Sandeep Beotra

PE - Differentiated Performance & Returns John Templeton (Investor, Templeton Growth) on achieving differentiated returns: “If you want to have a better performance than others, you must do things differently.” --- In PE - top decile firms of tomorrow will be those that are adding differentiated value and do it differently than others in PE. The most obvious differentiating strategy is building more effective GTM Value Creation teams that apply data-driven and scientific approaches to driving capital-efficient revenue growth. Many PE firms haven't fully mastered this. #pe #privateequity #business #saas #tech

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ET CFO recently featured Deena Jacob's insights on how Finance 4.0 technologies are reshaping the industry and redefining leadership for modern CFOs. https://lnkd.in/dqNP3EBD #CFO #finance #businessfinance #openmoney

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With the influx of AI-powered technology in organizations of all industries, here's a timely reminder for all business leaders: Prioritizing AI literacy and change management is key to unlocking the true potential of technology investments, AI or not. Chief Financial Officers have a unique role in ensuring employees are using AI to increase efficiency and productivity, with responsibility and compliance top of mind. Seismic's Kerry Ryan elaborates on this in CFO Dive. Read more:

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Looking forward to meeting women entrepreneurs who are on their journey to create some pathbreaking ideas and inspiring others to do the same. #advaitawomenentrepreneurs #womeninbusiness #entrepreneurship #womenentrepreneurs #EmpowerWomen #womenleaders #businesswomen

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I first met Mike Maples, Jr in 2010, when Founders Network was just an idea. Over the years, Mike and his team at Floodgate (special shoutout to Arjun Chopra) have been great mentors, sharing their insights and guiding our founders. Most recently, their advice played a pivotal role in helping us launch Founders Network Fund. Today, Mike shared the key ideas with FN'ers from his new book Pattern Breakers (https://a.co/d/buKBd5O ), which explores the insights he’s gained from backing companies like Twitter, Twitch, and Okta -- and which put him on the Forbes Midas List 8x. This is the most important book on startups in the last ten years, according to Steve Blank. My notes on the key concepts of his talk: 1) Inflections – "not a trend but a change event that represents a turning point in our ability to provide empowerment." e.g. The GPS chip in iPhone 4s 2) Insights – "a non-consensus and right insight about the future that's powerful and non obvious and leverages inflections." e.g. Lyft = GPS + strangers driving you 3) Founder future fit – "Living in the future before other people live in the future and then try to build what's missing in the future." If you're a founder, check out the book. Grateful for the impact Mike and Arjun continue to have on both me and the Founders Network community!

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How companies purchase software is rapidly evolving, with cloud marketplaces expected to reach $100B in 2026, up from $15B in 2023. Simply put, if you are building and selling cloud software today, it's imperative that you can sell through a cloud marketplace. The journey, however, can be a little confusing, and management can be even harder. With 3x growth last year and 3/4th of our business now flowing through a cloud marketplace, CloudZero switched to Clazar earlier this year to handle our rapid growth, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Trunal B. and Aayush Bahuguna have a big vision for how cloud marketplaces will evolve and how software will be bought and sold in the future. No matter where you are on your journey, learning from them what's coming next is worth your time.

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PE - 3 ideas for the next 3 years - just like every traditional company needs to be a SaaS company, every SaaS company needs to ultimately be an AI company - ramp up revenue growth but always protect the profits - today is the time to innovate (i.e. not re-invent) your business model & strategy - importantly, this applies not only to PE portfolio companies but also to PE firms to get the best IRR --- #pe #privateequity #business #strategy #saas

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In his latest piece, Paul Graham dives into a thought-provoking realization sparked by Brian Chesky's memorable talk at a recent YC event: **what if the conventional wisdom on scaling companies is fundamentally flawed for founders?** Graham dissects why advice that works for professional managers often fails founders, leading to disastrous results. He introduces the concept of "Founder Mode" — a distinct approach to running a company that clashes with traditional management practices. Graham argues that embracing this mode could be the key to unlocking greater success for startups, potentially revolutionizing how founders scale their companies. Made me think. https://lnkd.in/exHmEE5M

