SaaStr

"On average, venture-backed founder SaaS CEOs tend to end up owning 15% of their companies after all the dilution from multiple fundraising rounds."

"The future belongs to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers." 🚀 This quote from Steve Jobs resonated with me as I reflected on some key insights from Jason M. Lemkin's recent panel at #AllStarSaaSConference. As a serial investor, Jason shared some thought-provoking perspectives on the current SaaS landscape: On AI disruption 🏁 : While AI is creating intense competition across categories, it's also enabling the best teams to pull ahead. The bar has been raised, but so has the potential for truly innovative companies to differentiate. On going global 🌍 : Don't be intimidated by the US market. Jason challenged Japanese founders to think bigger and earlier about global expansion. As he put it, "If your product is that great, that's the beauty of the internet. If SaaS can be global, it will be global." On the power of place 👨💼 : Despite the rise of remote work, Jason still sees immense value in the density and network effects of Silicon Valley. He looks for founders crazy enough to relocate there, seeing it as a signal of commitment. On AI-powered growth 🤖 : While skeptical of AI completely replacing human roles, Jason sees huge potential in using AI to augment teams - especially in areas like sales engineering and knowledge management. On the IPO bar 📑 : The goalposts have moved significantly. Companies now need $500M+ in revenue growing at 50%+ to go public. This raises important strategic questions for founders about addressable market size and go-to-market approach. The thread running through all of this? A call for founders to think bigger, move faster, and embrace a touch of productive insanity in pursuit of truly transformative ideas. #SaaS #StartupAdvice #AIInnovation #GlobalExpansion #SiliconValley #SaaSJapan

From zero to a billion: Jared Ward and Brendon Beebe dive into the success stories at SaaStr. Find out why this event is a must-attend for SaaS leaders. #SaaStr #Leadership #Inspiration #SaaS #Podcast #OPSUnfiltered

New!! The 30-Day Test: How to Know if Your VP of Sales Will Succeed: Here’s an uncomfortable truth about SaaS companies: the majority of first-time VPs of Sales don’t make it past 12 months. As someone who has both succeeded and failed at making this critical hire, I can tell you that when it works, it’s transformative. When it doesn’t, it’s potentially catastrophic. A failed VP of Sales hire... Continue Reading The post The 30-Day Test: How to Know if Your VP of Sales Will Succeed appeared first on SaaStr.

New!! Dear SaaStr: What Does a ‘Ratchet’ Mean in a VC Term Sheet?: Dear SaaStr: What Does a ‘Ratchet’ Mean in a VC Term Sheet? A ratchet is a term whereby, if another VC later pays a lower price for shares in your start-up … the VC that bought shares earlier with the ‘ratchet’ protection gets a price adjustment to that lower price. On the surface, actually, it... Continue Reading The post Dear SaaStr: What Does a ‘Ratchet’ Mean in a VC Term Sheet? appeared first on SaaStr.

New!! Who is Eric Yuan | CEO of Zoom: Who is Eric Yuan | CEO of Zoom Yuan joined WebEx as one of the first several software engineers.  At WebEx, he quickly proved his technical abilities and rose through the ranks. He was instrumental in developing the WebEx videoconferencing technology and eventually became Vice President of Engineering. In 2007, Cisco acquired WebEx for $3.2... Continue Reading The post Who is Eric Yuan | CEO of Zoom appeared first on SaaStr.

SaaStr Black Friday is here! Spin the wheel on SaaStr.com to grab the best discounts of the year!! Or click here to get 20% OFF 2025 SaaStr Annual (May 13-15 in SF Bay) here: https://lnkd.in/eUsKzxTM

New!! 5 Tips to Getting a Job in SaaS in a Tougher Market: I know for many, this seems a much harder time to find a new job What I can tell you is this.  It’s not the crazy hiring market of 2021.  But all the best start-ups and scale-ups are hiring, and even many of those doing Just OK are, too: I have at least 10 high... Continue Reading The post 5 Tips to Getting a Job in SaaS in a Tougher Market appeared first on SaaStr.

"You’ll also note in this how & why sales efficiency drops over time."

New!! Dear SaaStr: Do VCs Favor Investing in Psychopaths?: Dear SaaStr: Do VCs Favor Investing in Psychopaths? Of course not, not intentionally.   But … Sort of, unintentionally.  VCs have to invest in simply crazy founders.  “Good” crazy.  Crazy folks who will do whatever it takes to build a Unicorn, not sell at $50m, not sell at $200m, keep going, even when logic 100 times... Continue Reading The post Dear SaaStr: Do VCs Favor Investing in Psychopaths? appeared first on SaaStr.