January 14, 2026

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 amplified by the AI shift.

Jan 13, 2026

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 …

Jan 10, 2026

Open APIs Are Over

Salesforce, Datadog & Epic are locking down APIs. AI accelerates development, enabling incumbents to compete …

Jan 09, 2026

Trajectory

The competitive edge has shifted from adopting software to mastering how it's used. Trajectory data, the path …

Jan 07, 2026

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 …

Jan 05, 2026

The Done List

AI agents are revolutionizing productivity by transforming traditional to-do lists into 'done lists' of …

Dec 30, 2025

Gross Profit per Token

Meta's $2.5B Manus acquisition reveals a new AI valuation metric. Analysis of 6 companies shows gross profit …

Dec 29, 2025

My Favorite Books of 2025

A curated list of the top 10 books I read in 2025, covering complexity science, geopolitical strategy, the …

Dec 28, 2025

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 …

Dec 23, 2025

Scoring 2025's Predictions

Scoring the 2025 technology & venture capital predictions. A review of the IPO market, Google's AI surge, …

Dec 23, 2025

Scoring 2025's Predictions

Scoring the 2025 technology & venture capital predictions. A review of the IPO market, Google's AI surge, …

Dec 22, 2025

12 Predictions for 2026

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

Dec 18, 2025

Thursday is Podcast Day

Analyzing hundreds of tech & VC podcasts through MotherDuck's serverless data warehouse reveals mid-week …

Dec 17, 2025

A Flash of Deflation

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

Dec 16, 2025

The Bifurcation in the AI Market

OpenRouter data reveals a market splitting in two : enterprises pay for precision in coding workflows while …

Dec 15, 2025

Is Your AI Funded by Junk Bonds?

Oracle's aggressive AI infrastructure buildout has pushed the company to the brink of junk bond status, …

Dec 12, 2025

The Average Founder Ages 6 Months Each Year

Statistical analysis reveals evolving trends in founder ages across the startup ecosystem, with implications …

Dec 10, 2025

The Two Context Databases Powering Enterprise AI

Enterprises need a new system of record for AI agents. Context databases come in two varieties : operational & …

Dec 09, 2025

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 …

Dec 08, 2025

Streaming Comes into the Fold

IBM acquires Confluent for $11.1 billion at 10x revenue. Analysis of the real-time data streaming leader's …

Dec 05, 2025

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, …

Dec 03, 2025

Top 10 Posts of 2025

The top 10 posts of 2025 reveal a year dominated by AI infrastructure economics, falling cost curves & …

Nov 30, 2025

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. …

Nov 25, 2025

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 …

Nov 21, 2025

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 …

Nov 20, 2025

The Scaling Wall Was A Mirage

Gemini 3's release and Nvidia's earnings confirm that AI scaling laws are accelerating. Pre-training gains …

Nov 16, 2025

What 375 AI Builders Actually Ship

Production AI is more mature & hybrid than expected : 70% use open source, agents connect to databases over …

Nov 13, 2025

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 …

Nov 12, 2025

Running Out of AI

A developer's journey through hitting AI code generation limits & exploring alternatives like API billing, …

Nov 10, 2025

Datadog: As Reliable as Your Golden Retriever

Datadog's platform transition drives remarkable consistency: 25% YoY growth for 12 straight quarters, 120% net …

Nov 06, 2025

Are We Being Railroaded by AI?

AI infrastructure spending hits $500B in 2024, ranking as the sixth-largest investment in US history. …

Nov 05, 2025

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 …

Nov 03, 2025

OpenAI's $1 Trillion Infrastructure Spend

OpenAI has committed to over $1.09T in infrastructure spending from 2025-2035 across Broadcom, Oracle, …

Oct 31, 2025

Small Data Becomes Big Data

How I moved from local DuckDB to cloud with two letters, scaled from 50 to 2,000+ podcasts, & discovered …

Oct 30, 2025

$555B of Cloud Spend

Microsoft & Google commit $555B in cloud backlog & $232B in annualized capex, driving unprecedented AI …

Oct 27, 2025

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 …

Oct 23, 2025

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 …

Oct 21, 2025

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 …

Oct 20, 2025

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 …

Oct 17, 2025

Where Is Your AI Running?

As AI agents handle more tasks, deployment location matters. Enterprises need their own cloud for control & …

Oct 16, 2025

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 …

Oct 14, 2025

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 …

Oct 10, 2025

Is Token Consumption Growth Slowing Down?

Google's AI token processing reaches 1.3 quadrillion monthly tokens in October 2025, but growth decelerates …

Oct 09, 2025

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 …

Oct 07, 2025

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 …

Oct 06, 2025

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 …

Oct 03, 2025

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 …

Oct 02, 2025

Data & AI Infrastructure Are Fusing

AI demands unified infrastructure. Learn how Netflix & Stripe rebuilt their stacks with vector databases, …

Sep 30, 2025

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%. …

Sep 29, 2025

From A to B Without Inventing Letters

John McPhee's four-draft writing method transforms chaotic ideas into compelling narratives. Learn why the …

Sep 26, 2025

The Efficient Frontier of AI

GEPA (Generative Pareto optimization) revolutionizes AI writing by discovering multiple optimal posts across …

Sep 25, 2025

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 …

Sep 23, 2025

Is T3D2 Dead? Has AI Killed It?

