The Growth Premium Persists in SaaS Valuations

Public SaaS multiples have stayed in a narrow band since 2022. AI & non-AI companies trade at similar valuations despite different pricing rules. The growth premium persists in private markets where hyper-growth unicorns command premium valuations.

The Growth Premium Persists in SaaS Valuations

Product-Market Fit is No Longer Static

Between 2021 & 2024, classic software companies lost their product-market fit overnight. In the AI era, PMF is like United Miles—you must continuously re-earn it to maintain status.

Product-Market Fit is No Longer Static

Where Is Your AI Running?

As AI agents handle more tasks, deployment location matters. Enterprises need their own cloud for control & compliance, while consumers benefit from client-side agents for privacy & speed.

Where Is Your AI Running?

Good Morning & Good Luck

As AI becomes our primary news source, are we returning to an era of ABC, NBC & CBS—where three or four major models filter & shape how we understand the world?

Good Morning & Good Luck

Is Token Consumption Growth Slowing Down?

Google's AI token processing reaches 1.3 quadrillion monthly tokens in October 2025, but growth decelerates from 250T to 107T per month. What's driving the slowdown?

Is Token Consumption Growth Slowing Down?

Congratulations, Robot. You've Been Promoted!

OpenAI's Codex went from intern to senior engineer in 12 months. At 92% adoption & 72% more pull requests, the architect-implementer workflow proves AI has graduated beyond junior-level work.

Congratulations, Robot. You've Been Promoted!

Data & AI Infrastructure Are Fusing

AI demands unified infrastructure. Learn how Netflix & Stripe rebuilt their stacks with vector databases, context layers & real-time observability to fuse data & AI systems.

Data & AI Infrastructure Are Fusing

Adding Complexity Reduced My AI Cost by 41%

Discover how Google's Agent Development Kit patterns reduced LLM token usage by 41.2% & cut costs by 41.7%. Learn the unified tool approach that transformed dozens of specialized Ruby tools into enterprise-grade agent automation with built-in safety & state management.

Adding Complexity Reduced My AI Cost by 41%

From A to B Without Inventing Letters

John McPhee's four-draft writing method transforms chaotic ideas into compelling narratives. Learn why the best writing happens when you separate creative thinking from critical evaluation.

From A to B Without Inventing Letters

The Efficient Frontier of AI

GEPA (Generative Pareto optimization) revolutionizes AI writing by discovering multiple optimal posts across quality dimensions rather than chasing a single score. Learn how this efficient frontier approach produces better content strategy.

The Efficient Frontier of AI

The Math of Hypergrowth: Two Paths to the Same Goal

Analyzing Slack vs Atlassian reveals two paths to $27b valuations: hypergrowth in 7 years or steady compounding over 17 years. Explore how growth rates, time to market, & the CAP theorem of business create value through different strategies.

The Math of Hypergrowth: Two Paths to the Same Goal

Is T3D2 Dead? Has AI Killed It?

AI companies like OpenAI & Anthropic are growing at unprecedented rates, far exceeding traditional T3D2 frameworks. Explore how AI transformation, larger contracts, & defensive incumbents are reshaping growth expectations & IPO requirements.

Is T3D2 Dead? Has AI Killed It?

The Post-AI Org Chart

Explore how AI transforms organizational structures. From traditional pyramids to short pyramids (85% headcount reduction) & rocket ships. Learn which team configurations work best for sales, R&D, & customer success in the AI era.

The Post-AI Org Chart

Beyond a Trillion : The Token Race

Google processes 574x more AI tokens than Microsoft Foundry. Explore the massive scale differences in AI inference: Google at 32.7 trillion daily tokens reveals the hidden scale of AI processing.

Beyond a Trillion : The Token Race

How AI Tools Differ from Human Tools

Why the mental models we've built for human interfaces don't work for AI, & how Anthropic's latest guidelines are reshaping tool design for better performance & efficiency.

How AI Tools Differ from Human Tools

Developer Relations at Theory

Theory Ventures launches developer relations team to share AI building experiences & learn from the community. Discover how VCs are adapting workflows with agents, tool calls, and large action models.

Developer Relations at Theory

10 Months into AI Agents : Which Are Used Most?

Analysis of 200 Model Context Protocol tools shows developers prioritize infrastructure & search over entertainment. 54% of MCP usage focuses on code generation, debugging & terminal access - revealing AI adoption patterns.

10 Months into AI Agents : Which Are Used Most?

Two Data Giants, One Revenue Milestone

Databricks forecast $4B revenue for FY2026 while Snowflake achieves $4.116B LTM. Nearly identical big customer counts (650 vs 654) but divergent growth trajectories & valuations in the AI-driven data platform race.

Two Data Giants, One Revenue Milestone

What It Feels Like to Build in AI

The daily excitement & uncertainty of building in AI - from morning breakthroughs to imposter syndrome, exploring what it means to navigate rapid change in artificial intelligence.

What It Feels Like to Build in AI

A Living Market Map

Theory introduces our living 3D market map - a dynamic visualization of startup ecosystems that evolves in real-time. See how we think about the world and submit your startup to be included.

A Living Market Map

The $20/Month Software Revolution

How AI coding tools are enabling anyone to build applications for $20/month, disrupting traditional software development & creating new strategic opportunities for founders.

The $20/Month Software Revolution

The AI Tide Lifts Databases

Discover how AI is driving Snowflake's 32% revenue growth, with AI features now deployed across 50% of accounts and powering 25% of enterprise workloads.

The AI Tide Lifts Databases

The Second-Order Effects of AI

Explore how AI's exponential growth is creating ripple effects across tech, with MongoDB's 24% revenue surge highlighting new opportunities in cloud infrastructure and data services.

The Second-Order Effects of AI

Netflix's New AI Role

Explore how Netflix's new Media ML Data Engineer role signals the fusion of software and data engineering, as unstructured data becomes central to AI innovation.

Netflix's New AI Role

What Will You Reinvent Today?

Explore how AI and automation are reshaping work patterns in tech. Learn strategies for adapting to change and developing a growth mindset in this era of workplace transformation.

What Will You Reinvent Today?

A Narrative Violation on a Friday Morning

Surprising data analysis reveals that venture capital & private equity holding periods are nearly identical, challenging conventional wisdom about exit timelines.

A Narrative Violation on a Friday Morning

Achieving Flow with AI

Join tech leaders Hamel Husain and Claire Vo to explore how AI tools can help achieve flow state, boost productivity, and unlock peak performance in product development.

Achieving Flow with AI

When One AI Grades Another's Work

Explore how AI evaluates AI-generated content: See how Gemini 2.5 revolutionizes content scoring by moving beyond static metrics to assess writing quality and authenticity.

When One AI Grades Another's Work

Explore vs. Exploit in Agentic Coding

AI coding assistants have rewritten distribution rules overnight, but negative margin economics threaten sustainability. Here's how enterprise revenue concentration offers a path forward.

Explore vs. Exploit in Agentic Coding

The Groupon Era of AI

Explore how AI's explosive growth mirrors Groupon's rise, from rapid market adoption to copycat competition. Key insights for founders navigating the AI gold rush.

The Groupon Era of AI

Why AI Can't Crack Your Database

Explore why AI excels at complex math but struggles with SQL queries, with benchmark data showing a 60% accuracy ceiling in database operations across leading models.

Why AI Can't Crack Your Database

What is Chrome Worth?

Analyze Perplexity AI's $34.5B Chrome bid vs Safari's economics. Data shows true browser value could exceed $73B at $21 per user. Key metrics for tech leaders.

What is Chrome Worth?

Who is Talking to My Users?

AI's impact on web traffic: New data shows 47% drop in clickthrough rates when AI summaries appear. What this means for startups and publishers in 2024.

Who is Talking to My Users?

From Knowledge to Action

Explore how GPT-5 and AI tool-calling capabilities are reshaping startup competition beyond knowledge retrieval into actionable workflows and system integration.

From Knowledge to Action

The AI-Driven Cloud Market Share Shift

Explore how GPT-4 and AI reshapes cloud market dynamics, as Azure surges to 46.5% share while AWS's dominance wanes. Key data for startup founders & investors.

The AI-Driven Cloud Market Share Shift

PageRank in the Age of AI

Explore how AI is reshaping PageRank and content distribution, mirroring ad tech's real-time bidding systems. Key insights for founders on the future of discovery.

PageRank in the Age of AI

The AI Search Tipping Point

Explore how AI is transforming search: 50% of Google queries now use AI features, with OpenAI handling 1 query per American daily. Key data for tech leaders.

The AI Search Tipping Point

The Question I Ask Myself Before I AI

Learn how to optimize AI interactions using a strategic 2x2 framework for context and control. A VC's practical guide to more effective AI collaboration.

The Question I Ask Myself Before I AI

The Sales Strategy Conquering the AI Market

Discover how AI is transforming B2B sales strategy, with forward deployed engineers replacing traditional roles. Learn the new playbook for 10x faster tech evolution.

The Sales Strategy Conquering the AI Market

Hidden Technical Debt in AI

Explore how AI systems face hidden technical complexity similar to ML systems, requiring extensive infrastructure beyond core models. Key insights for startup leaders.

Hidden Technical Debt in AI

The Rise of the Agent Manager

Explore how AI agent managers will transform work productivity, from managing 4 agents today to potentially 24+ in the future. Key insights for startup leaders.

The Rise of the Agent Manager

Budgeting for AI in Your Startup

Discover how much startups should budget for AI in 2024. Data-driven analysis shows AI costs now represent 13% of engineering spend, with detailed breakdowns.

Budgeting for AI in Your Startup

The Hungry, Hungry AI Model

Discover why AI models require 300x more input than output data, and how this ratio impacts costs, latency & engineering for startups building AI products.

The Hungry, Hungry AI Model

Revenue Comes to Crypto

Explore how crypto valuations shift from hype to revenue metrics, with decentralized exchanges like Hyperliquid hitting $650M+ annual revenue and 60x multiples.

Revenue Comes to Crypto

Figma's S-1: A PLG Powerhouse

Analyze Figma's S-1 metrics vs Adobe: 48% YoY growth, 88% margins, and 132% net retention reveal a PLG powerhouse disrupting the design market.

Figma's S-1: A PLG Powerhouse

Why Data is More Valuable than Code

Discover why data quality trumps code in modern AI applications vs SaaS. Key insights on how structured enterprise data drives superior AI workflows and outcomes.

Why Data is More Valuable than Code

Fighting for Context

Explore how enterprise software companies like Salesforce are defending their data assets and adapting strategies in response to AI disruption.

Fighting for Context

The Data Decacorn Derby

Analyze how Databricks is gaining on Snowflake with 60% YoY growth and AI-driven momentum. Key metrics reveal the data platform battle heating up.

The Data Decacorn Derby

The Coming Wave of Acquihires

Explore how the 49% surge in AI & software seed funding will drive startup acquihires, backed by data showing an 86% drop in Series A conversion rates.

The Coming Wave of Acquihires

Partnering with Maze Security

Discover how AI-powered security research mirrors modern medicine, with 10% better diagnostic accuracy. Key insights for founders on scaling vulnerability management.

Partnering with Maze Security

Patterns Across 5 Years of YC Investing

Analyze 5 years of Y Combinator data revealing key startup trends: B2B surge to 90%, cybersecurity growth, and shifting venture capital investment patterns since 2020.

Patterns Across 5 Years of YC Investing

The IPO Door is Swinging Open

Explore how crypto & data center IPOs are reopening public markets in 2025, with CoreWeave up 300% and Circle surging 168% on day one. Key trends for founders.

The IPO Door is Swinging Open

Stuck in the Middle of AI Workflows

Discover how AI tools are transforming startup research workflows and the 3 emerging enterprise software patterns reshaping venture capital analysis.

What Level of AI?

Explore the 5 distinct levels of AI integration in business workflows, from chat-based assistants to multi-agent systems. A practical guide for startup leaders & VCs.

1000x Increase in AI Demand

Explore how AI reasoning drives 1000x compute demand, with hyperscalers deploying 72,000 GPUs weekly. Key insights from NVIDIA's latest growth metrics.

1000x Increase in AI Demand

A Banner Year for M&A only Five Months In

2025 sees record-breaking M&A activity with $32B+ in tech deals, led by Salesforce-Informatica and Google-Wiz acquisitions. Analysis of enterprise tech market trends.

A Banner Year for M&A only Five Months In

What's in Your Bank's Wallet?

Explore how 90% of banks are adopting stablecoins in 2025, driving revenue through faster settlements and lower costs in international payments.

Theory is Looking for an Investor

Theory VC is hiring an investor who sees opportunity in ambiguity. Join our team to shape the future of venture capital and help founders scale transformative startups.

My Prompt, My Reality

Explore how AI product success hinges on user prompting skills, and discover key strategies for SaaS founders to manage varying user expertise and output quality.

My Prompt, My Reality

How AI Redefines User Experience

Discover how AI is transforming SaaS user experience through natural language interfaces. See real examples of voice-powered email and task management revolutionizing software interaction.

When Will We Pay a Premium for AI Labor?

Explore why AI outperforms humans in key tasks yet commands lower prices. Analysis of pricing dynamics across autonomous vehicles, healthcare & enterprise tech.

Nobody Wants to Read Your Stuff

Explore how AI is reshaping content creation and consumption in tech. Learn why traditional content marketing must evolve for an ML-first world of automated readers.

Nobody Wants to Read Your Stuff

An Explosive New Distribution Channel

AI agents are becoming the new gatekeepers of B2B software selection, with AI developers creating databases 4x faster than humans. Key insights for SaaS growth.

No Asterisk Needed

Explore how Web3 venture investment shifts from infrastructure to applications, with gaming and payments capturing 10% more VC dollars post-election in 2023.

No Asterisk Needed

100 Trillion Tokens

Microsoft's AI token usage surges 5x YoY to 100T, driving 2-22% of Azure revenue. Analysis reveals massive growth potential in enterprise AI adoption.

When Every Employee Becomes an Agent Boss

This post explores how AI is transforming organizational structures, with 83% of leaders expecting employees to take on more complex strategic tasks earlier in their careers.

When Every Employee Becomes an Agent Boss

Tokenization as a SaaS Liquidity Option

Explore how tokenization is transforming SaaS liquidity, from BlackRock's $2B BUIDL fund to instant settlements. Key data on the future of digital assets.

Tokenization as a SaaS Liquidity Option

Rabbits on Firetrucks Redux

Explore how AI image generation has evolved from unusable to professional-grade in 2 years, with key insights for startups using generative AI in business contexts.

Rabbits on Firetrucks Redux

Integrations as Competitive Advantage

Discover how AI is revolutionizing enterprise software integrations, enabling startups to build connections in hours instead of quarters and gain competitive advantage.

Social AI

Discover how social AI adoption is transforming tech workflows. Learn key insights from Midjourney, Discord & emerging AI platforms reshaping how startups innovate & collaborate.

Social AI

My Bottleneck with AI

Learn how to optimize AI workflows for maximum productivity. A VC's practical insights on structuring AI prompts, parallel processing, and balancing AI vs traditional tools.

The Impact of Tariffs on Series As

Data analysis reveals how public market shifts impact Series A valuations: 1% Nasdaq gain leads to 0.47% private market rise after 6 months, with key venture capital insights.

The Impact of Tariffs on Series As

What do Tariffs Mean for Startupland?

Discover how new tariffs impact startup growth, revenue & tech markets. Data shows 48% of US tech revenue comes from abroad - key implications for founders & VCs.

What do Tariffs Mean for Startupland?

Welcome, Bryan and Philip!

Redpoint welcomes AI veteran Bryan Bischof and data leader Philip Zelitchenko to strengthen our expertise in machine learning, analytics, and startup scaling.

Welcome, Bryan and Philip!

The Great Liquidity Shift

Discover how secondaries now dominate venture capital exits, accounting for 71% of 2024 exit value as IPO markets remain quiet. Key insights for startup founders.

The Great Liquidity Shift

The Price of Distinctiveness

Discover why distinctiveness is crucial for startup success and what price founders must pay to stand out in competitive markets. Key insights from Jeff Bezos.

The Implications of the Wiz/Google Deal

Analyzing Google's $32B Wiz acquisition: Key metrics, valuation insights, and what it means for cloud security M&A in tech. Data-driven analysis for VCs & founders.

The Implications of the Wiz/Google Deal

The Mirage in the Software Clouds

Explore why public SaaS growth rates have plunged from 36% to 17% since 2023, and what this reveals about the changing dynamics of software markets.

The Mirage in the Software Clouds

This Analysis Cost 27 Cents

Discover how AI tools like Claude Code enable powerful data analysis and custom app development for just cents, transforming startup productivity and software creation.

This Analysis Cost 27 Cents

Positioning Startups in the Age of AI

Learn proven strategies for positioning AI startups from Fireworks AI's VP of Marketing. Get actionable GTM tactics for building a standout brand in today's AI landscape.

Positioning Startups in the Age of AI

How Much Is A Venture Firm Worth?

Explore how top venture capital firms like KKR & Blackstone built $177B+ valuations. Key insights on PE firm economics, market caps & industry evolution.

How Much Is A Venture Firm Worth?

Lopsided AI Revenues

Discover which AI business segment dominates revenue: NVIDIA's $31B data center vs software & consulting firms. Key Q4 insights for founders & investors.

Lopsided AI Revenues

AI Fluency : The Next Interviewing Skill

Discover how AI fluency is reshaping startup interviews in 2025. Learn key metrics like 5x ARR per employee & essential AI evaluation frameworks for modern tech teams.

Theory is Looking for a Head of AI

Theory VC seeks Head of AI to architect the future of technology and venture capital. Join our team to shape AI innovation and process design. Apply now.

AI Impact Curves

Explore how AI impacts productivity across seniority levels, from junior to senior roles. Key insights on automation effects & business value in tech organizations.

AI Impact Curves

Google's Future in Search & AI

Explore Google's AI evolution: 1000x inference cost reduction, 4x compute efficiency gains, and 4.4M developers now using Gemini. Key insights for tech leaders.

