The AI Acqui-Hire Wave

The 2026 Rotation

Energy & industrials are up 12-17% YTD while tech sits flat. The market has figured out that AI needs power before it needs models.

Can You Fly That Thing?

AI skills are programs written in English that give agents capabilities instantly. Like Trinity downloading a pilot program, skills encode institutional …

How Markets Price AI Risk

Public SaaS stocks reveal nuanced AI fears - vertical software & workflow companies face the steepest discounts while data & security remain resilient.

Google's 52x AI Growth

Google's Gemini processes 10B tokens/minute, up 52x YoY, while cutting serving costs 78%. Cloud revenue hit $17.7B, growing 48%.

The Other Leverage in Software & AI

UBS estimates 35% of BDC portfolios face AI disruption. Tuesday's 9% drop in Blue Owl, Ares, & KKR signals investors are repricing risk.

Building Developer Infrastructure at Scale : Office Hours with Jim Everingham

Join Jim Everingham, CEO of Guild.ai & former Meta DevInfra leader, to learn how the best companies build developer infrastructure & deploy AI agents that …

Dissecting the Internet's Most Novel Creature

I crawled 98,353 posts from Moltbook, the AI-only social network. AI agents break the 1-9-90 participation rule but concentrate attention more than any human …

$281b From One Customer

Microsoft beat earnings expectations with 39% Azure growth & $10b+ AI run rate, but stock fell 11%. Why did accelerating CapEx & OpenAI dependency spook …

A Coxswain on Your Shoulder

How AI can provide the continuous feedback loop athletes take for granted but professionals rarely experience

Is Your Margin My Opportunity in Software?

Bezos's maxim applies in software, just not on price. Data from 69 public companies shows 76% gross margins but near-zero net income. Competition happens in S&M …

The Model T Comes to Silicon Valley

Ford's assembly line consolidated power : 253 automakers became 44. AI does the opposite, enabling millions of developers to build like behemoths. Expect …

AI Managing AI

The most capable AI models now spend their cycles orchestrating other tools. Specialization creates startup opportunity : build the specialists the executives …

When the Market Questions Relevance

The 2016 SaaS crash was a valuation reset. The 2026 decline questions relevance. Revenue growth explains everything : companies above 20% are up, those below …

The Postmodern Data Stack is AI

Three strategic acquisitions in nine months signal the fusion of the modern data stack with AI. Snowflake, ClickHouse, & Datadog are racing to own AI …

Software That Debugs Itself While I Sleep

Rather than manually debugging AI failures, I built a Ralph Wiggum loop that pushes the model against its failures each night until it dreams a correct …

A Third Time Up the Roller Coaster

NVIDIA's P/E ratio and revenue growth show a consistent pattern across three booms: gaming, crypto, and AI. The correlation between valuation and growth tells …

Dead Companies Walking

Scott Fearon shorted 200+ companies from Silicon Valley. His six failure modes, from learning only from the recent past to falling victim to mania, are …

Eleven Steps to the Epiphany[^1]

When I asked Claude Cowork to read my tools folder, it learned how I work in eleven steps. That moment revealed something about where computing is headed.

Open APIs Are Over

Salesforce, Datadog & Epic are locking down APIs. AI accelerates development, enabling incumbents to compete with partners. Platform businesses minted billions, …

Trajectory

The competitive edge has shifted from adopting software to mastering how it's used. Trajectory data, the path users take through tools, is becoming the new moat …

The Text Box Isn't Enough

Why the future of AI interfaces looks like the past of computing. A comparison of the command line era to today's prompt engineering challenges & the return of …

The Done List

AI agents are revolutionizing productivity by transforming traditional to-do lists into 'done lists' of completed work awaiting approval. Learn how the …

Gross Profit per Token

Meta's $2.5B Manus acquisition reveals a new AI valuation metric. Analysis of 6 companies shows gross profit per token correlates with value, not raw volume.

My Favorite Books of 2025

A curated list of the top 10 books I read in 2025, covering complexity science, geopolitical strategy, the mechanics of innovation, and thrilling fiction.

Motive S-1 Analysis: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Motive's IPO metrics: $501M ARR, 70% gross margin, and 126% enterprise NDR. Key benchmarks for fleet management challenger vs Samsara at IPO.

Scoring 2025's Predictions

Scoring the 2025 technology & venture capital predictions. A review of the IPO market, Google's AI surge, voice interfaces, VC investment levels, & data …

Scoring 2025's Predictions

Scoring the 2025 technology & venture capital predictions. A review of the IPO market, Google's AI surge, voice interfaces, VC investment levels, & data …

12 Predictions for 2026

12 predictions for 2026 : AI agents out-earn people, the web flips to agent-first design, stablecoins hit 30% of global payments, & Cloudflare becomes the …

Thursday is Podcast Day

Analyzing hundreds of tech & VC podcasts through MotherDuck's serverless data warehouse reveals mid-week publishing dominates & content depth has converged.

A Flash of Deflation

Gemini 3 Flash underprices state-of-the-art models by 70-79% while delivering similar performance across 20 benchmarks.

The Bifurcation in the AI Market

OpenRouter data reveals a market splitting in two : enterprises pay for precision in coding workflows while consumers flock to free alternatives for roleplay. …

Is Your AI Funded by Junk Bonds?

Oracle's aggressive AI infrastructure buildout has pushed the company to the brink of junk bond status, revealing the hidden financial risks of the AI gold …

The Average Founder Ages 6 Months Each Year

Statistical analysis reveals evolving trends in founder ages across the startup ecosystem, with implications for investment patterns & ecosystem dynamics.

The Two Context Databases Powering Enterprise AI

Enterprises need a new system of record for AI agents. Context databases come in two varieties : operational & analytical. The key isn't the databases …

The AI Value Gap : Where Does the $7,000 Per Seat Go?

OpenAI's new study shows AI saves workers 54 minutes daily. Analysis of where the $6,800+ in uncaptured value per seat goes & why bundling beats premium …

Streaming Comes into the Fold

IBM acquires Confluent for $11.1 billion at 10x revenue. Analysis of the real-time data streaming leader's growth, profitability & strategic fit with IBM's AI …

From 10 to 31 Tasks Daily : The Agent Inflection Point

Analysis of internal Asana data reveals a statistically significant 'Agent Inflection Point' on Oct 12, 2025, where daily automated task volume tripled & …

Top 10 Posts of 2025

The top 10 posts of 2025 reveal a year dominated by AI infrastructure economics, falling cost curves & fundamental shifts in market structure.

Vercel's AI Sales Agent : 10 SDRs Down to 1 in Six Weeks

Vercel replaced 9 of 10 inbound SDRs with an AI agent in six weeks, using one part-time GTM engineer. Conversion rates held flat while speed improved. The …

Private Equity : The New Distribution Channel for AI Startups

AI startups are discovering PE-backed companies as their fastest path to market. With 14,300 portfolio companies seeking margin expansion & faster decision …

The Bacon & the Skillet: When Does the AI Market Congeal?

The AI market is sizzling with innovation, but when will market share stabilize? An exploration of switching costs, model improvements, & the moment the fat …

The Scaling Wall Was A Mirage

Gemini 3's release and Nvidia's earnings confirm that AI scaling laws are accelerating. Pre-training gains combined with massive infrastructure buildouts signal …

What 375 AI Builders Actually Ship

Production AI is more mature & hybrid than expected : 70% use open source, agents connect to databases over chat, RLFT delivers 16-30% lift, & context remains …

Teaching Local Models to Call Tools Like Claude

We achieved 93% Claude parity in tool calling by distilling large model capabilities into GPT-OSS 20B using DSPy & GEPA prompt optimization with curated …

Running Out of AI

A developer's journey through hitting AI code generation limits & exploring alternatives like API billing, other vendors, & local models.

Datadog: As Reliable as Your Golden Retriever

Datadog's platform transition drives remarkable consistency: 25% YoY growth for 12 straight quarters, 120% net dollar retention recovery, 84% multi-product …

Are We Being Railroaded by AI?

AI infrastructure spending hits $500B in 2024, ranking as the sixth-largest investment in US history. Projected to reach $983B by 2030, surpassing the New Deal …

A 1 in 15,787 Chance Blog Post

A blog post about AI promotions triggered the highest unsubscription rate in this blog's history - a four-sigma statistical event expected once in 15,787 posts.

OpenAI's $1 Trillion Infrastructure Spend

OpenAI has committed to over $1.09T in infrastructure spending from 2025-2035 across Broadcom, Oracle, Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD, Amazon AWS & CoreWeave. …

Small Data Becomes Big Data

How I moved from local DuckDB to cloud with two letters, scaled from 50 to 2,000+ podcasts, & discovered infrastructure that grows without drama.

$555B of Cloud Spend

Microsoft & Google commit $555B in cloud backlog & $232B in annualized capex, driving unprecedented AI infrastructure buildout despite spending 93-137% of cash …

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 …

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 …

Engineering for the AI-Native Era : Office Hours with Calvin French-Owen

Join us for an intimate conversation on building AI-native systems, maintaining velocity at scale, & the future of engineering with Calvin French-Owen, former …

From Columns to Rewards: Automating the Two Pillars That Drive Modern AI

Just as feature engineering defined success in classical ML, reward function design now determines which AI agents win. Today it's craft—tomorrow it may require …

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 …

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?

The Data Pendulum Swings to Consolidation

Fivetran & dbt Labs merge in all-stock deal. The economics reveal why bundling won over best-of-breed in the modern data stack.

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 …

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 …

Building Sales Teams in the Age of AI : Office Hours with Chris Klayko of Databricks

Join Databricks SVP Chris Klayko to learn how to scale sales teams from $100M to $1B+ with insights from his 20-year journey at Google Cloud, UiPath & SAP.

From Books to Prompts: The Instant Future of Productivity

Early adopters are testing productivity systems in hours instead of weeks. The signals suggest AI prompts will eventually subsume the $30 book market.

Circular Financing: Does Nvidia's $110B Bet Echo the Telecom Bubble?

Nvidia's $110B vendor financing strategy mirrors Lucent's telecom bubble playbook. Analyzing customer concentration, GPU-backed debt, depreciation schedules & …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 & …

Coffee, Omelettes, and Five-Course Meals: A New Software Menu

Discover the rise of ephemeral software & instant questions that complement traditional SaaS. Learn how these short-lived AI applications are revolutionizing …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

EvoBlog: Building an Evolutionary AI Content Generation System

Discover how evolutionary AI systems can revolutionize content creation. Learn how multiple LLMs collaborate to generate high-quality blog posts faster and more …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Small Action Models Are the Future of AI Agents

Discover how small action models are revolutionizing AI agents with faster response times and lower costs. Key insights for founders on the future of …

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.

Why Seed Rounds Are Growing as Startups Shrink

Discover why seed rounds under $5M dropped from 62.5% to 33% of deals, as VC fundraising doubled to $81.2B. Key insights for startup founders raising capital.

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 …

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 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 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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Voice, Context & Control: The Three Pillars of Useful AI Email

Discover how to build a personalized AI email assistant that learns your voice, maintains context, and runs locally. Key insights for founders on the future of …

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 …

The Multimodal Lake House : Partnering with Lance

Discover why multimodal AI is transforming startups. Learn how LanceDB tackles massive data scaling challenges, from 10x PDF files to petabyte-scale video …

Fighting for Context

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

DuckLake - Subsecond Latency on a Petabyte

Discover how DuckLake achieves subsecond query speeds on petabyte-scale data lakes using a radically simplified architecture and standard databases.

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 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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

How Monte Carlo's Daily Revenue Model Rewrote Their Strategy

Learn how Monte Carlo transformed from annual contracts to daily revenue, pioneering a new SaaS pricing model for data & AI startups. Key insights for founders.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Impact of AI on Education & What It Means for Work

New research shows AI's dramatic impact on education: 74% boost in STEM learning outcomes & 95% effectiveness as an intelligent tutor. Key data for the future …

A CEO of AI Applications Marks a New Era of AI Competition

Explore how AI leaders compete through personalization and applications, as OpenAI's new CEO of Applications signals a shift toward platform stickiness and user …

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.

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.

Semantic Cultivators : The Critical Future Role to Enable AI

Discover why AI will consume 10x more enterprise data by 2026 and how semantic cultivators bridge the critical gap between machine learning and human context.

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 …

A 1600% Improvement in Sales to Lead Conversion

Explore how ServiceNow achieved 1600% better lead conversion using AI, and what this signals for the future of enterprise SaaS consolidation and sales.

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.

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 …

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 …

Social AI

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

Speed Running a 50 Year Old Software Category

Discover how AI is revolutionizing enterprise ERP, turning 12-month deployments into rapid implementations. New data shows 75% of traditional rollouts fail.

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 …

Beyond ARR: How Monte Carlo Reinvented Their Business with Daily Revenue

Learn how Monte Carlo transformed from ARR to usage-based pricing, driving scalable growth. Key insights on SaaS metrics, revenue models & GTM strategy from CEO …

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 …

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 & …

A Founder's Guide: Essential Sales Advice for Startups

Learn proven sales strategies from analyzing hundreds of startups. Key insights on pricing, team structure, and scaling revenue for sustainable growth.

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.

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 …

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 Digital Hot Dog : Marketing in the Age of AI

Explore how AI transforms content marketing: from webinars to blogs, podcasts & videos. Learn why audience-driven content formats are reshaping B2B marketing …

The Third UI : The Rise & Fall of the Keyboard

Explore how voice AI is disrupting human-computer interaction, making typing 3x faster and transforming tech interfaces. Key insights on the future of UI/UX.

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 & …

Halving R&D with AI & the Impact to Valuation

Discover how AI could halve SaaS R&D costs, boost profitability by 11.4%, and why focusing on growth delivers 5x more enterprise value than cost-cutting.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Why War & Peace Is Killing Your Data Budget

Learn how selective data recalculation can cut your cloud data warehouse costs by 9x. Key insights for startups to optimize their AI/ML transformation spend.

A Founder's Guide: Essential Management Advice for Startups

Learn proven management patterns for scaling startups successfully. Key insights on leadership transitions, team structure, and growth strategies for founders …

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.

Four Marketing Principles That Redefine Markets from Klaviyo's Former CMO

Learn how Klaviyo drove 40% revenue growth through laser-focused ICP targeting. Key marketing principles for startup founders from top SaaS CMOs.

The Complete Guide to SaaS Pricing Strategy

Learn the 3 proven SaaS pricing strategies - maximization, penetration & skimming - to optimize revenue growth and avoid common startup pricing mistakes.

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 …

Auctions in AI : Cost of Capital as a Strategic Advantage

Explore how AI startups leverage cost of capital as a competitive edge in venture funding auctions, transforming traditional fundraising dynamics in tech.

The AI Elbow's Impact : What Reasoning Means for Business

Explore how AI reached a critical inflection point in late 2023, driving exponential performance gains through reasoning capabilities and deep research …

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.

Fast-Track Your Growth: GTM & Marketing Office Hours for SF Founders

Join exclusive SF office hours with former Lightspeed CMO to scale your startup's GTM strategy. Learn proven tactics that drove $150M to $600M ARR growth.

Faster Sales Cycles & Software Buyer Confidence

Discover how AI and cloud tech are driving faster enterprise sales cycles, with new data showing 80%+ quota attainment and renewed SaaS buyer confidence in …

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 …

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.

$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 …

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 …

$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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

From Blank Canvas to a Brilliant Presentation with AI

Learn how AI transforms presentation creation from a 20-hour ordeal to a few-hour process. A VC's framework for building compelling data-driven decks faster.

Why Synthetic Data Is the Secret Weapon for AI Startups in 2025

Building GTM for AI : Office Hours with Maggie Hott

Join OpenAI GTM leader Maggie Hott to learn critical AI go-to-market strategies, common founder mistakes, and actionable insights for early-stage startups.

Tech's $370B Paradox: Why Cash-Rich Giants Might Not Lead 2025's M&A Race

Tech giants hold $370B but pause M&A for AI infrastructure, creating opportunities for mid-market acquisitions as cloud capex hits $200B annually.

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 …

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, …

Desktop, Touch, Browser, Now AI? The Next OS in Computing

Explore how AI is reshaping human-computer interaction, from command lines to modern SaaS. Key insights on the next computing paradigm for startups and tech …

The Intelligence Imperative: How AI Went From Feature to Foundation

Explore how AI dominates 46% of US venture funding in 2024, transforming from a feature to the foundation of modern software companies. Key startup trends & …

Finding the Midnight Snacker : Agentic Marketing

Discover how AI-powered agentic marketing drives 35-75% revenue through personalized recommendations. New data reveals the future of SaaS customer segmentation.

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 …

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.

Why I Let AI Grade My Writing (Just Like My AP English Teacher)

See how AI writing feedback compares to human editors. One VC's journey from B- to A-, with lessons for founders on iterative improvement.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

The Post Election Surge is Unevenly Distributed

Analyze post-election market trends: Crypto surges up to 324% while SaaS multiples remain flat. Key insights on IPO outlook and growth drivers in tech markets.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

AI Prompts as PRDs : Why Prompts Will Become Important IP Assets

Discover how AI prompts are evolving into valuable IP assets for startups. Learn why system prompts are the new PRDs and their impact on product development.

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.

Why Lifetime Value is Relevant Again in Software

Discover why lifetime value metrics matter again in SaaS: New data shows 5% NDR drops and 44-month payback periods reshaping growth strategies in 2024.

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.

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.

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 …

Interwoven with Initia

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

AI Advantage for Startups : Changing the Workflow through Services

Learn how AI-powered services help startups disrupt incumbents by changing customer workflows & internal processes. Key insights for founders competing in SaaS.

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.

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 & …

2024 Theory Ventures Go-to-Market Survey: Optimism Rises Amid Changing Market Dynamics

SaaS founder optimism rises to 6.7/10 in 2024. Sales cycles lengthen 13% while quotas increase 14%. 73% deploy AI but see perception vs reality gap in …

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 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 …

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.

The Dislocation Between Public & Private Web3 Markets

Explore the diverging trends between public and private Web3 markets in 2024, from Bitcoin ETF's $58B surge to varying Series A valuations in venture capital.

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 …

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 …

Things that Used to be Impossible, but are Now Really Hard

Explore how AI is transforming impossible business challenges into solvable problems, from reducing SaaS sales costs to unlocking new minimum viable contract …

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.

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 Ghost in the Machine : Invisible Ads in Generative Search

Explore how AI-powered search transforms digital advertising: from visible sponsored links to invisible content auctions in the context window. Key insights for …

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 …

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 …

Agentic Systems' Sales Cycles

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

The Future of Blockchain Data : Our Investment in Allium

Explore how blockchain data analytics is transforming enterprise: 56% of Fortune 500s build web3 projects as stablecoins outpace Visa 2x in transaction value.

Punctuated Equilibrium in AI : Is it Better to Be A First Mover or A Last Mover?

Explore how AI progress follows punctuated equilibrium and what it means for startup timing. Analysis of Elo scores reveals key patterns in ML model …

No SaaS! How AI Agents Will Change Software Pricing

Explore how AI agents with 3x human productivity will disrupt SaaS pricing models. Key strategies for software companies to adapt pricing in the AI era.

AI Pricing Strategies for SaaS Companies Offering Copilots

Analyze AI pricing strategies across major SaaS platforms. See how companies like Salesforce, Microsoft & Google price their copilots vs base products, with …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

How Much Revenue Must a Company Generate to IPO?

