are the different metrics throughout the different stages of the company you should look at
- How to enable customer success initiatives
Almost everyone you will hear from on the Customer Success Radio Hour will join us at SaaStock18. A 100 other speakers will bring tons of valuable content during the three days in Dublin. We have just released our full agenda - https://www.saastock.com/agenda
As a listener, we genuinely want you to be part of the SaaStock global community we are building. For one time only, we are offering 300 euros off of passes until the end of July. Go to https://www.saastock.com/tickets, use code JULY300 and join 3000 new friends in Dublin in October 15th to the 17th.
Workplace by Facebook was launched in October 2016. Heading it was Julien Codorniou in London, who had been working with Facebook since 2011.
On this week's episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we sat with Julien, to get a unique peek into the workings of how a company such as Facebook operates in the SaaS B2B scene and the ways it breaks and reinvents the B2B sales and marketing rules.
Listen on to hear:
- How Julien and Workplace turned the marketing and sales playbook upside down
- How they sell into giant corporations such as Walmart
- How the vision of a company can sell the product
Julien is one of many speakers we will welcome to SaaStock18. We are excited to release our full agenda next week. Head over to https://www.saastock.com and sign up to be the first one to get a sneak peek at it.
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, we take you to the SaaStock on Tour New York stage for what was one of the most entertaining and well-received panels on the day.
Ben Hindman, CEO of Splash talks with Tomer Tagrin, CEO of Yotpo and Alexis Le Quoc, CTO of Datadog about some of the fundamental challenges they have faced in the course of growing their companies and how they have addressed them.
Listen on to hear:
- What is the right set up for scaling a company?
- What is the main job of the leader of a scaling company?
- How to fundraise and stay frugal at the same time?
One of the benefits to being based in New York rather than Silicon Valley is the fact that founders don’t have to spend crazy money on having the most impressive conference rooms and perks in the neighbourhood to attract talent. A sentiment valid for many other places in the world where founders and executives built their companies without unnecessary bells and whistles. We will gather 3000 of them from over 50 countries in Dublin in October for SaaStock18. Grab your ticket now by going to https://www.saastock.com.
In September 2016, Adrien Menard, CEO of Paris-born Botify packed his bags and moved together with his wife and two kids to New York to open Botify's US office.
He had chosen New York mainly due to the slightly shorter time difference with Paris in comparison to the much more unsurmountable 9 hours with the West coast. Adrien was leaving 24 employees behind and venturing into the new world all by himself.
Visas took more time, the advice his lawyer gave him was wrong multiple times, and Adrien would have to reinvent overnight how Botify communicated and made decisions.
Despite all that, there was not a grain of doubt that he was doing the right thing. He had a $7 million Series A funding round and a 10% US-based customer base to give him confidence as the going got tough.
Fast forward almost two years later after Adrien moved to New York, US customers now represent 60% of the revenue, and the Botify employee count has risen to 100 with 25 of them based in the New York office. How did all that work out?
Listen on to hear:
- What's the one thing you need to have achieved to secure a funding round for scaling
- What are the two most important teams in a US HQ
- What has been the most challenging thing in scaling to the US and how did Adrien address it
- Why as beloved as Slack is for remote teams, it's not the best solution according to Adrien and what he uses instead
- How Botify stays cash efficient
Adrien is one of many speakers we will have at SaaStock18 in Dublin, coming from all corners of the world and sharing a variety of lessons and experiences. 3000 attendees will come to see and learn from Corey Thomas, April Dunford, Christoph Janz and many more speakers we have. Grab your ticket now https://www.saastock.com/tickets
On this week’s episode, as part of The SaaS Revolution Show Episode 100 special, we are taking you to that SaaStock New York stage for the chat Nic Poulos, Partner at Bowery Capital had with David Cancel, CEO of Drift about the stellar journey of reaching 70,000 customers in three years in an incredibly oversaturated vertical.
David Cancel needs no introduction. The five-time founder who has achieved 4 exits in his 20-year career had three options in front of him as he left HubSpot where he served as Chief Product Officer. He could do nothing, he could get into the venture capital world or he could do the whole rollercoaster ride one more time. He opted for the third and Drift was born. What it has grown to be is a whole new category of conversational marketing, shifting the buying process in B2C and B2B. Inherently slow and passive, Drift is turning it into a real-time two-sided conversation. David and Nic’s conversation is a treasure trove of insights about hyper growing, something possible and attainable even when you have thousands of competitors.
Listen on to hear:
- Why Drift is so customer-driven and what it helps them know
- How they have designed their sales process
- What is the future of differentiation in SaaS
Drift’s Chief Marketing officer David Gerhardt has played a major role in their success. He is one of many speakers joining us at SaaStock 18 in October. As part of the Episode 100 celebrations, we would like to offer you a 100 euro discount for tickets. Go to https://www.saastock.com and use code saasrevolution100
For the past three years and 99 episodes, we have talked to the founders, operators and investors leading the SaaS Revolution around the world. In that time, we have seen it get stronger and more impressive in an incredible fashion.
The SaaS Revolution Show has aimed to showcase their achievements and unravel the story behind the growing momentum of SaaS with vital lessons and tactics attached.
For this 100th episode, we are taking you back to some of our pivotal episodes and the practical advice bursting from them. After careful selection, we chose seven of them, picked the key pieces of advice from them, and montaged them together to create what is the ultimate audio guide on How to grow your SaaS. We feature Mark Roberge, Pieterjan Bouten, April Dunford, Nadim Hossein, Neeraj Agrawal, Eric Santos, and Laura Roeder.
Listen on to hear:
- How to build successful sales organisations
- How to set up marketing teams and do demand generation right
- How to do positioning right
- How to set up organisations for growth
- How to educate a market about your category
- How to grow through direct response marketing
- What is the mantra for getting to $100M ARR
Please let us know how you liked this episode as we plan to have more SaaS Revolution and SaaStock Radio Hours like it. Leave a rating and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcast.
Next week’s episode will be a special live recording with Drift’s David Cancel, coming live from the SaaStock on Tour New York stage. There is still time and a few tickets left to join us there. Just head over to https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/new-york and use code nycrevolution100 for a $100 discount.
Thank you for all your support over the last three years. Here is to the next 100 episodes and the growth of the SaaS Revolution!
On this week’s episode of The SaaS Revolution Show we take you to the SaaStock Paris stage where Rachel Delacour, VP Startups at Zendesk talks with Marie-Hortense Varin, Principal at Partech Ventures, Samantha Jerusalmy, Partner at Elaia and Evgenia Plotnikova, Principal at Dawn Capital about what it takes to become a billion-dollar company and what’s the role of the VC in this beyond funding the journey.
With many promising companies coming out of Europe, there are important things to keep in mind on the road to scaling successfully, which Samantha, Marie-Hortense and Evgenia have picked and share on the panel.
Listen on to hear:
- While there is no science to becoming a unicorn, there are patterns. What are they?
- What are the signs a company has unicorn potential?
- What is the role of the VC in helping a company grow to a billion dollar?