AI companies like OpenAI & Anthropic are growing at unprecedented rates, far exceeding traditional T3D2 …

Sep 19, 2025

The Post-AI Org Chart

Explore how AI transforms organizational structures. From traditional pyramids to short pyramids (85% …

Sep 18, 2025

Beyond a Trillion : The Token Race

Google processes 574x more AI tokens than Microsoft Foundry. Explore the massive scale differences in AI …

Sep 15, 2025

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 …

Sep 12, 2025

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 …

Sep 11, 2025

Developer Relations at Theory

Theory Ventures launches developer relations team to share AI building experiences & learn from the community. …

Sep 09, 2025

10 Months into AI Agents : Which Are Used Most?

Analysis of 200 Model Context Protocol tools shows developers prioritize infrastructure & search over …

Sep 08, 2025

Two Data Giants, One Revenue Milestone

Databricks forecast $4B revenue for FY2026 while Snowflake achieves $4.116B LTM. Nearly identical big customer …

Sep 04, 2025

What It Feels Like to Build in AI

The daily excitement & uncertainty of building in AI - from morning breakthroughs to imposter syndrome, …

Sep 02, 2025

A Living Market Map

Theory introduces our living 3D market map - a dynamic visualization of startup ecosystems that evolves in …

Aug 31, 2025

The $20/Month Software Revolution

How AI coding tools are enabling anyone to build applications for $20/month, disrupting traditional software …

Aug 28, 2025

The AI Tide Lifts Databases

Discover how AI is driving Snowflake's 32% revenue growth, with AI features now deployed across 50% of …

Aug 27, 2025

The Second-Order Effects of AI

Explore how AI's exponential growth is creating ripple effects across tech, with MongoDB's 24% revenue surge …

Aug 26, 2025

Netflix's New AI Role

Explore how Netflix's new Media ML Data Engineer role signals the fusion of software and data engineering, as …

Aug 25, 2025

What Will You Reinvent Today?

Explore how AI and automation are reshaping work patterns in tech. Learn strategies for adapting to change and …

Aug 22, 2025

A Narrative Violation on a Friday Morning

Surprising data analysis reveals that venture capital & private equity holding periods are nearly identical, …

Aug 21, 2025

Achieving Flow with AI

Join tech leaders Hamel Husain and Claire Vo to explore how AI tools can help achieve flow state, boost …

Aug 19, 2025

When One AI Grades Another's Work

Explore how AI evaluates AI-generated content: See how Gemini 2.5 revolutionizes content scoring by moving …

Aug 18, 2025

Explore vs. Exploit in Agentic Coding

AI coding assistants have rewritten distribution rules overnight, but negative margin economics threaten …

Aug 15, 2025

The Groupon Era of AI

Explore how AI's explosive growth mirrors Groupon's rise, from rapid market adoption to copycat competition. …

Aug 14, 2025

EvoBlog: Building an Evolutionary AI Content Generation System

Discover how evolutionary AI systems can revolutionize content creation. Learn how multiple LLMs collaborate …

Aug 13, 2025

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% …

Aug 12, 2025

What is Chrome Worth?

Analyze Perplexity AI's $34.5B Chrome bid vs Safari's economics. Data shows true browser value could exceed …

Aug 11, 2025

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 …

Aug 08, 2025

From Knowledge to Action

Explore how GPT-5 and AI tool-calling capabilities are reshaping startup competition beyond knowledge …

Aug 04, 2025

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 …

Aug 01, 2025

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 …

Jul 28, 2025

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. …

Jul 23, 2025

PageRank in the Age of AI

Explore how AI is reshaping PageRank and content distribution, mirroring ad tech's real-time bidding systems. …

Jul 22, 2025

The AI Search Tipping Point

Explore how AI is transforming search: 50% of Google queries now use AI features, with OpenAI handling 1 query …

Jul 20, 2025

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 …

Jul 18, 2025

The Sales Strategy Conquering the AI Market

Discover how AI is transforming B2B sales strategy, with forward deployed engineers replacing traditional …

Jul 17, 2025

Hidden Technical Debt in AI

Explore how AI systems face hidden technical complexity similar to ML systems, requiring extensive …

Jul 14, 2025

The Rise of the Agent Manager

Explore how AI agent managers will transform work productivity, from managing 4 agents today to potentially …

Jul 10, 2025

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% …

Jul 08, 2025

The Hungry, Hungry AI Model

Discover why AI models require 300x more input than output data, and how this ratio impacts costs, latency & …