Explore how IPO revenue requirements have doubled since 2018, from $90M to $189M. New data analysis reveals why modern tech startups need more revenue to go …

The Series A Crunch or the Seedpocalypse of 2024

Explore why Series A funding is tightening in 2024, as seed investments outpace later rounds. Data-driven analysis of startup funding trends and metrics.

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 …

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.

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.

One Line of Code Can Wipe a Billion Rows : Investing in Tobiko

Discover how Tobiko's data transformation tech helps startups cut cloud costs by 40% and build time by 80%. Key insights for data-driven founders.

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.

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 …

AI Spending Patterns : It's Not What You Think

Analyze AI spending trends: 78% growth rate decline, yet 105% customer growth. Key metrics show AI companies converging with SaaS norms. Data-driven insights …

BI's Third Form : Office Hours with Benn Stancil

Join Mode co-founder Benn Stancil to explore BI's future, AI's impact on analytics teams, and the truth about SaaS margins in modern software companies.

Are AI Companies Valued Differently Than Non-AI Companies?

Explore how AI companies valuations compare to traditional software firms, analyzing key metrics like revenue growth, sales efficiency, and profitability …

The Fastest Growing Category of Venture Investment in 2024

AI startups raised $18.3B in Q1 2024, on pace for $55B annually. AI now commands 20%+ of all US venture dollars, up from 8% historically.

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.

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.

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 …

When 1% Market Share Shifts Represent $5b of Market Cap

Analyze how AI drives cloud market shifts, with 1% share changes worth $5B in market cap. Key data on Azure vs AWS battle for enterprise AI dominance.

Partnering with Dropzone: Automating Security Operations with AI

Discover how Dropzone's AI transforms enterprise security operations, solving the challenge of 11,000 daily alerts overwhelming SOC teams. Key metrics & …

A Shift in LLM Marketing : The Rise of the B2B Model

Explore how enterprise LLMs like Arctic and DBRX signal a shift from general-purpose AI to specialized B2B models focused on SQL, code, and business logic.

Modern Data Architectures : Jordan Tigani of MotherDuck on Office Hours

Join MotherDuck CEO Jordan Tigani to explore modern data architectures, hybrid cloud solutions, and why big data is dead for most companies. Live insights May …

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.

The Most Profitable Software Company in Q1 2024

Discover how Ethereum leads software profitability with 45% margins, outperforming tech giants like Microsoft and Adobe. Key revenue and market cap analysis for …

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 …

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 …

Extreme PMF : Sustaining Success with Scale

Learn how successful startups sustain product-market fit at scale, with insights from Looker's journey from $16k deals to global SaaS leader across 5 markets.

SUI Generis : Office Hours with Evan Cheng of Mysten Labs

Join Mysten Labs CEO Evan Cheng to explore how DAG-based blockchain tech drove $16B market cap & 3x ecosystem growth. Key insights on web3 performance & …

The Art of Product Management in the Fog of AI

Learn how product managers can design successful AI products despite unpredictable ML outputs. Key strategies for feedback loops and testing in modern 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 …

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 …

Rubrik S-1 - Burning the Boats in Data Security

Analyze Rubrik's S-1: $784M ARR growing 47% with 130% retention, yet facing challenges in transition from on-prem to cloud security SaaS model.

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 …

Selling AI : Category Creation of a Different Flavor

Discover how AI agent startups are redefining B2B sales through category creation. Key insights for founders on positioning & selling next-gen AI solutions.

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 …

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 …

Analyze All the Things : Data Omniscience with Omni

Explore how modern data teams balance centralized control vs self-service analytics. Key insights from Omni's CEO on the future of business intelligence & $20M …

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 …

Why Databases Won't Charge for Storage in the Future

Explore how enterprise databases are evolving: Why companies are moving to open formats, unbundling storage & compute, and what it means for $280M in cloud data …

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.

Looking into the Future of BI With Colin Zima

Join Looker's former CAO Colin Zima to explore the future of business intelligence, AI's role in data analytics, and solving key BI challenges for modern teams.

What Happens When AI Performance Asymptotes?

Explore how AI model performance is converging across vendors and what happens when open-source matches proprietary models in this data-driven analysis.

3 Key Marketing Tactics for Early-Stage Startups: Lessons from a Former Klaviyo & Lightspeed Executive

Learn 3 essential marketing strategies for early-stage startups from a former Klaviyo exec: defining ICPs, positioning tactics & proven growth frameworks that …

What If LLMs Change the Business Model of the Internet?

Explore how AI data licensing could reshape internet business models, as Reddit reveals 10% of revenue now comes from LLM training data sales.

The Secrets to Building Vibrant Communities in Web3 Open-Source

Discover how Web3 open-source projects like Arbitrum ($20B) are revolutionizing community licensing, governance, and value creation in tech startups.

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 & …

Nobody Knows : Steel & Blockchains

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

One of the Biggest Public Offerings in 20 Years

Bitcoin ETFs raise $4.6B in first month, surpassing most major tech IPOs of the past decade. Analysis shows unprecedented investor appetite for crypto vs tech …

Building a $20b Behemoth : Office Hours with Steven Goldfeder of Offchain Labs

Join Steven Goldfeder of Offchain Labs to learn how he built Arbitrum into a $21B web3 platform and revolutionized blockchain scaling through innovative dev …

The Sudden Repricing of Startups in Early 2024

Explore how AI is creating a valuation divide in startups, with AI companies commanding 2.5x multiples and 63% faster growth vs traditional SaaS in 2024.

AI Design Patterns

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

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.

The Fastest Growing Software Sectors in 2024

Discover which software sectors lead growth in 2024: Security (29%) and Data (23%) outpace Fintech & SaaS, commanding 2x higher revenue multiples.

AI Drove the Largest New Bookings of Any New Product

ServiceNow's AI products set record bookings, driving enterprise growth. Analysis of how AI adoption is exceeding forecasts across $150B tech giant's portfolio.

Dissecting Delegation: Diving Deep on The Missing B-School Class

Learn the 4-step framework for effective delegation in startups, based on task maturity levels and metrics-driven feedback. Essential insights for scaling your …

5th Grade Outlining in Mrs. L's Class : Metawriting before the Age of AI

Discover how AI transforms writing and coding workflows, from grade school outlines to modern data analysis. Learn why structured thinking matters more than …

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, …

Open Source Models : What Can We Determine from Download Patterns?

Analyze key trends in open source AI models: 92% use Apache/MIT licenses, with Meta capturing 30% of downloads. Data-driven insights from HuggingFace's top 300 …

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.

Make Hay When the Sun Shines : Liquidity in Startup Exits

Analyze startup exit volatility: 82% chance of 77%+ value swings yearly. Key insights on timing liquidity events in venture capital markets, from web3 to SaaS.

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.

Data Product Teams : Best Practices for a Modern Data Team

Learn how modern data teams operate like software teams: key roles, data product requirements, and proven best practices from ZoomInfo's VP of Data for scaling …

Synthesis as Brilliance : Worldly Wisdom from Charlie Munger

Explore Charlie Munger's mental models for business success, from psychology's impact on investing to the Lollapalooza effect. Key insights for founders and …

Step-Ups & Duration : The Shape of Things to Come to the Series A in 2024

Analyze 2024 Series A trends: Software startups now take 15 months post-seed vs 12 months in 2022, with 2x valuation multiples. Key data for startup founders.

How to Improve Your LLM : Combine Evaluations with Analytics

Learn how to improve LLM performance by combining analytics with evaluation metrics. Key strategies for startup teams building AI products and measuring …

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.

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.

Snow Angels Come Early to Data : Snowflake's Strength Spells Success for Startups

Analysis of Snowflake's Q3: 34% revenue growth signals enterprise SaaS recovery, with AI and unstructured data driving 17x YoY expansion in key segments.

Managing Data as Product : Office Hours with Philip Zelitchenko

Join ZoomInfo VP Philip Zelitchenko to learn how modern data teams operate like software engineering orgs. Key insights on hiring, systems & measuring data team …

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 …

Sudden Disturbances in Rapidly Moving Objects : The Implications of the OpenAI Fiasco

Analysis of OpenAI's leadership crisis, Microsoft's $1.5B AI revenue, and strategic implications for the tech ecosystem. Key insights for startup founders & …

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.

The First Mac Predates Modern Central Banking

Explore how the 115-year history of the Federal Reserve shapes modern startup financing and venture capital markets amid rising interest rates.

The Software Industry's Productivity Boom: Analyzing Revenue per Employee Trends

Explore how modern SaaS companies achieve 2x higher revenue per employee vs 2013, with top performers reaching $400k RPE. Key metrics for startup efficiency.

Purchasing Patterns in Software : Positivity Punctuating Q3

Explore Q3 2023 SaaS purchasing trends: 43% higher contract values, 44-day sales cycles, and why data analytics leads software demand. Key insights for …

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 …

Only The Dogged Thrive : More Good News in Startupland

Explore DataDog's Q3 earnings: AI drives 2.5% of ARR, cloud optimization stabilizes, and enterprise SaaS trends signal positive outlook for startups in 2024.

What's Measured is Managed : Earnings Surprise in Public Software in Q3 2023

Explore how 48% earnings surprises impact SaaS valuations, as revenue growth reclaims the throne as the top metric driving public software company multiples.

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.

The Impact of Anti-trust on M&A in Startupland

Explore how antitrust actions impact startup M&A, with 69% of tech market cap now under regulatory pressure. Key analysis for founders & VCs.

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 …

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.

Top 10 Trends in Data & AI at the Impact Summit

Explore 10 transformative data & AI trends shaping tech in 2024, plus a scorecard on last year's predictions. Key insights for founders & investors.

The Convergence of Data & Software Engineering in the Age of AI

Explore how modern data teams are evolving into core engineering organizations, driven by AI and ML demands. Key parallels in architecture, security & delivery.

Outbound Marketing Fury : Office Hours with Raj Sarkar

Join former Google & Atlassian marketing leader Raj Sarkar to learn how startups can leverage outbound marketing fury for growth - without massive brand spend.

What Loom & Klaviyo Indicate about Exit Valuations

Analyze how Loom & Klaviyo's exit valuations compare to market shifts, revealing key SaaS trends. Data shows -36% vs. +20% normalized returns in 2023.

The PLG Trap : Lessons Learned from Oliver Jay, former CRO at Asana

Learn key lessons from Asana's former CRO on avoiding PLG traps, managing sales-led growth transitions, and driving SaaS revenue growth at scale.

The Promise and Pitfalls of Chaining Large Language Models for Email

Explore the real-world challenges of using AI language models for email automation, from tone control to context handling in venture capital communications.

SaaS Competitive Advantage Through Elegant LLM Feedback Mechanisms

Discover how leading SaaS companies leverage LLM feedback loops to build trust and competitive advantage. Key insights for startup founders and tech leaders.

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 …

Artisanal Emails

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

Avoiding the PLG Trap : Office Hours with Oliver Jay

Join former Asana & Dropbox CRO Oliver Jay to learn how SaaS companies can avoid the PLG trap and successfully scale multiple sales motions for sustainable …

Cisco & Splunk Continue the Trend of SaaS Take Privates

Analyze Cisco's $28B Splunk acquisition: Key SaaS metrics, AI implications, and valuation insights for the 37% growing data analytics leader.

Building Applications with AI - Lessons from LangChain, Hearth, & Context.ai

Discover key insights from LangChain, Hearth & Context.ai founders on building AI applications, infrastructure challenges, and the evolving LLM tech stack.

Building a Generational Business Databrick by Databrick

Compare Databricks vs Snowflake: Inside the $43B startup's financials, 51% growth, and how they're competing in cloud data analytics. Key metrics revealed.

4 Key Takeaways from the AI Panel at Saastr 2023

Discover 4 game-changing AI trends from OpenAI, Lamini & MotherDuck leaders: mass adoption, education transformation & enterprise impact. Key SaaS insights.

A Little Yellow Book in the Corner Bookshelf of a Coffee Shop

Discover how the Art of Possibility's timeless lessons on perspective and leadership apply to modern startups and venture capital. Key insights for founders and …

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 …

The Rise of Data Lakes in Software Architecture

Explore how data lakes and AI are transforming SaaS architecture, enabling companies to unlock insights from both structured and unstructured data at scale.

The Evolution of Open Source Business Models

Explore how open source software companies like MongoDB and Databricks built $100B+ in market value through evolving business models and GTM strategies.

Context.ai - Unlocking Insight into LLM-Based Applications

Discover how Context.ai helps SaaS startups analyze LLM-powered apps, overcome non-deterministic challenges, and optimize AI product experiences.

A New Marketing Behemoth Klaviyo : How 7 Key Benchmarks Stack Up in the S-1

Analyze Klaviyo's S-1: 77.5% revenue from Shopify, 1.03x sales efficiency, and $455M venture capital raised. Key SaaS metrics reveal a data & AI powerhouse.

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. …

The Dawn of AI : Pricing Power & Profits in NVidia's Business

Explore how NVIDIA's AI dominance drives 88% quarterly revenue growth and 141% data center surge, with key metrics on pricing power and market demand.

Mean Reversion: When Will Startup Investing Return to Normal?

Data-driven analysis reveals when venture capital activity will return to normal levels, with predictions of 1000 Seeds & 240 Series A rounds per quarter by …

Seizing the Moment: Strategies for Startups to Outmaneuver Competition in a Turning Economy

Discover how well-capitalized startups can seize opportunities in an improving economy, with 80% of companies beating earnings and cloud growth stabilizing.

Teaching a Computer to Ghoti

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

Surprising Data Points about the Venture Capital Market

Explore key venture capital trends: 20% downrounds, 40% longer fundraising cycles, and stable seed valuations reveal shifting dynamics in 2023's startup market.

How Will a Venture Capital Recovery Feel? Observations from 2008

Analyzing the 2008 financial crisis recovery: How venture capital markets rebounded with 0.98 correlation to public markets. Key patterns for today's downturn.

Busting the Myth: Higher Funding Doesn't Mean Faster Hiring in Startups

New data analysis busts myth: Top-quartile startup funding doesn't predict faster headcount growth. Key insights on capital efficiency and AI-driven scaling in …

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.

The Paradox of AI and Data Roles: How Automation Will Increase Demand for Data Professionals

Despite AI automating 25-50% of data work, demand for data professionals will surge as companies need experts to manage AI systems, validate models & ensure …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

How Markets Value Software Companies in 2023

Discover how public markets value SaaS companies in 2023: Top performers see 40-112% valuation jumps, with growth trumping profitability for elite firms.

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 …

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+ …

Does an AI Premium Exist in the Fundraising Market?

Data analysis reveals AI startups command no valuation premium vs traditional software companies, with 0.98 correlation across funding stages since 2012.

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 …

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.

The AI API : The Twilio Moment for Machine Learning

Explore how AI APIs are transforming startup development, with 90% of companies launching AI features in 2023 using minimal resources - the Twilio moment for ML …

How Much More Efficient Should a SaaS Startup Be When Using AI?

Discover how AI could drive 13% efficiency gains in SaaS startups, with engineering teams seeing 25% productivity boost. Data-driven analysis for tech leaders.

Observations Using LLMs Every Day for Two Months

Learn key insights from 2 months of daily LLM use across data analysis, coding & search. Real-world observations on AI capabilities and limitations for startups …

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.

The Publicly Traded Company Worth 250x More in 10 Years

Discover how Nvidia grew 250x in value over 10 years, driven by AI, gaming, and cloud computing. Key insights on tech market evolution and growth drivers.

High-Flying SaaS Startups' Surge Won't Change the Valuations in Ventureland

Analyze why top SaaS stocks like MongoDB and Snowflake surged 42-112% despite weak earnings. Key insights on valuation trends and market dynamics.

How Should You Staff Your Startup in 2023

Analyze 2023 startup staffing trends: Enterprise Tech 30 data reveals 57% headcount growth, R&D ratios, and hiring patterns across growth stages.

Which AI Model Should You Pick for Your Startup?

Learn when to choose large vs small AI models for your startup. Key decision factors: time-to-market, IP strategy, data security & infrastructure costs.

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.

The Greatest Profitability Turnaround in Software History

Discover how Ethereum achieved a historic $1.9B profitability swing in one year, transforming from massive losses to $130M profits despite an 82% revenue drop.

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.

Every Customer is a Design Partner - Leading Your Sales Motion with Sales Engineering

Learn how startups can scale sales by leading with sales engineering instead of AEs. A data-driven approach to maintaining product-market fit while growing …

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.

Software Spending Growth Will Accelerate by 40% in 2023, But it Doesn't Feel that Way

Explore why software spending will surge 12% in 2024 despite market headwinds. Key data on revenue trends across sectors and growth implications for SaaS …

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.

How Much will the US Early Stage Venture Market Contract in 2023?

Data-driven analysis predicts US early-stage venture capital market to contract 30-60% in 2023, with investments falling from $75B to $30-55B amid rising rates.

ChatGPT & Taylor Swift

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

Economics in the Sometimes Strange World of Web3

Explore how Layer 2 blockchain solutions are driving 97% cost savings and 67% of Ethereum transactions, reshaping web3 economics and startup opportunities.

The 4 Questions Startups Should Ask Themselves about Building with Generative AI

Discover 4 crucial questions startups must answer when building with AI. Learn how Goldman Sachs projects AI will drive 300x more GDP growth than PCs did.

Theory

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

The Change in Burn Multiple for Startups in 2023

Discover how startup burn multiples are shifting in 2023, with efficient companies increasing spend 14-40% while others cut by 70%. Key metrics for SaaS …

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 Typical Startup Saw a 24% Increase in Sales Cycle in 2023

New data reveals startup sales cycles increased 24% in 2023, with enterprise deals taking 36% longer. Key benchmarks for SaaS founders across market segments.

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 …

Take a Breath

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

2023 Go-to-Market Survey - Understanding How Startups Have Shifted in 2023

Explore how startups adapted GTM strategies in 2023: sales cycles, burn rates, and efficiency metrics. New data reveals key shifts in SaaS growth tactics.

How ChatGPT Will Restructure Engineering Teams & Create Opportunity for Startups

Discover how ChatGPT is driving the merger of data science and core engineering teams, creating new opportunities for AI startups and product innovation.

Pulp Nonfiction : What I Learned Writing a Blog Post with ChatGPT

Discover how ChatGPT performs as an AI copy-editor through hands-on testing. Key insights on writing automation, editing efficiency, and practical AI …

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.

The Implications of Increased Regulatory Scrutiny for Startup Acquisitions

Explore how increased regulatory scrutiny impacts startup exits, M&A timelines, and deal success. Key insights from recent $20B+ tech acquisitions.

Which Customer Segments are Healthiest During the Downturn?

Explore how different SaaS customer segments perform during economic downturns, revealing trends in growth rates across enterprises, mid-market, and SMBs.

A Flare Across the Clouds : Cloudflare's Earnings Report

Analyze Cloudflare's resilient 48% growth vs slowing cloud giants. Key insights on enterprise revenue trends and buying patterns for SaaS founders and …

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.

The Compounding Advantage of a Big Chip Stack in a Downturn

Learn how startups with strong balance sheets gain compounding advantages in downturns, driving 3x faster growth and market dominance through strategic cash …

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 …

Microsoft as a Mirror - What We Can Expect for SaaS in 2023

Analyze Microsoft's Q4 earnings to forecast 2023 SaaS trends: Azure growth down 15%, enterprise spending slows, and key data signals for startup leaders.