Google's Future in Search & AI

$1.2b of Revenue in 30 Days

Discover how top Web3 projects generated $1.2B revenue in 30 days, with smallest players hitting $75M run rates. Analysis of growth metrics & SaaS-style valuations.

$1.2b of Revenue in 30 Days

It Pays to be an AI Company

Discover why AI startups command 40% higher Series A valuations and 2x public market multiples vs traditional SaaS. Key data on B2B tech valuations and growth trends.

It Pays to be an AI Company

$13b Run Rate & Doubling

Microsoft's AI services hit $13B run rate with 157% YoY growth. Azure maintains 31% growth while $300B RPO signals massive future demand for AI infrastructure.

Darwin's Finches in AI

Explore how AI evolution mirrors Darwin's finches - from massive models to specialized architectures. Key insights on accelerating innovation in AI development.

Darwin's Finches in AI

The AI Cost Curve Just Collapsed Again

DeepSeek's AI breakthroughs slash training costs by 90% and boost performance at 1/40th the cost. See what this means for startup economics in 2025.

The AI Cost Curve Just Collapsed Again

Top Themes in Data in 2025

Explore the dual forces shaping data in 2025: platform consolidation vs AI expansion. Key insights on cloud infrastructure, ROI trends & emerging tech stack strategies.

Top Themes in Data Transcript

Discover 3 transformative trends reshaping enterprise data in 2025: consolidation, scale-up computing, and AI-driven data management. Key insights for tech leaders.

What DeepSeek's Newest Model Means for AI

Analyze DeepSeek R1's meteoric rise: How a small Chinese hedge fund created a top-performing AI model, with data-driven insights on adoption & market impact.

What DeepSeek's Newest Model Means for AI

Back to Text: How AI Might Reverse Web Design

Explore how AI agents are transforming web interfaces from visual to text-first, disrupting UX design and creating faster, cleaner digital experiences for users.

2025 Predictions

12 bold predictions for 2025: IPO market rebounds, AI voice interfaces dominate, first $100M ARR company with 30 employees, and stablecoin supply hits $300B.

My Favorite Books of 2024

Discover the top business & strategy books of 2024, from high-stakes poker to global commodities trading. Key insights for founders & investors on markets, energy & risk.

I Use AI 100 Times Per Hour

Discover how AI transforms productivity: Using AI 100x per hour vs 144 phone checks per day. Real data shows 3x faster work through AI-powered dictation and editing.

I Use AI 100 Times Per Hour

Top 10 Posts of 2024

Explore 2024's most impactful VC insights: AI product growth, startup business models, and data monetization trends that shaped the tech industry.

The Year Algorithms Learn to Act

2024 marks the shift from passive AI to AI agents that act autonomously. Explore supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning driving the agent revolution.

The Year Algorithms Learn to Act

Theory Two

Theory Ventures raises $450M second fund to back early-stage software startups leveraging AI, data & Web3. Series A rounds up 42% since 2023 launch.

My Little Library

Discover how AI-powered personal prompt libraries are transforming how startup leaders work, automate tasks, and scale their effectiveness in tech companies.

My Little Library

75 Cents per Month

Discover how AI assistant costs have plummeted to just 75¢/month. Analysis shows why artificial intelligence will become ubiquitous in tech products & services.

75 Cents per Month

Small but Mighty AI

Discover why 77% of enterprises opt for smaller AI models under 13B parameters. Key insights on cost-efficiency, performance, and ROI for startup AI deployment.

Small but Mighty AI

I Talk to Robots While Driving

Explore how AI transforms daily workflows, from investment analysis to content creation. A VC's first-hand experience using AI assistants for deeper insights and productivity.

The White Collar Revolution

Explore how AI is transforming white-collar work across 11+ industries employing 14M+ workers, from software dev to legal. Key data on automation's impact on knowledge work.

Profit Dollars per GPU Dollar

Analyze how AI is supercharging cloud revenue growth, with AWS & Azure seeing 58% acceleration and 40%+ margins. Key metrics for tech leaders & investors.

Profit Dollars per GPU Dollar

Trends in the Post-Modern Data Stack

Explore key trends reshaping modern data infrastructure: AI-driven team structures, 100MB typical workloads, and cost optimization insights from 4 data startup CEOs.

Trends in the Post-Modern Data Stack

My AI Rube Goldberg Machine

Explore how 4 AI models analyze SaaS metrics differently: comparing net income & cash flow margins across Claude, GPT, Gemini & Perplexity. See which AI wins.

My AI Rube Goldberg Machine

Productivity One Year from Now

Explore how AI will reshape startup productivity metrics, from $400k ARR per employee today to potential $1M, and its impact on SaaS company valuations.

Productivity One Year from Now

The Premise of a New S-Curve in AI

Explore how AI model performance has evolved: smaller models show 32% improvement in 4 months, while Elo scores reveal key advances across model sizes.

The Premise of a New S-Curve in AI

A Challenge to SaaS Orthodoxy

Explore how Klarna's AI-driven shift from SaaS to internal tools challenges startup orthodoxy. Data shows when building beats buying in the $100M decision.

How M&A Fosters Innovation

Explore how antitrust limits on tech M&A impact startup innovation, valuations, and competitive dynamics in 2024. Data shows 12-year low in deals.

How M&A Fosters Innovation

Fulfilling Crypto's Original Promise

Explore how stablecoins are transforming finance: 3M daily transactions, $1B+ JPMorgan transfers, and major adoption by Visa, PayPal & global enterprises.

Where is the Budget for AI Coming From?

Discover where AI budgets are coming from: 41% new spend vs 35% existing software. Key data on how companies are funding their AI transformation in 2024.

Where is the Budget for AI Coming From?

Would You Listen to AI Generated Podcasts?

Explore how Google's AI transforms blog posts into natural podcast conversations, featuring dynamic host interactions and content analysis. Is AI-audio the future of content?

Would You Listen to AI Generated Podcasts?

Interwoven with Initia

Discover how Initia simplifies blockchain development by providing a complete web3 stack, customizable VMs, and cross-chain compatibility for modern developers.

Interwoven with Initia

Will We See a Better Exit Market Next Year?

Explore how Fed rate cuts impact startup exits: New data shows 10-65% increase in venture-backed M&A activity when rates drop. Key insights for founders & VCs.

Will We See a Better Exit Market Next Year?

Writing Software for Robots

Explore how AI is transforming software development, with 50% of code at major tech companies now AI-written. Key impacts on SaaS tools, documentation & testing.

The New Software GTM Playbook

Discover how AI is rewriting the SaaS GTM playbook after 20 years. Key insights from Scale AI, Copy.AI & top founders on new sales motions in AI software.

The New Software GTM Playbook

The Rarity Shibboleth

Explore how AI and LLMs excel at averaging data, but fall short on finding rare insights. Analysis of Microsoft's Azure growth and AI revenue trends reveals key limitations.

The Challenge of the AI Demo

Explore the challenges of AI product demos and proof-of-concepts in B2B sales. Learn how to evaluate non-deterministic systems vs human performance benchmarks.

Which Design Era Are We In?

Explore the evolution of web and app design from static 90s websites to modern SPAs. Key shifts in UX/UI that shaped how startups build products today.

Which Design Era Are We In?

Higher Levels of Abstraction

Discover how AI-powered data analysis is transforming VC work: from 40-hour analyses to 90-minute insights. See how programming evolves into prompting for startups.

Higher Levels of Abstraction

What Has Your GPU Done For You Today?

Explore how enterprise AI adoption has shifted from security concerns to ROI focus, with insights on measuring GPU investments and automation gains.

AI Public & Private Premia for AI Companies

AI companies trade at 2x forward multiples of non-AI peers in public markets. GenAI startups raise at 1.5-2x higher valuations than traditional software companies.

AI Public & Private Premia for AI Companies

The PostModern Data Stack

Explore how the Postmodern Data Stack is reshaping cloud infrastructure, as industry leaders challenge tech giants with open formats and multi-engine solutions.

The PostModern Data Stack

Snowflake's 4 Areas of Investment in AI

Discover Snowflake's 4-part AI strategy from Head of AI Baris Gultekin: Cortex LLMs, open source initiatives, secure data sharing, and native enterprise apps.

The 3 Attributes of an Attractive Market for AI

Discover the 3 key market signals for AI opportunities: high-toil roles, 30-50% turnover rates, and labor shortages in tech & services sectors. Data-driven insights for founders.

Rewriting the RFP for AI

Explore how AI is transforming enterprise software buying patterns and creating opportunities for startups to redefine the future SaaS landscape.

The Battle for AI Gravity

Explore how tech giants are investing billions in AI infrastructure, shifting from data gravity to AI gravity as the next strategic battleground in cloud computing.

The Battle for AI Gravity

Agentic Systems' Sales Cycles

Explore how AI-powered agentic systems are transforming SaaS procurement, requiring new benchmarking approaches and deeper performance evaluation for startups.

Agentic Systems' Sales Cycles

Select avg(Moby Dick) limit 2 sentences

Explore how AI and LLMs are transforming business intelligence from pure data analysis to narrative insights. Key takeaways for startup founders and data leaders.

Select avg(Moby Dick) limit 2 sentences

The First of Your Newsletters

Discover why AI adoption barriers differ from conventional wisdom. Real-world insights on rapid deployment, security reviews, and how startups close AI deals in <90 days.

The Four Barriers to AI Adoption

Discover the 4 key barriers slowing enterprise AI adoption: technology understanding, security risks, legal challenges, and implementation hurdles. Data-driven insights for leaders.

The Four Barriers to AI Adoption

2024 Theory GTM Survey

Join our 2024 GTM survey analyzing how startups adapt sales, marketing & AI. Get exclusive data on SaaS efficiency trends. Complete 28 questions for raw data access.

2024 Theory GTM Survey

What about Human Training?

How AI is transforming human training across industries: from robotic surgery to chess mastery. Key insights on the future of professional development in the AI era.

Databricks' Accelerating Growth

Analyze Databricks' impressive 60% revenue growth and $2.4B ARR. Key metrics reveal strong data warehouse expansion and 140% net dollar retention.

Databricks' Accelerating Growth

Apple's AI Challenger Sale

Explore how Apple's privacy-first AI strategy signals a major shift in enterprise data practices and what it means for the future of cloud computing.

Apple's AI Challenger Sale

Is the Software Market in Trouble?

Analyzing the SaaS market decline: Public software growth rates have halved, yet total revenue grew 4.8x to $592B. Key metrics for founders & investors.

Is the Software Market in Trouble?

The AI Trust Fall

Explore how AI accuracy expectations differ from human work, with insights on trust barriers in SaaS and self-driving cars showing 65-94% safety improvements.

NVIDIA

Explore NVIDIA's AI dominance: 5x compute growth, $26B data center revenue, and how cloud providers earn $5 for every $1 spent on GPU infrastructure.

Chatting With Her - The ChatGPT App on Mac

Explore hands-on insights from testing OpenAI's ChatGPT Mac app - examining voice AI's potential, limitations, and future impact on human-computer interaction in tech.

Chatting With Her - The ChatGPT App on Mac

A Series of Unfortunate Decisions

Explore how AI model errors compound in multi-step processes, impacting startup applications. Key analysis of LLM accuracy and decision chains in tech.

A Series of Unfortunate Decisions

The Capex Conquest in the Cloud

Cloud giants AWS, Azure & Google Cloud invest $40B in Q1 CapEx for AI infrastructure. Analysis of massive cloud spending trends and revenue growth implications.

The Capex Conquest in the Cloud

Massive Acquisitions in Software Startups

Analyze how mega-deals drive software startup M&A trends, with billion-dollar acquisitions accounting for 53%+ of total value. Key data from 2012-2021 reveals market patterns.

Massive Acquisitions in Software Startups

Are Software Companies Good Businesses?

Explore why SaaS companies' true gross margins may be 47% vs 72% when R&D costs are factored in. Key insights on software business profitability metrics.

Are Software Companies Good Businesses?

The Market Size Mistake

Learn how VCs evaluate market size for startups, featuring insights from Shopify's success story and Bill Gurley's framework for identifying category-creating companies.

My Favorite Uses of AI

Discover how AI transforms daily workflows, from book selection to email management. A VC's practical guide to leveraging AI tools for better productivity and decision-making.

My Favorite Uses of AI

Micromanaging AI

Learn how to effectively manage AI using the Situational Management framework. Discover why AI needs micromanagement today and how to optimize AI outputs step-by-step.

Micromanaging AI

This Message Will Self-Destruct in 33 Seconds

Explore how attention spans and content consumption are evolving: American focus drops 5% yearly, while blog engagement data reveals key trends for digital content strategy.

This Message Will Self-Destruct in 33 Seconds

AI in the Hands of Software Buyers

Discover how AI is revolutionizing B2B software purchasing. Key insights on how AI assistants impact sales, marketing strategy, and procurement for SaaS companies.

AI in the Hands of Software Buyers

To Be or Not To Be an Agent

Explore the strategic choice startups face between AI copilots vs agents, with data showing 50-75% productivity gains from assistive AI vs 3.3x from autonomous systems.

AI SaaS Companies Will Be More Profitable

Discover why AI SaaS startups may exceed traditional -10% SaaS margins through reduced R&D costs and 50-75% engineering productivity gains. Data-driven analysis.

The Vector Computer Company

Discover how vector computers are revolutionizing AI applications by combining text, structured data, and LLMs. Key insights for founders building ML-powered startups.

The Vector Computer Company

The Opposite of a Good Idea is a Good Idea

Discover why successful startups break out by defying conventional wisdom. Learn how counterintuitive strategies drive growth in SaaS and consumer brands alike.

The First $100m ARR AI Security Company

Discover how Palo Alto Networks built a $100M ARR AI security business, driving 50% cost reduction through AI automation. Key insights for SaaS founders & investors.

Nobody Knows : Steel & Blockchains

Explore how blockchain and web3 technologies will become invisible infrastructure powering tomorrow's apps, despite current scalability challenges. Key insights for founders.

AI Design Patterns

Discover emerging AI design patterns for startups: query routing systems and training frameworks that optimize costs, performance, and user experience.

AI Design Patterns

Standard Issue AI

Explore how AI is becoming standard business infrastructure, with Azure OpenAI growing 194%, Copilot reaching 1.3M users, and why small language models matter.

Experience as a Status Symbol

Discover why AI experience has become a career status symbol and how it's reshaping tech talent markets, valuations, and the future of startups.

From Prompt to Paper in 60 Seconds

Discover how AI-powered metawriting tools are transforming content creation, enabling founders and tech leaders to produce structured content in record time.

The Class Missing from Business School

Discover the essential art of delegation and its six key components, including mindset shift, emotional management, context provision, feedback delivery, acceptance of variation, and goal mapping.

The 10x Salesperson

Discover how AI enables the rise of 10x salespeople in tech, automating 50-80% of tasks and unlocking nonlinear productivity gains in SaaS sales teams.

Gordian Knots in Software Engineering

Discover how LinkedIn measures engineering productivity with 3 key speed metrics. Data-driven insights for startup leaders to optimize developer performance.

2024 Predictions

Venture capital outlook for 2024: AI dominates funding, IPO market reopens with Stripe/Databricks, M&A surges to $60B+, and Web3 sees revival. Key predictions.

Why Startup M&A in 2024 Will Rebound

Discover why 2024 startup M&A will surge, backed by $50.2B in take-private deals and key SaaS trends. Data-driven analysis for founders and VCs.

In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion

Analysis of Q4 2023 software market trends shows 30% growth becoming top quartile, with MongoDB and others signaling strong 2024 outlook for SaaS spending.

In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion

Top 10 Posts of 2023

Explore 2023's most impactful startup insights: 24% longer sales cycles, SaaS valuation shifts, and AI's transformative impact on the tech ecosystem.

The New Threat to a Data Leader's Career

Explore how AI transforms data leadership risks in tech companies. Learn why data breaches now pose career threats equal to security incidents for tech leaders.

Who Took a Bet on You?

Reflect on the key mentors and champions who shaped your startup journey. A venture capitalist's personal story of career-defining bets and professional gratitude.

How Much Does it Cost to Use an LLM?

Analyze AI costs across different LLM models, from 0.03¢ to 3.60¢ per query. Key pricing factors and trends for startups building AI applications.

How Much Does it Cost to Use an LLM?

Top 10 Trends for Data in 2024

Discover the 10 biggest data trends reshaping tech in 2024, from LLMs transforming enterprise architecture to data teams evolving into software powerhouses. Key insights for founders & VCs.

How Much Should Quotas Increase Next Year?

Discover data-driven insights on SaaS quota planning for 2024, with projected 14.1% software spending growth and AI's impact on sales efficiency metrics.

Gas Gas Revolution

Explore how blockchain transaction costs dropped 95% from $37 to $2, mirroring AWS's path to $90B revenue through continuous price reductions in cloud computing.

Gas Gas Revolution

AI Reaccelerating Cloud Growth

Analysis of cloud growth trends: Microsoft & Google earnings show AI driving cloud reacceleration, with Azure AI adoption surging 67% to 18,000 organizations.

AI Reaccelerating Cloud Growth

Centaurs & Cyborgs : The Jagged Frontier of AI

New Harvard study reveals AI's impact on productivity: 12% more tasks completed, 25% faster execution, but reduces accuracy by 19% in strategic work. Key insights for founders.

Artisanal Emails

Explore how AI email automation is transforming business communication and why artisanal, personalized emails may become a crucial differentiator for startups.

Whispers of the Future

Explore how OpenAI's Whisper dictation model transforms productivity, with 3x faster input than typing. Key insights on AI adoption, hardware demands, and SaaS implications.

Around the World in 21 Days

Join a global tech journey through 5 cities in 2007, exploring how mobile payments, super apps, and emerging internet markets shaped today's startup ecosystem. A VC's firsthand perspective.

Teaching a Computer to Ghoti

Discover how AI's unsupervised learning revolutionizes complex domains like legal & translation by mastering rules without explicit programming, unlike traditional coding.