Jul 05, 2025

Revenue Comes to Crypto

Explore how crypto valuations shift from hype to revenue metrics, with decentralized exchanges like …

Jul 02, 2025

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 …

Jun 27, 2025

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 …

Jun 25, 2025

Why Data is More Valuable than Code

Discover why data quality trumps code in modern AI applications vs SaaS. Key insights on how structured …

Jun 24, 2025

The Multimodal Lake House : Partnering with Lance

Discover why multimodal AI is transforming startups. Learn how LanceDB tackles massive data scaling …

Jun 20, 2025

Fighting for Context

Explore how enterprise software companies like Salesforce are defending their data assets and adapting …

Jun 18, 2025

DuckLake - Subsecond Latency on a Petabyte

Discover how DuckLake achieves subsecond query speeds on petabyte-scale data lakes using a radically …

Jun 16, 2025

The Data Decacorn Derby

Analyze how Databricks is gaining on Snowflake with 60% YoY growth and AI-driven momentum. Key metrics reveal …

Jun 13, 2025

The Coming Wave of Acquihires

Explore how the 49% surge in AI & software seed funding will drive startup acquihires, backed by data showing …

Jun 10, 2025

Partnering with Maze Security

Discover how AI-powered security research mirrors modern medicine, with 10% better diagnostic accuracy. Key …

Jun 09, 2025

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 …

Jun 06, 2025

The IPO Door is Swinging Open

Explore how crypto & data center IPOs are reopening public markets in 2025, with CoreWeave up 300% and Circle …

Jun 05, 2025

Stuck in the Middle of AI Workflows

Discover how AI tools are transforming startup research workflows and the 3 emerging enterprise software …

Jun 02, 2025

What Level of AI?

Explore the 5 distinct levels of AI integration in business workflows, from chat-based assistants to …

May 30, 2025

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 …

May 29, 2025

1000x Increase in AI Demand

Explore how AI reasoning drives 1000x compute demand, with hyperscalers deploying 72,000 GPUs weekly. Key …

May 28, 2025

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 …

May 23, 2025

What's in Your Bank's Wallet?

Explore how 90% of banks are adopting stablecoins in 2025, driving revenue through faster settlements and …

May 22, 2025

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 …

May 21, 2025

My Prompt, My Reality

Explore how AI product success hinges on user prompting skills, and discover key strategies for SaaS founders …

May 18, 2025

How AI Redefines User Experience

Discover how AI is transforming SaaS user experience through natural language interfaces. See real examples of …

May 16, 2025

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 …

May 15, 2025

Nobody Wants to Read Your Stuff

Explore how AI is reshaping content creation and consumption in tech. Learn why traditional content marketing …

May 10, 2025

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 …

May 08, 2025

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 …

May 07, 2025

An Explosive New Distribution Channel

AI agents are becoming the new gatekeepers of B2B software selection, with AI developers creating databases 4x …

May 05, 2025

No Asterisk Needed

Explore how Web3 venture investment shifts from infrastructure to applications, with gaming and payments …

May 01, 2025

100 Trillion Tokens

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

Apr 30, 2025

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 …

Apr 28, 2025

When Every Employee Becomes an Agent Boss

This post explores how AI is transforming organizational structures, with 83% of leaders expecting employees …

Apr 24, 2025

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 …

Apr 23, 2025

Tokenization as a SaaS Liquidity Option

Explore how tokenization is transforming SaaS liquidity, from BlackRock's $2B BUIDL fund to instant …

Apr 21, 2025

Rabbits on Firetrucks Redux

Explore how AI image generation has evolved from unusable to professional-grade in 2 years, with key insights …

Apr 18, 2025

Integrations as Competitive Advantage

Discover how AI is revolutionizing enterprise software integrations, enabling startups to build connections in …

Apr 17, 2025

Social AI

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

Apr 15, 2025

Speed Running a 50 Year Old Software Category

Discover how AI is revolutionizing enterprise ERP, turning 12-month deployments into rapid implementations. …

Apr 14, 2025

My Bottleneck with AI

Learn how to optimize AI workflows for maximum productivity. A VC's practical insights on structuring AI …

Apr 10, 2025

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 …

Apr 07, 2025

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% …

Apr 03, 2025

What do Tariffs Mean for Startupland?

Discover how new tariffs impact startup growth, revenue & tech markets. Data shows 48% of US tech revenue …

Apr 02, 2025

A Founder's Guide: Essential Sales Advice for Startups

Learn proven sales strategies from analyzing hundreds of startups. Key insights on pricing, team structure, …

Mar 31, 2025

Welcome, Bryan and Philip!