As Marie-Hortense mentiones in the end, if your VC isn’t helping you hire your SVP, you should get another VC partner. We will tackle the topic of finding the right VC partner at our upcoming SaaStock on Tour New York event on June 20th. It is your chance to not simply learn how to secure the best partners but also meet them on the day. We have limited tickets left so you will want to grab yours now. Go to https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/new-york to find out more. As we are approaching the 100th episode of the show, we are offering a special $100 discount on tickets. Just use code nycrevolution100.
What does it take to build global SaaS companies? With 13 years of experience in the VC world and having invested in some of the greatest SaaS companies out there, Alex Ferrara is one to say.
Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, based out in New York City, Alex has worked with companies such as Shopify, Wix and Pipedrive. Bessemer itself has been investing in companies in over a 100 years and has over 100 SaaS investments to date.
Throughout the experience Alex has seen what constitutes a global company and how it makes decisions about the when and where of scaling. That has given him an uncanny view of what makes companies successful when they cross borders, oceans and continents in any direction.
Listen on to hear:
- What are the features of truly global companies
- The trouble with moving to the US too late
- When does it make sense for US companies to open offices overseas
As part of our upcoming Episode 100 anniversary, we will be recording a live podcast with David Cancel of Drift during SaaStock New York. Join us on June 20th to be part of that and here from 27 SaaS superstars. Find more info and tickets on saastock.com/ontour/city/newyork
Sofie Quidenus-Wahlforss, CEO and Co-founder of omni:us, learned very early on she was destined to build companies. She had the knack for it as well as the determination. It's how she built three companies before founding omni:us. But it is her latest that is the one she is determined to really grow and scale.
With four co-founders and a new address in Berlin, the Viennese entrepreneur began her journey into AI. As important as it was to train her bots to "read" digital documents, what was even more key was finding the use cases and product-market fit that would allow her to monetize omni:us.
It took selling into two industries before finding the one, which would truly benefit from the value proposition of omni:us - making sense of and structuring digital documents. Finding it was a combination of listening to inbound signals and being disciplined to apply the criteria that helps rule out the unfit choices.
Listen on to hear:
- The criteria to find product-market fit
- A key learning Sofie picked about the search for product-market fit
- An important lesson about selling to enterprises with product-market fit
Sofie is one of many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock on Tour Berlin on June 7th. On the day she will be joined by the likes of Christoph Janz, Steli Efti, CEO, and Stan Masseuras. See more info and tickets https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/berlin
When Jack Beaman, CEO and Co-founder at Syft, decided to disrupt the temp worker industry, he thought he would be building a marketplace.
He started off with a clear idea - create a marketplace where hospitality industry employers and temp workers would be able to find each other. What he didn’t suspect was that they would find each other so efficiently that employers would experience 400% increase in workers. And they would need new efficient ways to manage them.
An invaluable opportunity to create a SaaS platform they were prepared to pay for presented itself on a silver platter. Entrepreneurial Jack jumped on.
Listen on to hear:
- How to sell and get customers in traditional industries
- What has helped with the adoption of tech
- Does traditional advertising work in SaaS
Jack is one of many speakers that we will host in Dublin this October at SaaStock18. He will be joined by the likes of Corey Thomas, CEO of Rapid7, David Skok, Managing Partner at Matrix Partners and Meagen Eisenberg, CMO of MongoDB. As we are approaching the 100th episode of the podcast, we are offering a €100 discount for SaaStock18 to our listeners. Use code saasrevolution100. See more info and tickets on https://www.saastock.com
Canadian Dan Martell believes that the three least boring things on the planet are growth, happiness and influence. As such, a road paved with frameworks and processes to reach them is anything but boring.
It is a road he has been navigating and paving with 5 companies, 3 exits and 39 angel investments.
One of the things he has perfected throughout his experience is the art of the product demo, which he talks about extensively on this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show.
Listen on to hear:
- What almost everyone gets wrong when it comes to product demos
- What is a simple framework for executing a product demo
- How to ask for a close with confidence
- What is the impact on the business when you don’t ask for a close on the call
- How to deal with objections
After you have listened to it, download Dan’s rocket demo framework https://www.danmartell.com/saasrevolution
Dan is one of many speakers that we will host in Dublin this October. In his own words, “There is nothing more powerful than meeting many founders who are 2-3 years ahead of you on the journey.” 3000 attendees will come to see and learn from founders like Michael Litt, Brynne Kennedy and David Cancel. As we are approaching the 100th episode of the podcast, we are offering a €100 discount for SaaStock18 to our listeners. Listen in to learn from Dan, grab the code and head over to https://www.saastock.com for more info and tickets.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, we host Marta Sjögren, Partner at Northzone, one of Europe’s oldest VC companies. Having been around for a few decades, Northzone has had a chance to put bets on many companies that are now bright tech superstars. Many of them are SaaS. Trustpilot, StepStone and HappyOrNot are just a few notable examples.
Marta has been with Northzone for almost 6 years. In the conversation, Marta covers a lot of the valuable lessons that lay in Spotify’s story that can be applied to B2B companies, from fundraising to pricing, packaging and scaling.
Listen on to hear:
- What it means to be a "Born Global" company and how the home market should be used
- Key lessons from Spotify’s pricing and packaging
- The secret to scaling successfully as Spotify
At SaaStock on Tour Helsinki, Marta will host a fireside chat with the CEO of HappyOrNot, one of her portfolio companies. They will talk about the fascinating story in building a Hardware-first SaaS company. On the day, she will be joined by a roster of exciting speakers such as David Cancel, CEO of Drift, Joyce Liu, Principal at Dawn Capital and Steli Efti, CEO of Close.io among others. Join them on May 23rd https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/helsinki
Seven startups. All seven of them acquired. 16 launched products. All 16 of them repositioned. Roles as varied as CEO, CMO and COO. There has never been a dull moment in April Dunford’s career. Throughout all that, she has become the world’s foremost expert on positioning.
Improving the context a product creates for its customers became April’s lifelong passion. It’s why she has taken on seemingly very different roles in the various startups and their acquirers she joined. As she puts it, positioning encompasses the entire organisation.
Currently, April is working on a book, which she hopes will offer the first scalable methodology for doing positioning right.
Listen on to hear:
- Why so many startups and companies fail at positioning
- What are the signs you are having a positioning problem
- How to start fixing your positioning and create the right context for your customers
- Examples of product repositions April has executed
- What is the best way to track the effect of repositioning
April is one of many speakers we will host in Dublin at SaaStock18 taking place October 15–17. As we are coming to the 100th episode of the podcast soon, we are offering a €100 discount on tickets to listeners. Tune in to find out more. See who else is speaking at SaaStock18 https://www.saastock.com
According to Alexis Prenn, CEO and co-founder of Receipt Bank, SaaS is a bit like playing a video game — every 9 months or so you move to the next level. Each level is as difficult as the one before.
Alexis began playing the Receipt Bank game nearly 8 years ago. For the first three years, they went the bootstrapping way, not so much out of strong conviction to do so but because they were too hard on themselves. They feared rejection more than anything else.
The two co-founders believed that they had to make themselves a little more beautiful and their metrics a little better before they asked anyone for a penny. Eventually, both realised that this mentality was missing the point of what it means to be a growing SaaS company.