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Over the last two decades SaaS has dominated and reshaped industries. And I believe we are on the verge of a significant shift in 2025, with autonomy taking center stage in industries like aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and robotics. Industries such as oil & gas, HVAC, and water treatment are grappling with massive retirements, creating critical labor gaps. It’s clear that the next generation of engineers must be equipped to handle autonomous systems, analyze sensor data, and manage advanced control systems. Industries are increasingly adopting AI-powered autonomous systems, the integration of physical hardware with intelligent software has become not just important but essential. Fields like robotic teleoperation and AI-driven industrial automation are unlocking exciting opportunities that demand specialized technical skills. There is an absolute need for engineers with expertise in mechanical, electrical, and control engineering. To meet the rising demand for “full-stack hardware engineers,” these disciplines must not only grow but evolve to equip professionals with the skills to seamlessly integrate hardware and software, driving the future of innovation and automation. For this, I believe the education industry must step up and lead the way: K12 schools should introduce students to robotics, coding, and hands-on design projects early on. By doing so, they can inspire students to explore diverse career paths, ranging from high-tech trades to advanced engineering role. Universities should offer interdisciplinary programs that integrate hardware and software disciplines. They should also partner with companies to create apprenticeship opportunities, providing students with invaluable, real-world, hands-on experience. EdTech companies have a vital role to play. They should develop tools like virtual labs for robotics, sensor integration, and PCB design, giving students opportunities to learn by doing. Additionally, I encourage them to create short courses and certifications to help professionals transition into these high-demand roles. We also need to invest in workforce development programs to reskill mid-career professional and tap into the strengths of community colleges to train technicians and skilled workers. Supporting apprenticeship models is critical for hands-on approach that makes on-the-job training accessible and effective for building technical expertise.

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PE - PE Acceleration Toolkit (i.e. not Playbook) What commercial, GTM and growth areas do you cover in your "PE Portfolio Company Toolkit" (i.e. some funds like Vista Equity Partners call it a Playbook but I refer to it as toolkit with the aim of it being a participatory, not a prescriptive playbook)? Some ideas* come to mind - what else? (* i.e. Commercial/GTM/Revenue Growth - not including Product, Engineering, R&D and other functions) 1. Sales Optimization   - Sales Org Structure   - Sales Management Process   - Sales Prospecting & Outbound   - Sales Process Engineering - Pipeline Management - Forecasting & Commit Process - Forecasting Rollups - CEO & Board   - Sales performance metrics and KPIs   - Channel Sales, Partner and alliance programs   - Rev Ops & Sales Enablement   - Sales Quota, Compensation & Incentives   - Sales Tech & Automation 2. Marketing Optimization   - B2B Demand Generation strategy   - Marketing Management - Marketing Process Engineering - Defining Lead Nomenclature - Campaign Management - Strategic Messaging Architecture   - PLG - Product Led Growth   - Digital & Inbound marketing    - Account-based marketing (ABM) - Customer Marketing - Product Marketing - Marketing/Sales Alignment & SLAs   - Marketing Metrics / KPIs   - Marketing Tech & Automation 3. Customer Management, Success and Retention   - Customer onboarding processes   - VOC - collecting and analyzing customer feedback   - Customer Segmentation   - Customer Management Processes   - Proactive customer Engagement   - AM & Expansion Sales   - Renewal strategies   - Customer loyalty strategies   - Customer support optimization   - Customer metrics and KPIs 4. Pricing and Packaging   - Pricing strategies   - Value-based pricing   - Discounting strategies & pricing transparency   - Subscription and usage-based models   - Pricing experimentation and A/B testing   - Competitive pricing analysis 5. Operational Efficiency   - SaaS metrics (CAC, LTV, churn rate, etc.)   - Process automation and workflow optimization 6. Talent & Culture   - Leadership & Management    - Attracting and retaining top talent   - Building a high-performance culture   - Performance Management   - Remote work best practices   - Continuous learning and development 7. Community Building   - Community creation & engagement   - Building an ecosystem around the product   - Customer Advocacy Programs 8. Data and Analytics   - Data-driven decision-making   - Business intelligence (BI) tools and dashboards   - Data governance, security and privacy   - AI applications Other: 9. Product (& GTM Alignment) 10. M&A (Commercial/GTM integration) 11. Finance (Supporting the GTM org) 12. GTM Board Updates & KPIs 13. Etc. ------------------ #pe #privateequity #business