What the New Relic Sale Means for SaaS

Analysis of New Relic's $6.5B PE acquisition signals rising tech buyouts in 2023, with key insights on SaaS valuations and market liquidity trends.

Signs We've Touched the Bottom

Analyze key cloud & AI trends from Microsoft/Google earnings: 4x Azure OpenAI growth, steady cloud revenue, and shifting enterprise priorities in 2023.

The Pilgrims Raised 4 Rounds of Financing

Discover how the Pilgrims' 4 financing rounds mirror modern startup funding, from Series A challenges to Tesla's go-to-market strategy. Key lessons from tech history.

Operating in the Dark

Navigate startup challenges in today's market: strategies for extending runway, adapting to slower sales cycles & maintaining focus during market uncertainty.

Producing Charts with AI

Discover how AI code interpreters are revolutionizing data visualization, reducing chart creation time from 20 to 5 minutes while simplifying complex statistical analysis.

The Fracking of Information

Explore how large language models are revolutionizing data extraction from unstructured documents, and why AI systems need multiple models to deliver value in venture capital.

There is No Such Thing as Series A Metrics

Explore why traditional Series A metrics no longer apply in today's VC landscape, with round sizes varying from $1M to $110M. Data shows 4-5x growth in variance since 2018.

What 70m Thread Users Mean for B2B Marketers

Analyze what Meta's Threads reaching 70M users means for B2B marketing strategy. Key data on adoption rates, user migration, and impact on SaaS marketing channels.

Picking Teams in AI

Cloud giants partner with AI leaders: Microsoft-OpenAI, Google-Anthropic, Databricks-Mosaic. How cloud partnerships reshape startup infrastructure decisions.

MotherDuck - DuckDB in the Cloud

Explore how MotherDuck brings DuckDB's powerful data analytics to the cloud, enabling seamless hybrid execution and effortless data sharing for startups and tech teams.

Marketing Teams as Hedge Funds

Learn how successful marketing teams operate like hedge funds, diversifying lead generation across content, paid, and events to compound growth from 100 to 15k+ views.

What if Every SaaS App Spoke English?

Explore how English-language APIs in major SaaS platforms are democratizing enterprise software and unlocking new AI automation possibilities for non-developers.

Web3 in SaaS Clothing

Discover why web3 startups are pivoting to SaaS models in 2023, as funding drops 73%. Analysis of market dynamics driving B2B transformation in web3.

When Will SaaS Budgets Increase Again?

Analyzing MongoDB earnings reveals SaaS market trends: cloud database growth slows 31% YoY. Key insights for startups navigating 2023 tech spending.

Seeking a Distribution Advantage with AI

Discover how startups can leverage AI to create powerful distribution advantages, from OpenAI plugins to scaled ABM strategies. Key insights for tech founders.

Tinkering with LLMs

Explore key challenges of building AI chatbots: data privacy, response rates, latency impact, and UX tradeoffs. Real insights from VC experimentation with LLMs.

When 1 is Bigger than 4 for AI

Learn how AI systems like ChatGPT can produce inconsistent answers and why this matters for B2B applications, especially in areas requiring consistent outputs.

Microsoft's Billion Dollar AI Business

Analyze Microsoft's Q4 earnings: Azure & AI drive 28% cloud growth, 2500+ OpenAI customers signal major enterprise AI adoption trends in 2023.

Why Every Startup Needs an AI Strategy

Discover why AI adoption is now essential for startup success, from single features to core product strategy. Key frameworks for founders to compete in 2024.

ChatGPT & Taylor Swift

ChatGPT surpasses Taylor Swift in search trends, revealing unprecedented AI curiosity. Data shows mass-market adoption signals a platform shift - key opportunities for startups.

Theory

Announcing Theory Ventures: A new $230M fund focused on data-driven startups, ML/AI innovation, and the next wave of enterprise software transformation.

Usage as the Moat in AI

Discover why usage data becomes the key competitive moat for AI startups, beyond capital and technical expertise. Analysis of ML flywheel effects in SaaS.

The Hardest Round to Raise in 2023

Analysis reveals Series B as 2023's toughest funding round, with 86% drop YoY. Data shows early-stage venture capital at 5-year lows despite stable round sizes.

How to Build Your Startup like Google & Stripe

Learn proven strategies from Google & Stripe's playbook for building exceptional startups. Key frameworks for mission, operating principles & team scaling from tech giants.

Take a Breath

After SVB's collapse, learn key action steps for startups: managing payroll, establishing new banking relationships & mitigating venture debt impact. Essential guidance for founders.

Magical Metrics with Omni

Discover how Omni's next-gen BI platform solves enterprise data consistency challenges, helping startups manage metrics at scale and drive data-driven growth.

Venture Capital, Withering & Dying

Comparing VC cycles: 2001 vs 2023 shows striking parallels in venture capital slowdowns, IPO freezes & portfolio writedowns. Key lessons from past downturns.

Predicting Cloud Growth Rates for 2023

Analyze cloud growth trends in 2023: AWS, GCP & Azure drop from 44% to 27% YoY growth as tech companies prioritize profitability over expansion.

When AI Favors the Incumbents

Explore how AI adoption gives tech incumbents unprecedented advantages over startups, reversing historical patterns in cloud and mobile disruption.

The Future of Startup Office

Explore how startup office design has evolved over 100 years, from fluorescent lights to open plans. Key trends shaping the future of workspace innovation in tech.

The Most Acquisitive Acquihirers in Software

Discover which tech giants lead software acquisitions: ServiceNow (5), Alphabet (4) & Medallia (4) top the list. Data analysis of 560 US deals under $400M since 2020.

2023 is the Year of _________

Learn how successful startups use annual themes to drive focus & growth. Key lessons from Looker's journey from data teams to Fortune 500 success, plus 2023 strategy tips.

Sizing the Web3 B2B Software Market

Analyzing the $231M web3 B2B software market: revenue distribution, growth metrics, and market cap potential for SaaS startups in the blockchain space.

A $30B Software Company from a $15m Investment

Learn how Constellation Software grew from a $15M investment to a $30B company through acquisitions, achieving 40% annual growth with a unique vertical SaaS strategy.

Five Predictions for 2023

Expert VC analysis: 5 data-driven predictions for 2023, from ML-powered SaaS growth to PE acquisitions. Key forecasts on tech valuations, web3, and startup funding.

My Favorite 10 Books of 2022

Discover the top 10 books that shaped VC thinking in 2022, from von Neumann's game theory to modern finance. Essential reading for startup founders and tech leaders.

Top 10 Posts of 2022

Explore 2022's most impactful VC insights: Web3's evolution, Figma's 50x ARR exit, and startup growth strategies. Key trends from tech's turbulent year.

The Most Successful Web3 Launch in 2022

Discover how Reddit's Web3 avatar launch attracted 3.2M users and generated $11.4M in creator revenue, outperforming OpenSea and Axie Infinity in 2022.

A New Chapter

After 14 years at Redpoint, exploring new frontiers in venture capital as startup funding grows 40x to $320B. Key trends: data-driven SaaS, ML revolution, Web3 innovation.

What the FTX Fiasco Means for Web3

Analyzing FTX's $24B collapse and its impact on Web3: Key lessons for founders as top crypto projects face 75% value loss in 2022's tech downturn.

Losing a Month of Runway to Inflation

Learn how 8% inflation erodes startup runway by 1 month yearly. Key lessons from the 2008 ARS crisis for founders managing cash reserves in uncertain markets.

Grey Skies in Cloud Earnings

Analyzing Q3 cloud earnings: Azure, AWS & GCP show 25% growth slowdown. Key data reveals market shifts impacting SaaS valuations & startup spend.

9 Predictions for Data in 2023

Discover 9 data industry predictions for 2023: Cloud data warehouses to hit 75% workload share, metrics layers unify stacks, and ML trends reshape analytics.

Five Pillars of PLG with Carilu Dietrich

Learn the 5 pillars of product-led growth from Atlassian's expert. See how top SaaS companies balance PLG with sales, spending 35% on R&D vs 15% on marketing.

How Low Could Valuations Go?

Explore how rising Fed rates could push SaaS valuations to 6-year lows. Data shows EV/revenue multiples may drop below 3.3x - key insights for startup founders & VCs.

Just How Troubled is the Bay Area Startup Scene?

Analyzing the Bay Area startup ecosystem: Despite declining round share, SF startups raised $126B in 2021 - matching total US funding from 2019. Data reveals surprising growth.

10 Predictions for Data at the Impact Summit

Explore 10 predictions for the $39B cloud data industry in 2023. Key insights from Databricks, Fivetran & DBT founders on the future of SaaS & machine learning.

Pipeline Supply Shocks in SaaS Sales

Learn how doubling SaaS sales cycles from 28 to 56 days can slash projected bookings by 50%. Key insights for startup founders on managing pipeline volatility.

The State of Web3 in 2022 through Data

Explore key Web3 metrics from 2022: 2.5M daily active wallets, 97% NFT volume drop, and 15 data-driven insights on crypto ecosystem health and trends.

Systematizing Go-To-Market Hiring

Learn how top SaaS companies like HubSpot use data-driven hiring to build successful sales teams. Key metrics reveal surprising predictors of quota attainment.

Systematizing Go-To-Market Hiring

Web3 Users Are Just Like Web2 Users

New data reveals Web3 users mirror Web2 behavior with identical 11% DAU/MAU ratios. Key insights from NFT and DEX analytics show familiar usage patterns in blockchain tech.

Pipeline Analysis Playbook

Learn the 4-step playbook for analyzing sales pipeline health: conversion rates, lead generation targets, daily mojo metrics & pipeline quality indicators for SaaS startups.

Messaging: the Bottleneck for Web3

Explore why messaging is Web3's critical growth bottleneck and how the lack of native protocols impacts crypto adoption, user engagement, and startup success.

The Health of Cloud Spending in Mid-2022

Analyzing cloud market health: Microsoft Azure grows 40% while Google Cloud drops to 35%. Key data reveals diverging trends in enterprise spending.

Spot the Difference

Explore the key architectural differences between Web2 and Web3 startups, focusing on blockchain databases and decentralized storage. A data-driven analysis for founders.

PE in VC in 22

Private equity firms acquired $29B in venture-backed startups in 2022, targeting SaaS companies with $20M+ ARR and 10-30% growth. Key PE exit trends for founders.

The Bid/Ask Spread in Venture Capital

Explore how the bid/ask spread in venture capital deals has widened to 44% in 2023, signaling major shifts in startup valuations and market dynamics.

1% of Salesforce's Revenue Makes a Unicorn

Discover how capturing just 1% of Salesforce's $113B market creates a billion-dollar SaaS opportunity. Data-driven analysis of startup potential in enterprise software.

1% of Salesforce's Revenue Makes a Unicorn

Deliberately Underselling as Sales Strategy

Learn why deliberately underselling in SaaS sales can lead to higher customer retention, faster sales cycles, and more natural expansion revenue through data-backed examples.

Deliberately Underselling as Sales Strategy

The End of Web3

Explore why Web3 will fade as infrastructure, while its core innovations reshape how startups build products & engage users in the cloud era.

When AI Becomes Table Stakes

Explore how AI and machine learning are becoming essential tools across industries - from software development to sales. Key insights for startup leaders and investors.

How VCs Value Rainbow Foals in 2022

Explore how SaaS startup valuations evolved from $1.5B to $9.8B median market cap. Data-driven analysis of VC returns across funding stages 2015-2022.

Bezos' Shareholder Letter in 2000

Learn how Amazon survived an 80% stock crash in 2000 and what startup founders can learn from Bezos's resilience during market downturns.

The Most Popular Financing Round in 2022

This post explores how round extensions are becoming more popular in startup fundraising, reducing founder dilution by up to 5 50% over the past decade.

The Most Popular Financing Round in 2022

Is a 10% Reduction in Staff a Layoff?

Explore why a 10% staff reduction isn't a true layoff signal - data shows startups average 13-25% annual turnover. Key insights for founders & investors.

The Largest Software Acquisition in History

Broadcom's $70B VMware acquisition signals opportunity in public SaaS. Analysis shows software companies trading at decade-low multiples, down 65% from 2019 peaks.

2022 Startup Market Conditions Survey

Participate in our 2022 startup market survey exploring fundraising, hiring, and strategic trends. Join 500+ companies sharing insights on current market conditions.

Lessons from Watching a Great CEO Operate

Learn how Monte Carlo CEO Barr Moses built a data observability category from scratch, driving startup growth through relentless focus and category leadership in just 3 years.

So You Want to Improve Your Sales Efficiency

Learn how to boost your startup's sales efficiency through 3 proven strategies: optimizing bookings, margins, and costs. Data-driven insights for SaaS founders.

The 4 Startup States During a Recession

Learn the 4 key startup states during a recession: from Chewing Gravel to scaling profitably. A data-driven framework for founders to assess runway & growth strategy.

The 4 Startup States During a Recession

Five Mid-Year Predictions for Web3

Amid crypto market turbulence, 5 key predictions for web3's evolution: L1 consolidation, institutional investment surge & 100M new users via crypto gaming.

How Much Further Can We Fall?

Analysis of SaaS valuation trends shows software multiples could drop another 50%. Data reveals current 7.9x forward multiple vs 5.4x in 2017, signaling more decline ahead.

Cash Flow Shockwaves

Discover how IT spending trends and cash flow indicators impact startup fortunes in 2022. Key metrics to watch as software budgets grow 9.8% amid market uncertainty.

The Three Eras of Startup Valuations

Explore how startup valuations evolved across 3 distinct eras: from cash-flow analysis to revenue multiples. Key insights for founders & VCs on modern company pricing.

Imagine You're a Venture Capitalist...

Explore the strategic dilemma VCs face: maximize investment multiples or holding value? Analysis of a startup's journey from $50M to $500M valuation with real metrics.

The Rhyming Protocol Wars of 2022

Explore how today's web3 protocol wars mirror the 1970-90s TCP/IP battles, and what founders can learn from tech history's defining protocol standards.

$112m of Market Cap per Engineer

Explore why only 0.07% of developers work in crypto/web3, despite creating $112M in value per engineer. Key insights on the future of blockchain talent.

The Spicy Future for Data

Discover how data apps are revolutionizing business intelligence. See how interactive analysis drives $189B in revenue decisions through real-time data exploration and visualization.

The App Store Model Comes to Web3

Discover how EVMOS brings App Store economics to Web3, sharing 50% of gas fees with developers. Key insights on crypto revenue models and developer incentives.

Guess the Startup Answers

Compare MongoDB vs Ethereum's revenue trajectories and learn why these vastly different database companies command similar market multiples despite divergent business models.

Guess the Startup

Compare two database startups with identical growth trajectories until 2021, when one achieves unprecedented 16.6x revenue growth. Can you guess which companies?

The Three Types of Customer Success Teams

Discover the 3 distinct types of modern customer success teams based on ACV ($1k-150k+) and sales motions, from self-serve to enterprise deployments in SaaS.

The People Roadmap for Startups

Learn how successful startups build scalable org structures, from first marketing hire to full team. A data-driven guide to startup team growth and organizational planning.

The Future of Money

Explore how digital currencies & CBDCs are reshaping money: from Sweden's 87% cashless society to data-driven monetary policy. Key insights for tech leaders & investors.

Rediscovering the Power of the Command Line

Discover why tech founders are returning to command-line interfaces for greater productivity. A VC's perspective on the growing CLI renaissance in modern startups and software development.

1/9/90 in Crypto

Explore how DAOs are reshaping crypto governance with data from 4000+ organizations. Key insights on voting patterns and emerging trends in decentralized leadership.

Why Early Valuations Might Surge in 2022

Despite public market turmoil, early-stage startup valuations may rise as hedge funds shift $200B+ from late-stage to Series A/B deals, transforming 2022's venture landscape.

The Sales Sandwich

Learn how top SaaS sales leaders hit quota 27 quarters straight using data-driven pipeline metrics and proven funnel management strategies for startups.

10 Lessons Learned after $5B of M&A

Learn key M&A insights from $5B in startup exits. Discover 10 proven strategies for founders on building relationships, navigating acquisitions & maximizing deal value.

Will Your Startup Borrow More in 2022?

Explore how rising interest rates impact startup borrowing in 2022, with data showing -0.5 correlation between venture debt and rates over the past decade.

Intensity Oozes from these Pages

Learn how Frank Slootman drives hypergrowth in startups through intense focus and ruthless execution. Key leadership insights from the legendary tech CEO's playbook.

How Much Money is Flowing into Crypto?

Analyze crypto market growth through stablecoin data: From $2B to $114B in 2 years, with 32% monthly growth rates. Key metrics for investors & founders.

The Top Sectors of Web3 in 2022 by Revenue

Analyze Web3 sector revenue data: L1 blockchains dominate with 78% share, while exchanges and NFTs follow. Key insights on valuations across emerging crypto verticals.

My Favorite Books of 2021

Discover the top books of 2021 shaping tech & VC thinking - from crypto & web3 foundations to rhetoric mastery. Essential reading for startup founders & investors.

Five Predictions for 2022

Explore 5 data-driven predictions for 2022: Web3 adoption reaching 100M Americans, SaaS evolution, and emerging trends reshaping startup growth and tech.

The Fifth SaaS Correction

Analyze 5 major SaaS market corrections since 2016, with valuations dropping 30-60%. See how cloud companies still achieved 25% annual multiple growth.

The Fifth SaaS Correction

Samsara S-1: How 7 Key Benchmarks Stack Up

Analyze Samsara's IPO metrics: 108% revenue growth, 70% sales efficiency, and $492M ARR. Key benchmarks for IoT fleet management leader's path to IPO.

Words Like Loaded Pistols

Discover the timeless art of persuasion in venture capital through ethos, logos, and pathos. Learn proven rhetorical techniques from Churchill to MLK for startup success.

Justifying Token Equity Multiples using GDP Data

Explore how GDP data validates the 3-5x token-to-equity ratio in crypto startups. Analysis comparing national economies to digital platform economics for VCs and founders.