On February 10th, 2011 they decided to be serious and not make any more excuses. And pursue a realistic growth rate. Three percent at a time, Receipt Bank has reached 2,964% growth. It’s on a path to reaching $25 million ARR and has banked $65 million in funding.
Listen on to learn:
- How and when Receipt Bank became a serious company
- Why growth and retention are the only things that matter?
- Why you should avoid averages with metrics like the plague
- How to keep the growth mindset as the company scales
- How to choose acquisition channels
Bringing wisdom from founders, operators and investors to your doorstep is why we are taking SaaStock on Tour. Our next stop is Paris on May 3rd. We have limited tickets left so grab one and learn from Rachel Delacour, Philippe Botteri and Jean-Charles Samuelian https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/paris
Simon Grabowski, CEO and Founder of email marketing automation platform GetResponse is the latest guest on the SaaS Revolution Show, hosted by Alex Theuma.
Simon started his first Internet business back in 1996, aged 16. Frustrated with how tedious and boring sending emails manually to prospects was, he decided to write a little script to automate the process. With 1000 Polish zloty in his back pocket, by 1998 Simon decided to turn the script into GetResponse, which would become the first email and marketing automation platform in Europe. Selling globally from Gdansk, Poland early on and fueling the growth through an early affiliate program, GetResponse has grown to 350,000 users spread over 180 countries, and 400 employees on three continents. Celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary this year, Simon has achieved this by being completely bootstrapped.
Listen on to hear:
- How to achieve growth when you don’t have the money
- What was the opportunity that opened the enterprise market for GetResponse
- How Simon differentiates GetResponse from competitors
- How embedded virality early on is still paying off, 20 years later
- Why focus on UX early on can have a huge effect on the company’s bottom line
Simon is one of many speakers we will host in Dublin at SaaStock18 taking place October 15–17. As we are coming to the 100th episode of the podcast soon, we are offering a €100 discount on tickets to listeners. Tune in to find out more and learn from Simon Grabowski. See who else is speaking at SaaStock18 https://www.saastock.com
A Math PhD dropout, Florian Douetteau, was only 20 when he first got the startup bug. The practical ways of learning through immersing himself into startups appealed more to him and he has never looked back.
The SaaS Revolution Show latest guest, Florian started Dataiku, his latest venture, five years ago in Paris. The collaboration platform for data scientists was profitable from the early onset.
Florian had seen the struggle of growing a company in France, where there is a steady growth up until a few million in revenue but then a stagnated growth when it comes to getting to the next stage. Maybe it was because the European market was not dynamic enough or the companies would become almost too European.
Listen on to hear:
- How he initially scaled into the US when Dataiku was very small
-What were the factors that helped Dataiku with American customers, including NPR * How he organises his time between the three locations and spends enough time at each
P.S.
Florian is one many excellent speakers we will host at SaaStock on Tour Paris on May 3rd. He will be joined by the likes of Rachel Delacour, VP for Startups at Zendesk, Christoph Janz, Managing Partner at Point Nine Capital and Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel among others. Get your early bird tickets before April 12th https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/paris
Back in 2003, tech wasn’t exactly having its most glorious days. The bitter taste of the dot-com crash was still pungent. Few entrepreneurs would be blamed for not willing to take a punt by starting a new tech company. Peter Bauer, however, didn’t succumb to that too much. He sensed SaaS would outlive that and become the next big thing.
Peter placed a bet on a cloud-based email management system and Mimecast was born.
From the early days, Mimecast defied rules and expectations. While everyone advised Peter to focus on just one aspect of email, he and his co-founder were religious about creating a supercategory.
15 years on the journey, Peter has had the rare chance to lead the company through all stages, including an IPO. He knows equally well the problems of having 5k in the bank and 35 people on the payroll as well as having 140 million in the bank and figuring what is next.
Listen on to hear:
- How does the thinking behind the product change over time
- How do you know it’s time to move to a new market
- How Mimecast kept the cultural cohesion as it scaled
- What is the best way to approach compensation
- Which is the toughest stage on the journey and how to prepare for it
P.S.
This conversation was part of a fantastic first stop of SaaStock on Tour in London. The next stop on SaaStock on Tour is Paris on May 3rd. Find out more information https://www.saastock.com/ontour
Bjoern Zinssmeister is the co-founder and CEO of Templarbit, a San Francisco-based developer-oriented security platform. Started less than a year ago, it has already been through Y Combinator, has raised $3 million in funding and is successfully conquering the Asian market, starting with Japan.
Bjoern left Germany for San Francisco as soon as he graduated university. In 2010 there simply wasn’t enough interesting tech coming from Europe to keep him around. It was all in Silicon Valley.
Before he founded Templarbit, a developer-oriented security platform, Bjoern took seven years to learn the trades of building and running tech companies. His journey started at Match.com up and concluded in Design Inc where he was the CTO.
Listen on to hear:
- How to pitch to Y Combinator with confidence
- Does going to Y Combinator help
- How to go global as an early stage company
- How to conquer the Asian market
- Why closing a company even with a million in the bank may be the right thing to do
P.S.
Bjoern is one of many speakers we will have at SaaStock18 alongside the likes of founders and operators such as Corey Thomas, CEO at Rapid7, Frederic Kerrest, COO at Okta and Brynne Kennedy, CEO at MOVE Guides. Sign up for our Insider Sale https://insider.saastock.com by April 1st to get a 2 for 1 ticket discount code.
Dave Grow always considered himself an operator. When he joined Lucidchart seven years ago, shortly after co-founders Karl Sun and Ben Dilts had built the product, he was there to take care of the business side of things. From answering customer support tickets and doing digital marketing to hiring and setting up partnerships, Dave did it all. Currently the company's COO and President, back then he did not dare put a C-level title in front of his name.
“I was always convinced that someone more experienced will come down the line who will take it over,” he says.
As COO and President, Dave has seen the transformation Lucidchart underwent, from offering freemium plans to single users all the way to signing up Enterprise customers such as Box, Dropbox, Accenture, and Groupon.
Listen on to hear:
- How the pricing plans have evolved to reach 10 million users
- What are the different GTM strategies to get to that sort of scale and what has worked for Lucidchart?
- Should SaaS companies nowadays have a Freemium model?
- How Lucidchart moved upmarket and how they overcame the challenges they faced
- How to find the intersection between what you love and what brings value to your company
P.S. One curious fact that Dave only touches upon is that Lucidchart has not used a cent of the $40 million in funding they raised to fuel that growth. It’s one of many topics he will get into detail at his SaaStock18 talk. Joining him will be many other founders and operators we have signed up as speakers such as Michael Litt, founder of Viddyard, David Cancel, founder of Drift and Meagen Eisenberg, CMO of MongoDB. Join our Insider Sale https://insider.saastock.com by April 1st to get a 2 for 1 ticket discount code.
On this week’s episode, we take you back to one of the panels we hosted on the SaaStock17 stage. Benedicte de Raphelis Soissan, founder of Clustree, Phil Chambers, CEO and co-founder of Peakon, and Jonathan Anguelov, co-founder and COO of Aircall discus the power of people, and how to hire, keep and develop people for the success of the company.