How Layoffs in Startupland Differ Between B2B & B2C Companies

Explore how B2B startup layoffs outpace B2C for the first time since 2020, with data-driven analysis of headcount reductions across tech sectors in 2023.

Is the Suite Strategy Right for Your SaaS Startup?

Explore 3 proven paths to SaaS scale: single-product focus, acquisitions, or suite strategy. Analysis of how startups like Rippling build $100M+ ARR businesses.

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 …

Rabbits on Firetrucks : Generating Images for B2B Blog Posts Using AI

Explore how AI image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E perform for B2B blog content. Real examples, results, and lessons learned from testing AI art in …

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 …

The Startup M&A Market Fell 94% Year over Year - But One Segment Thrives

US startup M&A plunged 94% to $2.1B in Q4 2022, hitting a 20-year low. Analysis reveals acquihires dominate as median deal value drops 72% to $22M.

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.

My Quest for Speed - Learning to Use My Computer the Fastest Way Possible

Discover how switching to terminal-based tools can boost your productivity 100x, with insights on reducing computer latency from 10 seconds to milliseconds for …

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 …

From a $200k Annual Burn to Raising $80m+ : Notes from Office Hours with Fredrik Haga

Discover how Dune's founders went from bootstrapping on $200k/year to raising $80M+ in venture capital. Key lessons on startup resilience and finding …

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 …

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Sand Hill Road

Explore how Series A startup funding evolved from runway-focused to dilution-based as VC grew 40x, with median headcount doubling from 15 to 28 since 2010.

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 …

What the $6B Coupa Acquisition Means for Software Startups

Analyze Coupa's $6.2B PE acquisition: 8.4x revenue multiple, 31% premium signals SaaS valuations upside. Key metrics reveal PE's focus on cash flow vs growth.

PLG & Profitability : More Product Doesn't Necessarily Mean Greater Profits

Discover why PLG companies now trail sales-led firms in profitability by 10%. New data reveals shifting SaaS business models and spending patterns in 2023.

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.

Napoleon's Influence on the Modern Data Stack : hyperdimensional Analysis with Malloy

Explore how Napoleon's March visualization revolutionized data analysis, and discover Malloy's groundbreaking approach to multi-dimensional data exploration in …

The Uniswap Token Launch : Tokens as CAC Part II

Analyze Uniswap's $1200 token airdrop strategy: Only 6.7% of users retained tokens, revealing key insights for web3 growth and user acquisition metrics.

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.

The Best Time of Year to Raise for Your Startup

Discover how Series A fundraising seasonality has evolved since 2014, with new data showing deal counts dropping from 90 to 50 monthly in 2022's shifting …

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 …

My Laptop is Faster than Your Cloud : Announcing MotherDuck

Discover why MotherDuck's $47.5M funding proves local data processing beats cloud computing. Analysis of DuckDB's rise in modern data infrastructure.

Office Hours with Fredrik Haga of Dune : What is the Future of Web3 post-FTX?

Join Dune CEO Fredrik Haga to explore Web3's future post-FTX, data-driven insights on crypto markets, and building startups in challenging conditions.

Soft in the Middle - Examining Your Startup's Org Chart

Learn how span of control impacts startup efficiency: increasing manager oversight from 3 to 8 direct reports boosts IC headcount from 69% to 88% of total …

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.

Cutting R&D to Grow GTM Spend : Is it Happening Across Software Companies?

Analyze how SaaS companies allocate spend between R&D and sales: PLG startups invest 33% in R&D vs 25% for sales-led firms. Key data trends 2017-2023.

Sales Efficiency through Covid : Reading the Tea Leaves for Startups

Analyze how COVID-19 impacted SaaS sales efficiency, from 52% to 47%. Key insights on market trends and CAC for startup founders and investors.

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.

Would You Leave the Cloud to Improve Sales Efficiency by 11%?

Discover how leaving the cloud can boost startup sales efficiency by 11% and net margins by 12%. Key data on infrastructure costs and SaaS profitability.

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.

Antifragility as a Competitive Advantage in 2022

Learn how startups can build antifragile businesses in 2022 by targeting non-cyclical customers. Data shows resilient SaaS companies outperform in market …

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 …

Office Hours with Carilu Dietrich - Marketing for Hypergrowth Companies

Join Carilu Dietrich, who scaled Atlassian's marketing from $150M to $450M through IPO, for insights on PLG, SaaS positioning & growth strategies.

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 …

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.

Are We Seeing the Beginning of SaaS Consolidation?

Explore how enterprise SaaS is evolving, from 500 to 3000+ vendors in 3 years. Key data shows average companies now use 613 cloud apps. Is consolidation coming?

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.

Figma's 50x ARR Multiple & What it Means for Startup Fundraising

Adobe's $20B Figma acquisition at 50x ARR challenges SaaS valuations amid the market downturn. Analysis of what this means for startup multiples & M&A trends.

Your Customers' Profitability is Your Startup's Future Health

Learn why customer profitability matters for startups: Compare EBITDA margins across industries (6-33%) to identify the most lucrative market segments for your …

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.

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 …

200% NDR: What Does it Take to Achieve this Stellar Milestone?

Discover what it takes for SaaS startups to achieve 200% net dollar retention. Analysis of expansion strategies and growth metrics from top performers like …

Why We'll See More New Types of Web3 Apps in the Next Year

Analyze Web3 revenue trends across sectors: NFT markets down 62%, DeFi stable. Key data reveals shifting dynamics in crypto winter & emerging opportunities.

Don't Look Now But Web3 Companies are Beginning to Trade Like their Web2 Counterparts

Analyze Web3 revenue multiples across blockchain sectors, from NFT marketplaces to L1s. New data reveals surprising growth correlations vs Web2 companies.

Fundraising in 2022: Where We Are & Where We're Going

Explore how 2022's fundraising landscape impacts startups: 70% valuation drops, 20% fewer rounds, and key insights for founders navigating market uncertainty.

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 …

Omni - A Big Step Forward in the Decade of Data

Explore how Omni's $27M Series A and innovative data modeling approach is transforming modern BI, building on Looker's legacy in enterprise analytics.

How to Structure a Startup Sales Team for Optimal Land & Expand

Learn proven strategies for structuring SaaS sales teams, from land & expand quotas to NDR optimization, with insights from former Marketo & Pendo sales …

The Trillion Dollar Empire that Started with a Coupon

Discover how Bill Gross turned bond coupons into PIMCO's $2T empire. A venture story of financial innovation, market creation, and startup growth.

Growth is No Longer the Best Predictor of a Software Company's Value

Discover why net income has surpassed revenue growth as the top predictor of SaaS valuations, with correlation jumping from 0.12 to 0.71 since 2020.

Do PE Acquisitions of Public Startups Imply We've Hit a Pricing Bottom?

Analyze 5 major PE acquisitions of public SaaS companies in 2022, totaling $38B. Key data on growth rates, multiples & profitability reveal surprising valuation …

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 Math Behind Starting a Successful Software Startup

Discover how successful software startups generate 10x returns on venture capital. Analysis of 30-year fundraising trends reveals key patterns in startup …

How Much Should You Expect Your Startup to Slow in 2022? About 21%.

Learn how cloud infrastructure growth rates declined 21% in 2022, with data-driven insights to help startup founders adjust growth forecasts and planning.

Office Hours with Bill Binch: Structuring Sales Teams for Success

Join legendary sales leader Bill Binch to learn proven strategies for sales team structure, compensation models, and evolving SaaS sales practices over 3 …

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.

How to Structure Your Sales Compensation Plan to Deliberately Undersell

Learn how to structure SaaS sales compensation plans that reward deliberate underselling, with proven tactics for balancing initial deals and expansion revenue …

How Important is Your Software to Your Customer? It's Time to Find Out.

Learn how software companies can survive budget cuts by proving ROI and TCO. Key insights on selling mission-critical SaaS during recession and 20% budget …

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 …

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 …

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.

A Masterclass in Sales Development from Lars Nilsson at Snowflake

Learn proven sales development strategies from Snowflake's Lars Nilsson: when to hire SDRs vs AEs, building enterprise pipeline, and scaling GTM motions for …

The Missing Letter from the English Alphabet

Discover how the ampersand (&) was once the 27th letter of the English alphabet, and what its modern resurgence means for business communication efficiency.

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 …

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 …

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.

Office Hours with Lars Nilsson, VP of Global Sales Development at Snowflake

Join Lars Nilsson, Snowflake's Sales VP, to learn proven B2B sales strategies from a leader who's guided 5 startups to IPO. Live insights on navigating market …

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 …

Asking Users to Complete Tough Mudders to Use Your Product

Learn why web3 startups face 19-month payback periods and how complex user onboarding leads to 60-75% user drop-off. Key insights for improving funnel metrics.

Coinbase & Uniswap: How 7 Key Benchmarks Stack Up

Compare how Coinbase & Uniswap's key metrics stack up: revenue multiples, efficiency metrics & business models reveal surprising insights for crypto investors.

The Web3 Marketing Stack: The Next Big Wave in Crypto

Explore how Web3 marketing differs from Web2: new analytics, token metrics, and user tracking. Key insights for startups building the next wave of crypto tech.

Defending a Startups Greatest Asset through Recession & Recovery

Learn how Twilio scaled from $15M to $1B+ ARR through 3 recessions. Former CFO shares key insights on usage-based pricing and talent retention strategies for …

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.

What's Better than a Cookie? A Wallet - How Crypto Will Revolutionize Marketing

Could crypto wallets replace cookies as Web3's user acquisition engine? Explore how the $50M marketing challenge reveals the need for new digital advertising …

Office Hours with Lee Kirkpatrick, former Twilio CFO on Managing through Turbulence

Join former Twilio CFO Lee Kirkpatrick to learn SaaS survival strategies from 4 major market downturns, usage-based pricing insights, and runway extension …

The New Key Competitive Advantage for Web3 Startups

Discover how Web3 startups can gain competitive edge through data-driven marketing analytics, token efficiency, and blockchain-based user insights in a tighter …

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.

Top 10 Insights from the 2022 Startup Sentiment Survey

Explore key findings from 500 startup founders: 45% expect slower growth, 89% predict lower valuations, and SaaS shows resilience in 2022 market conditions.

The Macroeconomic Signal to Watch for Software & Infrastructure Startups

Analyze key revenue growth trends from top SaaS & cloud companies to predict market shifts. Data from Salesforce, AWS & Azure reveal critical signals for …

Office Hours for 2022 Market Conditions Market Survey Results

Join VC expert Tomasz Tunguz for key insights from 2022 Market Survey: startup valuations, fundraising trends, and data-driven forecasts for founders in …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

5 Key Data Points about the Early Venture Market in Q1 2022

Explore 5 crucial Q1 2022 venture trends: record deal volume, 83% up-rounds, $30M seed valuations, and shifting early-stage dynamics in startup funding.

Product-Market Fit in Different Capital Environments

Explore how capital availability shapes startup growth strategies, from 2008's $1M ARR requirements to today's 5x growth rates in top-performing SaaS companies.

The Critical Question Facing Web3 Infrastructure Startups

Explore the key infrastructure challenges facing Web3 startups: managing multiple tokens vs centralized payments. Will stablecoins solve the complexity problem?

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 …

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 …

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.

Revenue, Revenue Everywhere. Not a Dollar to Count

Learn how fast-growing startups can avoid revenue tracking chaos. Key lessons from Airbnb's journey to consistent metrics and data-driven decision making at …

Free SaaS Enabled Marketplaces - A Novel Go-To-Market for Software Startups

Discover how free SaaS-enabled marketplaces are disrupting traditional software pricing models and creating new revenue opportunities for startups in 2024.

Four Fundamental Innovations of Web3 that Will Upend Web2 Incumbents

Explore 4 transformative Web3 innovations disrupting trillion-dollar markets: ownership records, token economics, and how startups can compete with tech giants.

$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.

Inflation and Deflation in Web2 and Web3 Startups

Explore how share count inflation differs between Web2 SaaS startups and crypto projects, with data-driven analysis of public companies like Dropbox and …

Startup Self-Repricing as a Recruiting Tool

Explore how startup self-repricing at 40% below previous valuations could become a powerful recruiting tool in today's competitive talent market.

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 …

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.

Usage Based Pricing: 3 Questions to Ask Before Leaping

Discover 3 critical questions to evaluate usage-based pricing for your SaaS startup. Data-driven insights on when UBP works best vs traditional models.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 & …

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 …

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 …

The Next Key Innovation in the Shift-Left Movement

Discover how shift-left innovation enables safer production development in microservices architectures. Key insights for startup CTOs on reducing coordination …

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 …

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 …

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.

The New Discipline Web3 Software Companies Must Develop

Learn why web3 B2B startups must master treasury management as crypto payments create new financial complexities. Key strategies for balancing tokens vs …

If You Had $10k to Invest, Which Stock Would You Buy?

Compare 4 SaaS companies' growth vs valuation metrics, from 65-125% ARR growth and 10-50x multiples. Key insights for startup founders and investors.

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 …

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.

Why You Should Expect Your VP Product to Sign Up for a Lead Quota

Discover why modern VPs of Product need revenue targets in SaaS. Data shows 55% of PLG companies merge product and sales for optimal growth metrics.

Dremio - A Foundational Component of the Modern Data Stack

Discover how Dremio grew from startup to $2B data lakehouse leader, transforming enterprise data analytics for Amazon, Microsoft & Goldman Sachs.

How Will the 52% Correction in the Stock Market Impact the Startup Fundraising Market?

Analyze how the 52% public market correction impacts startup funding rounds, with data showing divergent effects on Series A vs. Series D valuations in 2022.

Is Compensation Stagnation to Blame for the Great Resignation?

Analyze compensation trends driving the Great Resignation: Data shows tech executive pay grew 14-26% since 2010, while equity grants shifted dramatically for …

How Correlated are the Web 2 and Web 3 Software Markets?

Discover the 0.76 correlation between Web3 and SaaS markets in this data-driven analysis of crypto and software valuations amid Fed rate hikes.

Do Data Startups Command a Premium in the Fundraising Market?

Discover how data startups now command a 75% valuation premium in VC funding rounds - analyzing 10+ years of trends in startup valuations and market data.

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 …

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 & …

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.

Mark-to-Market Rounds - What Will Your Startup's Strategy Be?

Explore how mark-to-market funding rounds are transforming startup valuations, bringing private markets closer to public trading dynamics every 6-9 months.

Tokens as CAC - Are Crypto Companies More or Less Efficient in Acquiring Customers?

Compare Web3 vs Web2 customer acquisition costs: data shows crypto companies spend 4-7x more on community building vs traditional enterprise sales & marketing.

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.

Partnering with Mysten Labs to Build Foundational Infrastructure for Web3

Discover why Redpoint invested in Mysten Labs, a Web3 infrastructure startup solving blockchain scalability and crypto security through next-gen technology.

How Stripe Scaled - Notes from Office Hours with Claire Hughes Johnson

Learn scaling insights from Stripe's former COO Claire Hughes Johnson on manager guides, goal frameworks, and aligning fast-growing startups for success.

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 …

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 …

The Need for Two Types of Payback Period Calculations

Learn why SaaS startups need two payback period calculations: comparing annual vs monthly contracts reveals hidden capital efficiency metrics for 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.

Using the Reversal Mental Model to Invest Better

Learn how reversing investment analysis helps VCs evaluate startup valuations, from 100x ARR multiples to market expectations. A data-driven framework for …

Hex - The Best Product for the Technical Analyst

Discover how Hex is revolutionizing data analytics by solving key notebook sharing & collaboration challenges for technical teams. A VC perspective on the …

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 …

The Two Cap Tables of Crypto Companies: What They Are and How They Relate to Each Other

Understand how crypto companies manage dual cap tables: equity vs. tokens. Analysis of ownership splits, community allocation (55%), and treasury dynamics.

Passive Investing in Venture Capital and the Parallels to Public Equities

Explore how passive investing is reshaping venture capital, with 54% of public market funds now passive. Key insights on the evolution of startup funding …

Redpoint Office Hours with Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO at Stripe

Join former Stripe COO Claire Hughes Johnson to learn scaling strategies from the $95B fintech giant. Key insights on product expansion & operational excellence …

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.

Crypto Companies Insider Ownership is Approaching that of Classic Startups

Analyze how crypto startup insider ownership evolved from 20% to 58%, approaching traditional startup levels. New data reveals shifting token distribution …

Height - The Project Management Tool for the Modern Worker

Discover Height, a revolutionary project management tool built for modern teams. See how this Redpoint-backed startup is transforming cross-functional …

The IMPACT Conference on the Modern Data Stack

Join tech leaders from Snowflake, Databricks & more at IMPACT to explore the Modern Data Stack revolution reshaping how companies leverage data infrastructure.

GitLab S-1 Analysis: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze GitLab's impressive IPO metrics: 87% revenue growth, 88% margins, and 148% net retention. Key benchmarks for the first all-remote public software …

Scaling and Measuring an Effective Developer Relations Organization

Learn how to scale and measure developer relations with expert Shawn Wang. Discover the 4 pillars of DevRel, key metrics, and proven strategies for building …

What is the Product the Customer Buys Before They Buy Yours?

Learn how successful SaaS companies analyze customer buying sequences to boost sales. Mid-market firms use 137+ tools - discover what comes before yours.

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.

Benchmarking Amplitude's S-1: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Amplitude's S-1 metrics: 49.7% revenue growth, 119% net retention, and $98.6K ACV reveal a strong enterprise SaaS player in the analytics market.

Per Seat or Per Use Pricing: A Framework for Evaluating the Right Strategy for Your Startup

Learn how to choose between per-seat vs usage-based SaaS pricing models with this data-driven framework for maximizing revenue and customer acquisition.

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.

Preset Cloud - The Visualization Layer for the Modern Data Stack

Discover how Preset Cloud is transforming data visualization with 40k+ GitHub stars. Analysis of this key player in the modern data stack & VC investment …

The Secret to Recruiting Quickly and Retaining Your People

Learn why investing in great managers early is the key to faster startup recruiting and better retention. Data shows hierarchical structures triple hiring …

The Optimal Pricing Strategy for Your Startup - Office Hours with Madhavan Ramanujam

Join VC expert Madhavan Ramanujam to learn optimal startup pricing strategies, from per-seat vs usage pricing to communicating changes. Based on 200+ SaaS …

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.

The Decline of Venture Debt at the Early Stage

Explore why venture debt is shifting to later-stage startups as early-stage valuations double. New data shows how funding dynamics are evolving in 2021.

Data Meshes, Apache Iceberg & Project Nessie - Novel Ideas in the Data World

Explore how Data Meshes, Apache Iceberg & Project Nessie are reshaping cloud data architecture. Key insights on decentralized data teams & modern storage …

The Journey From Fortune 100 Executive to Startup Entrepreneur

Join Padmasree Warrior's journey from Fortune 100 CTO to startup founder. Learn key leadership insights from the former Cisco & Motorola exec now leading social …

The Next Step Forward for Conversational Intelligence - Chorus & ZoomInfo

Explore how Chorus's $575M acquisition by ZoomInfo marks a milestone for AI-powered sales intelligence and the evolution of conversational analytics in SaaS.

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 …

Innovation in the Financial Markets: Seventy Years of Hedge Funds

Explore 70 years of hedge fund innovation, from the first data-driven strategies in 1949 to modern quantitative investing. Key lessons for tech investors.