The 100x ARR Multiple

Explore how the 100x ARR multiple compares to public SaaS valuations, with data showing median 17x ARR and top performers reaching 100x in 2021's market.

Spot.ai - The Future of Video Intelligence

Redpoint leads $20M Series A in Spot.ai, revolutionizing video intelligence with AI-powered cameras that transform petabytes of data into actionable business insights.

Why You Should Repeat Yourself, A Lot

Learn why successful venture capital leaders and startup CEOs repeat key messages 7+ times to drive brand recall and align teams around strategic priorities.

How Will We Value a Crypto Token?

Explore how crypto tokens compare to traditional equity, from voting rights to dividends. A data-driven analysis of blockchain token valuation frameworks.

You'll Never Login the Same Way Again

Explore how Web3 is reshaping user privacy and data ownership, moving from surveillance capitalism to user-controlled identity in modern applications.

The Velocity of Money in Startupland

Explore how startup funding velocity has accelerated in 2021, with IPO values 3x higher than 2020 and record-breaking M&A activity in venture capital markets.

Can You Guess This Business's Name?

Discover why a $50B self-storage company trades at 19x revenue - the same as top SaaS firms. Learn what predictable revenue means for valuations.

My Mental Model for the World of Crypto

Understand the 6 key players shaping the crypto ecosystem, from asset acquirers to protocols. A data-driven framework for founders and VCs exploring Web3 opportunities.

The Inflationary Forces in Startupland

Analyze the 60% spike in cloud startup valuations in 2021. Data reveals 11% annual growth over 10 years in Series A rounds. Key trends for founders & VCs.

Never Raising, Always Raising

Explore how venture capital dynamics are shifting as top startups receive funding offers every 3-6 months instead of 18, creating a more liquid startup ecosystem.

Covid's Impact on Software Sales Efficiency

Analyze how COVID-19 impacted SaaS sales efficiency metrics, from Zoom's 3x growth to the industry's surprising resilience. Key data insights for startup leaders.

Would You Work for This Person?

Discover the one critical leadership trait that makes people want to work for you. A VC's perspective on building teams that thrive through positive leadership.

The Four Types of Startup COOs

Discover the 4 distinct types of startup COOs and when to hire each role. Expert insights on scaling operations and founder-COO dynamics in modern tech companies.

The Art of Doing Science & Engineering

Explore how exponential growth modeling and back-of-envelope calculations can transform startup analysis. Key lessons from Bell Labs pioneer Richard Hamming.

The Next Chapter for StackRox

RedHat acquires Kubernetes security leader StackRox, marking a pivotal exit in enterprise container security. Inside look at their 6-year journey to category leadership.

5 Predictions for 2021

Venture capitalist's top 5 predictions for 2021: Remote work revolution, data startups dominating tech, and record-breaking M&A activity in SaaS and AI.

Your Startup is a Series of Cycles

Learn why successful startups operate in cycles, not funnels. Key insights on SaaS metrics, customer acquisition, and building sustainable growth momentum in tech companies.

The Mispricing of Software Companies

Explore how public SaaS companies are valued: from 5-10x multiples a decade ago to 2-60x+ today. New data reveals surprising growth-value disconnects in tech.

The 4 States of an Engineering Team

Learn the 4 key states of engineering teams and how to diagnose your dev team's health. Essential framework for startup founders and tech leaders scaling engineering orgs.

The Unforeseen Benefits of Online Events

Discover how virtual events drive 5-10x higher attendance and accelerate lead generation for startups. Data-driven insights on the unexpected ROI of online conferences.

What I've Learned about Modern Monetary Theory

Explore how Modern Monetary Theory challenges traditional economic policies through dynamic taxation and job guarantees. Key insights for founders navigating economic shifts.

Two Charts that I've Been Wondering About

Explore how record-high consumer savings rates and stock market concentration create startup opportunities in a shifting economic landscape. Data-driven analysis.

Notes from Office Hours with Hollie Wegman

Learn key insights on hiring CMOs and marketing to developers from Hollie Wegman's SaaS Office Hours. Expert advice from Segment, Envoy & Salesforce leader.

Notes from Office Hours with Hollie Wegman

Where are Most Unicorns Headquartered?

Discover where billion-dollar startups cluster: 63% of US unicorns call California home, controlling 79% of total unicorn market cap. Data-driven analysis of startup hubs.

Office Hours with Hollie Wegman

Join former Segment CMO Hollie Wegman for virtual SaaS Office Hours to learn proven marketing strategies for technical products and scaling startup teams.

Office Hours with Hollie Wegman

Three Little Puzzles about Infinity

Explore three fascinating mathematical puzzles that challenge our understanding of infinity through simple geometric proofs and visual demonstrations. A mind-bending perspective on scale.

Three Little Puzzles about Infinity

Why is the Stock Market Only Down 15%?

Discover why the S&P 500 is only down 15% through data-driven dividend analysis. Key metrics reveal market growth expectations dropped from 5.8% to 4%.

Why is the Stock Market Only Down 15%?

Redpoint 8 - Our Eighth Early Stage Fund

Redpoint announces $500M early-stage venture fund to back visionary startup founders building the future during unprecedented times. Join our next chapter.

Redpoint 8 - Our Eighth Early Stage Fund

Why Margin Matters Now in Startupland

This post explains why gross margins are crucial for startup valuation and survival, using a hypothetical SaaS company to illustrate the impact of improving margins.

Why Margin Matters Now in Startupland

Questions about Returning to Work

Explore key questions startup leaders face about returning to work post-pandemic: office safety, meeting protocols, travel policies, and evolving workplace norms in tech companies.

Questions about Returning to Work

Notes from Office Hours with Lisa Lawson

Learn proven channel strategy frameworks from Optimizely's former channel leader. Key insights on SaaS partnerships, sales enablement & startup growth tactics.

Notes from Office Hours with Lisa Lawson

The Great CEO Within

Learn essential frameworks for startup CEOs, from time management to effective meetings. Key insights from Matt Mochary's guide for scaling founders and tech leaders.

The Great CEO Within

The Strategic Importance of Competition

Learn why competition is vital for startup success in new markets. A VC's perspective on category creation, featuring insights from SaaS leaders and tech founders.

The Strategic Importance of Competition

When You Have an Advantage, Speed Up the Game

Learn how top-performing startups can accelerate growth by maximizing their competitive advantages, backed by NBA data analysis showing how speed amplifies success rates.

When You Have an Advantage, Speed Up the Game

Office Hours with Lisa Lawson

Join Lisa Lawson, Optimizely's channel program expert, for exclusive SaaS office hours at Redpoint. Learn proven strategies for scaling through partnerships.

Office Hours with Lisa Lawson

How Our Journey with Snowflake Began

Discover how Redpoint's early bet on Snowflake grew from a $100M valuation to $12.4B. Inside the 2014 investment decision that backed the fastest-growing enterprise data company.

How Our Journey with Snowflake Began

Trust is at the Core of Software Marketing

Discover why trust is the foundation of software marketing success, from Apple's $205B brand value to proven strategies for enterprise SaaS and cloud vendors.

Trust is at the Core of Software Marketing

The Redpoint 2020 Go To Market Survey

Benchmark your startup's go-to-market strategy against 600+ peers. Get data on sales compensation, team structure, and executive hiring across growth stages.

The Redpoint 2020 Go To Market Survey

The Health of the US Venture Market in 2020

Analyze the health of US venture capital in 2020, with key metrics showing $117B deployed in 2019 and a 29% drop in Q4 deal volume. Data-driven insights for VCs.

The Health of the US Venture Market in 2020

5 Predictions for 2020

Expert VC analysis: 5 key predictions for 2020, from direct listings becoming the IPO standard to $200B in software M&A. Data-driven insights for startup founders & investors.

The Top 10 Posts of 2019

Discover 2019's most impactful startup insights: from 37x growth through daily improvements to billion-dollar cloud acquisitions. Key lessons for founders and VCs.

The Top 10 Posts of 2019

The Most Frequent Mishire in Startups

Learn why the first head of marketing is often a startup's biggest hiring mistake and how to choose between product marketing, demand gen, and brand expertise.

The Most Frequent Mishire in Startups

Notes from Office Hours with Nick Mehta

Learn how customer success strategies evolve across SaaS pricing tiers, from high-volume CSAMs to enterprise retention models, with Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta.

Notes from Office Hours with Nick Mehta

The Rise of the Founder-CEO

Explore how founder-CEOs now lead 70% of Series D startups, up from 53% in 2014. Data-driven analysis of venture-backed companies reveals key shifts in startup leadership.

The Rise of the Founder-CEO

Welcoming Travis Bryant, Again!

Redpoint welcomes Travis Bryant as Partner of Founder Experience, reimagining how venture capital serves startups through customer-first leadership and founder support.

Welcoming Travis Bryant, Again!

On Humility and Making Better Decisions

Learn how Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's framework for structured decision-making can help startup leaders make better hiring and strategic choices through data-driven methods.

On Humility and Making Better Decisions

The Early Discipline of Remote Startups

Remote-first startups develop key operational disciplines earlier than traditional companies. Learn why distributed teams excel at communication, HR & culture from day one.

The Early Discipline of Remote Startups

The State of the Startup IPO Market

Analyzing 11 major tech IPOs in 2019: Why some soar while others struggle. Data reveals key patterns between consumer vs SaaS companies in public markets.

The State of the Startup IPO Market

Little Known Facts about the VC Industry

Discover the surprising origins of venture capital, from 18th century whaling to the 1980s tech boom. Learn how 173 VC-backed IPOs shaped modern startup investing.

Little Known Facts about the VC Industry

That Will Never Work

Discover how Netflix grew from a startup idea to a $130B company through founder Marc Randolph's journey, early pivots, and key venture capital decisions.

That Will Never Work

The SaaS Correction of Late 2019

Analyzing the 18% drop in SaaS valuations: Key data on enterprise multiples, growth trends, and market corrections affecting high-growth software companies.

The SaaS Correction of Late 2019

The Siren Song of ROI Based Pricing

Learn why ROI-based pricing can backfire for startups, and discover proven SaaS pricing strategies used by industry leaders like Salesforce and Workday.

The Siren Song of ROI Based Pricing

A Clever Hack to Reading More Books

Discover a proven framework for reading more books and extracting key insights. Learn how successful founders and VCs build knowledge through strategic reading habits.

A Clever Hack to Reading More Books

The Strategic Question at Seed Today

Explore how modern seed rounds now match historical Series A sizes, with insights on strategic fundraising paths from $1M to $25M for today's startup founders.

The Strategic Question at Seed Today

The SaaS Valuation Environment in Mid-2019

Analysis of record-high SaaS valuations in 2019: Public software companies hit 9.6x forward multiples, up 190% from 2016 lows. Key metrics for founders & VCs.

The SaaS Valuation Environment in Mid-2019

Mattermost's $50M Series B

Mattermost raises $50M Series B: How this open-source enterprise chat platform is transforming secure team collaboration through developer-driven growth.

Mattermost's $50M Series B

Theory SaaS Startup Key Metrics Template

Download our comprehensive SaaS startup metrics template covering 6 key areas: people, revenue, cash, sales, marketing & customer success. Track KPIs like a VC.

Theory SaaS Startup Key Metrics Template

Looker Joins Google Cloud

Looker joins Google Cloud in landmark acquisition, combining enterprise data analytics with cloud infrastructure to transform business intelligence.

Looker Joins Google Cloud

Define the What But Delegate the How

Learn how successful startup leaders scale by defining outcomes while delegating execution. Key insights from Obama's leadership style for founders and managers.

Define the What But Delegate the How

What a Valuation Implies About a Business

Learn how top SaaS companies like ZScaler (23.1x) and Okta (21.8x) derive their valuations, and what these multiples reveal about startup growth and enterprise value.

What a Valuation Implies About a Business

A Random Walk Down Sand Hill Road

Explore how mental models and random walk theory explain startup success patterns in venture capital, with insights from Charlie Munger and power law dynamics.

A Random Walk Down Sand Hill Road

Office Hours with Travis Bryant

Join our SaaS Office Hours with Travis Bryant, former Salesforce VP, to discuss tactical startup growth strategies and go-to-market insights for early-stage companies.

Office Hours with Travis Bryant

Hustle As Strategy

Discover why hustle and execution trump strategy in competitive markets. Data shows how top companies win through operational excellence, not just novel plans.

Hustle As Strategy

Puzzles, Not Problems

Gain perspective on startup challenges through a WWII graduate's story. A powerful reminder for founders to reframe obstacles as opportunities for growth.

Puzzles, Not Problems

Where Have All the Angels Gone?

Angel investing plummets 81% as institutional seed dominates startup funding. New data shows dramatic shift in early-stage venture capital from 2010-2018.

Where Have All the Angels Gone?

A Lasting and Enduring Gift

Discover how Richard Feynman's curiosity and experimental mindset offers powerful lessons for startup founders and tech leaders on innovation, resilience, and problem-solving.

A Lasting and Enduring Gift

In Defense of Troublemakers

Discover how dissenting voices drive better decisions in startups. Research shows minority opinions broaden thinking & improve data-driven outcomes in tech teams.

In Defense of Troublemakers

A Common Mistake in Hiring Plans

Learn why successful startups plan for a 20% mis-hire rate and how strategic over-hiring in GTM teams can protect your growth targets and ARR goals.

1.01^365 = 37.7

Discover how 1% daily improvement compounds to 37x growth over a year. Learn why small, consistent gains drive exponential success in business and life.

1.01^365 = 37.7

What Makes a Great Leader?

Explore the 5 stages of Adult Development Theory and how they shape effective leadership in startups. Key frameworks for founders to level-up their leadership skills.

Infinity Wells and Deep Work

Discover how deep work and eliminating distractions can boost productivity, with data showing the average worker faces interruptions every 210 seconds.

How Many Managers Will You Need This Year?

Learn the optimal manager-to-employee ratio for fast-growing startups. Data shows why maintaining 7-8 direct reports maximizes team success and reduces costly turnover.

How Many Managers Will You Need This Year?

How Much ARR Can a CSM Manage?

Discover data-driven benchmarks for CSM workload capacity across Enterprise, Mid-Market & SMB segments. Most manage $2-5M ARR and 10-500 accounts. Key SaaS metrics revealed.

How Much ARR Can a CSM Manage?

Serving the People First Enterprise

Discover how customer-centric SaaS startups can capture 1% of incumbent revenue to reach unicorn status. Analysis of Kustomer's 5x growth and $35M Series C.

Serving the People First Enterprise

Eugene Wei's Novel Mental Models for Technology

Former Amazon & Hulu exec Eugene Wei shares key insights on status, scarcity & growth in consumer tech. Learn how proof-of-work drives startup success in social networks.

Welcome, Travis Bryant!

Meet Travis Bryant, former Salesforce VP & SaaS expert, joining Redpoint as EIR. Learn his unique approach to modern go-to-market strategy in enterprise tech.

Welcome, Travis Bryant!

Your Company is a Product Used By Your Employees

Learn how successful startups like Basecamp treat their company as a product for employees, optimizing everything from 6-week project cycles to family-first policies for peak performance.

Your Company is a Product Used By Your Employees

Series A SaaS Startup Benchmarks for 2018

Discover key 2018 SaaS Series A benchmarks: median $1.8M ARR, 250% growth rate. Data shows 4x increase in MRR since 2014. Essential metrics for founders.

Series A SaaS Startup Benchmarks for 2018

Predictions for 2019

Expert VC predictions for 2019: M&A slowdown, strong IPO market with SaaS at 8x forward, blockchain's next killer app, and key startup trends in open source & cloud.

5 Most Popular Posts of 2018

Discover 2018's top VC insights: SaaS revenue scaling, enterprise pricing strategies, s 1 analysis, and key startup metrics from leading tech acquisitions.

5 Most Popular Posts of 2018

My 10 Favorite Books of 2018

Discover 10 must-read books from 2018, including insights on market behavior, Apple's innovation culture, and timeless literature. Curated reading list for founders and leaders.

Reducing Page Load Times by 90%

Learn how to slash your website's load time by 90% using modern tools and cloud infrastructure. A data-driven guide to achieving sub-500ms performance for better engagement metrics.

Selling Your Product While You Build It

Learn how successful SaaS startups sell their product during development, using customer prepayments to fund growth while iterating toward product-market fit.

Selling Your Product While You Build It

SaaS Freemium/Free Trial Survey is Here

Participate in our SaaS free trial benchmarking survey to uncover data-driven insights on optimal trial length, conversion rates, and customer acquisition strategies.

How SaaS Companies are Valued

Learn how modern SaaS companies are valued using revenue multiples, enterprise value metrics, and market data. Key insights for startup founders and investors.

How SaaS Companies are Valued

The Startup Founder's Almanac

Discover key insights from High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil, exploring how successful startups scale through distribution-focused strategies and founder best practices.

The Startup Founder's Almanac

Does Winner Take Most in SaaS?

Explore data-driven analysis of market share distribution in SaaS. Does the fastest-growing startup really capture most value? Key insights from 11 software sectors.

Does Winner Take Most in SaaS?

What I'm Grateful For

Reflections on Redpoint's $400M fund and key startup lessons: building enduring VC firms, fostering founder-first culture, and evolving with the SaaS ecosystem.

The Three Layers of Management

Learn how successful leaders balance tactical execution with strategic vision through 3 distinct management layers. Key insights for startup founders and tech executives.

The Three Layers of Management

Our Investment in Kustomer

Redpoint announces investment in Kustomer, a next-gen customer support platform transforming how startups manage customer relationships in the Cloud era.

Our Investment in Kustomer

The Most Important Book You'll Read All Year

Discover why sleep may be your startup's secret weapon. A VC's data-driven review of Why We Sleep reveals how rest impacts founder performance and decision-making.

The Challenge of Uncertainty

Learn how successful startup leaders navigate critical decisions under uncertainty, balancing speed and information gathering in high-stakes business choices.