Benedicte shares how she has grown Clustree to 25 people in the past three years, carefully crafting a hiring plan and an idea who is a right fit.
Phil eludes to the importance of alignment, which Peakon has aimed to get from the first moment and has scaled to 70 people spread between three offices.
Jonathan shares how Aircall has developed an outcome based onboarding process, where every employee has a bespoke and detailed plan, making sure that they get quickly on track with everything they need to know and be able to execute.
Listen on to hear:
- What are the recruiting processes of three of the most exciting European SaaS companies
- How to onboard people so they feel part of the organisation and can quickly deliver
- How to transcend company culture through geographical boundaries
- How to create the company values and get a buy in from people
- When is the right time to establish remote teams
P.S.
Bringing such diverse viewpoints on key SaaS topics is one of many ways SaaStock helps to grow your company. We already have signed up over 50 exciting speakers for SaaStock18 such as Michael Litt, founder of Viddyard, David Cancel, founder of Drift and David Skok, Managing Partner, Matrix Partners. Join our Insider Sale by March 31st https://insider.saastock.com to get a 2 for1 discount code on April 1st. This is not an April fools joke. 2 tickets for the price of 1. By entering the Insider Sale, you also get the chance to win great prizes like platinum tickets, team tickets, and cool SaaStock swag.
Kyle Poyar is a self-professed pricing and growth nerd. The latest guest on the SaaS Revolution Show, Kyle is Senior Director of Market Strategy at Openview, one of many speakers we will welcome in Dublin for SaaStock18. His passion lays in seeing how packaging and pricing have the power to build large and enduring business.
Kyle helps OpenView’s portfolio companies accelerate to top-line growth through deep insights into their market landscape and customers.
Kyle recently published an article studying the price changes Netflix introduced https://labs.openviewpartners.com/netflix-pricing-strategy/#.Wnx15pOFjOQ. The point he was making there, as he does so on the podcast as well, is that few companies understand the true effect price increases have on a company’s bottom line, a contributing factor to the reluctance of many SaaS founders to charge more.
Kyle is also the author of a comprehensive pricing e-book - Mastering SaaS Pricing. http://offers.openviewpartners.com/mastering-saas-pricing
Listen on to learn
- How to be more data-driven in your pricing decisions
- How to have better pricing conversations with customers
- What are the signs it’s time for a price increase
- What are the impacts of increasing prices and why no one should be scared of that
- How do you implement and communicate a price increase
P.S.
Boston where Kyle comes from, like many other cities around the world, has become a hotspot for SaaS. In the next year, we will visit some of them, bringing SaaStock on Tour, starting with London on March 21st where we’ll gather 300 SaaS founders, their executive teams, and local VCs. In an epic day of content, learning, and networking, we will host amazing speakers such as Peter Bauer, who to this date is the only UK headquartered SaaS to IPO with Mimecast, Peter Holten Muhlmann, CEO of one of Europe’s greatest scaleups, Trustpilot, and Des Traynor Co-founder of Intercom. To see full agenda and grab yourself a ticket head over to SaaStock.com/ontour/city/london. For a special 20% discount for podcast listeners use code saasrevolution. https://ti.to/saastock/SOT-London/discount/saasrevolution
Few people grow up deciding sales will be their career. Matthew Bellows, CEO of Yesware, is no exception. The latest guest on the Saas Revolution Show, he is something of an accidental salesman. It never was the plan but as soon as Matthew began working he figured that was where he could be of best use to a business.
Through the years he got into more managerial roles and eventually became a VP of Sales. After a few years on the job, however, he got fired from it. It was the last straw. For years he had experienced challenges doing his job. It was time he addressed them. Nothing had felt as painful as presenting the quarterly forecast to the board. It had been impossible to gather all the information from the reps to have any certainty in his numbers.
Software could help, Matthew was convinced. In 2011 Yesware was born. Seven years later, Yesware currently has over 60,000 paying customers and $20 million in ARR and to date has raised $38 million in VC funding.
In this candid interview Matthew shares many valuable insights. From why appearance to employees is a CEO's most important role, which requires personal care such as one-hour meditation every day in Matthew’s case, to much more specific topics such as:
- Why Yesware killed freemium and what was the impact on customers
- What are the go-to-market strategies that work for them now
- Why companies should look for internal rather than external metrics for word of mouth
- Why there never is an endpoint to the SaaS journey and what to do about it as a CEO
- Why no one really knows what they are doing and that’s okay.
If you like the episode, please leave a review.
P.S. We are bringing SaaStock on Tour. First up is London on March 21st. Spend the day in the company of 300 SaaS founders, their executive teams and local VCs and see Des Traynor Co-founder and CSO of Intercom, Ryan Singer, Head of Strategy at Basecamp, Peter Holten Mulhmann CEO of Trustpilot, Philippe Botteri Partner at Accel and Laurence Bret Stern, CRO at Pipedrive to name a few. https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/london
Bridget Harris, CEO and co-founder of youcanbook.me, had initially assumed she would be raising money for the online scheduling tool she was building with her co-founder. Bridget and Keith Harris spoke to many investors, looked at many term sheets and soon began grasping a peculiar fact - running a company with VC funding doesn’t make things easier, if anything, it may make them more difficult.
The latest guest on the SaaS Revolution Show, Bridget has been bootstrapping youcanbook.me for the past six years. While the bootstrapped route is not for the faint-hearted, it allowed them to grow as fast as they wanted, even if that required expert knowledge of the difference between cash flow and actual income
The company now employs 13 people and recently reached $2 million in ARR and is well on track to get to $3 million by the end of the year.
Listen on to learn:
- How you learn to determine which expense makes sense and which doesn’t
- What made Bridget well suited for the bootstrapped path
- How to know when to take a risk and when not to
- How to make the finances work in a bootstrapped company and still grow
- What is a defining characteristic of a great entrepreneur
P.S.
We are bringing SaaStock on Tour. First up is London on March 21st. Spend the day in the company of 300 SaaS founders, their executive teams and local VCs and see Des Traynor Co-founder and CSO of Intercom, Ryan Singer, Head of Strategy at Basecamp, Peter Holten Mulhmann CEO of Trustpilot, Philippe Botteri Partner at Accel and Laurence Bret Stern, CRO at Pipedrive to name a few. https://www.saastock.com/ontour/city/london
Paddle's traction and growth is the stuff of dreams. A company helping software creators sell since 2012, it has been recognised by Deloitte as the fastest growing software company in the UK. With hundreds of customers and a recent $12.5 million Series B round, the company has remained under the radar most of this time.
How does that happen?
On this episode, Christian Owens, Paddle's CEO gives a very clear explanation. In the heart of the growth are the sincere customer relationships that Christian and his co-founder Harrison have been building and maintaining since day 1. The two co-founders fostered genuine friendships with their first hundred customers by trying to deeply understand their challenges and building Paddle together. Christian and Harrison approached these people as human beings they admired rather than businesses they sold to. Their belief was, if Paddle was the right tool to address their challenges, they could become customers one day.