The Great Game of Risk Played in Category Creation, and Why the Winning Strategy is Aggression

Learn why aggressive category creation beats capital conservation in SaaS startups. Key insights on market positioning, buyer psychology & startup growth …

The Productivity Implications of Working from Home Across 150,000 Employees

Analysis of 150k employees reveals WFH increases work hours by 40% but reduces productivity. Key data on remote vs office performance metrics for tech leaders.

The Figures that Will Move the Venture Capital Market in the Next 3-5 Years

Explore how rising interest rates could reshape venture capital markets, with data-driven analysis of the correlation between Treasury yields and VC investment …

Executive Recruiting as Competitive Advantage - The 3 Knock-On Effects of Failed Executive Hires

Discover the true cost of failed executive hires in startups: 9 months lost, plus 3 major ripple effects on team building, retention, and employer brand.

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.

The One Force that Will Govern How We Return to Work

How competition will shape the future of startup work models, from recruiting to product development. Key insights for founders on navigating remote vs office …

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 …

How to Cut a Path through the Jungle of Regulatory Compliance

Learn how startups can navigate GDPR, CCPA & data privacy regulations. Expert insights on protecting customer data while scaling your tech company compliantly.

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 …

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 Identity Crisis Facing Open Source Companies in the Cloud

Explore the strategic dilemma facing open source companies: choosing between on-prem and cloud SaaS models, and how it impacts startup revenue and growth.

UIPath S-1 Analysis: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze UIPath's meteoric SaaS growth from $169M to $580M ARR, with key metrics showing how the RPA leader transformed its enterprise strategy.

The Importance of Building & Maintaining Great Developer Documentation

Learn how top B2D startups like Stripe & Twilio build winning developer documentation. Key insights from Trailhead co-founder on scaling dev ecosystems.

How Selling Has Changed Post-COVID, and How it Will Change Again Afterwards

Discover how AI data reveals post-COVID sales trends: 50% more meetings needed, 34% higher success with managers present, and why storytelling drives SaaS …

This is the Most Ridiculous Use of Money Management I've Ever Heard. What is Wrong with You?

Learn how George Soros turned a bold 200% position into a legendary trade. Key lessons on conviction investing and risk-taking in venture capital and startups.

How Much is 20% More NDR Worth to Your SaaS Startup?

Discover how a 20% increase in net dollar retention can make your SaaS startup 4.2x larger in 5 years. Real data from DataDog, NewRelic & AppDynamics.

The Feedback Loops in Data that Will Change SaaS Architecture

Discover how cloud data warehouses are driving the next major architectural shift in SaaS, transforming how applications store and leverage data across …

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 …

The Most Popular Startup Domain Suffixes - .com, .co, .gg - Which is Best for Your Business?

Explore how startup domain choices have evolved: .com usage dropped from 89% to 64%, while .co and .ai rise. Data-driven analysis of the best domain suffix for …

The Most Effective Tools and Techniques for Selling Today - Office Hours with Jim Benton

Join Chorus.ai CEO Jim Benton to explore modern sales tactics, analyzing 35M sales calls to reveal how top SaaS teams drive revenue in 2021's digital-first …

How Much Should You Bet To Maximize Your Investments, or Your Company's Odds of Success?

Learn how the Kelly criterion helps founders and investors optimize capital allocation. See how a 15% IRR vs 8% S&P strategy maximizes returns while minimizing …

Eliminating Data Downtime with Data Observability - Why We Partnered with Monte Carlo Data

Discover why Redpoint invested in Monte Carlo's data observability platform - eliminating data downtime for modern startups through AI-powered pipeline …

How to Be a Great COO: Lessons Learned Leading a Unicorn to Success

Learn how a top COO scaled a SaaS startup from $1M to $1.1B exit. Key insights on hiring COOs, startup scaling, and building successful management teams.

A Common and Critical Mistake When Forecasting Next Year's Bookings

Learn why using average vs median quota attainment can derail your SaaS startup's growth forecasts. Key insights for more accurate sales planning in 2024.

The Five Flavors of ARR - New Definition, Same Great Multiple

Explore how the definition of ARR has evolved in startups and SaaS, impacting valuations and investment metrics. Key insights for founders and VCs.

The Secret to Keeping Your Software Running and Keeping Customers Happy

Learn how chaos engineering drives 99%+ uptime: New data shows startups running daily tests achieve 92% reliability. Key insights for cloud-native success.

Information as Surprise - Harness Claude Shannon's Key Idea

Learn how Claude Shannon's information theory concept of surprise applies to startups, content strategy & attention economics in the digital age. Key insights …

Internal Communication - Why it Matters More than Ever & How to Succeed

Learn why internal communications is critical for remote startup success and get actionable tips from Google & YouTube's former comms leader on scaling team …

Cloud Data Lakes - The Keystone to the Decade of Data

Explore how cloud data lakes are transforming enterprise analytics in 2021. Key insights from AWS, Tableau & tech leaders on the future of data infrastructure.

The Fastest Growing Sectors of Startup Fundraising in 2020

Discover 2020's fastest-growing startup sectors, from quantum computing's 100% growth to dating apps and battery tech. Data-driven analysis of US funding trends …

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 Missing Insight Around Software Multiples for Valuing Companies

Discover why fast-growing SaaS companies command exponentially higher valuations, not just 2x. Data-driven analysis of software multiples for startup founders & …

Information Cascades - How Many Rational People Can Make Logical Decisions and Yet Still Create a Bubble

Discover how rational decision-making can create market bubbles through information cascades - a data-driven analysis of group behavior in venture capital and …

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 …

Why Remote Work Changes the Nature of Leadership, and the Kinds of Leaders to Recruit in Startups

Discover how remote work transforms startup leadership requirements, based on data from Github's 70% remote workforce and new research on distributed team …

Why Fast Learning Curves are So Important to Startups

Learn why rapid learning curves are essential for startup success, with real examples of scaling from 25 to 126 employees and managing hypergrowth challenges.

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.

Do You Lose Sales Opportunities Because of Sales Execution or Product Insufficiency?

Learn how to diagnose if low sales conversion rates (<20%) stem from product insufficiency or sales execution issues. Data-driven insights for SaaS founders.

The Three Questions to Ask When Hiring Your Startup's Head of Sales

Learn 3 essential questions to evaluate sales leadership candidates from HubSpot's former CRO. Scale your SaaS startup from $2M to $50M ARR with proven hiring …

Where to Start if You're Curious about Macroeconomics Today

Explore how economic history shapes today's startup environment through key monetary systems: Gold Standard, Bretton Woods & Petrodollar. Essential VC insights.

Top 10 Learnings from Startups to a $100M+ ARR General Manager, Linda Tong

Learn 10 key insights from Linda Tong's journey from startup founder to $100M+ GM at AppDynamics. Essential lessons on scaling teams, culture & leadership in …

Building a Product-Led Growth Machine: Office Hours with GC Lionetti

Learn how Confluent's CMO built a product-led growth engine that doubled revenue YoY and reached $4.5B valuation. Key insights for SaaS founders & leaders.

It's Supposed to Be Hard. You're Changing the World.

Building successful startups is hard - even for unicorns. A VC's perspective on navigating challenges, from fundraising to remote teams, based on 12+ years of …

Voodoo, Obsidian & Zettlekasten - A Modern Way of Taking Notes

Discover how modern note-taking systems like Zettlekasten can boost your productivity. Learn the method that helped one theorist publish 58 books in 30 years.

How a Merger of Salesforce and Slack Would Change the SaaS Landscape

Analyze how a potential Salesforce-Slack merger would reshape SaaS competition, channel dynamics, and enterprise messaging - key insights for startup leaders …

The Supercharger Boosting Startupland Fundraising and Exits

Discover how low interest rates are supercharging venture capital in 2020, driving $57B in VC fundraising, higher startup valuations, and accelerated exits.

From Hyper Growth to Hyperscale: What I Learned Managing Small and Massive Teams

Learn how Linda Tong scaled teams from startup to enterprise, sharing key management insights from Google, NFL, and AppDynamics. Growth lessons for founders.

More Activity Means More Business. Don't Overthink It.

Learn how successful startups drive sales growth through high-volume prospect engagement. Key insights from Founding Sales on building relationships and scaling …

How Developer Marketing Parallels Consumer Marketing

Discover how developer marketing mirrors consumer strategies through influencer partnerships, brand building, and community engagement in modern B2B tech …

The Parallels in the Culture Between the Two Category Defining Companies

Discover striking cultural parallels between Netflix and Bridgewater, two category-defining companies. Key insights on radical candor, talent density, and …

How Many Technologies Can a Company Adopt at Once?

Discover how modern companies balance centralized IT and employee-driven tech adoption. Key insights on scaling software deployment while managing …

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 …

Why IPOs, Direct Listings, and SPACs Will Flourish in Startupland

Discover why high-growth SaaS valuations are surging, with 50%+ growth companies seeing 6x ARR multiple expansion. Key data on IPO, SPAC & direct listing …

Just How Inaccurate are Quarterly Venture Capital Activity Reports?

Discover how venture capital data reporting varies by stage: seed rounds underreported by 40%, while Series C only 2%. Key analysis for startup founders & …

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 …

Notes from Office Hours with Kimbre Lancaster on How to Run Successful Virtual Events

Learn proven strategies for successful virtual events from a former theater pro. Key insights on audience engagement, planning frameworks, and metrics for …

Redpoint Office Hours with Medha Agarwal & Shopify’s Kaz Nejatian

Join Redpoint VC & Shopify's fintech leader to explore how startups can integrate financial services, from payments to lending. Key insights for founders & tech …

How to Predict the Forward Multiple of a Software Company

Learn how revenue growth and sales efficiency predict SaaS company valuations, with data from 60 public companies. Get the formula to estimate forward multiples …

Why Burnout Should be a Topic at Your Next Board Meeting, and What to Do About It

Learn how remote work increases productivity 25% but drives burnout. Key insights for startup leaders on managing team wellbeing and sustainable growth in the …

How to Maximize the Impact of Your Website When Targeting Two Personas

Learn proven strategies for targeting both technical users and business buyers on your SaaS website. Data-driven tips to optimize conversion for dual-persona …

Can You Still Make Money Starting a SaaS Company?

Explore the untapped potential in SaaS: With only 32% market penetration and $720B annual opportunity, learn if building a SaaS startup is still profitable in …

Your Responsibility as a Manager is to Hire 7 People

Learn why successful startup leaders must build a 7-person leadership team, backed by data showing optimal team size for growth and quota attainment in tech …

Redpoint Office Hours with Kimbre Lancaster on Hosting Successful Virtual Events

Join Gremlin's former Director of Events to learn proven strategies for successful virtual events, lead generation, and remote marketing in this exclusive …

A Quick Diagnostic to Determine if Your Sales & Marketing Teams are Aligned

Learn how to diagnose sales & marketing alignment in B2B startups using pipeline slope analysis. Key metrics and actionable insights for startup leaders.

Asana S-1 Analysis - Comparing One Productivity Powerhouse to Another

Compare Asana vs Smartsheet IPO metrics: 85.8% growth, 86.1% margins & $2165 ACV reveal how this SaaS leader built a $142M productivity powerhouse.

Why Startups Should Establish Qualifying Signals for Sales Teams Early On

Learn how startups can scale sales by identifying key qualifying signals - from external growth metrics to product usage data. Essential insights for SaaS …

Month Zero Cash-on-Cash Payback - A Metric for Judging Sales Team Growth

Learn how Month Zero Cash-on-Cash Payback helps SaaS startups measure sales efficiency. A data-driven analysis of this key revenue metric for growth-focused …

Redpoint Office Hours with Tyler McNally from Gainsight

Join Gainsight's VP of Customer Experience to learn proven B2B SaaS growth strategies and early-stage customer success best practices for startups.

Conflicting Data on the State of the US Early Stage Market

Analyzing conflicting early-stage investment data: AngelList shows resilient seed funding vs. 40% drop in Crunchbase data. Key metrics reveal 2020 market …

The Secret to Productive Group Meetings over Video

Discover how remote teams can transform unproductive group meetings using a simple Google Docs technique that drives 100% participation and better …

Inside Rounds Have Become a Sign of Strength at the Series B

Data analysis reveals shifting venture capital dynamics: inside rounds at Series B now signal company strength, not weakness. Key fundraising trends from 10 …

The Five Important Trends in Data, and the One Megatrend Powering Them All

Discover 5 transformative data trends reshaping tech, from cloud data lakes to the rise of data engineers. Key insights from 5000+ industry leaders at …

How to Recruit a Marketing Team with Great Product Marketing and Demand Generation Abilities

Learn how top SaaS startups structure marketing teams between product marketing and demand gen, with data from 2M+ LinkedIn profiles and expert insights.

The Best Economic History Books According to Readers

Discover 6 essential economic history books recommended by VCs and founders, covering financial crashes, market psychology, and risk analysis in modern markets.

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 …

An Economic History of the US in Five Stock Market Crashes

Explore 5 pivotal US stock market crashes and their common triggers: low interest rates, novel financial products, and geopolitical events. Key lessons for …

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 …

Cloud Data Lakes - The Future of Large Scale data analysis

Explore how cloud data lakes are transforming enterprise data analysis, enabling scalable ML and analytics through open-format storage and flexible tooling.

The Fundraising Market Two Quarters into COVID

Analyzing COVID's impact on startup funding: Seed rounds down 37%, while Series A rises 10%. Key data reveals shifting venture capital patterns in 2020.

Office Hours with Adam FitzGerald, Hashicorp, on Developer Evangelism

Join HashiCorp VP Adam FitzGerald & Redpoint VC Astasia Myers to learn proven strategies for scaling developer advocacy & measuring evangelism success in …

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 …

Top 10 Learnings from the Redpoint 2020 GTM Survey

Discover key SaaS GTM benchmarks from 500+ companies in Redpoint's 2020 survey. Data-driven insights on sales structure, marketing spend, and customer success …

What is the Structure of the Typical SaaS Company as it Scales?

Discover how successful SaaS companies structure their teams across growth stages, from 1M to 100M ARR. Data-driven insights on engineering, sales & marketing …

How Should You Structure Sales Teams for Optimal Performance?

Discover optimal sales team structures based on span-of-control data from 507 SaaS companies. Learn why teams with 7+ reports see 2x lower quota attainment.

How Predictive is SDR/BDR Quota Attainment of AE Quota Attainment?

Discover how SDR quota attainment predicts AE success in SaaS sales. Data shows 95%+ SDR performance leads to 80% AE quota achievement. Key insights for GTM …

SaaS Office Hours Go to Market Survey Edition & Which Metric Should Your SDR/BDR Team Use?

Discover key SDR/BDR metrics from 500+ SaaS sales teams: 60% prefer meeting count vs pipeline value. Data-driven insights to optimize your GTM strategy.

How to Transform Your Board Meeting with Written Narratives

Learn how written narratives can transform your startup's board meetings. Discover why top VCs and founders are ditching slides for documents to drive more …

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.

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 …

California Dreaming - Is Silicon Valley Still the Best Place to Start a Company?

Despite tech's global expansion, California startups still secure 35% of US venture funding. Data reveals shifting M&A trends as acquisitions spread beyond …

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.

Three Little Puzzles about Infinity

Explore three fascinating mathematical puzzles that challenge our understanding of infinity through simple geometric proofs and visual demonstrations. A …

How Would You Manage Your Business Differently if Shelter-in-Place Lasted 18 Months or More?

Explore how tech companies are adapting long-term strategies for extended remote work, from Twitter's permanent WFH policy to reducing real estate costs by 30%. …

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%.

The Fundraising Market Has Changed, But Not in the Way I Thought

Latest VC funding data reveals unexpected shifts: seed & Series A rounds down 15%, while later-stage funding grows. Analysis of 2020's evolving startup …

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.

Benchmarking Sales Prospecting Volumes, Deal Terms, and Meetings in the Coronavirus Era

Analyze how COVID-19 impacts B2B sales: 67% drop in cold calls, 2.5x increase in layoff discussions, and shifting payment terms. Key data from 10M sales calls.

Bullwhip and Base Rates - The Two Major Forces Impacting Startups in Q2

Explore how the Bullwhip Effect and base growth rates are reshaping startup dynamics in 2023, from Netflix's 16M subscriber surge to Zoom's 300M user milestone.

Narrative Economics and the Power of Stories

Explore how powerful narratives shape startup success, market dynamics, and investment outcomes in venture capital - from bank runs to viral product adoption.

What Customer Demand and Your Startup Balance Sheets Imply about Your Startup's Strategy

Learn how to strategically position your startup based on cash reserves and market demand with this 2x2 framework for navigating uncertain times in venture …

Surveying Sales Leaders - How Coronavirus is Impacting Quotas, Bookings, and Budgets

Exclusive survey data reveals how COVID-19 impacts SaaS sales: 96% see business effects, 72% adjust revenue targets, and 62% modify quotas. Key insights for …

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 …

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 …

The Startup Sectors Most Impacted by the Coronavirus

Data analysis reveals which startup sectors face the biggest COVID-19 impact, with travel & retail seeing 700+ daily layoffs. Key trends across tech industry …

The Next 30 Years of Geopolitics - What Could They Look Like

Explore how demographics, resources, geography & trade will reshape global power dynamics over 30 years. Key insights for startup founders & investors planning …

Observations about Silicon Valley Two Weeks into Quarantine

Insider view of startup fundraising during COVID-19: VC deals continue but with shifting valuations, SBA loan challenges, and founders prioritizing fast closes.

What do Google Search Query Trends Reveal about the Changes in How We Work?

Analyze shifting work patterns through Google Trends data: See how Zoom, Slack & VPN usage reveals the dramatic transformation of remote work in 2020.

Data Lake Engines - The Essential Layer of the Next Generation Data Architecture

Explore how Dremio raised $70M Series C by pioneering data lake engines - the critical layer connecting cloud storage to modern BI tools at 10x speeds.

What Will this Crisis Accelerate in Your Ecosystem?

Explore how the current crisis accelerates tech adoption in remote work, telemedicine, and enterprise software sales - key trends reshaping startup …

Six Startup Disciplines for Challenging Times

Learn 6 essential startup disciplines for navigating market uncertainty: transparent communication, customer health tracking, and SaaS growth strategies for …

Estimating the Impact of the Coronavirus on Growth

Learn how to model COVID-19's impact on SaaS growth rates with data-driven analysis. See how a 15M ARR company's growth could drop from 107% to 40% annually.

What Could the Venture Market Look Like in the Coronavirus Era

Analyzing venture capital trends during market downturns: Data shows early-stage startup funding dropped 50% post-2008, with seed rounds recovering fastest.

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.

What I Expect in the Next Few Months in Startupland

Expert analysis on startup growth challenges during market uncertainty: key metrics to watch, pipeline strategies, and actionable steps for founders to adapt.

The SaaS Marketing Scorecard - How Does Your Marketing Operation Rank?

Evaluate your SaaS marketing operations across 6 key dimensions with this data-driven scorecard. Learn how top startups measure and optimize their growth …

The Impact of the Coronavirus on Software Valuation Multiples

Analysis: Tech stock valuations drop 14% amid coronavirus, yet SaaS multiples remain 2x above median. Key data on market impact for startup founders & VCs.

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 …

Why Your Startup's Org Chart is Limiting Your Growth

Learn how successful startups structure their org charts for scale. Key insights on span of control, hiring strategies, and optimal team design for high-growth …

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 …

One of the Most Frequent Errors in Sales Planning and Forecasting

Learn why misaligned sales cycle and ramp time planning can derail startup growth. Key insights for SaaS founders to avoid common forecasting mistakes.