Redpoint welcomes AI veteran Bryan Bischof and data leader Philip Zelitchenko to strengthen our expertise in …

Mar 28, 2025

The Great Liquidity Shift

Discover how secondaries now dominate venture capital exits, accounting for 71% of 2024 exit value as IPO …

Mar 26, 2025

The Price of Distinctiveness

Discover why distinctiveness is crucial for startup success and what price founders must pay to stand out in …

Mar 24, 2025

The Digital Hot Dog : Marketing in the Age of AI

Explore how AI transforms content marketing: from webinars to blogs, podcasts & videos. Learn why …

Mar 21, 2025

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 …

Mar 18, 2025

The Implications of the Wiz/Google Deal

Analyzing Google's $32B Wiz acquisition: Key metrics, valuation insights, and what it means for cloud security …

Mar 17, 2025

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 …

Mar 14, 2025

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 …

Mar 12, 2025

This Analysis Cost 27 Cents

Discover how AI tools like Claude Code enable powerful data analysis and custom app development for just …

Mar 11, 2025

Positioning Startups in the Age of AI

Learn proven strategies for positioning AI startups from Fireworks AI's VP of Marketing. Get actionable GTM …

Mar 09, 2025

How Much Is A Venture Firm Worth?

Explore how top venture capital firms like KKR & Blackstone built $177B+ valuations. Key insights on PE firm …

Mar 06, 2025

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 …

Mar 05, 2025

A Founder's Guide: Essential Management Advice for Startups

Learn proven management patterns for scaling startups successfully. Key insights on leadership transitions, …

Mar 02, 2025

Lopsided AI Revenues

Discover which AI business segment dominates revenue: NVIDIA's $31B data center vs software & consulting …

Feb 28, 2025

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 …

Feb 27, 2025

The Complete Guide to SaaS Pricing Strategy

Learn the 3 proven SaaS pricing strategies - maximization, penetration & skimming - to optimize revenue growth …

Feb 23, 2025

AI Fluency : The Next Interviewing Skill

Discover how AI fluency is reshaping startup interviews in 2025. Learn key metrics like 5x ARR per employee & …

Feb 21, 2025

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, …

Feb 19, 2025

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 …

Feb 18, 2025

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 …

Feb 13, 2025

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 …

Feb 10, 2025

Faster Sales Cycles & Software Buyer Confidence

Discover how AI and cloud tech are driving faster enterprise sales cycles, with new data showing 80%+ quota …

Feb 09, 2025

AI Impact Curves

Explore how AI impacts productivity across seniority levels, from junior to senior roles. Key insights on …

Feb 07, 2025

Google's Future in Search & AI

Explore Google's AI evolution: 1000x inference cost reduction, 4x compute efficiency gains, and 4.4M …

Feb 06, 2025

$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 …

Feb 03, 2025

It Pays to be an AI Company

Discover why AI startups command 40% higher Series A valuations and 2x public market multiples vs traditional …

Jan 30, 2025

$13b Run Rate & Doubling

Microsoft's AI services hit $13B run rate with 157% YoY growth. Azure maintains 31% growth while $300B RPO …

Jan 29, 2025

Darwin's Finches in AI

Explore how AI evolution mirrors Darwin's finches - from massive models to specialized architectures. Key …

Jan 26, 2025

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 …

Jan 23, 2025

Top Themes in Data in 2025

Explore the dual forces shaping data in 2025: platform consolidation vs AI expansion. Key insights on cloud …

Jan 22, 2025

Top Themes in Data Transcript

Discover 3 transformative trends reshaping enterprise data in 2025: consolidation, scale-up computing, and …

Jan 21, 2025

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 …

Jan 17, 2025

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 …

Jan 16, 2025

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

Jan 14, 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 …

Jan 12, 2025

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 …

Jan 05, 2025

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 …

Dec 20, 2024

2025 Predictions

12 bold predictions for 2025: IPO market rebounds, AI voice interfaces dominate, first $100M ARR company with …

Dec 17, 2024

My Favorite Books of 2024

Discover the top business & strategy books of 2024, from high-stakes poker to global commodities trading. Key …

Dec 16, 2024

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 …

Dec 13, 2024

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 …

Dec 10, 2024

Finding the Midnight Snacker : Agentic Marketing

Discover how AI-powered agentic marketing drives 35-75% revenue through personalized recommendations. New data …

Dec 09, 2024

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 …

Dec 06, 2024

Top 10 Posts of 2024

Explore 2024's most impactful VC insights: AI product growth, startup business models, and data monetization …

Dec 04, 2024

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 …

Dec 02, 2024

The Year Algorithms Learn to Act

2024 marks the shift from passive AI to AI agents that act autonomously. Explore supervised, unsupervised, and …

Nov 21, 2024

Theory Two

Theory Ventures raises $450M second fund to back early-stage software startups leveraging AI, data & Web3. …

Nov 20, 2024

My Little Library

Discover how AI-powered personal prompt libraries are transforming how startup leaders work, automate tasks, …

Nov 18, 2024

75 Cents per Month

Discover how AI assistant costs have plummeted to just 75¢/month. Analysis shows why artificial intelligence …