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PE - Capital-efficient Revenue Growth in Tech PE using Lean Thinking Revenue Growth in PE portfolio context should be capital efficient and profitable. One idea is to consider the best practices of Lean Thinking in Tech PE - how portfolio companies can streamline their Revenue Growth strategies, optimize their sales processes, improve execution, and reduce inefficiencies across operations - examples include: - Sales & Marketing: Focusing on high-impact activities that drive revenue, such as targeting the most profitable customer segments and eliminating redundant actions - Operations: Simplifying workflows, automating repetitive tasks, and reducing overhead to enhance operational efficiency and scalability - Resource Allocation: invest resources where they create the most value, such as prioritizing key growth initiatives over less impactful ones - Continuous Improvement: ongoing tracking and assessment & refinement of all processes are regularly evaluated and improved for better results PE firms can help their portfolio companies grow faster, operate more efficiently, and achieve higher growth with Lean execution in GTM. FYI: Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Company #pe #privateequity #investing #finance #saas #growth

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Whether you need to manage a tight budget or whether you are hiring, being able to look into one of your largest budget lines is critical for success. Compete continues to develop its product to deliver better experience and better visibility into employee compensation. Well done Amit Rapaport and team Compete #HR_tech #Israeli_tech #Budget

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To many of us in the world of startups – or extreme endurance events for that matter – there is a continuing desire to explore any new intervention that can enhance our personal or professional lives. We devour books, articles, podcasts and TED Talks on things like habit, grit, happiness, fitness, meditation, morning routines, etc. - always keen to find another tool to accelerate our personal growth and effectiveness. But so many behavioral changes will not benefit us in the short term. That can be particularly true for nutrition and exercise. These can be challenging to tackle and weeks or even months into a new routine, there will be little indication that anything positive is happening. That, in turn, can cause us to give up on something that could have made a meaningful difference in our long-term health and well-being. I believe that the “Slight Edge” concept can be of critical assistance in sustaining progress. First articulated in a book by Jeff Olson, the “Slight Edge” argues that to improve or grow in any area of our lives, it is important to first recognize that there are no quick fixes. Instead, seemingly small actions executed more or less daily will yield enormous benefits months and especially years down the road. One of the author’s favorite illustrations of the slight edge concept – and one in which the effect can be objectively validated – is reading 10 pages a night of a useful book. Done faithfully, this will translate into 15-20 good books read each year. The slight edge framing applies nicely to healthy eating and regular exercise. Saying no – or yes, for that matter – to a calorie rich dessert or a workout, a single time, makes no difference in the larger scheme of things. But repeating that decision consistently, over a period of years, will have an enormous impact. That impact can be either profoundly positive or negative, depending on the direction in which you are making the slight edge work for you. The” Slight Edge” concept has strong application to the world of endurance sports. Faithful adherence to a structured training plan can reliably take a healthy person from the couch to a 10K. Longer term plans can then take you to the half-marathon and beyond. A similar progression will also work for triathlons. In each case, it is faithful execution on a daily basis, repeated over time, that drives increasingly dramatic progress. More than a decade after adopting a largely vegan diet and 14 years after taking up endurance sports – I have seen the dramatic impact that seemingly small daily actions can have.   Whether we like it or not, the slight edge is always working in our lives. I believe the key is to recognize that fact and to consciously think about how to make it work for you, rather than against you. #mondaymotivation #leadershipdevelopment #personaldevelopment

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PE - Portfolio / Cost of Revenue is up 68% Key to success in PE: - Optimizing Revenue Growth in a capital-efficient and profitable way - Unique strategies that are profitable and drive disproportionate ROI are critical today in PE - Successful growth is both: ARR and EBITDA Great panel with Seth Brody at Apax Partners, Craig Greenseid at The Carlyle Group Rajveer (Raj) Kushwaha at Warburg Pincus Prerak Vohra at Goldman Sachs and Michael Hoffman at SBI at the Private Equity International NYC conference. --------- #pe #privateequity

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Team, Market Size, Technology, and Product-Market fit are key criteria VCs assess to evaluate an opportunity. An often-overlooked aspect in team assessment is their Sense of Urgency or, GSD. This cultural advantage, inspired from the top, can turn an average opportunity into a significant win. The FastCompany article below gives ideas on how leaders can inspire their teams to adopt a GSD Mentality. #VC #Technology #Opportunity #GSD

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I recently had the pleasure of joining the ChangeJar team for a podcast as part of their #jarexchange series. During the discussion, we touched upon an insightful comparison between the US and Indian VC ecosystems. A fascinating look into the world of venture capital. #venturecapital #india Jar

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I had a lot of fun recording a podcast episode with Shiva Singh Sangwan. We discussed the evolution of Humba Ventures & Susa Ventures; tips for raising and building a fund; how to improve investment sourcing & picking; the role of luck in investing, and so on. https://lnkd.in/eiqsStej

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