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 …

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.

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 …

Mental Models for Hiring Salespeople at Startups

Learn how market position impacts sales hiring at startups. Key mental models to evaluate AE candidates based on their experience at leaders vs challengers.

Simpson's Paradox in Measuring Net Dollar Retention Rate

Learn how to accurately measure Net Dollar Retention (NDR) in SaaS companies with real cohort data analysis and practical examples for tracking customer revenue …

Cloud Prem Architecture - The New Way of Serving the Enterprise with a Hub and Spoke Data Model

Explore how cloud prem architecture is transforming enterprise SaaS by separating code and data management, driven by cost savings, control, and compliance …

Has VC Become So Big It Must Be Disrupted?

Explore how the $330B venture capital industry parallels private equity's evolution and whether VC needs disruption to better serve modern startups.

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.

What is a Best in Class Payback Period for a Software Company in 2020?

Discover benchmark payback periods for top SaaS companies in 2020, from Zoom's 3-month standard to industry medians. Data-driven analysis for startup founders.

Growing Product and Engineering Orgs from Zero to IPO

Learn how engineering leaders scale teams from 0 to IPO: insights from Microsoft, Reddit & Looker exec Nick Caldwell on building 300+ person product orgs.

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 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 …

B2B vs B2C: How Should Your Sales Team Be Allocated to Maximize Success?

Discover the optimal B2B vs B2C sales allocation for SaaS startups. Data shows B2B companies outnumber B2C 1.6:1, with key insights on market dynamics and team …

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 …

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 …

How Much Turnover in Your Sales Team Should Your Startup Expect?

Discover typical sales team turnover rates for SaaS startups, with data from 41 leading companies showing median annual AE churn of 3.13% and lifetime churn of …

Product Launches Become the Operating Cadence of a Startup

Learn how product launches create operational rhythm in startups, from Tesla's annual events to SaaS companies' monthly releases. Key insights for scaling …

Benchmarking Your Sales and Customer Success Teams

Discover key sales benchmarks from 5M+ calls: 19% win rates, AI-powered insights, and data-driven best practices for SaaS sales & customer success teams.

The 13 Critical Questions to Answer about Your Startup's Product Marketing

Learn the 13 essential questions every startup founder must answer about product-market fit, growth strategy, and customer segmentation to scale successfully.

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.

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.

Office Hours with Anthony Kennada on Category Creation on Nov 14

Join Gainsight's Anthony Kennada for an exclusive SaaS office hours session on category creation strategy, brand building, and market leadership. Limited to 35 …

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 …

A Decade Long Mac User Tries Out Windows for the First Time in 15 Years

A data-driven comparison of Mac vs Windows in 2019: Discover surprising performance gains, 50% longer battery life, and key advantages for startup founders.

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 …

What I've learned about IPOs and Direct Listings

Explore how direct listings are disrupting traditional tech IPOs, with insights from Spotify & Slack's pioneering moves. Key analysis on startup exits & market …

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 …

Design and Open Source: A Potentially Powerful Combination

Explore how open source software and design can combine to disrupt SaaS, reduce customer acquisition costs, and create capital-efficient startups in tech.

The Radically Different Early Stage Fundraising Market

Explore how early-stage startup funding has transformed: $1M rounds dropped from 54% to 35% share, while $3-5M rounds now dominate at 54% of first raises.

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 …

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.

Office Hours with Nick Mehta of Gainsight Oct 9

Join Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta for exclusive office hours on customer success trends, best practices, and insights. Limited to 30 attendees at Redpoint SF.

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 …

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.

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 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.

A Mental Model for Prioritizing Your Startup's Energies

Learn how successful startups oscillate between product and go-to-market priorities to drive sustainable growth. A data-backed framework for startup scaling.

If You Have Great NDR Retention, Should You Increase Your Marketing Spend?

Learn when to scale marketing spend based on NDR metrics. A data-driven analysis of customer acquisition costs, retention, and growth efficiency for SaaS …

Benchmarking DataDog's S-1: How 7 Key Metrics Stack up

Analyze DataDog's impressive growth metrics: $333M ARR, 8800+ customers, and 35% new product bookings. Key SaaS benchmarks for founders and investors.

Which Categories of Seed Startups are Thriving? Which Aren't?

Discover which seed-stage sectors are booming in 2019: AI startups grew from 0 to 400, Blockchain surged 200x, while FinTech & Food tech show exponential …

The 37% Rule: How to Decide When to Stop Wondering and Start Deciding

Learn how the 37% rule helps startup founders make optimal decisions in hiring, fundraising and strategy. A data-driven framework for knowing when to stop …

One Call to Make Before Picking Your Startup's Headquarters

Learn why calling an executive recruiter should be your first step when choosing a startup location. Key insights on talent pools, hiring strategies, and …

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 …

Notes from Office Hours with Guillaume Cabane

Learn proven B2B SaaS growth tactics from G2's ex-VP: TAM penetration strategies, 10% cold email conversion rates, and data-driven marketing insights.

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.

Private Equity as an Exit Option for SaaS Startups

Private equity firms now match corporate buyers in SaaS acquisitions, spending $13B on venture-backed startups. Learn why PE is becoming a viable exit path.

Observations from the Enterprise Tech 30 List

Analyze key trends from Wing.vc's Enterprise Tech 30 list: Engineering dominates at 37%, open source thrives, and buyer patterns shift in enterprise SaaS …

Why Churn Rates Can Spike When Your SaaS Startup Experiences Hypergrowth

Discover why SaaS startup hypergrowth can increase churn by 67%. Learn how acceleration rates impact customer retention and what it means for your metrics.

Adding Engineering Metrics to the Redpoint SaaS Metrics Template

Learn 3 essential engineering metrics for SaaS startups: reliability, availability & incident rates. Updated Redpoint metrics template for data-driven founders.

100k+ ACV SaaS Companies: Do Their Metrics Differ from Other SaaS Companies?

Analyze how $100k+ ACV SaaS companies perform vs peers: comparing revenue growth, gross margins & enterprise metrics from IPO data. Key benchmarks revealed.

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.

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.

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.

Office Hours with Guillaume Cabane on June 27

Join VC office hours with growth expert Guillaume Cabane to solve your startup's go-to-market challenges. 4 SaaS companies, 30-min deep dives in SF.

Setting the Salesforce/Tableau Acquisition in Context

Analyze Salesforce's $15.7B Tableau acquisition in the context of enterprise BI consolidation, valuations, and the future of data analytics. Key metrics and …

Why Product Innovation Slows After the Series A

Discover why product innovation often stalls after Series A funding, and the key challenges founders face transitioning from early-stage startup to growth-stage …

Looker Joins Google Cloud

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

As Your Sales Team Scales, Focus on Your Middle

Learn how to optimize sales team performance: data shows focusing on middle performers drives 10% more bookings vs top performers in high-growth startups.

The Benefits of and Questions Facing Remote and Distributed Startups

Explore how remote-first startups are evolving, from fully distributed pioneers like Wordpress to hybrid models. Key trends and strategies for building global …

Before You Raise a Round of Funding, Ask Yourself This Question

Learn why timing your key hires before fundraising can maximize equity value. Essential advice for startup founders on managing 409a valuations and stock …

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 …

The Fundraising Environment in 2019 - Three Major Shifts

Explore 3 major shifts transforming startup fundraising in 2019: diverse capital options, sophisticated pricing & streamlined investment processes for founders.

How to Develop Best in Class Sales Efficiency

Learn how top SaaS companies achieve elite sales efficiency through bottom-up growth. Analysis of IPO data reveals key patterns in customer expansion and ARR …

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 …

Benchmarking Slack's S-1: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Slack's meteoric growth from gaming startup to $401M revenue leader. Key SaaS metrics vs Zoom reveal insights on enterprise collaboration success.

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.

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 …

The Four Strategic Questions Facing AI Agencies

Explore 4 critical strategic decisions AI agencies face when disrupting traditional service industries. Key insights for founders building ML-powered startups.

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.

Viewing Valuation as a Discount of Future Value

Discover how growth rates impact startup valuations: see why a 100% growth company creates 85% of its value in just 3 years vs. 77% at 10% growth.

Do SaaS Startups Still Require Less Capital than 10 Years Ago?

New data reveals SaaS startups now need more capital to scale: venture dollars buy 50% less revenue at IPO compared to 2014. Key trends & metrics for founders.

Five Reasons to Sell End-to-End Products in Early Markets

Discover 5 strategic reasons why end-to-end products outperform point solutions in early markets, backed by data-driven insights for SaaS founders and …

Benchmarking Zoom's S-1: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Zoom's remarkable SaaS growth metrics: 148% revenue growth, 2% profit margins, and industry-leading efficiency. Key benchmarks for startup founders.

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.

Benchmarking PagerDuty's S-1: How 7 Key Metrics Stack Up

Analyze PagerDuty's impressive SaaS metrics: 139% retention, 48% revenue growth, and $107M revenue. Key benchmarks vs other engineering-focused IPOs.

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.

Should Your Startup Employ Both Assisted and Unassisted Trials to Acquire Customers?

Explore data-driven insights on optimizing SaaS customer acquisition: Should startups use both assisted and unassisted trials? Analysis of key benefits and …

The Free Trial Survey on the Saastr Podcast and Hitting a Blogging Milestone

Explore surprising findings on SaaS free trial data: why ML scoring fails at higher price points and what it means for startup growth strategies. Key insights …

AI Superpowers - A History of Chinese Startups and the Implications for the Future of Startupland

Explore how Chinese startups capture 50% of global VC funding and what their AI-driven success means for the future of venture capital and startup ecosystems.

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 …

Should Your Startup Differentiate On Pricing?

Learn when startups should innovate on pricing vs. stick with industry standards. Key insights from Kustomer's journey scaling their SaaS platform in …

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 …

Answering Readers' Questions about the Free Trial Survey

Explore key SaaS trial conversion benchmarks across ARR segments and market segments. Data-driven insights for optimizing your startup's trial strategy.

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.

Top 10 Learnings from the Redpoint Free Trial Survey

Discover key insights from 600 SaaS companies in our data-driven analysis of free trial strategies, pricing models, and revenue impact. Essential reading for …

A New Architecture for Next-Generation Software Companies: Announcing Mattermost

Discover how next-gen software companies are redefining SaaS by separating databases from apps. See why VCs are betting on this data-driven architecture shift.

The Two Things You Need From Early Customers that Matter More than Cash

Learn why early-stage startups should prioritize customer feedback and marketing rights over revenue, and how social proof accelerates B2B software sales …

Sharing the Learnings from the Redpoint Free Trial Survey

Discover key insights from 600 SaaS companies on free trial strategies. Data-driven analysis reveals surprising patterns across $1M-100M ARR businesses.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Why Share Repurchases Create Large Opportunity Costs for Early Stage Startups

Learn why share buybacks can hurt early-stage startups, with data showing how $300k in repurchases yields just 1% value vs. investing in revenue growth.

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.

Just Where Are SaaS Companies Priced After the 2018 Correction?

Despite 2018's 25% market correction, SaaS company valuations remain high at 7.1x forward revenue - well above the 8-year median of 5.2x. Key metrics for …

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 & …

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.

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 …

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 …

Which is More Important: New Account Growth or Account Expansion?

Discover why VCs value new customer acquisition over account expansion for early-stage SaaS startups, with data showing 8-26% of revenue from upsells.

Creative Selection - An Inside Look at Some Key Moments at Apple

Discover Apple's internal product development process through Creative Selection. Learn how the tech giant defines product greatness and drives innovation …

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.

A New Way to Calculate a SaaS Company's Efficiency

Learn how to measure true SaaS efficiency beyond CAC with the Cost per Recurring Gross Profit Dollar metric. A data-driven approach to revenue retention & …

The Four Stages of Sales Compensation Structures in Early Stage Startups

Learn the 4 proven sales compensation models for early-stage startups, from MBO to logo-based quotas. A data-driven guide to scaling your SaaS sales team.

SAP Buys Qualtrics; 2018 Catapulted to $65B in $1B+ M&A Volume

SAP's $8B Qualtrics acquisition sets record 23x revenue multiple, pushing 2018's $1B+ software M&A deals to $65B. Analysis of the landmark SaaS exit.

Red Hat's Acquisition - A Triumph of Open Source

IBM's $35B Red Hat acquisition marks open source's largest exit. Analysis of the deal metrics, valuation multiples & market impact on enterprise software M&A …

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 …

Normalization of Valuations in the Public and Private Software Markets

Explore how public SaaS valuations now match private markets, with forward revenue multiples hitting 9x. Key analysis of ARR metrics and growth trends in 2018.

What Does AirBnB's 'Shares for Hosts' Idea Imply for Blockchain?

Explore AirBnB's groundbreaking plan to share equity with hosts, its historical precedents, and how blockchain technology could reshape network-effect startups.

In Early Markets, Services Can Be a Competitive Advantage

Learn how early-stage startups can leverage professional services to win new markets, build expertise & drive growth - insights from Cloudera, C3IoT & Heptio

Our Investment in Gremlin - Leveraging Chaos to Create Resilient Systems

Discover why Redpoint invested in Gremlin, a startup using chaos engineering to help companies build resilient software systems and prevent costly outages.

Three Observations About the Adobe/Marketo Acquisition

Analyze Adobe's $4.75B Marketo acquisition: How Vista generated 3.1x returns in 25 months & key SaaS trends reshaping enterprise software M&A.

How the Economics of Professional Services Have Changed in Software

Analyze how SaaS professional services revenue has evolved, with new companies like Appian (50%) and Pegasystems (37%) driving major shifts in the revenue mix.

Elastic S-1 Analysis - Another Open Source Monster

Analyze how Elastic grew to $159.9M revenue with open-source software. Compare key metrics vs Mulesoft's $6.5B exit in this data-driven IPO breakdown.

Access is the Scarcest Commodity in Startupland

Explore how startup access has become the scarcest asset in venture capital, as companies stay private longer and valuations shift from public to private …

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 Long Should Your SaaS Software Trial Period Be?

Discover optimal SaaS trial lengths based on data from 9 companies. Research shows 50% of users convert within 14-30 days, regardless of trial duration. Key …

Jacob's Ladder in the Startup Fundraising Market - How Startups Today Skip a Round of Fundraising

Explore how startup funding rounds mirror a Jacob's Ladder effect, with median round sizes climbing dramatically across Seed to Series C over the past decade in …

Why Your Startup Doesn't Invest Sufficiently in its Differentiators

Learn how successful startups prioritize product features: MMRs, neutralizers & differentiators. Key insights for founders on building competitive advantage in …

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 …

Lessons Learned from 20 Years at the Leading Edge of SaaS

Discover 3 essential SaaS growth lessons from 20 years of industry evolution, including how Fender cut churn by 10% and maximized revenue through strategic …

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 …

A Deeper Dive into the Dynamics of the Seed Market

Explore why seed investments dropped 40% since 2015, with data-driven analysis of venture capital trends, investor participation, and shifting market dynamics.

Why Series As are Much Easier to Raise in 2018 than the Past 5 Years

Discover why Series A rounds are more accessible in 2018, with median seed-to-A time tripling to 750 days and round sizes growing 3x to $8M.

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 …

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.

The Blockbuster Software M&A Market of 2018

Unprecedented software M&A valuations hit 17.7x revenue multiples in 2018, shattering 7-year records. See why growth drives record-breaking exits in tech.

Seven Strategic Rationales for the Microsoft/Github Acquisition

Analyze Microsoft's $7.5B GitHub acquisition through 7 strategic lenses: developer identity, cloud dominance, and enterprise software's future in the cloud era.

When You Hire an Executive, You're Hiring a Network

Learn why an executive's professional network is crucial for startup success, driving 4X faster hiring, better talent quality, and reduced recruiting costs in …

The 5 Forces Driving Startup Valuations Today

Explore 5 key forces driving record startup valuations in 2023: capital influx, larger VC funds, market maturity, and their impact on SaaS metrics and ARR …

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 …

When Will the Next Wave of UI Advances Happen?

Explore why UI innovation has stagnated over the past decade while infrastructure tech has evolved rapidly. Key analysis for startup founders & tech leaders.

An Ode to the OKR - How to Motivate Greater Ambition in Teams

Learn how OKRs drive 70% higher team performance through ambitious goal-setting. Key insights from Google's implementation for startup founders and leaders.

A Crypto-Trading Uber Driver and a Billionaire's Spat over Candy - On The Importance of Sticking to Your Strategy

Explore the stark contrast between crypto-trading Uber drivers and billionaire investors like Buffett, revealing key insights about speculation vs investing in …

The Challenge of Uncertainty

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

Separating The Quality of the Outcome and the Quality of the Decision

Learn how to evaluate startup decisions separately from outcomes using Annie Duke's poker wisdom. A data-driven framework for founders to improve decision …

The Effect of Flush Private Markets on Software IPOs

Explore how abundant venture capital is delaying tech IPOs, as median startup age at public offering doubles to 11 years and revenues surge to $340M+.

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 …

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 …

How to Reach More People with Content Marketing by Changing How You Write

Learn how shorter sentences and simpler language can double your content marketing reach. Data-driven writing tips for startup founders to boost audience …

The Importance of Time Value of Money for Startups

Learn why the time value of money drives startup fundraising strategy. See how cash today unlocks growth options, from engineering hires to moonshot …

The Salesforce/Mulesoft Acquisition is a Bellwether for the 2018 M&A Market

Analyze Salesforce's $6.5B Mulesoft acquisition at 21x revenue multiple - what it reveals about 2018's tech M&A landscape and enterprise SaaS valuations.

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.

Is Geographic Dispersion of Seed Dollars Really Happening?

Analyze how US seed funding remains geographically concentrated, with CA claiming 40-50% of dollars despite 4x growth in median rounds over 7 years.

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 Clearest Articulation of a Marketing Roadmap

Learn the 3-step marketing roadmap used by top SaaS startups: from crafting compelling narratives to driving customer adoption. A data-driven framework for …

Dropbox S-1 Analysis - The King of Freemium

Analyze Dropbox's path to $1.1B revenue through freemium: 500M users, 2% conversion, 90% self-serve, and 35% CAGR. Key SaaS metrics unpacked.

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 …

Startup Best Practices 27 - How to Use Options to Retain Key Employees in Your Startup

Learn how to retain key startup employees with stock option refreshers. Step-by-step guide with real vesting examples and compensation benchmarks for founders.

Things to Consider When Designing Your Startup's Logo

Learn the 3 essential criteria for designing an effective startup logo from legendary designer Tom Geismar, creator of iconic marks for Chase, Xerox & PBS.

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 …

Clarity of Purpose - The Competitive Advantage of Focus

Learn how clarity of purpose drives startup success through Jeff Bezos's example. Key insights on focus, leadership principles & building lasting competitive …

Expanding Your Time Horizon To Scale Your Startup

Learn how successful startups scale by expanding strategic planning from weekly tactics to 2-year horizons. Key insights for founders transitioning from startup …

The Best Bit of Advice on Writing I've Received

Learn powerful writing techniques from a NY Times editor to craft clearer, more engaging content. Essential tips for founders and leaders to improve business …

How to Identify a SaaS Market that Machine Learning Will Disrupt

Learn how machine learning disrupts SaaS by automating workflows & cutting costs. Key patterns reveal where AI creates most value in B2B software.

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.