Why I Overestimate My Contribution to My Team

Learn why team members consistently overestimate their own contributions and how this cognitive bias impacts startup dynamics. Key insights for founders on managing team psychology.

The Disappearance of the Fundraising Demo

Explore how startup pitch demos evolved from product showcases to metrics-focused presentations, reflecting key shifts in the venture capital landscape since 2008.

The Disappearance of the Fundraising Demo

Where are We in the SaaS Valuation Cycle?

Analyze current SaaS valuation trends with fresh data showing 7.2x forward multiples - near 10-year highs. Key insights for startup founders and investors.

Where are We in the SaaS Valuation Cycle?

Why Does Your Sales Team Lose Deals?

Discover why sales teams lose deals: 48% lack budget, 38% show no urgency. Learn how AI and data-driven qualification can boost your startup's sales success.

The ROI of Cash Burn for SaaS Startups

Learn how successful SaaS startups calculate cash burn ROI, with target metrics for revenue multiples and payback periods. Data-driven insights for optimal growth strategy.

The Impact of Blockchain on SaaS

Explore how blockchain is reshaping SaaS: Analysis of 200 ICOs reveals 30% target B2B/dev markets, with $1.6B raised across infrastructure and platform plays in 2017.

The Impact of Blockchain on SaaS

Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea

Discover how rowing's intense training principles parallel startup success: lessons in teamwork, resilience & long-term commitment from a founder's perspective.

7 Predictions for SaaS in 2018

Explore 7 key predictions for SaaS in 2018, from major M&A moves ($252B in repatriation) to enterprise blockchain trends. Data-driven insights for startup leaders.

Jettisoning the Assumptions of Last Year

Explore how foundational business theories and management data are being challenged, and why startups must regularly test their core assumptions to succeed.

Jettisoning the Assumptions of Last Year

Meetings Shouldn't Be Boring

Discover why effective meetings drive startup growth. Learn 5 proven strategies to transform boring status updates into high-impact team discussions.

Meetings Shouldn't Be Boring

An Antifragile Thanksgiving

Explore how true innovation emerges from tinkering and practice, not academia. Key lessons from Taleb's Antifragile for startup founders and tech leaders.

An Antifragile Thanksgiving

The Rising Stakes in SaaS

Explore how SaaS competition has intensified with 20x investment growth over 20 years. Key insights on market dynamics and vendor landscape evolution since 1999.

The Rising Stakes in SaaS

How to Decide With Speed and Conviction

Learn why decisive CEOs outperform peers and how speed in decision-making impacts startup success. Data shows 94% of poor leaders fail due to slow decisions, not wrong ones.

Decision-Making Auditing

Learn how to make better decisions when advising experts by auditing their decision-making process. A VC's framework for adding value through strategic questioning.

Decision-Making Auditing

Ownership - A Defining Trait of a Leader

Learn why owning mistakes is a defining leadership trait, with lessons from Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink on building trust and accountability in high-stakes situations.

The Challenges of the Platform Go To Market

Learn the 5 key challenges of platform go-to-market strategies and why point solutions often win. Essential insights for SaaS founders and sales leaders.

Hiring for a Discipline You Know Little About

Learn 3 proven strategies for hiring department heads when scaling your startup, even in unfamiliar disciplines. Expert insights for founders on building world-class teams.

Maximizing Productivity on My Commute

Discover how AI-powered email tools like Astro are transforming commute productivity for VCs and startup leaders. A data-driven look at maximizing mobile work time.

Has SaaS Become Commodified?

Is SaaS becoming commodified? Explore 4 key market shifts affecting SaaS startups: falling tech barriers, standardized playbooks, rising CAC, and market saturation.

How to Decide When To Move Upmarket

Learn the key metrics and strategic considerations for SaaS startups moving upmarket to enterprise sales, including investment allocation and sales funnel analysis.

Labor Arbitrage Comes to Silicon Valley

Explore how startups combat SF's $3500 average rent through labor arbitrage, with tech hubs emerging in Portland, Toronto & beyond. Key insights for founders & VCs.

Self Service Data

Discover how Dremio solves 3 critical data access challenges for startups and enterprises. Learn key insights on unifying data sources for analytics at scale.

Self Service Data

Patterns in Startup M&A Processes

Learn the key patterns and insider strategies of successful startup acquisitions, from a VC's perspective. Essential insights for founders navigating M&A and exit planning.

Gratitude

A personal reflection on loss, friendship, and finding gratitude amidst grief. A departure from data to focus on what matters most in both business and life.

Prioritizing Your Startup's Roadmap

Learn how scope creep can derail startup execution, with a real-world engineering story showing why ruthless prioritization is essential for founders and technical teams.

Prioritizing Your Startup's Roadmap

How to Tell If You're a Great Manager

Discover the 12 essential questions that reveal if you have a great manager, based on Gallup's landmark study of successful tech leadership and team dynamics.

SaaS Fundraising in 2017

Analyze 2017 SaaS fundraising trends: Series A, B & Seed rounds hit 7-year highs as capital concentrates among fewer startups. Key metrics for founders & VCs.

SaaS Fundraising in 2017

Apprenticeship

Learn why apprenticeship and mentorship are critical for startup success. A VC's perspective on developing judgment through real-world experience and data-driven decisions.

Plant Trees You'll Never See

Learn 3 powerful leadership lessons from the New Zealand All Blacks' 79% win rate: humility, continuous improvement, and long-term legacy building for startup success.

The "Hiring The Buyer's Role to Sell" Fallacy

Learn why domain expertise alone isn't enough for startup sales success. Data-driven insights on what truly makes great SaaS salespeople effective beyond just building rapport.

The "Hiring The Buyer's Role to Sell" Fallacy

The Unbundling of Excel

Explore how Excel's 300M+ user base is being disrupted by specialized SaaS startups, mirroring Craigslist's unbundling in the consumer space. Key insights for founders.

The Unbundling of Excel

Bias Against Creativity

Research shows why people reject creative ideas despite valuing innovation. Learn how uncertainty bias impacts startup decision-making and venture funding outcomes.

Hiring for Bookings Capacity in Sales

Learn how to calculate and optimize your SaaS sales team's bookings capacity with proven formulas, ramp-up metrics, and quota attainment benchmarks.

Hiring for Bookings Capacity in Sales

The Challenges of Raising Your Series B

Discover why Series B is the most challenging funding round for startups. Data-driven insights on proving GTM fit and navigating this critical growth phase.

The Challenges of Raising Your Series B

The Bustling IPO Market of 2017

Analysis of 2017's tech IPO surge: 9 venture-backed companies up 29% post-IPO, with B2B firms reaching $9.8B market cap. Key trends in enterprise vs consumer exits.

The Bustling IPO Market of 2017

When Statistics Will Mislead You

Discover how statistical analysis of startup fundraising data can be misleading, with key insights on Series A/B seasonality and round size patterns in venture capital.

When Statistics Will Mislead You

A Spike of Venture Debt in Startups

Explore how venture debt has grown 16x in 6 years as startups seek alternatives to equity funding. Key data on round sizes, frequency & market trends.

A Spike of Venture Debt in Startups

My Algorithm is Better than Yours

Learn why superior algorithms alone don't guarantee market success in SaaS. Key insights on tech differentiation, machine learning adoption, and real competitive advantage.

My Algorithm is Better than Yours

A Tale of Two Go To Market Strategies

Compare two $100M+ ARR SaaS companies in fleet management: Fleetmatics vs Geotab. Different GTM strategies, similar success - key insights for founders.

Is There a No Man's Land in SaaS ACVs?

Data analysis reveals no dead zones in SaaS pricing - see how ACVs from $87 to $780k at IPO succeed equally in building valuable software companies.

Is There a No Man's Land in SaaS ACVs?

When Machine Learning Just Isn't Enough

Learn why machine learning alone isn't enough for SaaS success. Key insights on workflow integration, enterprise AI adoption, and building truly disruptive products.

The Asset Allocator in Chief

Learn how successful startup CEOs approach resource allocation as asset managers, turning $250k experiments into strategic bets that maximize company growth.

When Should You Sell Your Startup?

Discover the optimal timing to sell your startup based on growth rates and valuation multiples. Data shows 100% growth commands 14.4x revenue vs 4.2x at 25% growth.

When Should You Sell Your Startup?

The Three Types of SaaS Value Propositions

Learn the 3 core SaaS value propositions: revenue growth, cost reduction & productivity. See how each model impacts sales cycles, pricing power & GTM strategy.

The Best Content Marketers in the World

Learn how top SaaS marketers leverage TV network strategies to optimize content timing and personas for maximum engagement. Data-driven insights for startup growth.

When to Innovate With Your Sales Process

Learn 4 innovative SaaS sales strategies from successful startups like Slack & Twilio. Key insights on bottoms-up, segmentation & channel approaches for founders.

When to Innovate With Your Sales Process

A Product Manager's Guide to Moving Up Market

Learn the essential product features and strategies SaaS startups need to successfully move upmarket and sell to enterprise customers, based on proven industry patterns.

A Product Manager's Guide to Moving Up Market

We are Lent into Each Other's Keeping

Discover how Muhammad Ali's profound lesson on empathy and leadership applies to startup founders and venture capital. A story of authentic connection in business.

We are Lent into Each Other's Keeping

The Narrowing of SaaS Valuations

Explore how public SaaS company valuations have compressed since 2014, with forward revenue multiples narrowing from 20x to 10x. Key data for startup founders & investors.

The Narrowing of SaaS Valuations

Psychology for SaaS Startups

Learn how successful SaaS startups leverage social proof and psychology to reduce customer acquisition costs and drive enterprise growth. Key strategies for founders.

One of the Hardest Things to Do in Sales

Learn why disqualifying wrong customers is crucial for SaaS startups, even when a $2k MRR boost seems tempting. Data-driven insights on startup growth & focus.

Announcing our Investment in Chorus

Redpoint leads investment in Chorus.ai, pioneering AI-powered speech analysis for sales teams. See how machine learning transforms sales coaching and data insights.

Announcing our Investment in Chorus

Against All Odds in Startupland

Discover why win probability charts can mislead founders & investors. Learn how data analysis falls short when predicting startup success against 99:1 odds.

Against All Odds in Startupland

Which to Prioritize - Churn or Growth?

Should early-stage startups focus on growth or churn? Learn why reducing churn is crucial before scaling, with data on how 50% annual churn impacts SaaS revenue and fundraising.

Which to Prioritize - Churn or Growth?

How Much Money Should I Raise for My Startup?

Learn proven fundraising strategies for startups: how to calculate optimal round size, reverse engineer milestones, and maximize valuation using data-driven needs analysis.

The Biggest M&A Multiple in Software History

Cisco's $3.7B AppDynamics deal sets record 17.3x revenue multiple in software M&A history. Analysis reveals key growth metrics behind 2017's biggest acquisition.

The Biggest M&A Multiple in Software History

Is Machine Learning Overhyped?

Is machine learning living up to the hype? Explore real-world AI breakthroughs, from 40% crash reduction in self-driving cars to human-level speech recognition advances.

Is Machine Learning Overhyped?

The $100M ARR Customer

Explore how Workday's $100M+ Walmart deal validates enterprise SaaS at massive scale. Key insights on the shifting $1.2T software market and record-breaking ARR.

What I Learned from Complete Burnout at Work

Learn how a former Google employee's pursuit of rapid career advancement led to complete burnout, and discover key lessons for maintaining sustainable success in high-growth startups.

What I Learned from Complete Burnout at Work

The Top 6 Posts of 2016

Discover 2016's most impactful startup trends: $70B in SaaS acquisitions, record Series A rounds, and data-driven insights on the hottest sectors reshaping tech.

The Top 6 Posts of 2016

When to Increase Your SaaS Startup's Burn

Learn when to strategically increase burn rate in your SaaS startup: key indicators, timing factors, and growth strategies for early-stage companies with limited cash.

Winning with Data Available on Audible

Learn how top startups leverage data for competitive advantage. Get the new Audible version of Winning with Data, featuring real SaaS case studies and proven strategies.

Winning with Data Available on Audible

The Limitations of Data and Benchmarks

Discover why data and metrics alone can't drive startup innovation. Learn the key limitations of benchmarks in venture capital and startup decision-making.

The Limitations of Data and Benchmarks

Your Startup's Competitive Advantage

Learn the 5 key competitive advantages that prevent startup failure: product, cost, positioning, distribution & execution. Data-driven insights for founders.

What Can You Remove from Your Product?

Learn how product debt impacts startups and why removing features can drive growth. A founder's guide to strategic product simplification with real Google AdSense case study.

What Can You Remove from Your Product?

Startups as a Second Language

Discover how startup culture mirrors language learning, with structured patterns emerging from chaos. Key insights for founders building cohesive company cultures.

Startups as a Second Language

How Much is Your SaaS Startup Worth?

Discover what drives SaaS company valuations in 2016: Analysis shows 75%+ growth startups trade at 7.4x revenue, while slower growth nets 4.7-5.1x multiples.

How Much is Your SaaS Startup Worth?

A Breakthrough in Human Computer Interaction

New research shows speech recognition is 3x faster than typing with 20% fewer errors. How voice interfaces are transforming human-computer interaction and AI adoption.

Fighting and Leveraging Inertia in Sales

Learn how successful SaaS companies leverage activation energy in sales: reduce switching costs to win deals, then increase them for retention. Key strategies for startups.

Fighting and Leveraging Inertia in Sales

Flux in the Fundraising Market

Analyze the shifting VC landscape: Series A funding drops 33% while Series B shows resilience. Key data on investment trends across startup funding stages in 2016.

Flux in the Fundraising Market

Learning to Code in a Whole New Way

Discover how modern coding education has evolved since 2004, from paper books to real-time mentorship. A VC's journey learning Go reveals key shifts in developer education.

Learning to Code in a Whole New Way

The Next Big Shift in SaaS

Explore how SaaS is evolving from displacement to disruption, as software companies capture 15% of market revenue and redefine traditional buying parameters.

How Healthy is the SaaS IPO Market?

Analyze the health of SaaS IPO markets with key data: from Salesforce's 2003 debut to 2016's slowdown. See why 2016 may be the weakest year in 6 years.

How Healthy is the SaaS IPO Market?

The Two Ingredients of Mastery

Discover the two essential ingredients for achieving mastery in startups and business, illustrated through Leonardo da Vinci's journey from apprentice to legendary innovator.

The Two Ingredients of Mastery

How Many Inboxes Do You Have?

Explore how the modern knowledge worker juggles 12+ digital inboxes and communication channels, plus data-driven insights on managing inbox overload effectively.

How Many Inboxes Do You Have?

The Decline of New SaaS Company Formation

Explore why new SaaS company formation dropped 18% since 2014, despite record venture capital investment. Data-driven analysis of startup trends and market dynamics.

The Decline of New SaaS Company Formation

Mitigating Myopia in SaaS Marketing

Learn how successful SaaS startups build comprehensive marketing teams across 9 key disciplines, moving beyond basic demand gen to drive sustainable growth.

Mitigating Myopia in SaaS Marketing

Subverting Systems of Record with Chat Bots

Explore how AI chatbot startups can evolve from tech innovation to become essential systems of record in SaaS. Key strategies for founders to drive revenue & growth.

When to Scale Sales for Your SaaS Startup

Learn the key metrics and market signals that indicate when your SaaS startup should scale its sales team, including the critical 6X pipeline-to-quota benchmark.

When to Scale Sales for Your SaaS Startup

The Beginning of Consolidation in SaaS

Analyze 3 major SaaS acquisitions worth $7.6B, including Salesforce-Demandware and Marketo deals, with revenue multiples reaching 12x. Key trends in tech M&A.

The Decentralization of Venture Capital

Explore how venture capital is evolving through decentralization, from $150M+ in AngelList syndicates to DAOs reshaping fundraising, sourcing & investment decisions.

The Decentralization of Venture Capital

Is A/B Testing A Good Idea for SaaS Startups?

Discover why A/B testing may not work for early SaaS startups. Learn the critical traffic threshold needed (24k visitors) and smarter alternatives for data-driven growth.

Is A/B Testing A Good Idea for SaaS Startups?

Land, Expand, Retain

Analyze ServiceNow's pioneering SaaS metrics reporting: land, expand, retain strategy drives $1B revenue. Key insights on contract duration and growth metrics.

Land, Expand, Retain

The Secret of Exceptional Teams

Discover the core principles of high-performing teams through lessons from championship rowing crews. Learn how alignment and collaboration drive exceptional results in startups.

The Secret of Exceptional Teams

Just How Far Along Are We In SaaS?

Explore how SaaS companies now generate 14% of public software revenue, growing 17% yearly. Key data shows the sector's dramatic rise from $1.3B to $24B in revenue.

Just How Far Along Are We In SaaS?

Five Questions About The Future of Chatbots

Explore 5 critical questions shaping chatbot platforms, from infrastructure and monetization to AI language evolution. Key insights for startup founders and investors.

Five Questions About The Future of Chatbots

All New Ideas are Combinations of Old Ideas

Discover how modern innovation happens at the intersection of fields, from biomimicry in architecture to machine learning advances. Key insights for startup founders.

All New Ideas are Combinations of Old Ideas

Inside-Outside-Bias in Startups

Explore how inside/outside bias affects startup founders' planning and timelines, with insights from Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's research on decision-making.

Inside-Outside-Bias in Startups

The Future of Machine Intelligence

Explore how sequence-to-sequence AI and machine learning are revolutionizing content understanding, from image analysis to book comprehension. Key insights for tech leaders.

The Future of Machine Intelligence

Q1 2016 Startup Investment Trends

Analyze Q1 2016 venture capital trends: $14.6B invested shows 17% YoY decline but remains historically high. Key data on investment patterns across round sizes.

Q1 2016 Startup Investment Trends

Winning with Data

Learn how data-driven startups create lasting competitive advantages. Insights from top tech companies on using metrics to drive growth and outperform competitors.

Winning with Data

The Craft of Management

Explore how autonomy, purpose & mastery drive modern startup teams. Key management insights from Daniel Pink's research on motivating knowledge workers effectively.