Listen on to learn:
- How Paddle approached people initially and got their first customers
- How they built sincere relationships and maintained them
- Why they never advertise their referral program
- How to make product decisions with both customers and strategy in mind
- What Christian has learned as a Thiel fellow
P.S. Christian is one of 129 incredible speakers we have lined up for SaaStock18. If you are based in London, hop over to the Meetup https://splashthat.com/sites/view/saastockmeetup-leaseweb.splashthat.com we are hosting together with Leaseweb on September 27th where Christian will share even more details on how to scale worthy of a Deloitte first place.
Fred Shilmover, CEO of InsightSquared, shares how he has grown the company the past 7 years by staying laser-focused and not expanding globally.
It has been there since day -1, back when Fred applied for an MBA to figure out what SaaS company he wanted to create.
Fred did a proper research what would be of most value to people. Eventually, he figured that to deliver the best value to customers and not have a bloated product, the focus should be only on revenue.
A lucky early sale to a cohort of similar companies showed a pattern that what they were onto made sense. Fred created a prototype putting together loads of spreadsheets and gave that to his co-founders to build a product. In the first year, he made all the sales. Somewhere there Fred made the decision that sales efforts would be focused solely on The North American market.
With that geographical focus, InsightSquared now has close to 1000 customers, has banked $27 million in funding and employs 130 people.
In that, he is a prime example that to grow, SaaS founders have to do less.
Listen to learn how he has kept his focus on:
- Why a CEO should do a tour of duty for all main functions
- How to avoid building the wrong product at the start
- What is the cost of defocusing
- How to manage your appetite when you are hungry for many things
- How the strategy of a company should change through its different stages
If you like the episode, please leave us a review.
As is often the case in tech, timing is crucial. It’s hitting the sweet spot of offering a solution when a market is just ready but not overflowing with competitors. Hanno Renner, CEO and co-founder of German HR solution Personio, and the latest guest on the SaaS Revolution Show got his timing just right. He launched the company two and a half years ago in Munich at a time when the HR industry in Europe was ripe for digitization. In fact, it was so ripe in the small and medium businesses segment that to this day Hanno hasn’t had to do a cold call to sell his product. 30% of prospects still come from organic referrals.
However, there is more to scaling and success than timing and luck.
In Personio’s case, the hardest thing has been growing the organisation that supports the somewhat easier product adoption.
Listen on to hear:
- How to interview candidates for fit
- How to avoid making hiring decisions out of necessity
- What guiding principles to use when setting an organisation
- Why you should seek the advice of business angels
- How to rely more on your gut feeling when you hire
If you like the episode, please leave us a review.
Peter Holten Mühlmann, CEO of Trustpilot, an online review community, talks with Alex Theuma on the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show and offers practical wisdom such as when is the right time to go international, how to fundraise and what is the question every CEO needs to be answering as a company scales.
Trustpilot’s story began ten years ago in Copenhagen when Peter decided all companies with online presence deserved to show they have happy customers through reviews and ratings.
Peter initially had a very naive idea how he was going to build an Internet company and what his business model would be. Get on the front page of every paper in Denmark, become viral and make money from AdWords.
After this business model earned €4 to the company, Peter figured he had to find a better way. Hundreds of cold calls and asks for people to review every site they had ever used later, Trustpilot began to gather momentum.
Approaching unicorn status today, the company operates from 7 offices around the world, but Copenhagen is still the main HQ. Trustpilot has grown to over 600 people. The reviews that companies showcase are seen 2 billion times each month.
In the interview, Peter talks at length that the key to scaling successfully is maintaining personal balance throughout the journey and relentlessly answering the pivotal question Why we exist as a company to everyone around.
Listen to learn:
- How to fundraise as a European company
- How to know when to go international
- How to outsource scaling to all your employees
- How to remain sane on the journey of scaling a SaaS company
If you like the episode, please leave us a review.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show Alex is joined by Chris Hall, CEO at Dutch marketing tech company Bynder. In the conversation they touch on the pillars that define the journey of a CEO - from scaling and growing the company, its culture and its people to the personal transformation a CEO undergoes and how to deal with it. One key lesson he has picked on the way is that the most satisfying thing about being a CEO is seeing every person succeed in the right role.
Founded in 2013, Bynder was a spin-off from Label A, a web development agency Chris ran with his co-founders Roland Keijzer and Stefan Pelders. The company bootstrapped its way to $10 million ARR in the following three years.
“When you are bootstrapped, your only problem is cash,” Chris says. “Every purchase you make feels like it’s coming from your pocket.”
To seize the potential Bynder had for growth, it needed the sort of cash injection that comes with VC funding.
By August 2016, Bynder secured a $20 million Series A round. Chris had to very quickly transition from the entrepreneur that fixed everything to the CEO that would let go and allow others to do it.
Listen on to hear:
- How to stop micromanaging people.
- How to tackle the challenges of being the CEO of a venture-backed scaling company.
- How to balance the act between listening to your own gut and what blogs and podcasts are telling you to do.
- How to get and keep the right people at the different stages of a company growth.
- How to create an authentic and genuine culture and live up to the words you put out as CEO.
Please let us know how we are doing by leaving a review on your favourite podcast application.
Eric Santos, CEO and Co-Founder of Resultados Digitais, the leading marketing automation tool in Brazil and Latin America joins Alex for a conversation about the steps to convincing a market of the value of a product that it doesn’t understand, how to build an audience and develop customer discovery before a single line of code is written, how to create a “Disneyland-like" user conferences.
Eric has been a tech entrepreneur for the past 15 years and founded Resultados Digitais in 2011. The idea behind the company dates back to 10 years ago when he first discovered online marketing and its power. What he found frustrating was that to make the most of it, he had to use a number of disconnected tools. By 2011 he decided to build a product a unified product.
He ran into a problem, though.
Very few marketers in Brazil were familiar with online marketing or its benefits. No one was doing digital. So in order to launch his marketing automation product he first had to educate the entire market about the benefits of online marketing. In the following 18 months, he went on to kickstart a movement and create demand for his offering without writing a single line of code. A lot of content marketing, many speaking gigs and a host of "Mechanical Turk Experiments" followed.
Six years later, Resultados Digitais boasts over 10,000 customers, 1500 channel partners, and 8000 attendees at its yearly user conference, RD Summit, which Sujan Patel rightfully says has a Disneyland effect.
Listen on to learn:
- What were the precise steps he took to prepare the market for his offering?
- How he built a movement?
- What are the core tenets of a successful user conference and why it’s worth the effort and expense?
- How they grew RD Summit from 250 to 8000 attendees in 4 years?
- Why building a channel program before reaching $10 million ARR is fine and how to do it?
Please let us know how we are doing by leaving a rating and a review on iTunes or wherether you get your podcasts
Eric Santos, CEO and Co-Founder of Resultados Digitais, the leading marketing automation tool in Brazil and Latin America joins Alex for a conversation about the steps to convincing a market of the value of a product that it doesn’t understand, how to build an audience and develop customer discovery before a single line of code is written, how to create a “Disneyland-like" user conferences.
Eric has been a tech entrepreneur for the past 15 years and founded Resultados Digitais in 2011. The idea behind the company dates back to 10 years ago when he first discovered online marketing and its power. What he found frustrating was that to make the most of it, he had to use a number of disconnected tools. By 2011 he decided to build a product a unified product.