Ten Year's Worth of Learnings About Pricing

Discover proven SaaS pricing frameworks from 10 years of startup investing. Learn 3 key strategies and 4 components to optimize your revenue model.

An Era of Fundamental and Massive Change - The Capital Markets Innovation of the ICO

Explore how ICOs are revolutionizing startup funding, with ICO raises matching global Series A investments. Analysis of blockchain's impact on venture capital …

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 …

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.

Premoney vs Postmoney - Which is a Better Technique for Negotiating?

Learn the pros and cons of premoney vs postmoney valuations in startup fundraising. A VC's data-driven analysis of which approach leads to better deal …

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.

Managers Must be Insane to Brainstorm in Groups

Research shows group brainstorming produces fewer ideas despite feeling more productive. Learn data-backed strategies to unlock better team innovation and …

How Quickly Does Headcount Scale in the Fastest Growing Software Businesses?

Analyze how top SaaS companies scale from 50 to 1000+ employees. Data shows fastest startups grow 12x in headcount over 30 months post product-market fit.

The Parallel Between Cryptocurrency and Continentals

Discover striking parallels between today's cryptocurrency boom and Colonial America's currency experiments - lessons in monetary policy for modern fintech …

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.

False Competition - Why Defining Axes of Competition Matters

Learn why successful startups must redefine competition, not just compete. Key insights from Peter Thiel on identifying false competition in markets.

Disagree and Commit - A Management Principle for Highly Functioning Teams

Learn how top tech leaders like Bezos and Grove use disagree and commit to build high-performing teams. Key management insights for startup founders and …

The False Confidence of the LTV/CAC Ratio for Early Stage SaaS Startups

Learn why the LTV/CAC ratio can mislead early-stage SaaS startups. Explore better metrics for measuring unit economics with 10% annual churn rates.

The Latent Purchasing Power in the SaaS Acquisition Market

Explore why SaaS acquisitions dropped 35% YoY despite $8.5B in available cash. Analysis reveals 3 key factors driving potential M&A surge in startup exits.

Just How Disruptive Are ICOs to the Classic VC Model?

Analyzing the impact of ICOs on venture capital: How $2.7B in crypto fundraising from 130 ICOs is disrupting traditional startup funding models in 2017.

The Implication of Secular Increases in SaaS CAC

Explore how SaaS customer acquisition costs have surged 65% over 5 years, impacting unit economics and growth strategies. Key data from 800 companies reveals …

The AI Agency - A Novel GTM for Machine Learning SaaS Startups

Discover how AI-powered SaaS startups are disrupting traditional agency models, achieving higher margins and scalable growth through machine learning …

Important Changes in Revenue and Profitability Definitions for SaaS Companies

Learn how ASC 606 changes SaaS revenue recognition in 2024, impacting key startup metrics & benchmarks. See real examples of how on-prem vs hosted affects ARR …

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 …

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, …

Monte Carlo Simulations of Inside and Outside Sales Teams in a SaaS Startup

Discover how Monte Carlo simulations reveal the complementary dynamics between inside and outside SaaS sales teams, with data-driven insights on quotas and win …

Shopify S-1 Analysis - Smiling All the Way to $10B

Analyze how Shopify grew from $2.7B to $10B+ valuation with 90%+ growth rates. Key metrics on GMV, revenue & merchant growth in this data-driven deep dive.

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 …

How Much Should A SaaS Startup Invest in Sales & Marketing?

Discover data-driven SaaS benchmarks: How much startups spend on sales & marketing at different revenue stages, from 90% at $10M to 50% at $100M ARR.

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 …

Should You Consider Emotional Intelligence When Hiring Your Startup's Team?

Discover what data reveals about emotional intelligence in startup hiring - research shows cognitive ability predicts performance 5x better than EQ.

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.

The Theory and Data Underpinning Sales Commission Plans

Learn how successful startups structure sales commission plans with data-backed insights on OTE, quota attainment, and compensation strategies for optimal …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Volatility of Multiples in the Public SaaS Market

Explore how public SaaS company valuations have swung from 7.7x to 3.3x revenue multiples since 2014, with key insights on market volatility and growth metrics.

The Limiting Factor of Voice and Dictation Adoption

Explore how voice technology adoption is limited by user skepticism rather than technical capability, with insights on AI accuracy and practical applications in …

Why Cash Conversion Cycle Matters for Your Startup

Learn how the cash conversion cycle impacts startup cash efficiency. See how sales cycles and payment terms affect your SaaS company's financial health with …

When, If Ever, Should Profitable Bootstrapped Startups Raise Capital?

Discover when profitable bootstrapped SaaS startups should consider venture capital, with data-driven analysis comparing growth paths and a free financial …

Three Big Ideas on Technology Innovation Cycles

Discover how 70-year technology innovation cycles shape venture capital returns and startup opportunities, from infrastructure investment to mass deployment …

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 …

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 & …

How Developed is Global Venture Capital Market?

Explore how global venture capital markets are evolving, with Korea, China & Japan leading 50%+ growth while US VC grows 12%. Key data on investment trends …

The Quickest Way to Estimate How Much Your Startup Needs to Raise

Learn a simple 3-number formula to accurately forecast your SaaS startup's fundraising needs. Data-backed method validated across IPO companies with 97% …

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.

The Decline of Investment in San Francisco Startups

Data analysis reveals 50% drop in San Francisco startup funding, with Series C & D rounds falling 66-75%. Key insights on shifting venture capital trends in …

The Best Book on the Fundamentals of Selling

Learn the 4 key sales mindsets from Miller-Heiman's proven framework. Essential insights for startup founders and sales leaders to drive growth and close deals.

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 …

The Five Questions You Need to Answer About Your Startup's Strategy

Learn the 5 essential strategic questions every founder must answer to build a defensible startup advantage, based on Michael Porter's proven framework for …

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 …

Adoption Chain Risk - The Importance of Selling to Everyone in Your Startup's Supply Chain

Learn how adoption chain risk impacts startup success. Key insights on selling to partners, managing innovation risk & scaling SaaS distribution channels.

What the Online Advertising World Can Teach Us about the Evolution of Machine Learning in SaaS

Explore how machine learning is reshaping SaaS business models and customer data relationships, drawing key lessons from online advertising evolution.

Why Amazon's Acquisition of Whole Foods Matters for Startupland

Amazon's $13.7B Whole Foods acquisition signals a pivotal shift: tech giants are now acquiring traditional industry leaders. What this means for startup M&A and …

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.

The Intense Power of a Strong Company Culture

Discover how $2B edtech company 2U built an exceptional culture through transparency, teamwork and trust. Key lessons for startup founders on scaling company …

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.

Apprenticeship

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

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 …

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 …

Ethics in Machine Learning - An Opportunity for Startups to Lead

As AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous, startups have a unique opportunity to lead both tech innovation and ethical standards in machine learning detection.

Startup Best Practices 26 - Choosing Your Startup's Competitive Strategy

Learn how successful startups win by mastering one core competitive advantage. Key insights from Porter's value chain analysis for founders choosing their …

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 …

Bias Against Creativity

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

Data Middleware - The SaaS Ecosystem's Response to Fragmentation

Explore how data middleware is transforming the SaaS ecosystem, enabling companies to unify fragmented data across 20-40 tools for more efficient sales and …

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.

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 Price Anchoring Effect of Distribution Platforms

Discover how distribution platforms create price anchoring effects in SaaS, with real examples from Salesforce CRM ($150/seat) and cloud infrastructure pricing.

The Challenge of Performance Pricing for SaaS Companies

Discover why performance-based SaaS pricing can limit startup growth. Analysis of pricing power, customer retention & revenue optimization for B2B software …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

The Four Dimensions of a Demand Generation Portfolio

Learn how successful startups scale demand generation across 4 key dimensions. A data-driven framework for building diverse, sustainable customer acquisition …

SMB or Enterprise - Which is the Better Go To Market in SaaS?

Compare the tradeoffs of SMB vs enterprise go-to-market strategies in SaaS: faster revenue vs larger deals, capital efficiency vs upfront costs, and scaling …

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.

Startup Best Practices 25 - Bounding the Unknown Unknowns

Discover why business plans still matter for startups. Learn key frameworks for mapping unknowns, validating opportunities, and building successful …

Managing a User's Trust with Machine Learning SaaS Software

Learn how machine learning SaaS startups can build user trust despite probabilistic outputs. Key strategies for maintaining data integrity and managing …

Benchmarking Cloudera's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze how Cloudera stacks up vs Hortonworks: $261M revenue, 500 clients, 43% account growth. Key metrics reveal the Hadoop market leaders' path to IPO.

The Most Important Thing I've Learned about Writing

Learn how successful venture capitalists and founders master the art of engaging writing. Key insights from 1000+ blog posts on crafting impactful startup …

Customer Operations - An Idea for Maximizing Efficient Growth in SaaS Companies

Learn how Customer Operations unifies marketing and sales ops to optimize SaaS growth. Key insights on maximizing revenue efficiency in modern startups.

Creating Tension in Your Startup's Marketing Positioning

Learn how successful SaaS startups like Box use dual positioning strategies - balancing visionary enterprise messaging with practical customer acquisition …

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% …

Lies Managers Tell Themselves to Avoid Firing Someone

Learn the 4 common excuses managers use to delay firing underperformers, and discover proven strategies for handling difficult termination decisions …

5 Charts on the State of the Seed Market in 2017

Explore key seed funding trends: 27.6% drop in deals but 40% higher median rounds. Data-driven analysis reveals changing dynamics in startup fundraising for …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Startup Best Practices 24 - Marketing Your Product with Novel Framing to Maximize Sales Success

Learn how top SaaS startups differentiate in crowded markets using novel product positioning. Data-driven strategies to stand out when buyers see minimal vendor …

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 …

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 & …

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 …

Startup Best Practices 23 - Leveraging The Illusion of Explanatory Depth in Interviews

Learn how the illusion of explanatory depth impacts startup interviews and hiring. Research shows most candidates overestimate their knowledge - use this bias …

Three Strategies for Engendering Negative Net Churn in Your SaaS Startup

Learn 3 proven strategies to achieve negative net churn in SaaS: usage expansion, feature expansion & product expansion. Data-backed tactics for startup growth.

Benchmarking Mulesoft S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Mulesoft's impressive SaaS metrics: 70% growth at $200M revenue, data integration success, and key benchmarks for enterprise software startups.

How to Improve Your Decision Making by Learning from Computers

Learn how computer science algorithms can improve business decision-making, from hiring strategies to strategic planning. Key insight: the 37% rule for optimal …

How Machine Learning Can Benefit Your SaaS Startup

Discover 4 proven ways machine learning drives SaaS growth: optimization, object detection, anomaly tracking & data segmentation. Boost engagement 15%+.

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 …

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.

Modesty, First Principles and Opportunities for Startups

Discover how first principles thinking and modesty unlock startup opportunities. Learn why challenging assumptions leads to breakthrough innovations in tech and …

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 …

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 …

The Software Startup Sectors Raising the Most Capital in 2017

Explore which software sectors are attracting VC dollars in 2017: ML startups surge while AdTech rebounds and ecommerce raises 4x more capital vs 2010.

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 …

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 …

One of the Greatest Entrepreneurial Stories Ever Told

Discover how Nike grew from a crazy idea to an $88B empire. Key lessons from Phil Knight's founding story on perseverance, crisis management, and market …

Using Chat in Content Marketing - Observations Several Months In

Discover how chat transforms content marketing engagement: personal interactions, better audience insights, and streamlined communication for startup founders …

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 …

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 …

How Does Your Startup's Management Spend its Time?

Discover how successful startup managers optimize team productivity through data analysis. Key insights from 300,000+ hours of workplace analytics research.

Which Round Will Be the Hardest to Raise in 2017?

Analyze seed, Series A & B funding trends in 2017: Data shows 37% drop in seed rounds while median sizes grow. Key insights for startup founders raising …

Benchmarking AppDynamics S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze AppDynamics' S-1 metrics vs SaaS benchmarks: From $18.9M to $87.3M revenue growth, subscription vs. license trends, and key performance data.

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 …

Just How Global is the SaaS Startup Phenomenon?

Explore how global SaaS investment has evolved since 2010, with non-US funding growing 6.3x and total funding reaching $7B. Key insights from startup hubs …

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 …

When is the Right Time for Your SaaS Startup to Train its Sales People?

Learn when and how much to invest in SaaS sales training. Data shows a 10% boost in bookings can yield $300k more revenue. Key metrics for startup founders.

What is Your SaaS Startup Worth in an Acquisition?

Discover what SaaS companies are worth in acquisitions. Analysis of 6 years of software exits reveals median multiples of 3-4x revenue, with key valuation …

Implications of Monoclouds for as-a-Service Startups - Why Differentiation Matters More than Ever

How monoclouds like AWS and Azure reshape the SaaS landscape, and why startups must focus on differentiation to compete against tech giants' expanding …

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 …

The Important SaaS Accounting Changes Coming in 2017

New SaaS revenue recognition rules in 2017 give startups more flexibility in recording revenue. Learn key changes affecting metrics, bookings & financial …

How Much to Compensate SaaS Sales Teams for New Sales, Renewals and Expansions

Learn how top SaaS companies structure sales compensation across new deals, renewals & expansions. Data shows 2-10x lower CAC for existing customers.

How Should You Allocate Your Startup's OpEx between Sales and Engineering?

Learn how successful SaaS startups allocate operating expenses, with data showing 40% goes to sales/marketing - key benchmarks for founders to optimize spend & …

How to Create Competitive Advantage for Your Startup with Proxy Metrics

Learn how startups can build competitive advantage using proxy metrics and data-driven insights. A practical guide to measuring what matters in real-time.

What Percentage of Revenue Should SaaS Startups Spend on Payroll?

Discover the optimal payroll-to-revenue ratio for SaaS startups. Data from Salesforce & NetSuite shows 80% spend at scale. Key metrics for efficient growth.

The Customer Support Experience of the Future

Explore how AI and automation are transforming customer support experiences, featuring a real-world case study of AmEx's innovative voice + visual support …

How to Build Auction Pressure in Acquisitions and Financings

Learn proven strategies for maximizing acquisition value from LinkedIn's $26B Microsoft deal. Key tactics for founders to build competitive pressure in M&A and …

Trends in Early Stage SaaS Fundraising Market of 2016

Analyze 2016 SaaS startup funding trends: Marketing leads with $1B invested, operations rises, while sales struggles. Key insights for founders & investors.

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.

Task List Zero - When Inbox Zero Isn't Enough

Discover how Inbox Zero principles can transform startup productivity and mental clarity. Learn data-driven strategies for reclaiming focus in the digital age.

Why Demand Generation Can Be So Challenging For Startups

Discover why demand generation becomes a critical growth bottleneck for startups after early adoption, and how to evolve your SaaS go-to-market strategy.

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 is the Optimal Contract Length for Your SaaS Startup?

Learn how to optimize SaaS contract lengths from monthly to multi-year deals. Data-driven insights on pricing strategy, churn impact, and enterprise sales …

The Challenge Facing Deep-Learning Powered Startups

Explore why debugging complex AI systems poses a critical challenge for deep-learning startups, as machine learning powers more mission-critical products.

How Big is a Typical Software Company Acquisition?

Explore 2016's software M&A trends: $54B in acquisitions, 40% fewer deals, but higher valuations. Key data on typical exit sizes for tech founders and …

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 …

The Characteristics of the Most Attractive SMB SaaS Companies

Discover the key attributes of winning SMB SaaS companies, from product design to network effects. Learn proven strategies for building scalable, high-growth …

Are SMB SaaS Companies Valued Differently than Mid-Market SaaS Businesses?

Discover how SMB SaaS companies command 8.1x revenue multiples vs 5.9x for mid-market. New data analysis reveals surprising valuation trends across segments.

What's the Maximum Rate of Growth for Your SaaS Startup with Paid Customer Acquisition?

Discover how a SaaS startup can achieve 33% more revenue through strategic paid acquisition. Data-driven analysis of growth scenarios and CAC optimization.

The Pressure to Move Up Market Facing SMB SaaS Startups

Explore why SMB SaaS startups face pressure to move upmarket as they scale. See the math behind customer acquisition needs from $1M to $25M+ ARR.

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 …

How Should I Think About My SaaS Startup's Burn Rate

Learn how successful SaaS startups balance growth and burn rates. A data-driven framework for scaling from 3-4x early growth to sustainable public company …

Startup Best Practices 22 - Explicit Risk Bundles and Mitigations

Learn how successful startups identify and mitigate 4 critical business risks: hiring, product-market fit, customer success, and fundraising. Key strategies for …

Designing a Sales Quota Structure at the Earliest Stages of a SaaS Startup

Learn how early-stage SaaS startups should structure sales quotas, focusing on logo-based targets vs revenue goals to build momentum and optimize sales.

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.

3 Marketing Insights from a World Class SaaS Marketer

Learn 3 unconventional marketing strategies from Duo Security's playbook that drove exceptional SaaS growth and customer acquisition metrics in the security …

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 …

Success Has 1000 Fathers and Failure is an Orphan

Learn how confirmation bias affects startup hiring decisions and VC investments. Key insights for founders on avoiding pedigree-based hiring traps in …

Why Understanding Startup History is a Competitive Advantage

Learn why understanding tech history gives startup founders a competitive edge. Key lessons from Google & Xerox Alto on building better products through …

The Resurgence in Public Market SaaS Valuations

Analysis of public SaaS valuations: From 57% drop to recovery at 4.7x forward revenue. Key insights on market trends and enterprise multiples in 2016.

Event Driven SaaS - The Workflow of the Future

Discover why event-driven SaaS is transforming enterprise software, shifting from report-centric to workflow-first design. Key insights for startup founders & …

The Biggest Areas of Underinvestment in SaaS Sales Teams

Discover the 3 most neglected areas in SaaS sales teams, based on insights from 30+ VPs of Sales. Key data on training, onboarding & upsell investments.

The Clandestine Statisticians Who Changed the Course of the War

Discover how a secret team of 18 statisticians revolutionized military strategy through data analysis during WWII - lessons for modern data-driven decision …

Median Startup Valuations and Down Rounds in 2016

Analyze startup valuation trends across funding stages in 2016. Series A holds at $15M, while late-stage rounds drop 50%. Key data on down round frequency.

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 …

The Most Successful SMB SaaS Acquisition Channel Ever Built

Discover how Microsoft built the most successful SMB SaaS channel, driving 50k new customers monthly through strategic partner distribution networks.

A Structural Pricing Competitive Advantage in SaaS - The Three Part Tariff

Learn why the three-part tariff pricing model gives SaaS companies a competitive edge over linear and two-part pricing in enterprise software markets.

The Quirky M&A Environment for SaaS Companies in 2016

Analyze 2016's unique SaaS M&A landscape: $70B in deals, dominated by public companies. Why are unicorn startups missing from major acquisitions? Data-driven …

How Fast Does a SaaS Startup Have to Grow to Survive?

Discover why SaaS startups need >20% annual growth to survive. McKinsey data reveals key success factors and growth strategies for software companies.

Which of the Three Software Budgets Does Your SaaS Startup Target?

Learn how successful SaaS startups target 3 distinct software budget types: displacement, expansion & creation. Key strategies for founders & sales teams.