Seizing the User's Point of Maximum Intent

Learn how successful startups optimize user onboarding flows and reduce drop-off rates. Key data shows users spend just 15 seconds per webpage - every moment counts.

Your Customer's Top 3 Priorities

Learn why successful SaaS startups focus on solving their customers' top 3 priorities and how to position your product for maximum urgency and sales velocity.

The Future of Collaboration - Instant Data

Explore how instant data access is transforming workplace collaboration through AI-powered chat interfaces. Key insights for startups building the future of business intelligence.

The Future of Collaboration - Instant Data

In Every Great Product There's a Bit of Magic

Discover how Numi's innovative calculator transforms startup math, from Series A investments to revenue conversions, by understanding natural language like never before.

In Every Great Product There's a Bit of Magic

From Modest Roots to $10.7T in Market Cap

Explore how tech companies reached $10.7T market cap, from 90s giants to Cloud-era unicorns. Key data on growth across decades reveals shifting industry dynamics.

From Modest Roots to $10.7T in Market Cap

Authenticity in Leadership

Explore different leadership styles from Nelson Mandela to Steve Jobs, and discover why authenticity matters for startup founders and tech executives. Key insights for modern leaders.

Resilience and Telos in Entrepreneurs

Discover how resilience and purpose drive successful founders. Key insights from psychology research on building grit and finding your entrepreneurial calling.

The Startup Office of the Future

Discover how modern startups are reimagining office culture through data-driven insights from Google's team research and MIT studies on workplace effectiveness.

The Startup Office of the Future

Not All Revenue Dollars Are Created Equal

Discover why gross profit, not revenue, drives SaaS company valuations. Analysis shows 55%+ correlation with forward multiples across public software companies.

Not All Revenue Dollars Are Created Equal

Hacking Your To Do List with Your Calendar

Transform your productivity by managing tasks directly in your calendar instead of to-do lists. Learn how this simple switch creates real commitment and helps founders maximize limited time.

Venture Debt for SaaS Startups

Learn how venture debt can reduce startup dilution and extend runway. See how $2M in debt vs $5M equity impacts ownership, with real metrics for SaaS founders.

How to Become Profitable Faster in SaaS

Discover 3 proven strategies for SaaS startups to accelerate profitability without layoffs. Learn how annual prepay contracts can transform $12k CAC into positive cash flow.

Mr. Market and the SaaS World

Explore how SaaS valuations correlate with growth metrics in 2024. Data shows faster-growing companies face steeper stock declines - key insights for founders & investors.

Mr. Market and the SaaS World

The 57% Drop in SaaS Valuations

SaaS company valuations plummet 57% from 2014 peak, with top performers hit hardest. Key analysis of public market multiples and impact on startup valuations.

The 57% Drop in SaaS Valuations

With Smart Software, Sell Ironman Not Robocop

Learn why selling AI-powered SaaS as an augmentation tool (like Ironman) rather than a replacement (like Robocop) leads to better enterprise adoption and sales success.

With Smart Software, Sell Ironman Not Robocop

The 12 Things I Know About You

Discover how the Forer Effect impacts startup founders and VCs through 12 universal psychological traits. Data-driven insights on decision-making and leadership behavior.

The 12 Things I Know About You

The New UI for SaaS - The Question

Explore how conversational UI is transforming SaaS products from rigid forms to natural chat interfaces, driving higher engagement and simplifying data entry for users.

When Data Confounds Our Intuition

Explore how data challenges our assumptions through the famous Monty Hall problem that stumped 1000+ PhDs. Key lessons for startup founders on data-driven decision making.

The Hottest Startup Sectors in 2016

Discover which startup sectors are attracting VC dollars in 2016. Data analysis reveals key trends in analytics, big data, and advertising across seed and Series A rounds.

The Hottest Startup Sectors in 2016

A Rich Library of User Onboarding Analysis

Explore 40+ expert UX teardowns of top tech products and learn proven user onboarding strategies for SaaS startups. Key insights from Google UX research veteran.

A Rich Library of User Onboarding Analysis

Is Now a Good Time to Start a Company?

Is now the right time to launch a startup? Explore key market signals, IPO trends, and founder insights on timing your venture in today's funding climate.

Is Now a Good Time to Start a Company?

Are You Present?

Discover how mindfulness and being present can transform startup leadership, featuring insights from Google's legendary meditation teacher Chade-Meng Tan.

Are You Present?

The Tech Press Cycle and Unicorns

Explore how tech unicorn narratives cycle from euphoria to pessimism, analyzing what true startup success means beyond the $1B valuation milestone.

Startup Best Practices 20 - Managing Oneself

Learn how successful startup leaders align personal strengths with company goals. Key insights from Peter Drucker on maximizing your impact as a knowledge worker in 2024.

The Right Kind of Mania

Learn how the British cycling team's 1% improvement philosophy drove Olympic success, and why startups should embrace incremental gains for compounding growth.

The Right Kind of Mania

How Much Cash Should Your SaaS Startup Burn?

Learn how to optimize burn rates for SaaS startups in a shifting venture capital market. Data-driven insights on sustainable growth and cash management for 2016.

How Much Cash Should Your SaaS Startup Burn?

The Next Major Technology to Shape SaaS

Explore how AI and natural language understanding will revolutionize SaaS by bridging the gap between human communication and computer languages. Key insights for founders.

The Next Major Technology to Shape SaaS

The Most Transformational Force in US Society

Explore how startups have revolutionized major industries, from Uber's 65% taxi disruption to WhatsApp surpassing global SMS. Key data on venture-backed transformation.

The Most Transformational Force in US Society

SaaS Office Hours with Kenny van Zant

Learn how Kenny van Zant built Solarwinds' $4.1B flywheel sales model. Key insights on scaling SaaS growth through bottom-up customer acquisition.

SaaS Office Hours with Kenny van Zant

The Turbulence in Startupland

Analyze the shifting startup landscape through data: despite growing concerns in Silicon Valley, 2015 megarounds and growth investments hit record highs.

The Turbulence in Startupland

What 10x More Seed Capital Means for Founders

Explore how 10x growth in seed funding impacts startup competition, Series A expectations, and founder success metrics. Key data insights for raising capital in 2024.

What 10x More Seed Capital Means for Founders

What SaaS Startups Miss in User Onboarding

Learn why most SaaS startups fail at user onboarding and the critical step they miss: creating immediate value. Data-driven insights to boost user retention.

Startup Trends from YCombinator's Demo Day

Analyzing 250+ YCombinator startups reveals key shifts: healthcare ventures up in 2015, commerce startups reach 10%, while enterprise/consumer split remains stable.

Startup Trends from YCombinator's Demo Day

The 3 Ways Culture Enables Startups to Scale

Learn how successful startups scale through culture: 3 proven ways culture drives hiring, decision-making, and goal alignment as companies grow from founding to 500+ employees.

Lessons from the 8 Great CEOs

Learn how 8 unconventional CEOs outperformed the S&P 500, including Warren Buffett's insights on breaking from peer pressure to achieve remarkable growth.

The Magic of Email Snooze

Learn how email snooze transforms inbox management from LIFO chaos to strategic prioritization - key insights for startup founders and tech leaders to boost productivity.

The Magic of Email Snooze

If You Chase Two Rabbits...

Learn why startups should resist expansion until reaching critical mass. Data-driven insights on focus vs. growth, and why chasing multiple markets can kill momentum.

We Must Strive to be Ourselves

Discover how Hunter S. Thompson's timeless advice on authentic goal-setting applies to startup founders and tech leaders seeking meaningful career paths and personal growth.

We Must Strive to be Ourselves

The Best Goal Setting Frameworks

Learn proven goal-setting frameworks used by top startups, from Google's OKR system to moonshot targets. Data-driven insights on aligning teams and achieving 70% success rates.

Take Your Startup to the Limit

Learn how successful startups manage extreme growth and contraction through a powerful analogy. Key insights for founders on testing business model limits.

Startup Best Practices 15 - Start With the Why

Learn how successful startups build powerful brands by leading with values, not features. Key insights from Simon Sinek's framework for startup marketing and differentiation.

Startup Best Practices 15 - Start With the Why

Startup Investment Trends in 2015

Analyze 2015's record-breaking $57B+ venture capital deployment across sectors. See which industries are winning VC dollars, from biotech to fintech, backed by Mattermark data.

Startup Investment Trends in 2015

The Most Successful SaaS Sectors

Discover which departments control SaaS spending. Analysis of 50+ public SaaS companies reveals HR and Sales lead with $50B market cap each, while IT follows at $40B.

The Most Successful SaaS Sectors

The Increasing Fragmentation of SaaS

Explore how SaaS fragmentation is reshaping enterprise software, with marketing tech companies growing 98% to 1,875 in 2015. Key insights for startup founders.

The Increasing Fragmentation of SaaS

Five Charts on the Second Seed Market

Explore how Second Seed rounds grew to 18% of US tech funding, with median rounds hitting $1M - key data on this emerging startup financing trend.

Five Charts on the Second Seed Market

Trends In Startup Acquisition Market in 2015

Analysis of 2015 startup acquisition trends reveals 40% increase in $500M+ deals over 5 years, while median valuations remain flat. Key data for founders & investors.

Trends In Startup Acquisition Market in 2015

The Beauty of Bottoms Up SaaS Businesses

Discover why bottom-up SaaS models accelerate growth through shorter sales cycles, rapid experimentation, and product-led strategies. Key insights for startup founders.

How an $11B SaaS Company Measures Churn

Learn how ServiceNow, an $11B SaaS leader, measures customer churn through two key metrics: upsell rate and renewal rate. Data-driven insights for SaaS founders.

Why We're Only Just at the Beginning of SaaS

Legacy software giants control 83% of market cap and 93% of revenue, but massive opportunities remain for SaaS startups. Analysis of market dynamics and growth potential.

Why We're Only Just at the Beginning of SaaS

Welcome, Mina!

Former Uber first PM Mina Radhakrishnan joins Redpoint as EIR, bringing marketplace & hyper-growth expertise from scaling the startup from 20 to 1000s of employees.

Welcome, Mina!

The Health of the SaaS IPO Market

Analyze the health of SaaS IPOs: 60% of companies trade above IPO pop price, with median 69% appreciation. Key data insights for startup founders & investors.

The Health of the SaaS IPO Market

A Very Unusual Book about Startup Culture

Discover unconventional startup wisdom from a 30-year Hallmark veteran on fostering creativity, navigating corporate culture, and maintaining independence while driving innovation.

A Very Unusual Book about Startup Culture

The First Mobile-Only SaaS Company

Explore why mobile-first SaaS is the next frontier, as mobile traffic hits 70% for major retailers. Key trends driving the shift to mobile-only enterprise software.

The First Mobile-Only SaaS Company

How to Make Pretty Charts

Learn how to create professional data visualizations using R and ggplot2. A step-by-step guide for startup founders and analysts to build publication-quality charts.

How to Make Pretty Charts

Why the Bubble Question Doesn't Matter

Learn 4 essential strategies for startup survival during market uncertainty: focus on product differentiation, cash management, smart hiring & customer retention.

How Many Unicorns Sell Each Year?

Discover how often unicorn exits happen in tech: data shows 2.5 US venture-backed companies sell for $1B+ annually, with median exits of $1.9B over the past decade.

How Many Unicorns Sell Each Year?

Hacking the Performance Evaluation

Learn how top startups like Google optimize performance reviews by separating growth feedback from compensation discussions - proven tactics for better outcomes.

The Gamble of the Private IPO

Explore why 25% of 2014 IPOs were down rounds and the growing valuation gap between private and public markets. Key insights for startup founders and VCs.

The 5 Key People in a SaaS Sales Process

Learn the 5 key stakeholders in every SaaS sales process, from champions to opponents. Essential playbook for startup founders to map purchasing dynamics & close deals.

The 5 Key People in a SaaS Sales Process

The State of the SaaS Fundraising Market

Analyze the shifting SaaS fundraising landscape: Series B funding surged 66% to $6.5B, while seed rounds dropped 25%. Key data for startup founders and VCs.

The State of the SaaS Fundraising Market

Sales Funnel Optimization for SaaS Startups

Learn how SaaS startups can optimize their sales funnel metrics with data-driven insights. See how a 50% improvement in early-stage conversion impacts revenue growth.

Sales Funnel Optimization for SaaS Startups

Trends in the Startup Acquihire Market

Analyze 4-year trends in startup acquihires with data showing 15 tech companies acquired per quarter. Key insights for founders and investors in 2015.

Trends in the Startup Acquihire Market

The Compounding Returns of Content Marketing

Discover how content marketing delivers compounding returns in SaaS, with data showing posts generate 2x more traffic over time vs day-one views. Real growth metrics revealed.

The Compounding Returns of Content Marketing

The Seed Investment Market in 2015

Analyze 2015 seed funding trends: 18% fewer deals but $1.3B total investment. Data shows 25% larger rounds as VCs shift strategy. Key insights for founders.

The Seed Investment Market in 2015

Creating the Strangely Familiar

Discover how Apple's Jony Ive built a $1.5B product empire through radical design thinking and brutal intellectual honesty. Key leadership lessons for startup founders.

Creating the Strangely Familiar

The Data Behind the Rule of 40%

Explore data-driven analysis of the Rule of 40% for SaaS companies, from startup to scale. See how growth + profit metrics evolve across 15 years of company data.

The Data Behind the Rule of 40%

The Rising Costs of Scaling a Startup

Data shows SF startup costs doubled since 2009: office space hits $63/sqft while tech salaries surge 15% yearly to $180k. See the true cost of scaling in 2015.

Why Managing For Progress is So Important

Research shows how great managers drive team success: analysis of 12,000 work journals reveals why focusing on measurable progress boosts engagement and results.

The 4 Types of Customer Success Organizations

Discover the 4 distinct customer success models used by SaaS companies, from Late Bloomers to Captains of Scale. Data-driven insights from Zendesk's benchmark study.

The 4 Types of Customer Success Organizations

Five Bits of Management Wisdom from Pixar

Discover 5 essential management lessons from Pixar's Ed Catmull on startup leadership, first principles thinking, and building innovative teams. Key insights for founders.

Five Bits of Management Wisdom from Pixar

The Compression in SaaS Valuations

Explore how SaaS company valuations dropped 30% in 2015, with revenue multiples falling from 9.2x to 6.0x. Key data analysis for startup founders and investors.

The Compression in SaaS Valuations

The Characteristics of the Most Successful Teams

Discover the two key traits of high-performing startup teams, backed by MIT research. Learn how equal contribution and emotional intelligence drive success in both remote and in-person settings.

The Increasing Growth Rates of SaaS Companies

Data shows modern SaaS startups reach $50M revenue 50% faster than previous generations. Analysis of 51 public companies reveals key growth acceleration trends since 2008.

The Increasing Growth Rates of SaaS Companies

The Rising Table Stakes in SaaS

Learn why understanding SaaS metrics, customer success, and content marketing are no longer competitive advantages but essential table stakes for modern software startups.

The Rising Table Stakes in SaaS

My 2 Favorite Gadgets from 2014

Discover how two tech gadgets transformed a VC's daily routine in 2014, from better sleep habits to enhanced productivity during 60+ hours of startup calls.

My 2 Favorite Gadgets from 2014

The Sales Motions of B2C2B Companies

Discover 3 proven B2C2B sales models used by LinkedIn, Duolingo & other startups to convert consumer traction into enterprise revenue. Data-driven insights for founders.

The Sales Motions of B2C2B Companies

The Sudden Shift in SaaS Product Pricing

Explore how SaaS pricing has shifted: New IPO data reveals 77% smaller revenue per customer, as IT consumerization transforms enterprise software buying patterns.

The Sudden Shift in SaaS Product Pricing

When Will the Tech Bull Market End?

Explore 3 key drivers of tech's bull market: widespread disruption, record VC funding, and strong exits. Analysis shows only 2% cloud adoption + rising valuations.

The 2014 Class of SaaS IPOs

Analyze 2014's SaaS IPO class: 9 companies show 52% median share price growth post-IPO. Key data on valuations, pricing trends & market performance.

The 2014 Class of SaaS IPOs

Brutal Intellectual Honesty

Discover how brutal intellectual honesty drives better decisions in startups and VC. Key management lessons from CIA failures and Aruba Networks' success.

Nailing Your Startup's Value Proposition

Learn how successful startups validate product-market fit using the Value Proposition Canvas. Key frameworks for matching customer needs to your solution.

The Fundamental Unit of SaaS Growth

Learn how successful SaaS startups scale by building the optimal go-to-market team structure. Key insights on marketing, sales & CS ratios for sustainable growth.

Why 2015 Will be a Great Year for Startups

Discover why 2015 startup growth is surging, with seed-stage companies doubling to 450k employees in 6 months. Key data insights for founders and investors.

Why 2015 Will be a Great Year for Startups

The Stability of the Current Tech Market

Analysis of Q3 tech earnings shows 69% of public companies beat revenue forecasts, with enterprise startups outperforming consumer firms by 2% - key stability indicators.

The Stability of the Current Tech Market

The Fastest User Interface

Discover why voice interfaces are 3x faster than typing, with speaking speeds of 120 WPM vs 40 WPM typing. Data-driven analysis of the future of human-computer interaction.

The Fastest User Interface

Come Work on the Redpoint Software Team!

Join Redpoint's software investment team in Menlo Park. We seek technical experts with deep networks to discover & evaluate early-stage startups. Shape the future of venture capital.

Come Work on the Redpoint Software Team!

How Much Cash Should Your Startup Burn?

Discover optimal startup burn rates with data-driven analysis comparing SaaS vs consumer companies. Key benchmarks and metrics to guide your cash management strategy.

How Much Cash Should Your Startup Burn?

Not A Conventional Company

Explore Google's unconventional path from startup to tech giant, growing from $220K to $3.2B revenue in 5 years. Key lessons in scaling while preserving startup culture.

Are Tech IPOs Dying?