Nov 15, 2024

Small but Mighty AI

Discover why 77% of enterprises opt for smaller AI models under 13B parameters. Key insights on …

Nov 11, 2024

The Post Election Surge is Unevenly Distributed

Analyze post-election market trends: Crypto surges up to 324% while SaaS multiples remain flat. Key insights …

Nov 08, 2024

I Talk to Robots While Driving

Explore how AI transforms daily workflows, from investment analysis to content creation. A VC's first-hand …

Nov 06, 2024

The White Collar Revolution

Explore how AI is transforming white-collar work across 11+ industries employing 14M+ workers, from software …

Nov 05, 2024

Profit Dollars per GPU Dollar

Analyze how AI is supercharging cloud revenue growth, with AWS & Azure seeing 58% acceleration and 40%+ …

Oct 29, 2024

Trends in the Post-Modern Data Stack

Explore key trends reshaping modern data infrastructure: AI-driven team structures, 100MB typical workloads, …

Oct 29, 2024

My AI Rube Goldberg Machine

Explore how 4 AI models analyze SaaS metrics differently: comparing net income & cash flow margins across …

Oct 28, 2024

Productivity One Year from Now

Explore how AI will reshape startup productivity metrics, from $400k ARR per employee today to potential $1M, …

Oct 21, 2024

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 …

Oct 16, 2024

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 …

Oct 15, 2024

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 …

Oct 10, 2024

A Challenge to SaaS Orthodoxy

Explore how Klarna's AI-driven shift from SaaS to internal tools challenges startup orthodoxy. Data shows when …

Oct 08, 2024

How M&A Fosters Innovation

Explore how antitrust limits on tech M&A impact startup innovation, valuations, and competitive dynamics in …

Oct 03, 2024

Fulfilling Crypto's Original Promise

Explore how stablecoins are transforming finance: 3M daily transactions, $1B+ JPMorgan transfers, and major …

Oct 01, 2024

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 …

Sep 30, 2024

Would You Listen to AI Generated Podcasts?

Explore how Google's AI transforms blog posts into natural podcast conversations, featuring dynamic host …

Sep 25, 2024

Interwoven with Initia

Discover how Initia simplifies blockchain development by providing a complete web3 stack, customizable VMs, …

Sep 23, 2024

AI Advantage for Startups : Changing the Workflow through Services

Learn how AI-powered services help startups disrupt incumbents by changing customer workflows & internal …

Sep 20, 2024

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 …

Sep 19, 2024

Writing Software for Robots

Explore how AI is transforming software development, with 50% of code at major tech companies now AI-written. …

Sep 16, 2024

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 …

Sep 11, 2024

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 …

Sep 09, 2024

The Rarity Shibboleth

Explore how AI and LLMs excel at averaging data, but fall short on finding rare insights. Analysis of …

Sep 05, 2024

The Challenge of the AI Demo

Explore the challenges of AI product demos and proof-of-concepts in B2B sales. Learn how to evaluate …

Sep 03, 2024

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 …

Aug 29, 2024

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 …

Aug 26, 2024

Higher Levels of Abstraction

Discover how AI-powered data analysis is transforming VC work: from 40-hour analyses to 90-minute insights. …

Aug 23, 2024

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 …

Aug 16, 2024

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 …

Aug 15, 2024

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 …

Aug 12, 2024

The PostModern Data Stack

Explore how the Postmodern Data Stack is reshaping cloud infrastructure, as industry leaders challenge tech …

Aug 09, 2024

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, …

Aug 06, 2024

The Ghost in the Machine : Invisible Ads in Generative Search

Explore how AI-powered search transforms digital advertising: from visible sponsored links to invisible …

Aug 05, 2024

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 …

Jul 29, 2024

Rewriting the RFP for AI

Explore how AI is transforming enterprise software buying patterns and creating opportunities for startups to …

Jul 25, 2024

The Battle for AI Gravity

Explore how tech giants are investing billions in AI infrastructure, shifting from data gravity to AI gravity …

Jul 22, 2024

Agentic Systems' Sales Cycles

Explore how AI-powered agentic systems are transforming SaaS procurement, requiring new benchmarking …

Jul 17, 2024

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 …

Jul 15, 2024

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 …

Jul 12, 2024

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 …

Jul 11, 2024

AI Pricing Strategies for SaaS Companies Offering Copilots

Analyze AI pricing strategies across major SaaS platforms. See how companies like Salesforce, Microsoft & …

Jul 08, 2024

Select avg(Moby Dick) limit 2 sentences

Explore how AI and LLMs are transforming business intelligence from pure data analysis to narrative insights. …

Jul 01, 2024

The First of Your Newsletters

Discover why AI adoption barriers differ from conventional wisdom. Real-world insights on rapid deployment, …

Jun 28, 2024

The Four Barriers to AI Adoption

Discover the 4 key barriers slowing enterprise AI adoption: technology understanding, security risks, legal …

Jun 25, 2024

2024 Theory GTM Survey

Join our 2024 GTM survey analyzing how startups adapt sales, marketing & AI. Get exclusive data on SaaS …

Jun 24, 2024

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 …

Jun 21, 2024

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 …

Jun 17, 2024

What about Human Training?