The Smallest ACV to Justify an Inside Sales Team at a SaaS Startup

Learn what ACV threshold justifies building an inside sales team at SaaS startups. Analysis of 13 public companies reveals pricing strategies from $87 to $8,027 …

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 …

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 …

Dream Teams: The Characteristics of Billion-Dollar Startup Founders

Analyze 30 billion-dollar startups: 70% have technical founders, but success isn't tied to founder backgrounds. Key data on team size, education & tech skills.

The Increasing Costs of Real Estate for Startups in San Francisco

Analyze San Francisco's soaring startup real estate costs, with office rents doubling since 2009 to $73/sqft. Key data on pricing trends, vacancy rates & …

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.

You're in the Business of Selling Promotions

Discover why successful SaaS sales isn't about software features - it's about selling career advancement to your champions within target companies.

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Four Factors to Consider When Developing Your Startup's Pricing Strategy

Learn how successful startups align the 4 Ps of marketing - from pricing to positioning. Key insights from SaaS leaders like Expensify and enterprise giants …

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.

The Impact to Startups of the LinkedIn Acquisition

Analyze Microsoft's $26.2B LinkedIn acquisition: Key SaaS valuation metrics, startup implications, and how this data-driven deal reshapes the CRM landscape.

The Key Ingredient to Disrupting with Machine Learning

Discover why proprietary data, not algorithms, is the true competitive moat for ML startups. Key insights on disrupting markets with AI and machine learning.

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 & …

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 …

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.

Comparing Two Ways to Build a SaaS Sales Team

Compare two proven approaches to building SaaS sales teams: top-down vs bottom-up. Analysis of costs, quotas & ramp times for different AE levels from …

Start with the Premise that Everything is Noise

Learn how successful founders and VCs maximize impact by eliminating noise. Discover the power of extreme focus and essentialism in startup leadership and …

The 3 Types of Channel Strategies for SaaS Startups

Discover the 3 key channel strategies for SaaS startups: reseller, app developer, and brokerage models. Learn which partnership approach fits your growth goals.

What Average Contract Value is Best for a SaaS Company

Discover the optimal ACV for SaaS startups: Data shows equal revenue distribution across SMB, mid-market & enterprise segments. Key insights for founders.

The Decentralization of Venture Capital

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

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 …

The Leading Predictor of Series A Valuation for SaaS Companies

Discover why negative churn, not revenue, is the #1 predictor of Series A valuations for SaaS startups. Data shows 0.54 R^2 correlation vs 0.3 for revenue.

Are You Spending Enough Time on Your Startup's Go To Market?

Discover why successful startups must balance product innovation with go-to-market strategy. Learn key frameworks for aligning teams and maximizing market …

SaaS Companies Are Changing their Growth Strategies

Discover how public SaaS companies are shifting from growth-at-all-costs to profitability, with median net margins improving from -25% to -8.8% in two years.

The Rising Importance of Reseller Channels in SaaS

Discover why channel partnerships now drive 50%+ of SaaS sales. Learn 3 key financial benefits of reseller channels for startup growth and revenue scaling.

A Key Moment in Time for Vertical SaaS Startups

Analyzing Oracle's $1.2B vertical SaaS acquisitions: Key benchmarks reveal how OPower and Textura's growth rates and revenue multiples shape industry …

Is the 2016 Economy a Risk to SaaS Companies?

Amid economic uncertainty in 2016, data shows SaaS companies maintaining strong revenue growth, with most exceeding Wall Street estimates by 4%+ despite VC …

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.

Five Charts on the State of the Early Stage SaaS Market in 2016

Analyze the state of early-stage SaaS funding in 2016 with 5 data-driven charts. Despite 17% Q4 decline, Q1 shows 10% growth with record $2.8B invested.

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 …

There are Only 3 Pricing Strategies for Your Startup

Learn the 3 proven pricing strategies for startups: maximization, penetration & skimming. Data-driven insights on optimizing revenue growth & market share in …

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 …

Have VCs Changed Their Seed Investment Strategies?

Analyze how VC participation in seed rounds has evolved since 2010, with data showing consistent 25% involvement despite major market shifts in early-stage …

Party Rounds in Seeds - Just Getting Started or Has the Clock Struck Midnight?

Analyze the rise of party rounds in startup seed funding: data shows 10% growth in rounds with 3+ investors, while solo investor deals drop to 28% from 35%.

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Optimal Seed Round Strategy - Timing and Size

Discover how seed round size impacts Series A success: data shows $1.5M seeds have 30% higher follow-on rates vs $500K rounds. Key insights for startup funding …

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 …

Inflation and Deflation in the Startup Fundraising Market

Analyze startup funding trends: seed rounds triple while Series A-D grow 9-14% annually. Key fundraising data reveals dramatic market shifts in 2016.

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.

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 …

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 …

The Equation that Governs Your Sales Team's Effectiveness

Learn how to calculate and optimize your SaaS sales team's velocity using this data-driven formula. Key metrics for maximizing revenue and scaling startup …

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 …

Startup Best Practices 22 - Using Scenario Planning for Strategic Decisions

Learn two proven SaaS growth modeling techniques to forecast revenue and make strategic decisions. See real examples with 15% MRR growth projections.

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.

Disruptive Innovation in SaaS by Competing with Non-Consumption

Learn how disruptive SaaS startups win by targeting non-consumption, creating new product categories, and capturing IT budget share in emerging markets.

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 …

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 …

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 …

A Technology Innovation Leading to a Go-To-Market Advantage

Discover how successful SaaS startups leverage technology innovation to create sustainable go-to-market advantages in today's competitive software landscape.

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 …

The Strategic Shift in Revenue for SaaS Startups as They Scale

Discover how SaaS revenue mix shifts as startups scale: analysis shows why retention becomes critical as recurring revenue outpaces new bookings at $25M+ ARR.

What's Really Happening in the US Venture Fundraising Market in Early 2016

Analyzing 2016 startup funding data: VC investments drop 50% in February vs 2015, with deal count down 44%. Key insights on shifting venture capital trends.

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.

What Pricing Implies About Product Market Fit for Startups

Discover how pricing power reveals product-market fit in startups. Learn key insights from Warren Buffett and pricing expert Hermann Simon on building value.

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.

Benchmarking Exceptional Series A SaaS Companies

Analyze key metrics and benchmarks of top-performing Series A SaaS companies, including revenue growth rates and funding characteristics from 2013-2016.

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 …

The Impact of a Changing Venture Environment on Startup Fundraising Terms

Venture funding terms shift as median startup valuation growth drops from 74% to 39% in Q4. Key data from Fenwick & West reveals changing investment landscape.

SaaS Office Hours in New York - A Q&A on the State of the SaaS Market

Join our exclusive SaaS Office Hours in NYC for insights on 2016 venture capital trends, fundraising metrics, and startup growth strategies. Limited seats …

The Power of Open Source to Solve the Data Fragmentation Challenge

Discover how Apache Arrow unifies fragmented data systems across tech companies, enabling faster analysis and insights for modern data architectures.

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.

The Other Payback Period that Matters in SaaS

Discover the hidden payback period in SaaS: analyzing AE hiring ROI with real metrics. Learn how quota ramp and OTE impact startup cash flows.

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 …

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 & …

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 Nature of Leverage in Fundraising Conversations Has Changed

Explore how startup fundraising leverage has shifted in 2016, as 40% public market drops and Q4 slowdown reshape venture capital dynamics and BATNA strategies.

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 …

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 …

Chained Probabilities in Startup Business Models

Learn how startup success follows domino chain reactions, with each win leading to bigger victories. See how probability stacks affect your startup's growth …

The Question to Ask Before Starting a Company in 2016

Learn how Porter's Five Forces framework helps startup founders evaluate market opportunities and competitive dynamics in challenging funding environments.

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 …

3 Questions for Startups to Answer for Themselves in a Volatile Fundraising Environment

Learn 3 critical analyses startups must run in 2016's volatile funding market, with 65% of founders expecting tougher fundraising ahead. Key metrics for SaaS …

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 …

The Metric that Matters for Startups in 2016

Discover why unit economics become the critical startup metric for 2016, as rising capital costs reshape venture funding and growth strategies in tech markets.

The Downward Pressure of Public Markets on Startup Valuations

Analyze how public market trends impact SaaS startup valuations, with data from 50 companies showing 32 trading above IPO price despite market volatility.

The State of the Startup Fundraising Market in 2016

Analyze 2016's startup funding landscape: Early-stage rounds hit 34% of $42B total venture capital, reaching dot-com era levels. Key metrics reveal market …

How Your Startup's Org Chart Changes Your Product

Discover how Conway's Law shapes startup product development and team structure. Learn why your company's org chart directly impacts customer experience and …

How Many Funnels Does Your Startup's Product Have?

Learn how successful startups optimize multiple product funnels, from Uber's dual-funnel approach to Slack's complex conversion paths. Key metrics and …

When Startup Compensation Isn't About the Money

Discover how Google's power law approach to talent and compensation challenges traditional Gaussian models, with insights for startup founders on rewarding top …

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 …

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 …

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.

Building the Machine - Organizational Design in Startups

Learn how successful startups structure teams beyond 8 employees. Explore 3 proven organizational models used by Apple, GE & fast-growing SaaS companies to …

Are You Present?

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

Steady and Persistent Growth to $5.5B in Market Cap - The Ultimate Software Company

Discover how Ultimate Software grew from $4M to $583M revenue through SaaS transformation, achieving 28% YoY growth and $210k per enterprise customer.

Pricing for SaaS Enabled Marketplaces - When to Go Free

Learn when SaaS-enabled marketplaces should use free vs paid pricing models. Key decision framework from analyzing 15+ marketplace investments and conversion …

A Framework to Maximize Your Startup's Hiring Success

Learn how successful startups like Optimizely and Greenhouse define company values after reaching 10+ employees. A data-driven framework for scaling startup …

Startup Best Practices 21 - Your Startup's Recruiting Scorecard

Learn 5 essential recruiting metrics for startups from Greenhouse's VP of Strategy. Data-driven insights to build world-class hiring teams and improve candidate …

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.

The Biggest Buyers of Software Companies in 2016

Analysis of top software acquirers in 2016: Public software companies hold $380B in cash, with Microsoft & Google leading 60+ potential buyers. Key M&A trends …

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 …

SaaS Office Hours with Maia Josebachvilli on Strategic and Tactical Recruiting Metrics

Learn proven recruiting metrics from Greenhouse VP Maia Josebachvili to optimize your startup's talent acquisition funnel and scale faster with data-driven …

4 Lessons For SaaS Startups From Optimizely's Early Days

Learn 4 key startup lessons from Optimizely's journey: How 2 ex-Google APMs built a 400-person SaaS leader in A/B testing through smart pivots and early …

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.

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 …

Benchmarking Atlassian's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Explore how Atlassian built a $320M SaaS powerhouse through flywheel growth. Key metrics and benchmarks vs 50+ public software companies reveal their path to …

2015 Software Startup IPOs and M&A - What Does the Data Imply for 2016?

Analyze 2015's software IPO & M&A trends: $6.8B in deals, 40% drop YoY. Key data on valuations, deal sizes & SaaS metrics reveal outlook for 2016 exits.

SaaS Office Hours at Redpoint with Pete Koomen

Join Optimizely co-founder Pete Koomen as he shares insights on scaling a SaaS startup from zero to 400+ employees and thousands of customers, plus key GTM …

3 Go-to-Market Insights from Kenny van Zant at SaaS Office Hours

Learn 3 proven go-to-market strategies from Kenny van Zant, who scaled SaaS companies to $100M+ using the Flywheel Model for sustainable revenue growth.

What is the Optimal Quick Ratio for Your SaaS Startup?

Learn the optimal quick ratio for SaaS growth: analyze how 15% monthly growth can sustain 46% annual churn while maintaining efficiency in B2B SaaS startups.

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 …

What Quota Attainment Reveals About Your SaaS Startup's Go to Market

Learn how quota attainment reveals your SaaS startup's go-to-market health. Key insights on lead quality, sales team scaling, and rep performance metrics.

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 …

Startup Best Practices 19 - Recognizing the Breaking Points of Your Startup's Management Structure

Learn the critical employee thresholds that break startup management structures and how successful founders adapt their leadership at 8, 60, and 200+ team …

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.

Five Words of Wisdom from SaaS Office Hours with Bill Macaitis

Learn 5 essential marketing insights from Slack CMO Bill Macaitis on scaling SaaS startups: when to hire marketing leaders, key metrics, and building …

How Much Should You Pay Your SaaS Startup's Sales People?

Learn the optimal sales compensation structure for SaaS startups. Data shows 9% of ACV is standard, with detailed breakdowns by deal size and quota targets.

Using Vaporware to Validate a Product Idea and Generate Demand for Your Startup

Learn how startups can validate product ideas using vaporware - from IBM's 1964 System 360 to modern crowdfunding. Key strategies for founders to test market …

5 Mistakes SaaS Startups Often Make with Pricing

Learn the 5 costly pricing mistakes SaaS founders make, from complex models to delayed annual prepay. Data-driven insights to optimize your startup's revenue …

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.

Startup Best Practices 18 - Collaborating with Your Customer During Your Sales Process

Learn how co-development during SaaS sales demos can accelerate deal cycles and reduce churn. Key insights from data analytics leader Looker's growth strategy.

8 Customer Discovery Questions to Validate Product Market Fit for Your Startup

Learn 8 essential customer discovery questions used by Google and VCs to validate product-market fit. Data-driven insights to improve your startup's market …

SaaS Office Hours at Redpoint with Bill Macaitis

Join bi-weekly SaaS Office Hours with top startup leaders like Slack's CMO. Get tactical advice on marketing, sales & metrics for seed/Series A companies.

The Essential Go To Market Math for Beating Your SaaS Startup's Growth Targets

Learn the essential SaaS pipeline metrics and conversion ratios to hit your startup's revenue targets. Calculate MQL-to-SQL ratios, quota attainment, and ARR …

The Indicators of True, Strong Customer Demand for a SaaS Product

Learn the key indicators of strong SaaS customer demand, from pilot engagement to sales velocity. Data-driven insights for startup founders to validate market …

Startup Best Practices 17 - Strategic Planning Using Your Startup's Fundamental Equation

Learn how successful startups use strategic equations to model business growth. Key insights from Google AdSense on unlocking revenue through data-driven …

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 …

Data Network Effects in SaaS Enabled Marketplaces

Discover how SaaS-enabled marketplaces leverage data network effects to build unbeatable competitive advantages in modern two-sided platforms.

Data Design Patterns - The Building Blocks of a Data Driven Culture

Learn how data design patterns pioneered in architecture revolutionized software development and can help startups build stronger data-driven cultures through …

The Importance of Payback Period for SaaS Startups

Learn how payback period impacts SaaS growth: Analysis shows 6-month vs 12-month payback can free up $5.2M in working capital for faster scaling.

Do Vertical SaaS Companies Benefit from Higher Sales Efficiency?

Analyzing 54 public SaaS companies reveals vertical solutions achieve 47% higher sales efficiency vs horizontal platforms. Key metrics and IPO data compared.

Vertical SaaS Startups Require Different Go To Market than Horizontal SaaS Companies

Learn why vertical SaaS startups like Veeva ($3.3B market cap) require unique go-to-market strategies vs horizontal SaaS, from focused products to industry …

Why Skillful Fundraising is a Huge Competitive Advantage

Learn how skilled fundraising creates a 50% larger business over 6 years through better capital efficiency. Data-driven insights for startup founders.

Why Bottoms Up Selling is a Fundamental Shift in SaaS

Discover how B2C2B selling drives 30% of IT spend in modern SaaS. New data reveals the shift from top-down to bottom-up sales across key business units.

Four Important Data Points about Purchasing Behavior in SaaS

Discover key SaaS purchasing trends: Most companies use exactly 14 apps, regardless of size. Data-driven analysis of enterprise software adoption patterns in …

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.

The Impact of the Stock Market on SaaS Valuations in 2015

Analyze how the 2015 stock market decline impacts SaaS valuations, with 90% of public companies down 40% despite strong fundamentals. Key data for founders & …

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 …

The Number One Objection in the Sales Funnel

Learn why time scarcity is the #1 sales objection in SaaS and discover proven tactics to create urgency in both inbound and outbound B2B sales processes.

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 …

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.

Startup Best Practices 16 - Option Pool Planning

Learn how to plan your startup's employee stock option pool (ESOP), from initial 15-25% allocation to growth-stage expansion. Data-driven equity benchmarks for …

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 …

The Implications of Raising a High-Priced Round

Discover how high-valuation SaaS startups justify 10-20x revenue multiples, and what growth rates are needed to sustain these ambitious valuations in today's …

Why Startups Are Growing Faster Today than Ever Before

Discover why modern startups grow 85% faster pre-IPO vs 63% in 1998, requiring 5x more revenue. Data reveals 3 key trends driving unprecedented startup growth …

How the Changes in UX Assumptions Create Opportunities for Startups

Discover how shifting UX assumptions create startup opportunities in tech. Analysis of Mac's 1995 interface principles reveals key lessons for founders building …

When Do SaaS Startups Hire Their First VP of Sales

Discover when fast-growth SaaS startups hire their first VP of Sales, based on data from 20 companies. Most hire in year 3, with key timing differences by ARR.

Benchmarking Netsuite's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Netsuite's journey from $18M to $556M revenue and 37% yearly growth. Key benchmarks and metrics from the 6th largest SaaS company's path to $7.7B …

What's Really Happening in the World of Bitcoin Investment

Explore Bitcoin startup investment trends: $4B+ raised in 2015, 200+ early-stage deals in 2014. Data-driven analysis reveals key funding patterns and growth.

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 …

Why Consumer Startups Dominate the Megaround Market

Discover why consumer startups capture 50% of megaround VC funding vs just 30% of overall venture dollars, and what's driving this late-stage investment trend.

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 …

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 …

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.

How Similar is the Fundraising Environment Today to 2000?

Compare 2015's $16.7B VC investment surge to the 2000 dotcom era. Key differences: 40% from non-traditional investors, half the deal volume. Data-driven …

At Some Point, You Have to Move Out of Your Parent's Basement

Explore why 25-30 venture-backed companies go public yearly and how Zendesk navigated its IPO amid a 30% drop in SaaS valuations. Key insights for startup …

The Fastest Growing Areas of Startup Investment in 2015

Discover the fastest-growing startup sectors of 2015, from Bitcoin's 145% investment growth to space travel. Data-driven analysis of emerging venture capital …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 & …

Three Data Points on Email List Unsubscribe Patterns

Analyze email unsubscribe patterns from 8,000 subscribers: 50% leave within 90 days. Key data insights for startup founders and content marketers.

Startup Best Practices 14 - Slash and Burn Your Calendar

Learn how ThredUp's radical calendar reset helped this hypergrowth startup save 1+ year of productivity. Key tactics to eliminate wasteful meetings & boost team …

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 …

The Impact of Interest Rates on Startup Fundraising

Explore how Federal Reserve interest rates correlate with VC investment trends, from 0% to 16% rates and $100B annual venture funding in the startup ecosystem.

Which Open Source License Should Your Project Use if You Want to Raise Venture Capital?

Discover which open source license correlates with higher VC funding. Data shows Apache-licensed projects raise more capital despite being only 16% of projects.

The Early Winners in the Consumer Hardware Wave

Analyze FitBit's meteoric rise from $14M to $745M revenue in 4 years, outpacing GoPro with 170% YoY growth and better unit economics in consumer hardware.