Analyzing 36 years of tech IPO data: Are private mega-rounds replacing public offerings? New data shows shifting dynamics in startup funding landscape.

Are Tech IPOs Dying?

Why Customer Success? Why Now?

Discover why customer success has become critical for SaaS companies, driving 20% market growth and $18B in spending. Key insights for startup leaders.

How to Retain Your Startup's Best Employees

Learn proven talent retention strategies for startups from LinkedIn's playbook, including the Tour of Duty framework that helps founders build lasting, high-performing teams.

The Best Advice I've Ever Received

Learn why the best startup advice focuses on frameworks over opinions. A VC's perspective on making better decisions using structured thinking and data-driven analysis.

How Much is Your Business Worth?

Learn how to value your startup using market data: $1.2T in corporate cash and $412B in PE dry powder signal major M&A opportunities for founders in 2014.

How Much is Your Business Worth?

Data is Useless Unless You Can Act on It

Learn why data collection alone isn't enough for startups. Discover the 3-step pattern behind successful data-driven companies and how actionable insights drive real business value.

Data is Useless Unless You Can Act on It

One of the Greatest Opportunities to Learn

Discover how active listening drives startup innovation and learning. See how Pixar turned $120M investments into $500M+ returns through customer-centric leadership.

Trends in the Startup Acquisition Market

Analyze key trends in startup acquisition markets: 20+ IPOs per quarter, 80% undisclosed deals, and shifting patterns across deal sizes from 2010-2014.

Trends in the Startup Acquisition Market

An Exceptional Story with Exceptional Data

Learn how data storytelling drives impact through FiveThirtyEight's Messi analysis. Key lessons for founders on turning complex data into compelling narratives.

The Insularity of Silicon Valley

Despite a 3% GDP drop and broader market volatility, Silicon Valley tech stocks show resilience with enterprise SaaS and consumer companies rebounding 18% from recent lows.

The Insularity of Silicon Valley

The Hottest Startup Sectors

Discover which startup sectors are surging in 2014: Hardware, Health & Wellness lead seed funding growth while Ad Tech declines. Data-driven analysis of investment trends.

The Hottest Startup Sectors

The Great Unbundling of Email

Explore how email's unbundling creates opportunities for B2B startups, as 70T annual emails drive innovation in venture-backed SaaS solutions for modern workflows.

The Riskiest Investment a Startup Can Make

Learn why marketing spend is the riskiest investment for startups, with data-driven insights on measuring ROI vs tangible assets like engineering and sales hires.

The Common Language of Great Teams

Discover how elite teams overcome doubt and failure, from Felix Baumgartner's space jump to America's Cup's epic comeback. Leadership lessons for startup founders.

The Common Language of Great Teams

What's Wrong with the Internet of Things

Discover why successful IoT products should focus on services, not devices. Learn how great tech companies hide complexity through simple user experiences.

The Workplace of the Future

Explore how office design, tools, and culture have evolved from the first information workers to today's tech workplaces - and what it means for startup leaders.

The Workplace of the Future

Ruthlessness and Grit in Startups

Learn how successful startups combine ruthlessness and grit to scale. Key insights on adapting leadership styles, building resilient teams, and navigating growth challenges.

Ruthlessness and Grit in Startups

The Worst Time of Year to Raise A Seed Round

Discover the optimal timing for seed fundraising with data-driven analysis. Q4 rounds are 60% larger than Q1, but timing isn't everything. Key insights for startup founders.

The Worst Time of Year to Raise A Seed Round

9 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read

Discover 9 essential books that shaped successful startups, from NetApp's founding story to timeless business lessons. A curated reading list for ambitious founders.

What's Happening to the SaaS Market?

SaaS company valuations plummet 33% from peak, erasing a year of gains. Analysis shows $33B enterprise value drop across public SaaS stocks in 10 months.

What's Happening to the SaaS Market?

Quantifying the Cost of a Bad Hire

Discover the true financial impact of sales hiring mistakes: how a bad hire can double losses to -$20k and delay breakeven by 3+ months in early-stage startups.

Quantifying the Cost of a Bad Hire

Quantifying a SaaS Startup's Revenue at Risk

Learn how to calculate and track Revenue at Risk (RaR) in SaaS startups using two proven methods. Essential metrics for reducing churn and protecting revenue.

The Power of a Coach

Discover how management coaching transformed a skeptical Google PM's leadership journey and why every startup leader needs an unbiased advisor to unlock their potential.

The Great Keyboard Layout Debate

Explore one VC's journey switching from QWERTY to Dvorak keyboard layouts, with insights on productivity optimization and tech adaptation for startup founders and knowledge workers.

The Great Keyboard Layout Debate

My Surreal UberX Experience

A VC's perspective on how modern tech platforms like Uber break down communication barriers and enable seamless interactions - even between hearing and deaf users.

My Surreal UberX Experience

The Hardest Round to Raise for Startups

Discover why Series B is now the toughest funding round for startups, with data showing 31% growth in Series A vs just 10% in Series B rounds since 2009.

The Hardest Round to Raise for Startups

The Machinery of Blogging

Discover the data-driven tools and technical infrastructure powering a leading VC blog. Learn how Jekyll, Github & RStudio enable fast, analytics-focused content delivery.

The Machinery of Blogging

Are VC Mega-Rounds the New Normal?

Analyze the rise of mega-funding rounds in tech startups with data-driven insights from 2005-2013. Are $150M+ investments becoming the new normal?

Are VC Mega-Rounds the New Normal?

The New Market Places

Explore how modern marketplaces are evolving beyond Craigslist and eBay's models, shifting from simple listing platforms to full-service agencies reshaping online commerce.

A Moore's Law for Data

Explore how Moore's Law principles are transforming data processing & startup tech stacks, from 90% faster coding to revolutionary database innovations.

Which Acquirer Pays the Most for Startups?

Discover which tech giants pay most for startup acquisitions. Analysis of 15+ years of M&A data reveals surprising patterns between Google, Facebook, Apple & Amazon.

Which Acquirer Pays the Most for Startups?

Military Strategy Applied to Startups

Learn how military OODA strategy can give startups a competitive edge through rapid decision-making, team empowerment, and organizational agility.

The Three Key Forces Shaping SaaS in 2014

Explore how predictive AI, cloud data, and machine learning are transforming SaaS in 2014, driving acquisitions and creating new competitive advantages for startups.

The Technology that's Taking Data Science by Storm

Discover how Amazon Redshift is revolutionizing data warehousing: 20x faster performance at 25% the cost, with 1TB queries in under 10 seconds. Key insights for data-driven startups.

The Maximum Viable Churn Rate for a Startup

Learn how churn impacts startup growth: analyze maximum viable churn rates, capital requirements, and revenue tradeoffs for SaaS companies with real metrics and data.

Using Data to Demystify Data Science

Explore the 4 distinct types of data scientists and their key skill sets, based on research from 250 practitioners. Essential insights for startup hiring & team building.

Using Data to Demystify Data Science

The Three Doors to SaaS Success

Learn the proven 3-door framework for SaaS website optimization from former Salesforce CMO. A strategic approach to convert visitors into customers.

The Three Doors to SaaS Success

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions about content usage, data visualization, and site policies. Learn how to recreate charts using R and ggplot2 for startup analysis.

Startup Best Practices 4 - Managing Monkeys

Learn how successful startups prevent decision bottlenecks using the 5-step monkey management framework. Key strategies for founders to improve team execution & autonomy.

A 47 Year Old Prediction Comes True

Discover how Buckminster Fuller's 1966 prediction about tech founders revolutionizing the world through resource optimization and innovation became reality.

A 47 Year Old Prediction Comes True

The Typical Billion Dollar Startup Acquisition

Analysis of 2400 tech startup acquisitions reveals 83% are all-cash deals, with larger $1B+ exits more likely to include stock. Key M&A patterns for founders and investors.

The Typical Billion Dollar Startup Acquisition

The Tablet-First Retail Startup

Discover why tablet users drive 3.5x more retail value than mobile, with conversion rates 300% higher. Key data for startups targeting the growing tablet commerce market.

The Tablet-First Retail Startup

Startup Best Practices 2 - Startup Team Sizes

Learn how successful startups optimize team size using the two-pizza rule, span of control metrics, and data-driven insights from Amazon and Google's management practices.

The Language of the Web

Discover how JavaScript became the web's dominant language, with 3x growth in GitHub repos over 5 years and 7x faster performance. Key insights for startup founders.

The Language of the Web

This Message Will Self-Destruct in 48 Seconds

Learn 5 data-backed content marketing secrets for startups, including the 48-second rule and why social proof drives 45% of blog traffic. Key metrics revealed.

The Missing Startup Design Pattern Is Management

Discover why management is the critical missing design pattern in startup scaling, and how engineering principles can transform leadership effectiveness in high-growth companies.

The Missing Startup Design Pattern

Learn how successful startups scale through management design patterns. Key insights on building high-growth teams from veteran founders and VCs.

The Missing Startup Design Pattern

The Secrets Behind Content Sharing Widgets

Discover how different content sharing channels drive traffic: HackerNews generates 3x impact, while email and social show unique patterns. Data-driven insights for startups.

The Secrets Behind Content Sharing Widgets

The Future of Journalism in the Touch Era

Explore how interactive, data-rich journalism is transforming media consumption in the touch era, from static pages to immersive digital experiences.

The Future of Journalism in the Touch Era

The SaaS Valuation Bubble

Explore how SaaS company valuations surged 200-400% in 2 years despite unchanged unit economics. Key insights on the growing valuation bubble in tech.

The SaaS Valuation Bubble

Silicon Valley's Library

Explore Silicon Valley's untold startup stories, from Google's early burn rate to Netflix's close calls. Essential venture capital history for today's founders.

Silicon Valley's Library

How APIs Will Evolve

Explore how APIs are evolving from simple data endpoints into powerful API Hubs, enabling startups to combine multiple data sources and unlock deeper analytics insights.

How APIs Will Evolve

Deserve is a Toxic Word

A powerful lesson for founders: why feeling entitled to success can derail your startup journey. Learn how continuous effort, not past achievements, drives lasting results.

Deserve is a Toxic Word

What Your Startup’s MRR Figure Is Hiding

Discover why your SaaS startup's MRR metrics may be misleading. Learn how churn impacts real revenue growth and calculate expected MRR for better forecasting.

What Your Startup’s MRR Figure Is Hiding

A Five Year Android User Switches To iOS

After 5 years on Android, a VC's switch to iOS reveals surprising insights on mobile OS convergence and what it means for platform strategy in tech.

A Five Year Android User Switches To iOS

Six Key Benchmarks for Your SaaS Startup

Discover 6 essential SaaS benchmarks: Inside sales drives 40% faster growth, optimal pricing ranges, and key metrics to measure your startup's performance vs competitors.

Six Key Benchmarks for Your SaaS Startup

The VC Firm of the Future

How top VC firms must evolve: leveraging data & tech to find asymmetric opportunities in an era where 10% of exits drive 50% of venture returns.

The VC Firm of the Future

The Series A Is Overloaded

Explore how the Series A landscape has evolved into 3 distinct types: Classic ($3-5M), Juiced ($8-15M), and Jumbo rounds. Key metrics and trends for startup founders.

The Series A Is Overloaded

Marketing’s Technical Liberation

Discover how modern technology is transforming startup marketing teams from influencers to direct drivers of growth, increasing their autonomy and impact.

Marketing’s Technical Liberation

Your Startup’s Three Horizons

Learn how McKinsey's Three Horizons framework helps startups balance current growth with future innovation. A data-driven guide to strategic project planning and scaling.

Your Startup’s Three Horizons

The Founder’s Null Hypothesis

Learn how successful founders validate startup ideas using the Null Hypothesis framework - a data-driven approach to testing business concepts in just 1-3 weeks.

The Founder’s Null Hypothesis

Great Startup Product Design Is Telepathic

Learn how great product design creates a telepathic connection between creators and users, drawing insights from Stephen King's approach to writing and startup success.

Maximizing the Value of Investor Referrals

Learn how different types of investor referrals impact startup fundraising success, from strong signals of co-investment to potentially problematic warm intros.

Maximizing the Value of Investor Referrals

Your Startup’s Office Is Missing a Room

Discover why every startup needs a usability lab. Learn how user testing reveals critical product insights and prevents costly assumptions in product development.

Your Startup’s Office Is Missing a Room

The Three Phases of Startup Sales

Learn the 3 critical phases every startup must master in sales: from beta testing to reference customers to ROI calculators. A data-driven framework for SaaS founders.

The Three Phases of Startup Sales

Your Startup’s Office Is Missing a Room

Every post-Series A startup needs a usability lab to uncover critical product insights and improve user experience, as highlighted by Tomasz Tunguz at Theory Ventures.

Data, Data Everywhere, Not a Second to Think

Explore how modern companies navigate the 4 stages of big data adoption, from data collection to democratization. Key insights for startup founders and data leaders.

Data, Data Everywhere, Not a Second to Think

A Formula for Innovation

Learn why successful innovation requires more than just invention. Explore the critical formula of invention + marketing, and why timing makes or breaks startup success in tech markets.

The Startup Sector That’s Quietly Booming

Discover the 7 key innovations transforming financial services startups, from math-based currencies to new credit models. Analysis of fintech's quiet revolution in venture capital.

The Startup Sector That’s Quietly Booming

The First Rails App I Built at Google

Learn how Ruby on Rails transformed development speed at Google, reducing build time by 90% compared to Java and sparking a decade of innovation in startup tech stacks.

The First Rails App I Built at Google

A Formula For Innovation

Learn the essential formula for startup innovation: why technical invention alone isn't enough and how timing + go-to-market strategy determine success in today's competitive landscape.

A Formula For Innovation

The Return of Venture Backed Hardware

Discover why VCs are betting big on hardware startups again: How software integration & subscription revenue models are transforming hardware economics & opportunities.

The Return of Venture Backed Hardware

The Library in Building 42

Discover why investing in employee education is crucial for startup success. Learn from Google's hidden library and how continuous learning drives company growth.

The Library in Building 42

The Dawn of the Voice-to-Text Era

Explore how voice-to-text technology is transforming data input, reaching 99% accuracy and poised to replace keyboards. Key insights for startup founders and tech leaders.

The Dawn of the Voice-to-Text Era

Block and Tackle Product Marketing

Learn how Apple's data-driven product strategy evolves from single to multi-product lines, and what Tim Cook reveals about customer segmentation in product management.

Block and Tackle Product Marketing

Investing in the Consumer Web is Dead

Data shows consumer startups only get 17% of VC dollars - debunking myths about post-Facebook IPO investment trends in enterprise vs consumer technology.

Investing in the Consumer Web is Dead

The Future of Human Data Interaction

Explore the future of data visualization through Bret Victor's groundbreaking HCI software, revolutionizing how humans interact with data analysis tools. Key insights for tech leaders.

Your Startup’s API Could be Its Disruptor

Learn how APIs can be a double-edged sword for startups: enabling growth through partnerships while potentially creating vulnerabilities that competitors can exploit. Key insights for founders.

Your Startup’s API Could be Its Disruptor

Redpoint is Hiring a Consumer Analyst

Join Redpoint Ventures' early-stage consumer investment team. Seeking analyst to evaluate tech startups, develop investment themes & partner with visionary founders.

How Will I Enable Greatness Today?

Discover how small, focused teams drive breakthrough innovation, based on lessons from Steve Jobs and Google's tiger teams. Leadership insights for startup founders.

How Will I Enable Greatness Today?

Reverse Engineering Your Startup’s Success

Learn how successful startups reverse engineer their growth goals using data-driven planning. Key insights from LinkedIn & Wealthfront on strategic goal-setting for founders.

Reverse Engineering Your Startup’s Success

Hiring Your Startup’s First Salesperson

Learn when and how to hire your first startup salesperson with data-driven insights on costs, quotas, and productivity metrics. Key formulas and benchmarks for SaaS founders.

Hiring Your Startup’s First Salesperson

The Secret to Growth Hacking

Learn how successful startups achieve sustainable growth through data-driven testing. Key growth rates and tactics from tech leaders to double your user base in 9-15 months.

The Secret to Growth Hacking

The Antidote to Burnout is Progress

Discover why startup burnout stems from repeated failure, not overwork - and learn the data-backed strategy for preventing it through small, measurable wins.

The Antidote to Burnout is Progress

Design’s New Frontier&#58; The IRL Era

Explore how the IRL era is transforming tech startups, as mobile technology bridges digital and physical worlds. Key insights on designing for real-world interactions.

Design’s New Frontier&#58; The IRL Era

Out of My Depth

A VC's personal story of being out of depth as a startup engineering intern, and how mentorship and persistence transform novices into confident tech leaders.

Out of My Depth

The Android-First Social Network

Explore how Android's open platform could enable the next breakout social network through innovative engagement models and cross-app messaging features. Data-driven analysis.

The Android-First Social Network

Mastering Feedback Loops in Startups

Learn how successful startups leverage feedback loops across product, sales & marketing to drive sustainable growth. Key metrics & strategies for scaling your startup.

Mastering Feedback Loops in Startups

Founders, Equip Your Champions

Learn how successful founders structure winning pitches with a proven 3-step framework. Essential advice for startups selling to investors, enterprise customers & key hires.

Founders, Equip Your Champions

Here’s to the Grinders

Discover how successful founders embrace the daily grind of building startups. A founder's reflection on time, perseverance, and the hidden opportunities in hard work.

Here’s to the Grinders

A Startup’s Three Visions

Discover the 3 essential visions every successful startup needs: product vision, business vision, and team vision. Learn how to align growth, revenue & culture for scale.

A Startup’s Three Visions

The Power of Team Work in Startups

Learn how successful startups drive growth through team alignment. See how marketing, product & sales teams create leverage by working in harmony with real examples.

The Power of Team Work in Startups

Anatomy of a Reference Check

Learn the essential framework for conducting effective reference checks in venture capital and startup hiring, with proven questions and insights from different stakeholder perspectives.