How AI is transforming human training across industries: from robotic surgery to chess mastery. Key insights …

Jun 13, 2024

Databricks' Accelerating Growth

Analyze Databricks' impressive 60% revenue growth and $2.4B ARR. Key metrics reveal strong data warehouse …

Jun 11, 2024

Apple's AI Challenger Sale

Explore how Apple's privacy-first AI strategy signals a major shift in enterprise data practices and what it …

Jun 03, 2024

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%. …

Jun 02, 2024

Is the Software Market in Trouble?

Analyzing the SaaS market decline: Public software growth rates have halved, yet total revenue grew 4.8x to …

May 27, 2024

The AI Trust Fall

Explore how AI accuracy expectations differ from human work, with insights on trust barriers in SaaS and …

May 23, 2024

NVIDIA

Explore NVIDIA's AI dominance: 5x compute growth, $26B data center revenue, and how cloud providers earn $5 …

May 19, 2024

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, …

May 17, 2024

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 …

May 16, 2024

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 …

May 13, 2024

Are AI Companies Valued Differently Than Non-AI Companies?

Explore how AI companies valuations compare to traditional software firms, analyzing key metrics like revenue …

May 09, 2024

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 …

May 09, 2024

A Series of Unfortunate Decisions

Explore how AI model errors compound in multi-step processes, impacting startup applications. Key analysis of …

May 01, 2024

The Capex Conquest in the Cloud

Cloud giants AWS, Azure & Google Cloud invest $40B in Q1 CapEx for AI infrastructure. Analysis of massive …

Apr 29, 2024

Massive Acquisitions in Software Startups

Analyze how mega-deals drive software startup M&A trends, with billion-dollar acquisitions accounting for 53%+ …

Apr 26, 2024

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 …

Apr 25, 2024

Partnering with Dropzone: Automating Security Operations with AI

Discover how Dropzone's AI transforms enterprise security operations, solving the challenge of 11,000 daily …

Apr 24, 2024

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 …

Apr 23, 2024

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 …

Apr 22, 2024

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 …

Apr 18, 2024

The Most Profitable Software Company in Q1 2024

Discover how Ethereum leads software profitability with 45% margins, outperforming tech giants like Microsoft …

Apr 17, 2024

The Market Size Mistake

Learn how VCs evaluate market size for startups, featuring insights from Shopify's success story and Bill …

Apr 14, 2024

My Favorite Uses of AI

Discover how AI transforms daily workflows, from book selection to email management. A VC's practical guide to …

Apr 12, 2024

Extreme PMF : Sustaining Success with Scale

Learn how successful startups sustain product-market fit at scale, with insights from Looker's journey from …

Apr 09, 2024

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 …

Apr 07, 2024

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 …

Apr 05, 2024

Micromanaging AI

Learn how to effectively manage AI using the Situational Management framework. Discover why AI needs …

Apr 04, 2024

This Message Will Self-Destruct in 33 Seconds

Explore how attention spans and content consumption are evolving: American focus drops 5% yearly, while blog …

Apr 02, 2024

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 …

Mar 29, 2024

AI in the Hands of Software Buyers

Discover how AI is revolutionizing B2B software purchasing. Key insights on how AI assistants impact sales, …

Mar 26, 2024

Selling AI : Category Creation of a Different Flavor

Discover how AI agent startups are redefining B2B sales through category creation. Key insights for founders …

Mar 25, 2024

To Be or Not To Be an Agent

Explore the strategic choice startups face between AI copilots vs agents, with data showing 50-75% …

Mar 21, 2024

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% …

Mar 20, 2024

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 …

Mar 18, 2024

The Vector Computer Company

Discover how vector computers are revolutionizing AI applications by combining text, structured data, and …

Mar 12, 2024

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 & …

Mar 08, 2024

The Opposite of a Good Idea is a Good Idea

Discover why successful startups break out by defying conventional wisdom. Learn how counterintuitive …

Mar 05, 2024

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 …

Mar 03, 2024

What Happens When AI Performance Asymptotes?