He ran into a problem, though.
Very few marketers in Brazil were familiar with online marketing or its benefits. No one was doing digital. So in order to launch his marketing automation product he first had to educate the entire market about the benefits of online marketing. In the following 18 months, he went on to kickstart a movement and create demand for his offering without writing a single line of code. A lot of content marketing, many speaking gigs and a host of "Mechanical Turk Experiments" followed.
Six years later, Resultados Digitais boasts over 10,000 customers, 1500 channel partners, and 8000 attendees at its yearly user conference, RD Summit, which Sujan Patel rightfully says has a Disneyland effect.
Listen on to learn:
- What were the precise steps he took to prepare the market for his offering?
- How he built a movement?
- What are the core tenets of a successful user conference and why it’s worth the effort and expense?
- How they grew RD Summit from 250 to 8000 attendees in 4 years?
- Why building a channel program before reaching $10 million ARR is fine and how to do it?
Please let us know how we are doing by leaving a rating and a review on iTunes.
On the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show Alex Theuma takes you to sunny Lisbon and Web Summit where he caught up with Ashley Carroll, Partner at Social Capital. Their conversation is about metrics and why user engagement is the most important one in her book. Chatting amidst the Web Summit crowds, they cover lessons she has learned working at SurveyMonkey, Optimizely and DocuSign, what is a big mistake every company should avoid when it comes to product management and what is the one product she has a serious crush on that has transformed how Social Capital works. A business and data-driven person, Ashley narrowed on B2B SaaS early on in her career. She was an early employee at SurveyMonkey where she went through the tumultuous journey from MVP to product/market fit. She then joined Optimizely to lead product management. From then on she jumped to growth at DocuSign where she worked to open the self-service acquisition channel. She is currently a partner in Social Capital. Listen on to hear what metrics on the engagement side you should look at, what to look at when there is no daily use case for your product and why engineers should never sell and more. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and help us spread the word for it by dropping a review or rating. It helps us stand out in the rising sea of podcasts. The SaaS Revolution Show is brought to you by SaaStock, the conference to bring your SaaS to 11. Learn more on https://www.saastock.com
On this week’s episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex takes you to the SaaStock17 Scale stage where Christoph Janz, Managing Partner of Point Nine Capital sat down with Des Traynor, Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer and VP of Marketing of Intercom. They talk building and managing product and the importance of saying "No", as well as marketing and the channels that have been most beneficial to Intercom. You can read a short write up of the episode - https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/high-and-lows-in-product-and-marketing-with-des-traynor
Patrick Barnes, CEO and co-founder of Advocately, an advocate marketing platform for B2B companies, shares with Alex the GTM strategy that got him to $7K MRR. He answers key questions such as how he figured out who his perfect customers are, what MarTech tools he uses throughout the buying journey and why he isn't too hung up on pricing at this stage. You can read a short post from the episode - https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/inside-a-7k-mrr-saas-business-getting-traction-in-a-new-category
Ronan Perceval, CEO and founder of Phorest, a SaaS company providing solutions to salons, shares with Alex Theuma how he sells to the SMB market, keeps customers happy and successful, and maintains low churn rates. Check out the accompanying blog post to find all the links mentioned during the podcast including a 20% discount code for SaaStock 17 https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/the-no-bs-guide-to-achieving-45k-ltv-and-sub-5-churn-with-ronan-perceval Ronan Perceval is one of 120 speakers coming to SaaStock 2017, which takes place in Dublin, Septemeber 18-20.
In the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, Alex plays back a panel discussion held at SaaStock 16 on the fuzzy subject of hiring during growth. Probably among the toughest things for any founder and CEO to figure out, finding the right people at the right time and keeping them happy and engaged is the make or break for many companies. The panel includes Michelle Williamson, CEO and co-founder of Kommol, Michelle Coventry, talent advisor at Spring Partners, Ryan Burke, SVP Sales at InVisionApp, Rob Long, VP of Product Marketing at Workable. Hiring is one of many tough subjects we will cover at SaaStock 17. Get your ticket now before they run out - https://ti.to/saastock/saastock-2017 Listeners get a special 20% discount by using the code saasrevolution
Scott Heimes, CMO of SendGrid shares with Alex Theuma data insights and customer examples to reveal the 5 rules for building a strong and effective email program. Check out the accompanying blog post to find all the links mentioned during the podcast including a 20% discount code for SaaStock 17 https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/5-keys-for-driving-growth-engagement-via-email Scott Heimes is one of 120 speakers coming to SaaStock 2017, which takes place in Dublin, Septemeber 18-20.
Tope Awotona, CEO of Calendly talks with Alex Theuma about positioning your SaaS and figuring out the messaging, ideal customers, and company structure that come with it. Check out the accompanying blog post to find all the links mentioned during the podcast including a 20% discount code for SaaStock 17 https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/how-to-position-your-saas-with-tope-awotona
Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel, talks with Alex Theuma about the art of going international, why the world is the market every SaaS company should be after, and how to go about it. Check out the accompanying blog post to find all the links mentioned during the podcast including a 20% discount code for SaaStock 17 https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/the-accel-playbook-for-internationalisation
Hannah Chaplin, CEO, and co-founder of Receptive, a product demand intelligence SaaS solution, talks with Alex Theuma in the latest episode of the SaaS Revolution Show about selling to the Enterprise at the early stages of a startup. Read the accompanying article to find the articles and people Hannah mentions - https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/selling-to-the-enterprise-at-the-early-stages
Jacco van der Kooij, founder of Winning by Design, a consultancy helping SaaS companies design, build and scale their sales efforts, talks with Alex Theuma about why SaaS as we know it is dead and what to do to stay alive. Check out the accompanying blog post to find the links + Jacco's research article "Principles of rapid growth sales as used by Silicon Valley startups" https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/saas-is-dead
Peter Coppinger, the CEO and founder of Teamwork.com talks with Alex Theuma about the things the Cork-based project management suite of tools for professionals did right and the mistakes it made on the bootstrapped way to $100 million ARR, taking over the world. Check out the accompanying blog post to read Peter's story and some of the lessons learned - https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/building-a-100-million-arr-saas-business-without-vc
Guillaume Cabane, VP Growth @ Segment.com talks with Alex Theuma about the top 5 things that have helped Segment achieve incredible growth through using the two best tools for collecting data, focusing on the 5% of visitors that matter and initiating onboarding programs and dynamic content that are individually tailored. *Check out the blog post accompanying the podcast for links of the books and tools Guillaume mentions - https://www.saastock.com/blog/view/podcast-5-things-every-saas-growth-marketer-needs-to-be-doing-today
In this brand new episode of the SaaS revolution show Alex Theuma is joined by the co-founder and Head of Product of Pipedrive, Martin Henk. Martin talks all things product, from building it and growing the product management team, to finding the best candidates and learning what is the single most important thing for product growth before a single line of code is written.
In this brand new episode of the SaaS revolution show Alex Theuma is joined the General Manager of Gainsight EMEA, Dan Steinman a Customer Success veteran who discusses when and how you build out a customer success team.