The Disruptive Effect of Open Source Startups

Explore how open source startups disrupt software distribution, drive revenue growth, and attract VC funding. Data shows steady rise in OSS venture deals since …

Startup Best Practices 13 - Patience with Unit Economics

Learn how New Relic's CEO built a $1.5B company through financial discipline and patient unit economics, challenging the typical venture capital growth model.

Startup Best Practices 12 - Customer Success Compensation

Learn how successful SaaS startups structure customer success compensation, with a data-driven framework covering product adoption, expansion, and ROI metrics.

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 …

Benchmarking ServiceNow's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze ServiceNow's remarkable SaaS growth from $19M to $178M in 4 years. See how this IT management leader achieved 75% CAGR and $95K revenue per customer.

The Expanding Role of Marketing in SaaS Companies

Discover how modern SaaS marketing teams now guide customers deeper into the funnel, transforming traditional sales models and creating new startup …

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 …

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 …

Unpacking the Deep Diagnostic Value of LTV/CAC for SaaS Startups

Discover how LTV/CAC ratio analysis reveals critical SaaS startup health metrics across product, sales, and engineering teams. Key insights from NetSuite's …

Startup Best Practices 11 - The 9 Box Matrix Talent Model

Learn how startups can use McKinsey's 9 Box Matrix to evaluate talent, optimize team performance, and make data-driven decisions about employee development and …

When Should Your SaaS Startup Offer Professional Services

Learn when SaaS startups should add professional services: analyze margins, revenue impact & tradeoffs. Data from 13 public companies with $50-800K ACV.

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.

Should You Take Cash or Stock to Sell Your Startup?

Explore how tech M&A deals shifted from stock to cash, with 90% of 2014 acquisitions being cash-based. Key insights for startup founders considering exit …

The Risk Sales Discounts Impose to Startup Burn Rates

Learn how sales discounts impact startup burn rates and cash flow. See data-driven analysis of 3 discount models and their effects on SaaS company finances.

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 …

The First Generation of the Talent Software Wars

Analyze how Taleo and SuccessFactors dominated talent software, reaching $100M revenue in 7 years before $5.3B in combined acquisitions by Oracle and SAP.

The 4 Teams Within Customer Success Organizations

Learn how successful SaaS companies structure customer success into 4 key teams: sales engineering, professional services, CSM, and learning to drive retention …

From $800k to $274M in 4 Years - The Story of Ariba

Discover how Ariba grew from $800k to $274M revenue in just 4 years before a $6B IPO. Key lessons from one of tech's fastest-growing SaaS companies.

The Decreasing Follow On Financing Success of Startups

New data reveals startup follow-on funding success rates dropped dramatically: Series B success fell from 57% to 28%, while Series A rounds grew 18% yearly …

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 …

How Great Unit Economics Enables Startups to Weather the Storm - The Story of WebEx

Discover how WebEx achieved 7x revenue growth and 95% retention through the dot-com crash. Key lessons in SaaS unit economics and startup resilience.

Startup Best Practices 11 - Practice Negotiations Before the Meeting

Learn proven negotiation strategies for startup founders, from preparation tactics to partnership frameworks. Key lessons from a former Google PM's experience.

Which is a More Efficient Way to Build a SaaS Startup - Bottoms Up or Top Down?

Analyze data from 9 public SaaS companies to compare bottoms-up vs top-down growth strategies. Key metrics reveal which approach drives better revenue …

What an Acquisition of Salesforce Means for Startups

Analysis of potential Salesforce acquisition by Microsoft or Oracle and its impact on the $40B SaaS ecosystem. Key data on enterprise tech acquirers.

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 …

A SaaS History Lesson – The First SaaS Company's Exceptional Journey

Discover how Concur evolved from selling floppy disks to becoming the first $8.3B SaaS acquisition. A pivotal startup story of persistence and business model …

How Important Is It For a SaaS Startup to be Profitable?

Explore why only 11% of tech IPOs were profitable in 2014, and what SaaS startup profitability means for growth and valuations. Data-backed insights for …

Measuring Bookings, MRR, Revenue and Cash for Your SaaS Startup

Learn the critical differences between SaaS bookings, MRR, revenue & cash collections. A data-driven guide to measuring your startup's key financial metrics.

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 …

The Innovator's Solution for SaaS Startups - The Flywheel SaaS Company

Discover how modern SaaS startups are disrupting traditional enterprise sales models with a flywheel approach. Key insights for founders on scaling efficiently.

How Faster Sales Cycles Become a Competitive Advantage

Learn how shorter sales cycles create competitive advantages in startups, from faster process optimization to better team evaluation and increased revenue …

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 …

Hacking the Performance Evaluation

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

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 Innovator's Dilemma for SaaS Startups

Explore why successful SaaS startups inevitably move upmarket from SMB to enterprise customers, driven by distribution advantages and growth dynamics.

Are SaaS Startups Today Worth More than Ten Years Ago?

Analyze 10 years of SaaS IPO data: Despite more private funding, public market caps remain steady at $900M. Key insights for startup founders & investors.

Startup Best Practices 10 - Building Your Startup's Institutional Memory

Learn how Stripe and Google built institutional memory through email transparency, scaling from 40 to 164 employees. Key lessons for startup founders on …

The Runaway Train of Late Stage Fundraising

Explore how private market funding has transformed: 211 growth rounds vs just 15 IPOs in 2014. Key data on why startups now raise massive rounds privately.

3 Key Ingredients of a Sales Compensation Plan

Learn the 3 essential components of SaaS sales compensation: commission ratios, acceleration & payment schedules. Data-driven insights from HubSpot's evolution.

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 & …

The Best Book on Building a SaaS Sales Team

Learn how HubSpot's CRO built a data-driven SaaS sales machine. Key insights on hiring metrics, team structure, and scaling revenue from zero to IPO success.

The SaaS Company that Grew from 0 to 4M Subscribers in 2.5 Years

Discover how Adobe transformed from software licenses to SaaS, growing to 4M subscribers in 2.5 years with 31% quarterly growth. Key metrics & insights for …

The Forces in Tension in the SaaS Fundraising Market

Analyze how public SaaS company valuations have shifted, with high-growth multiples dropping from 22x to 11x revenue. Key insights for startup founders & …

The 5 Marketing Channels of Great SaaS Companies

Discover the 5 proven marketing channels top SaaS startups use to generate 2-3x higher-converting inbound leads. Data-driven insights for scaling demand …

Why Your Startup's Churn Rate Affects Your Company's Ability to Plan Its Future

Discover how churn rates impact SaaS startup predictability: At 0% churn, 40% of revenue is locked in vs. just 20% at 50% churn. Key metrics for growth …

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 Most Important Thing Has Never Been the Numbers

Discover how Looker built a $30M Series B SaaS company with 400% growth by focusing beyond metrics to create an exceptional company culture and team.

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 …

The Sudden Growth in Series A Round Sizes

Explore how Series A round sizes jumped 14% to $6.8M in 2014, despite 200% growth in seed funding. Key data on startup funding patterns and timing.

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.

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 …

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.

Modeling Your SaaS Startup's Revenue Growth Effectively

Learn how to build accurate revenue forecasts and growth models for your SaaS startup. Key metrics and frameworks for scaling from product-market fit to …

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 …

The Three Dimensions of Content Marketing Strategy for Startups

Learn how to build an effective content marketing strategy for startups using 3 key dimensions: customer segments, lifecycle stages & content types.

Challenging Your Customers During Your SaaS Startup's Sales Process

Learn how top SaaS startups drive sales: Research across 6,000+ reps reveals why challenging customers outperforms traditional sales approaches by 15%.

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 …

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.

A Single Report to Measure the Health of Your Startup's Sales Team

Learn how to measure your SaaS startup's health with one powerful sales report. Track team performance, quotas, and pipeline metrics for data-driven growth …

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 …

The Employee Productivity Patterns of Billion Dollar SaaS Companies

Analyze how billion-dollar SaaS companies scale: from 184 to 944 employees over 6 years while tripling revenue per employee to $200k. Data from 50+ public …

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 …

A Simple Tool to Organize, Remember and Deliver Your Important Presentations

Learn a proven 3-step framework for delivering powerful presentations, based on lessons from Google product reviews with Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Master …

Benchmarks for Employee Stock Based Compensation in SaaS Startups

Discover data-driven benchmarks for SaaS startup equity compensation. Analysis shows $10-20k per employee annually, with key trends across company growth …

Five Things I've Learned about Content Marketing Strategy

Learn 5 proven content marketing strategies for SaaS startups to drive revenue, grow email lists, and expand reach through strategic blog partnerships.

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 …

Benchmarking Salesforce's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Salesforce's unprecedented SaaS growth from startup to $37B giant. Key revenue benchmarks and data insights for founders scaling B2B software companies.

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 Fundraising Patterns of Unicorn SaaS Companies

Analyze fundraising patterns of unicorn SaaS companies: median $88M raised before IPO, 4 rounds over 6 years. Key benchmarks for startup growth planning.

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 …

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 …

Are SaaS Startups Less Profitable than they Used to Be?

Analyze how SaaS pricing shifts impact profitability. Data shows 70% median gross margins at IPO, with sub-$50k ACV companies outperforming early on.

Benchmarking Xero's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Xero's remarkable SaaS growth from $0 to $100M revenue. Key benchmarks and data insights from this $2B SMB accounting platform's public financials.

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 …

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.

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 …

Benchmarking LinkedIn's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze LinkedIn's remarkable SaaS growth from IPO to $27.5B market cap. See how this B2C2B pioneer achieved 3x revenue growth in 2 years through network …

B2C2B Startups - Why Selling with Internal Influencers is so Powerful

Discover how B2C2B startups drive enterprise growth by targeting individual users first. Learn proven strategies for bottom-up SaaS adoption and sales …

3 Questions about Founders as CEOs in SaaS Companies

Discover key data on SaaS founder-CEOs: 62.5% remain CEO through IPO, with 15.5% equity stakes. Analysis of leadership transitions and venture capital impact.

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 …

A Surprising Source of Traffic for Breakout Content Marketing

Discover surprising traffic patterns in content marketing: how top 2% of posts drive 19% of visits, and why social media isn't the key driver for breakout …

How Customer Success Meaningfully Reduces Cost of Customer Acquisition

Learn how customer success programs can reduce SaaS customer acquisition costs by 33% through referrals, with data-backed strategies for scaling growth and ROI.

Why the Time to $1B in Valuation for Startups is Decreasing

Discover how startups are reaching $1B valuations 3x faster today, with data showing B2B taking 5+ years while B2C social platforms accelerate to unicorn …

The Importance of Segmentation for Your SaaS Startup

Learn how customer segmentation drove 8% revenue growth at Best Buy and how SaaS startups can apply these proven strategies to boost profitability and growth.

The Concur Acquisition in Context: A SaaS MegaExit

Analyze SAP's record $8.3B Concur acquisition: See how this 11x revenue multiple SaaS deal compares to other major enterprise software exits since 2012.

The Importance of Mindfulness When Managing a Startup

Learn the 5 key mindfulness principles used by high-performing teams to manage startup crises effectively. Data-backed insights for resilient company building.

Benchmarking Box's Updated S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Box's SaaS metrics: 111% revenue growth, sales efficiency & key benchmarks from their latest S-1 filing. Data-driven insights for startup founders.

The Acquisition Environment for Startups in 2015

Explore how $430B in tech company cash reserves will drive startup acquisitions in 2015, with detailed analysis of M&A trends across B2B SaaS and key sectors.

The Technology Sectors that Create the Most Value

Discover which tech sectors dominate market value: B2B software leads at 30%, followed by consumer web at 20%. Analysis of 250 top IT companies worth $3B-$675B.

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 …

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.

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 …

How Much Should Your Startup Spend on Customer Account Expansion?

Learn how top SaaS companies achieve negative churn of 114-120% and optimize customer expansion spend. Data-driven insights from New Relic and Zendesk's 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.

How Important are Professional Services to Your Startup?

Discover how professional services impact startup valuations, with data showing PS revenue ranging 20-41% for top SaaS companies vs pure software multiples.

Why Negative Churn is Such a Powerful Growth Mechanism

Discover how negative churn drives exponential SaaS growth: analysis shows 5% negative churn can double revenue vs standard 5% churn rates in startups.

Benchmarking New Relic's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze New Relic's SaaS growth metrics and benchmarks: 250K users, 534 employees, and key revenue data from their S-1 filing. Essential startup insights.

A Unique Chronicle Of A Billion Dollar Company

Discover the human story behind Zendesk's billion-dollar journey from startup to IPO. A rare founder's perspective on building great products and scaling teams.

Why Your SaaS Startup Needs a VP of Customer Success Sooner Than You Might Think

Learn why hiring a VP of Customer Success early can prevent rising churn rates and align sales, marketing and CS teams for sustainable SaaS growth.

The Most Effective Questions to Use When Interviewing Candidates

Learn proven interview techniques that boost hiring success 3x. Data-driven strategies from Google's structured process to identify top startup talent …

Why It's a Great Time to Raise a Seed Round

Explore how US seed funding grew 10x in 6 years, with data showing optimal round sizes and geographic trends in venture capital investments.

The 7 Factors to Consider When Pricing Your Startup's Product

Learn 7 proven pricing strategies for startups, from value-based models to market positioning. Data-driven insights to maximize revenue and avoid common pricing …

Why Series A Startup Founder CEO Equity Stakes Have Grown 40% in Five Years

Discover why Series A startup founder-CEO equity stakes jumped 40% in 5 years, rising from 15% to 21%, based on new venture capital data analysis.

The Meteoric Acceleration in Series A Valuations

Explore how Series A startup valuations have doubled in 6 months, surpassing historical Series B levels. Key data from Cooley reveals dramatic shifts in VC …

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 …

One of the Best Business Opportunities in the Next Decade

Discover how IoT and subscription models are transforming business growth. Learn 3 key advantages driving startup valuations and capital efficiency in the next …

Four Important Data Points on Measuring Your Startup's Customer Happiness

Learn key NPS benchmarks across B2B and B2C startups, with data from 230 companies showing median scores of 29-49. Essential metrics for measuring customer …

The Impact of Investor Geography on Your Seed, Series A and B Check Size

Discover how investor location impacts startup funding rounds. Data shows 16-22% smaller Series A checks from NY VCs vs CA/MA peers. Key insights for founders.

Using Statements of Work to Accelerate Sales Cycle and Align Sales, Customer Success and Marketing

Learn how statements of work can speed up B2B SaaS sales cycles, align teams, and empower internal champions. Key strategies for $10-100k deals.

The Obscure Economic Idea Behind SaaS Pricing Challenges

Discover how Veblen goods economics challenges traditional SaaS pricing models. Learn why higher prices can drive more demand in B2B software markets.

The 9 Marketing Disciplines of Great SaaS Companies

Discover the 9 essential marketing disciplines that power successful SaaS companies, based on insights from Zendesk's former CMO. Data-driven strategies for …

Why Revenue Isn't the Most Important Financial Metric for Startups

Discover why gross margin, not revenue, is the true driver of startup success. See how 95% vs 5% margins create massive competitive advantages in SaaS.

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 …

Benchmarking SaaS Startup Efficiency with Revenue per Employee Metrics

Discover how top SaaS startups achieve 56% annual team growth while maintaining $200k+ revenue per employee. Key benchmarks for scaling efficiently.

The Four Key Trends of the Startup Acquisition Market

Analyze 4 major trends shaping startup acquisitions in 2023: M&A volume hits decade high with 450+ exits and $25B+ in proceeds. Key data for founders & VCs.

Benchmarking WorkDay's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze WorkDay's unique SaaS growth strategy: How professional services drove early revenue and enterprise adoption. Key benchmarks from their S-1 data.

The Key Financing Attributes of Startups in the Billion Dollar Club

Analyze 49 billion-dollar startups: Compare enterprise vs consumer metrics, valuation efficiency, and funding data. Key insights for founders and investors.

Why Personas Are Critical Product Development and Go To Market Tools for Startups

Learn how successful startups use data-driven personas to build products and go-to-market strategies. Key insights from enterprise analytics teams and …

The Unexpected and Uneven Evolution of the Startup Fundraising Market

Analyze 8 years of startup funding data revealing dramatic shifts: Series C rounds doubled since 2009 while Series A stayed flat at $5M. Key venture capital …

Second Seed Rounds&#58; How They Impact a Startup's Ability to Raise a Series A

Explore how second seed rounds impact startup success, with data showing evolving fundraising patterns and Series A outcomes in today's venture capital …

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 …

The Valuable Startup Equity That's Not Captured in Your Cap Table

Learn how successful startups build lasting brand equity as a competitive advantage, and why it's just as critical as revenue metrics for venture-backed …

Benchmarking MobileIron's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze MobileIron's S-1 data: How this enterprise SaaS leader achieved $100M revenue, 6000+ customers, and scaled their hybrid delivery model.

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 …

Startup Best Practices 9 - Structuring One on Ones to Maximize Your Team's Success

Learn how top startups structure one-on-ones to boost team retention and performance. Key frameworks from Google's Bill Campbell for effective manager-report …

The Three Frameworks You Need to Create Powerful Presentations and Tell Compelling Stories

Learn 3 proven storytelling frameworks used by TED speakers and startup founders to create compelling presentations that persuade investors and close deals.

Benchmarking Tableau's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Tableau's unique SaaS business model: From perpetual licenses to enterprise deals. Key benchmarks and data from their S-1 for startup founders.

What You’re Making Is In A Perpetual State Of Almost Right Up Until The End

Explore why successful products exist in a perpetual state of iteration and evolution. Key insights for startup founders on embracing continuous product …

Startup Best Practices 8 -Getting the Most from Your Team By Preventing Burnout

Learn how successful startups prevent team burnout using energy management frameworks. Key strategies from The Energy Project used by Google & Fortune 500s to …

Benchmarking Veeva's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze Veeva's remarkable SaaS growth story through key metrics: $2M+ revenue per customer, 600-person team, and enterprise-focused strategy in life sciences.

The Innovations Free Compute and Storage Unleash

Explore how plummeting cloud costs (42 price cuts in 8 years) and free compute power will transform AI, machine learning, and startup innovation.

A Collection of Uncommon Points of View on Startups

Discover 3 unconventional startup insights from Peter Thiel's Zero to One, including why founders should build monopolies and how to maximize long-term value.

The Optimal Price to Maximize Sales Efficiency for a SaaS Startup

Discover the optimal pricing strategy for SaaS startups based on analysis of 45 public companies. Data reveals how ACVs from $15K to $1M impact sales …

Benchmarking Zendesk's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

An in-depth analysis of Zendesk's S-1, exploring key SaaS metrics like revenue growth and gross margin to understand the company's efficient customer …

The Best Way to Benchmark a SaaS Startup

Learn how to benchmark SaaS startups using 3 key metrics: revenue growth, time-to-IPO, and ACV. Data-driven analysis of top performing companies.

Benchmarking Hubspot's S-1 - How 7 Key SaaS Metrics Stack Up

Analyze HubSpot's path to IPO through key SaaS metrics: 88% CAGR, revenue growth from $5.7M to $71M, and benchmarks against 40 public companies.

The Impact of a Startup's Location on its Acquisition Potential

Analyze how startup location impacts M&A success. Data shows CA startups get 60% of acquisitions vs 53% of funding rounds. Key insights for founders & …

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 …

The Four Kinds of Social Capital that Matter When Building Products

Discover the 4 types of social capital driving product growth and viral referrals. Learn from Dropbox's 2.8M referral success and build better startup growth …