Explore how AI model performance is converging across vendors and what happens when open-source matches …

Feb 27, 2024

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, …

Feb 27, 2024

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 …

Feb 25, 2024

The Secrets to Building Vibrant Communities in Web3 Open-Source

Discover how Web3 open-source projects like Arbitrum ($20B) are revolutionizing community licensing, …

Feb 21, 2024

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 …

Feb 19, 2024

Nobody Knows : Steel & Blockchains

Explore how blockchain and web3 technologies will become invisible infrastructure powering tomorrow's apps, …

Feb 16, 2024

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 …

Feb 14, 2024

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 …

Feb 09, 2024

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% …

Feb 05, 2024

AI Design Patterns

Discover emerging AI design patterns for startups: query routing systems and training frameworks that optimize …

Feb 02, 2024

Standard Issue AI

Explore how AI is becoming standard business infrastructure, with Azure OpenAI growing 194%, Copilot reaching …

Jan 31, 2024

Experience as a Status Symbol

Discover why AI experience has become a career status symbol and how it's reshaping tech talent markets, …

Jan 29, 2024

The Fastest Growing Software Sectors in 2024

Discover which software sectors lead growth in 2024: Security (29%) and Data (23%) outpace Fintech & SaaS, …

Jan 26, 2024

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 …

Jan 24, 2024

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 …

Jan 21, 2024

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. …

Jan 19, 2024

From Prompt to Paper in 60 Seconds

Discover how AI-powered metawriting tools are transforming content creation, enabling founders and tech …

Jan 18, 2024

The Class Missing from Business School

Discover the essential art of delegation and its six key components, including mindset shift, emotional …

Jan 15, 2024

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 …

Jan 12, 2024

The 10x Salesperson

Discover how AI enables the rise of 10x salespeople in tech, automating 50-80% of tasks and unlocking …

Jan 09, 2024

Gordian Knots in Software Engineering

Discover how LinkedIn measures engineering productivity with 3 key speed metrics. Data-driven insights for …

Jan 07, 2024

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 …

Jan 01, 2024

2024 Predictions

Venture capital outlook for 2024: AI dominates funding, IPO market reopens with Stripe/Databricks, M&A surges …

Dec 20, 2023

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. …

Dec 18, 2023

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 …

Dec 15, 2023

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 …

Dec 14, 2023

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 …

Dec 11, 2023

How to Improve Your LLM : Combine Evaluations with Analytics

Learn how to improve LLM performance by combining analytics with evaluation metrics. Key strategies for …

Dec 06, 2023

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 …

Dec 04, 2023

Top 10 Posts of 2023

Explore 2023's most impactful startup insights: 24% longer sales cycles, SaaS valuation shifts, and AI's …

Nov 29, 2023

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 …

Nov 29, 2023

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 …

Nov 27, 2023

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 …

Nov 22, 2023

Who Took a Bet on You?

Reflect on the key mentors and champions who shaped your startup journey. A venture capitalist's personal …

Nov 20, 2023

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 …

Nov 16, 2023

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 …

Nov 14, 2023

The First Mac Predates Modern Central Banking

Explore how the 115-year history of the Federal Reserve shapes modern startup financing and venture capital …

Nov 13, 2023

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 …

Nov 10, 2023

Purchasing Patterns in Software : Positivity Punctuating Q3

Explore Q3 2023 SaaS purchasing trends: 43% higher contract values, 44-day sales cycles, and why data …

Nov 09, 2023

Top 10 Trends for Data in 2024

Discover the 10 biggest data trends reshaping tech in 2024, from LLMs transforming enterprise architecture to …

Nov 07, 2023

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 …

Nov 06, 2023

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 …

Nov 01, 2023

How Much Should Quotas Increase Next Year?

Discover data-driven insights on SaaS quota planning for 2024, with projected 14.1% software spending growth …

Oct 31, 2023

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. …

Oct 27, 2023

Gas Gas Revolution

Explore how blockchain transaction costs dropped 95% from $37 to $2, mirroring AWS's path to $90B revenue …

Oct 24, 2023

AI Reaccelerating Cloud Growth

Analysis of cloud growth trends: Microsoft & Google earnings show AI driving cloud reacceleration, with Azure …

Oct 23, 2023

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. …

Oct 20, 2023

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. …

Oct 19, 2023

Outbound Marketing Fury : Office Hours with Raj Sarkar

Join former Google & Atlassian marketing leader Raj Sarkar to learn how startups can leverage outbound …

Oct 15, 2023

What Loom & Klaviyo Indicate about Exit Valuations

Analyze how Loom & Klaviyo's exit valuations compare to market shifts, revealing key SaaS trends. Data shows …

Oct 12, 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 …

Oct 07, 2023

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 …

Oct 03, 2023

SaaS Competitive Advantage Through Elegant LLM Feedback Mechanisms

Discover how leading SaaS companies leverage LLM feedback loops to build trust and competitive advantage. Key …

Oct 01, 2023

Centaurs & Cyborgs : The Jagged Frontier of AI

New Harvard study reveals AI's impact on productivity: 12% more tasks completed, 25% faster execution, but …

Sep 26, 2023

Artisanal Emails

Explore how AI email automation is transforming business communication and why artisanal, personalized emails …

Sep 25, 2023

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 …

Sep 21, 2023

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% …

Sep 21, 2023

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

Discover key insights from LangChain, Hearth & Context.ai founders on building AI applications, infrastructure …