Anatomy of a Reference Check

What I’ve Learned about Blogging in 3 Years

Discover key blogging insights from 3 years of VC writing: daily vs. monthly posting strategies, content optimization, and audience building tactics for startup founders.

What I’ve Learned about Blogging in 3 Years

Your Startup’s Top 3 Priorities

Learn the 3 essential priorities every startup must master: distribution, engagement, and monetization. A VC's framework for strategic growth and revenue planning.

Your Startup’s Top 3 Priorities

The 11 Risks VCs Evaluate

Discover the 11 key risks VCs evaluate when investing in startups, from market timing to execution. Essential insights for founders seeking venture capital.

The 11 Risks VCs Evaluate

Your Startup’s 10 Most Important Metrics

Learn the 10 essential startup metrics every founder needs to track. Data-driven framework for measuring growth, revenue, and engagement in board meetings.

Your Startup’s 10 Most Important Metrics

Why Freemium Negates The Leaky Bucket Myth

Discover how freemium models help SaaS startups overcome high churn in SMB markets, with insights from Intuit's $700M+ revenue success despite customer turnover.

Why Freemium Negates The Leaky Bucket Myth

Mobile Productivity for Normal People

Discover how successful mobile startups are reimagining productivity apps for mainstream users through AI, machine learning, and intuitive design. Key strategies for mass adoption.

Mobile Productivity for Normal People

Which Data Biases Challenge Your Startup?

Learn the 5 critical data biases affecting startup decisions from a 24-year Microsoft exec. Essential insights for founders making data-driven product strategy choices.

Measuring Dark Social Using Google Analytics

Learn how to measure dark social traffic in Google Analytics, which drives 40% of blog visitors. Essential tracking insights for startup founders and content marketers.

Measuring Dark Social Using Google Analytics

A Startup’s Guide to Outsourcing

Learn when to outsource vs build in-house at your startup. A data-driven framework for founders to evaluate core competencies and make strategic hiring decisions.

A Startup’s Guide to Outsourcing

Machine Learning in Consumer Products

Explore how machine learning is transforming consumer products, from Netflix recommendations to Google Now, and why ML will drive the next wave of consumer tech innovation.

Machine Learning in Consumer Products

Strikes and Gutters

Discover why successful startups embrace both wins and losses. Learn how founders can shift from mostly setbacks to consistent wins in the startup journey.

Strikes and Gutters

How To Measure the Success of a Blog

Learn how successful startup blogs measure true audience engagement beyond vanity metrics. Data-driven insights to reach your target readers and drive meaningful growth.

How To Measure the Success of a Blog

Crawling - The Most Underrated Hack

Learn how web crawling can transform your startup's data collection and market intelligence. A VC's guide to building powerful crawlers in 30 minutes using Ruby and Mechanize.

Crawling - The Most Underrated Hack

Searching for Eric Schmidt

Learn how Google's founders spent 2+ years hiring their CEO and why executive hiring requires a radically different process for startups to succeed.

Searching for Eric Schmidt

A Letter to the Editor

Explore how modern blogging platforms can reinvent Letters to the Editor to drive startup growth through thoughtful community engagement and discourse.

A Letter to the Editor

Boiling a Billion Frogs

Explore how Facebook's evolving data practices created billions in value, and what startups can learn about balancing user privacy with data-driven innovation.

Boiling a Billion Frogs

Every Damn Day

Learn how elite performance standards and relentless daily discipline drive success in startups and venture capital, through lessons from competitive rowing.

Every Damn Day

How Competition Strengthens Startups

Data shows startups facing early competition are 30% more likely to survive long-term if they make it past year one. Key insights on competitive advantage & market entry.

Building A Money Machine

Learn the 3 essential steps successful startups use to transform investment into scalable revenue. A proven framework for building efficient, profitable growth machines.

There’s A 10x Hidden In That Tweet

Learn how Google turned social media's 40% ad impressions but 2% revenue problem into a massive opportunity through machine learning and data-driven targeting.

The Voice of the People is Data

Learn how Netflix uses data analytics to predict content success, transforming TV production with 25M+ subscribers' viewing patterns and ROI-driven decision making.

The Voice of the People is Data

The Religious Debate About Data

Explore the tension between data-driven and intuitive decision-making in startups. How top companies like Google and Apple blend metrics with innovation to drive growth.

The Religious Debate About Data

The Power of Market Places

Discover why marketplaces like Airbnb and Uber dominate their sectors by disrupting traditional brokers through data-driven networks and unassailable network effects.

The Power of Market Places

Why To Do Lists Are Failing Us

Discover why traditional to-do lists fail and how data-driven, context-aware task management is revolutionizing productivity for startup founders and tech leaders.

The product qualified lead (PQL)

Learn how product qualified leads (PQLs) drive 25-30% conversion rates in SaaS. Data-driven insights on identifying & scaling high-intent users from product usage patterns.

A CEO’s epitaph

Learn how great leaders build winning teams through humility, from Andrew Carnegie's leadership philosophy to modern startup management principles.

The new marketers

How modern startups transformed marketing from pseudoscience to data-driven discipline, creating new playbooks for growth and challenging the need for traditional sales teams.

The new marketers

To Sell is Human

Discover why ambiverted salespeople outperform extroverts by 25% in enterprise sales. Key insights on modern B2B selling from Daniel Pink's research.

We should be living in the future already

Explore why smart homes aren't mainstream yet, as three key technologies - ML, mobile, and IoT - must converge to enable an AI-powered future for startups.

Fundamentals of communication

Learn Peter Drucker's 3 essential communication principles for startup success: perception, expectation & clear demand. Key insights for founders & leaders.

Year in review: Best of 2012

Reflecting on a year of startup insights and data-driven analysis. See how this VC blog grew from 2k to 30k monthly visitors sharing founder lessons and trends.

Tablets&#58; the third platform

Discover why tablets are emerging as the highest-ROI platform, with 2x mobile conversion rates and 20% better performance than PCs. Key metrics for founders & marketers.

Tablets&#58; the third platform

The myth of the generalist

Discover why true generalists in startups are specialists who can connect their expertise to broader knowledge. Key insights for tech founders and leaders.

The myth of the generalist

Changes in the rules of the [startup] game

Discover the 3 key market discontinuities reshaping startup opportunities: technology shifts, ecosystem changes, and behavioral trends transforming venture capital.

Changes in the rules of the [startup] game

Email and meetings aren’t work

Discover how shifting your meeting ratio from 6:4 to 7:3 can boost productivity by 17%. Data-driven insights on reclaiming focus time in startups and tech companies.

End of the year startup checklist

Learn the 5 essential end-of-year strategies top startup founders use to drive growth, from annual post-mortems to OKR planning. A VC's guide to strategic board meetings.

The software customers don’t see

Discover the essential internal tools and technology infrastructure that help startups scale efficiently. Learn how Google managed 10,000 customers per account manager.

The software customers don’t see

Performance marketing for startups with R

Learn how startups can build data-driven performance marketing engines using R and machine learning. A practical guide to calculating customer value and optimizing growth.

Performance marketing for startups with R

It all starts as a hobby

Discover how hobby projects and seemingly trivial tech innovations evolve into disruptive movements. Learn key lessons from tech history for startup founders and investors.

It all starts as a hobby

Willing to be misunderstood

Discover how Amazon's willingness to be misunderstood reveals 3 essential startup principles: having a secret, systems thinking, and maintaining conviction.

The dumbest guy in the room

Learn how Netflix CEO Reed Hastings built success by being the dumbest in the room - key leadership lessons for startup founders on building world-class teams.

The dumbest guy in the room

Education sales vs execution sales

Learn the key differences between education vs execution sales strategies for startups, and how to choose the right approach for faster revenue growth and market adoption.

Data on the “seedpocalypse”

Explore data-driven analysis of the Series A funding crisis, examining 3 key trends reshaping seed-stage startup investment and venture capital dynamics.

Data on the “seedpocalypse”

VC investment trends in the consumer web

Analysis of consumer web vs enterprise VC investment trends: Data shows consumer startups still gaining share despite late-stage valuation challenges in 2012.

VC investment trends in the consumer web

The cognitive burden of unbundling

Explore how product unbundling creates cognitive burden for consumers, and why a hybrid model may be the future of commerce. Key insights for startup founders.

Financial planning for startups

Learn why financial planning is crucial for startup success, from milestone planning to fundraising strategy. Key insights from a founder's post-exit perspective.

Segmenting customer pipelines

Learn how to optimize SaaS conversion funnels by segmenting customer pipelines. Data-driven strategies to understand and improve segment-specific conversion rates.

Great products are like ducks

Learn why successful startups and founders operate like ducks - appearing calm while working intensely beneath the surface. Key insights on building graceful products that mask complexity.

Great products are like ducks

The stewards of vision and culture

Discover why founders are essential stewards of vision and culture through startup growth phases, from hub-and-spoke to functional management.

Partnerships for startups - Key deal terms

Learn essential partnership deal terms for startups: traffic quality metrics, internal champions, and incentive structures. Data-driven tips to evaluate and structure successful startup partnerships.

Distribution partnerships for startups

Learn when distribution partnerships make sense for startups through data analysis. See how a 10k monthly user deal compares to 15% organic growth over time.

Distribution partnerships for startups

Honest cultures in startups

Learn how transparent startup cultures drive success through embracing challenges and rapid learning. Key insights from Japanese education research for building resilient teams.

Honest cultures in startups

The trinity of product design

Learn how successful SaaS products balance UX design for 3 distinct user types: new, occasional & power users. Key insights from Google AdWords & startup examples.

The culture of data science

Explore how Nate Silver's perfect election predictions highlight a cultural shift: why data-driven decision making is replacing intuition in startups, politics & beyond.

The culture of data science

Radio Ga Ga

Explore how content platforms evolve and adapt, from Twitter's noise to Medium's curation model. Key insights on content strategy and platform lifecycles for tech founders.

Radio Ga Ga

The idea factory

Explore how Bell Labs' innovation model drove 100 years of tech growth through transformative inventions like transistors and satellites. Key lessons for startup innovation.

The idea factory

Mobile OS trends in five charts

Explore how Android and iOS battled for mobile OS dominance, from Apple's 191M device lead in 2011 to Android's surprising high-end market success. Data-driven analysis of mobile trends.

Mobile OS trends in five charts

A great entrepreneur can come from anywhere

Learn why great entrepreneurs can emerge from any background. Explore how having a beginner's mindset, not credentials or connections, drives startup success in tech.

Systems Thinking for Startups

Learn how systems thinking drives startup success through feedback loops and organizational learning. Key frameworks from Peter Senge for building adaptable, innovative companies.

The future of search

Explore how Google Now's predictive search technology will reshape Android's competitive edge through machine learning and AI-powered features.

What to look for when hiring a data scientist

Learn the 3 essential skills to evaluate when hiring data scientists: data processing, analysis & modeling. A practical guide for startup leaders seeking data talent.

What to look for when hiring a data scientist

You want to start a company. Now what?

Learn the proven research framework for finding your startup idea. A VC's guide to identifying market opportunities and validating problems worth solving through customer discovery.

Gigabytes under management

Learn how web companies maximize user data like banks manage assets, driving revenue through economies of scale. Key insights on data-driven business models in tech.

Demo to term sheet in 3 hours

Learn how a startup went from demo to VC term sheet in just 3 hours. Key insights on crafting the perfect pitch that instantly wins over investors and partners.

Great products turn motivation into capability

Learn how great products convert user motivation into capability using BJ Fogg's behavior model. Key insights for founders on building products users love through smart UX design.

Data science in freemium businesses

Learn how freemium startups use data science and predictive analytics to optimize conversion rates and build scalable sales models through real-world Monte Carlo simulations.

The value of a patent to a startup

Learn why startups should view patents differently than Fortune 500s - key insights on patent strategy, enforcement costs, and maximizing value as downside protection.

Faking it + grit + inspiration = ?

Discover how body language data shapes startup success. Learn the science-backed strategies that helped one founder overcome adversity and build confidence.

Learning from Amazon’s Startup Judo

Explore how Amazon leverages advertising data to fuel ecommerce growth, choosing lower prices over higher margins in a strategic long-term bet.

Four lessons for optimizing Twitter

Data-driven analysis reveals optimal Twitter engagement: best posting times, impact of retweets, and how follower counts affect click-through rates. Key metrics for social ROI.

Four lessons for optimizing Twitter

Founders, teach your employees statistics

Learn why teaching statistics to startup employees is crucial for success, from measuring KPIs to data-driven decisions. Key insights for founders and VCs.

My approach to building a hiring pipeline

Learn proven strategies to build an effective startup hiring pipeline, from candidate sourcing to closing. Key tactics for tech, sales & BD roles from VC perspective.

Sushi, passion, and entrepreneurship

Discover how passion develops through mastery, not the reverse, and why successful founders focus on dedicated practice before finding their entrepreneurial drive.

A six-step framework to make strategic decisions

Learn a proven 6-step framework from McKinsey to make critical startup strategy decisions, from analyzing competitors to pivoting markets. Data-driven insights for founders.

Should founders join incubators?

Discover 7 key benefits of startup incubators and accelerators, from education to networking. Data-driven analysis for founders evaluating accelerator programs.

The startup love affair

Discover why successful startup investments require more than logic - exploring the critical role of emotional conviction in venture capital and founder journeys.

The Secret to SMB SaaS Distribution

Learn how successful SMB SaaS companies like Zendesk & Expensify drive growth through community building, not paid ads. Key metrics and distribution strategies revealed.

The Secret to SMB SaaS Distribution

Must startup founders be charismatic?

Discover why both introverted and extroverted founders can build billion-dollar startups. Key insights from tech's most successful leaders, from Jobs to Zuckerberg.

Choosing market segments on customer profitability

Learn how customer profitability drives B2B pricing strategy. Compare profit margins across industries: software (33%), restaurants (13%), grocery (6%) to target the right market segments.

Social network design and urban design

Explore how social networks mirror urban design principles, from managing community growth to creating digital public spaces. Key lessons for startup founders & product leaders.

Social network design and urban design

Profitability and the IPO Market

Explore why 90% of small-cap IPOs are unprofitable, challenging traditional views on venture-backed public offerings. Data-driven analysis reveals key trends for founders.

Profitability and the IPO Market

Using metrics to build communities

Discover the 3 types of social metrics that shape online communities: user validation, content engagement, and karma metrics. Data-driven insights for startup growth.

How the NYTimes avoided disruption

Learn how the New York Times survived digital disruption, transformed revenue streams, and achieved 10% digital growth despite a 75% valuation decline in the media industry.

Building auction pressure in financings

Learn proven strategies for creating auction pressure in startup fundraising. A VC's insider guide to building credibility, leveraging scarcity, and timing your raise for maximum leverage.

Death by a thousand small features

Learn how small UI features like coupon codes can sabotage conversion rates and user flows in startups. A data-driven analysis of product design decisions and their hidden costs.

Death by a thousand small features

Consumer investment fatigue

Explore why consumer tech investments face headwinds and how VCs are adapting with two distinct strategies: contrarian growth vs. early-stage value plays in 2024.

Simplicity. Quality. Inspiration.

Learn how successful companies like Netflix, Apple and Google built lasting brands around a single core value, and why this focus drives startup success and customer loyalty.

Simplicity. Quality. Inspiration.

Radio Ga Ga

Explore how content distribution platforms evolve: from Twitter's noise to Medium's curation. Analysis of how technology shifts reshape how we consume and share information.

On negotiation

Learn 7 proven negotiation tactics from a Google & military trainer to succeed in startup deals, term sheets & daily business interactions. Expert insights for founders & VCs.

How much is a social media click worth?

Discover the true ROI of digital marketing channels: Email clicks deliver 10x more value than social media, with 4.25% conversion rates vs 0.59%. Data-driven insights for startups.

The most important question a startup can ask

Discover why asking 'why' is the secret weapon of successful startups. Learn how challenging assumptions drives innovation and disruption in competitive markets.

The Freemium Game Plan

Learn the key elements of successful freemium business models: from product design to market fit. Data-driven insights on growth, retention & conversion strategies for SaaS startups.

Segmenting the SaaS Market for Sales

Learn how to segment the SaaS market with census data: 98% of US businesses have <100 employees, while just 12.5K firms employ 500+. Key insights for startup sales strategy.

Segmenting the SaaS Market for Sales

Segmenting the SaaS Market for Sales

Discover key SaaS market segments using US Census data: 98% of businesses have <100 employees. Learn how to build a data-driven B2B sales strategy for your startup.

Segmenting the SaaS Market for Sales

All Great Managers are Alike

Learn how great managers succeed across industries, from Woody Allen's 40-year film career to modern startups. Key lessons in hiring, empowerment & fearless innovation.

All Great Managers are Alike

The Path to Exponential Growth

Discover why linear growth precedes exponential success in startups. See how Facebook grew from steady gains to explosive 25M+ user growth through network effects.

The Path to Exponential Growth

Loyalty with a tinge of betrayal

Explore how Android's 51% market share mirrors Apple's 1990s challenges, with insights on platform loyalty, developer mindshare, and tech ecosystem dynamics in mobile.

The 3 Kinds of Startup Metrics

Learn the 3 essential startup metrics types - from vanity metrics to business health KPIs - that drive data-driven decisions and revenue growth in early-stage companies.

Stories, not sentences

Explore how modern information overload impacts startups and decision-making. Learn why quality trumps quantity in data consumption and content curation for tech leaders.

Stories, not sentences

Are We Investing Enough in Our Managers?

Discover why investing in startup managers is critical: 80%+ of costs go to talent, and poor leadership drives turnover. Data shows management impacts retention & growth.

Are We Investing Enough in Our Managers?

Defining a Personal API

Explore how EU cookie laws and Facebook permissions shape the future of personal data APIs, impacting user adoption rates by 20% and the $12B data economy.

Defining a Personal API

How Do VCs Analyze Companies?

Learn how VCs analyze startups through proven frameworks. A data-driven approach to venture capital evaluation, from business models to value chain analysis.