In this brand new episode of The SaaS Revolution Show Alex Theuma is joined by Liz Cain, VP Go To Market at OpenView Partners. In this episode Liz talks to Alex about scaling lead gen at Netsuite and the recipe to building a great company.
David Darmanin, Co-Founder and CEO of Hotjar speaks with Alex Theuma about the operational learnings from having reached $7 Million ARR within 24 months, being founded in Malta and with a remote organisation.
Pieterjan (PJ) Bouten is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Showpad, A SaaS Startup that's seen tremendous growth in a short space of time and can now call itself a Scale-up. PJ joins Alex Theuma on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show to give insights and lessons in scaling a fast growth SaaS co.
Michael Treskow, Partner at Eight Roads Ventures, joins Alex Theuma on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show to talk about what VCs look for when investing in SaaS Startups. Great insights into the mind of a VC, the key pillars for investment decisions, the metrics they look for and more.
Laura Roeder is the Founder and CEO of MeetEdgar, a SaaS Social Media platform that schedules your best content to get more traffic to your site. Laura Joined Alex Theuma on this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show podcast to discuss direct response marketing for startups: how MeetEdgar got to 7k+ paying customers while completely avoiding some of the most popular marketing tactics like partnerships, sponsorships and referral programs.
Ben Gateley is the Co-Founder and COO of the exciting HR SaaS startup CharlieHR. Ben joins Alex Theuma on this episode of The SaaS Revolution show to provide insights into the startup story of CharlieHR and the importance of hiring and culture on a startups success or failure.
The CEO of Agora Pulse, Emeric Ernoult, Joins Alex Theuma on this episode of The SaaS Revolution show, to discuss the peculiarties of SMB SaaS businesses and the keys to success in this market
CEO and Co-Founder of SaaS Startup HotelChamp, Kristian Valk, Joins Alex Theuma on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, to get the story on why he built HotelChamp, is progress so far and insights into their successful $1.75 Million Seed round, and why it might be a little unconventional.
In this episode Alex Theuma speaks with Hampus Jakobsson, Entrepreneur and Investor about why he shut down his SaaS startup Brisk, after 4 years. No growth stories, just the truth from Hampus on how it is to run a SaaS business. A must listen for every founder.
Dave Blake is a Customer Success Pioneer and Founder of ClientSuccess a SaaS based Customer Success Platform based out of the Silicon Slopes, in Utah, who is changing the way companies manage, retain and grow their existing customer base. Listen to this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show hosted by Alex Theuma to find out why Success is the new Sales
Jon Miller is the Co-founder of Marketo and now on his second SaaS Startup, Engagio a platform for Account Based Marketing and Sales that's seen great growth and raised $32 Million in the year and half since it's inception. No Surprise, with Jon Miller at the helm. In this episode of The SaaS Revolution show, he talks to Alex Theuma about Account Based Everything and what it means for your SaaS.
William Wickey is the senior manager of content and marketing at LeadGenius and co-author of the e-book, Bridging the Gap: The ultimate guide to account based marketing and sales alignment for predictable growth. In this episode of The SaaS revolution Show, William gives us a lesson in account based sales and marketing.
Hiroki Takeuchi is the Co-Founder and CEO of GoCardless a payments company, making collecting recurring payments simpler. They collect over $2 Billion worth of payments through their network. Hiroki spoke with Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution show with a sales focused episode on strategies selling to SMB and Enterprise that have contributed to GoCardless' growth.
Elizabeth Yin is Partner at 500 Startups. She joined Alex Theuma on The SaaS Revolution Show to discuss her entrepreneurial journey from her failed side projects, to her Startup LaunchBit which had a successful exit 3 years after inception, through to becoming a VC at 500 Startups and working with B2B SaaS Companies. An episode not to miss.
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma picks the brains of Bastiaan Janmaat, Co-Founder and CEO of DataFox, to get insights and advice on Sales for your SaaS startup.
Nadim Hossain, Co-Founder and CEO of BrightFunnel, a B2B Marketing Attribution and Forecasting platform and 15 year SaaS Marketing Pro, joins The SaaS Revolution Show and provides awesome insights into Marketing for SaaS Startups.
Ryan Burke, VP Sales at InVision App joins Alex Theuma to discuss how InVision, a company that has over 200 employees, all working remotely, as built out their workforce and optimized it for remote working. Thinking about making part or all of your workforce remote? Then you need to listen to this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show.
Nick Franklin, Founder and CEO of ChartMogul, discusses the origins of ChartMogul and the Metrics they measure to build their business
Mark Woodward, CEO of Invoca, shares insights into their recent $30 Million Series D fund raise journey and thoughts on raising capital in todays tougher economic climate.
Krish Subramanian, Co-Founder and CEO of Chargebee, a subscription billing platform for SaaS based in India, joins Alex Theuma to discuss the tactics used to get their first 100 paying customers and how it differs to todays acquisition strategies.
ProdPad are a successful bootstrapped SaaS Startup, offering Product Management Software for product Teams. Their CEO, Janna Bastow, a former Product Manager, now wearing a CEO hat, shares insights into it's founding story and acquistion, retention and growth strategies.
Paris is producing some great SaaS Startups right now and one of these is Aircall. Aircall recently took it's team to San Fran and 500 Startups and some months later raised an impressive $2.75 million led by Balderton Capital. CEO Olivier Pailhes, joins me to discuss they why and the how.
Patrick Campbell, CEO of Price Intelligently and Profitwell is The foremost expert on B2B SaaS Pricing and monetisation. He joins Alex Theuma on this episode to discuss the difficulties of pricing, what not to do and what you should do and the impact it will have on your bottom line if you get your price right
Brynne Herbert is the Co-Founder and CEO of MOVE Guides, an A++ SaaS company that created a new category, went global from day one, raised north of $25 Million and has grown to over 60+ employees in a couple of years. On this episode, Brynne talks to Alex Theuma about how MOVE Guides has become an A++ SaaS Startup.
Aaron Ross, Award winning author of the SaaS Sales Bible, Predictable Revenue, guest on the show to discuss his latest book about Growth, From Impossible to Inevitable, out now.
GovDelivery are a vertical SaaS company that recently hit an impressive milestone of 100 million users of their platform. In this episode we talk to Scott Burns, CEO and Co-founder about the path to 100 million users including strategic insight into how this was achieved
David Okuniev is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of one of Europe's hottest SaaS Startups, Typeform. David joined Alex Theuma on this episode of The SaaS Revolution show where he discusses the origin of Typeform and it's explosive growth
Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner at Battery Ventures talks to Alex Theuma about the 7 phases of go to market success for SaaS companies, a mantra abbreviated to T2D3. Listen to the episode to find the 'proven' path to becoming a $Billion dollar company
BJ Lackland, CEO of Lighter Capital guests on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show to help us understand better the funding options for SaaS Startups and the pro's and con's of each
Hamid Shojaee, CEO of Pure Chat Inc has founded 3 software companies and has a ton of experience to impart. After 20 years in technology and having built 3 companies, he’s learned a lot about building great products that solve a real need in the marketplace. He has bootstrapped Axosoft and built it into a multi-million dollar business and most recently he launched and raised money for Pure Chat. His philosophy is that If you don’t start a project with a “hell ya!” then just don’t do it at all.
Lincoln Murphy, Customer Success Evangelist at Gainsight and Growth Hacker at Sixteen Ventures, joins the SaaS Revolution Show to discuss the cornerstones of building an efficient engine of growth for SaaS Startups.
Our guest on this episode is Rob Fitzpatrick, author of The Mom Test: How to talk to customers and learn if your business is a good idea, when everyone is lying to you. This episode is a customer development/early stage startup special.
David Cancel, CEO of Driftt, his 5th startup, is obsessed with building customer driven startups/companies. In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, we find out why David is and if your building a SaaS Startup, why you should be too.
Byron Deeter, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, has invested in no less than 6 Unicorns. So we invited him on the SaaS Revolution Show and presented Byron with 10 Laws of building a B2B SaaS Unicorn. Listen to the show to find out what those laws are and if Byron backed all 10.
In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, we take a look at CloudSponge and how they've utilised their development workforce to drive company growth. Jay Gibb, CEO of CloudSponge steps into the guest hot seat and provides a case study of his startup that is a must listen to for those looking for insights into growing their SaaS Startup.
Bill Macaitis joined Slack as it's first Marketing hire in December 2014 when Slack had already been crushing it and had earned the mantle of the fastest growing SaaS Company ever and the hottest SaaS Company on the planet. So on this episode of The SaaS Revolution show, we ask Bill what it's been like being the first marketing hire and what he's implemented within his first year. Some great insights into marketing strategies for all SaaS Startups from one of the best in the business.
Alex Theuma talks to Jakob Marovt, Co-Founder and CMO of Pipetop, an early stage SaaS company, about the road to your first 20 B2B customers. Featuring insights into the customer developement process, sales and marketing that helped Pipetop get their first 20 B2B customers.
Duane Jackson is a Pioneer of SaaS in UK with Kashflow, an online account software company founded in 2003, which has been one of, if not the most exciting and disruptive SaaS coming out of UK. Kashflow was acquired by Iris in 2013, for a rumoured £20 million. Post acquisition, Duane has had 18 months off, during which time he published a book called 4000 days about his story from childhood, to being caught smuggling drugs into the US, Going to prison on a 5 year sentence, and subsequently founding Kashflow. Recently he launched his second SaaS Startup, Supdate. A must listen podcast for SaaS Entrepreneurs.
Aziz Gilani, Partner at Mercury Fund, an early stage VC firm, is the guest on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show which is focused on the topic of Seed Stage investment and accelerators.
Anthony Kennada, VP Marketing at Gainsight discusses building communities through meetups and the importance of Conferences for SaaS and Customer Success Community
Hiten Shah, Co-founder of Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics and Quicksprout talks to SaaScribe about why he left KISSmetrics, what he's working on now and insights into his thoughts on funding, SaaS Pricing models, Marketing tips for SaaS and more. Another must listen to Episode of the SaaS Revolution Show
Christoph Janz, Managing Partner of Point Nine Capital, The Angel VC, discusses the origin of Point Nine, that investment in Zendesk, Venture Capital and why we should be bullish on SaaS
Sujan Patel, a renowned leading expert in digital marketing and growth, discusses topics close to his heart: Bootstrapping, Growth and Content Marketing.
Mathilde Collin, CEO and Co-Founder of Front, A Shared Inbox built for teams, joins this weeks episode of The SaaS Revolution Show to talk about moving her startup, Front, from Paris to the Bay Area, Raising VC Money, European SaaS and more.
Brian Balfour, VP Growth at Hubspot is our special guest on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show. In this episode Brian talks about how to grow your SaaS Business.
Guy Nirpaz, CEO and CoFounder of Totango, The Customer Success Platform, is our guest this week. A Customer Success Special.
Gadi Shamia, COO of Talkdesk joins us as our guest discussing why he joined Talkdesk, Growth, Customer Success and more.
Michael Litt, Co-Founder and CEO of Vidyard is our latest guest on The SaaS Revolution Show in an entrepreneurial, startup focused and fun discussion.
Jason Lemkin, Managing Director at Storm Ventures, Founder of SaaStr and champion of all things SaaS and Startups, is our special guest in this new podcast from SaaScribe
Kris Duggan, CEO of Betterworks, an Enterprise SaaS Goal Setting platform, is our guest on this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show. Learn more about why he set up Betterworks, being a second time CEO, Goal Setting and it's importance and more.
Tom Gonser, Founder of Docusign, is our very special guest on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show Podcast. Tom talks to Alex about why he started Docusign, Startup culture, Entrepreneurial Spirit, career paths, people that have inspired him throughout his career and peers in the SaaS Industry that inspire him today. Essential Listening for Docusign Fans, SaaS Fans, Entrepreneurs and SaaS Professionals alike.
Danielle Morrill, CEO and Co-Founder of Mattermark, Guests on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show. Providing Great Insights on Startups, Mattermark and Danielle Morrill. Essential listening for SaaS Fans, Startup Fans and Fans of the amazing Danielle Morrill.
Jill Rowley, a top leader and evangelist on Social Selling, is our special guest on this episode as we get the lowdown on Jills background, secrets to being a top Sales Performer, Why Jill got fired from Oracle, what Jill thinks of Parker Conrad CEO Zenefits, the value of connecting and more. A must listen for SaaS Sales and Marketing professionals.
Tak Lo, Director at the world famous Techstars Accelerator, joins this episode of the SaaS Revolution show and we talk career progression, networking, setting goals, startups and more. A must listen to podcast for SaaS Professionals and Startup Enthusiasts.
James Parton, Director of Twilio Europe, for Twilio Inc, One of Silicon Valleys hottest startups and entrants to the Unicorn Club, talks to SaaScribe about: Twilio, How he got the Gig, views on culture, mentoring, Startups and Marketing
Kyle Porter, CEO of Salesloft joins Alex Theuma of SaaScribe and discusses the importance of culture, Sales Machines, Sales Hacking, His function as CEO, building a Unicorn and recommendations for Must Read Books for every Sales Person
CEO of Intercom, Eoghan McCabe is Interviewed and discusses: Intercom being part of a new wave of internet businesses, disrupting the incumbents, his Co-Founders, how Biz Stone became an Angel Investor in Intercom, Being a CEO and a Designer, SaaS Business Models and more
Jeff Kaplan, MD of Think Strategies gets topical on this podcast, talkin' Salesforce Acquisition rumours, Solution Selling for SaaS, SaaS Profitability and more
Andrew Dumont, VP Marketing at Bitly guests on this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show. Andrew has impressive background in building and growing early stage startups since he was 18 and talks to Alex Theuma about this, SaaS and more.
Steli Efti, CEO of Close.io and influencer on Sales Hustling and Sales Hacking, talks to the SaaS Revolution Show. Steli discusses moving to Silicon valley, Y combinator, Close.io his CRM Software company for inside sales and what he would do if Salesforce made an offer to acquire Close.io
The SaaS Revolution Show Podcast: Episode 1. Mark Roberge, Chief Revenue Officer of Hubspot talks to our host Alex Theuma, about Marks new book 'The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 million'