Sep 17, 2023

Building a Generational Business Databrick by Databrick

Compare Databricks vs Snowflake: Inside the $43B startup's financials, 51% growth, and how they're competing …

Sep 15, 2023

4 Key Takeaways from the AI Panel at Saastr 2023

Discover 4 game-changing AI trends from OpenAI, Lamini & MotherDuck leaders: mass adoption, education …

Sep 10, 2023

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 …

Sep 08, 2023

Whispers of the Future

Explore how OpenAI's Whisper dictation model transforms productivity, with 3x faster input than typing. Key …

Sep 07, 2023

The Rise of Data Lakes in Software Architecture

Explore how data lakes and AI are transforming SaaS architecture, enabling companies to unlock insights from …

Sep 01, 2023

The Evolution of Open Source Business Models

Explore how open source software companies like MongoDB and Databricks built $100B+ in market value through …

Aug 30, 2023

Context.ai - Unlocking Insight into LLM-Based Applications

Discover how Context.ai helps SaaS startups analyze LLM-powered apps, overcome non-deterministic challenges, …

Aug 27, 2023

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. …

Aug 25, 2023

Around the World in 21 Days

Join a global tech journey through 5 cities in 2007, exploring how mobile payments, super apps, and emerging …

Aug 23, 2023

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 …

Aug 21, 2023

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 …

Aug 17, 2023

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 …

Aug 15, 2023

Teaching a Computer to Ghoti

Discover how AI's unsupervised learning revolutionizes complex domains like legal & translation by mastering …

Aug 08, 2023

Surprising Data Points about the Venture Capital Market

Explore key venture capital trends: 20% downrounds, 40% longer fundraising cycles, and stable seed valuations …

Aug 07, 2023

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 …

Aug 03, 2023

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 …

Jul 31, 2023

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 …

Jul 28, 2023

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 …

Jul 26, 2023

Signs We've Touched the Bottom

Analyze key cloud & AI trends from Microsoft/Google earnings: 4x Azure OpenAI growth, steady cloud revenue, …

Jul 23, 2023

The Pilgrims Raised 4 Rounds of Financing

Discover how the Pilgrims' 4 financing rounds mirror modern startup funding, from Series A challenges to …

Jul 20, 2023

Operating in the Dark

Navigate startup challenges in today's market: strategies for extending runway, adapting to slower sales …

Jul 17, 2023

Producing Charts with AI

Discover how AI code interpreters are revolutionizing data visualization, reducing chart creation time from 20 …

Jul 11, 2023

The Fracking of Information

Explore how large language models are revolutionizing data extraction from unstructured documents, and why AI …

Jul 09, 2023

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 …

Jul 07, 2023

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, …

Jul 05, 2023

How Markets Value Software Companies in 2023

Discover how public markets value SaaS companies in 2023: Top performers see 40-112% valuation jumps, with …

Jun 26, 2023

Picking Teams in AI

Cloud giants partner with AI leaders: Microsoft-OpenAI, Google-Anthropic, Databricks-Mosaic. How cloud …

Jun 23, 2023

MotherDuck - DuckDB in the Cloud

Explore how MotherDuck brings DuckDB's powerful data analytics to the cloud, enabling seamless hybrid …

Jun 21, 2023

Marketing Teams as Hedge Funds

Learn how successful marketing teams operate like hedge funds, diversifying lead generation across content, …

Jun 15, 2023

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 …

Jun 11, 2023

What if Every SaaS App Spoke English?

Explore how English-language APIs in major SaaS platforms are democratizing enterprise software and unlocking …

Jun 08, 2023

Web3 in SaaS Clothing

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

Jun 06, 2023

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 …

Jun 02, 2023

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% …

May 30, 2023

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 …

May 26, 2023

When Will SaaS Budgets Increase Again?

Analyzing MongoDB earnings reveals SaaS market trends: cloud database growth slows 31% YoY. Key insights for …

May 25, 2023

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 …

May 22, 2023

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 …

May 17, 2023

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 …

May 16, 2023

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 …

May 12, 2023

Seeking a Distribution Advantage with AI

Discover how startups can leverage AI to create powerful distribution advantages, from OpenAI plugins to …

May 08, 2023

Tinkering with LLMs

Explore key challenges of building AI chatbots: data privacy, response rates, latency impact, and UX …

May 04, 2023

The Greatest Profitability Turnaround in Software History

Discover how Ethereum achieved a historic $1.9B profitability swing in one year, transforming from massive …

May 03, 2023

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, …

May 02, 2023

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 …

Apr 26, 2023

Microsoft's Billion Dollar AI Business

Analyze Microsoft's Q4 earnings: Azure & AI drive 28% cloud growth, 2500+ OpenAI customers signal major …

Apr 24, 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 …

Apr 19, 2023

Why Every Startup Needs an AI Strategy

Discover why AI adoption is now essential for startup success, from single features to core product strategy. …

Apr 17, 2023

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 …

Apr 12, 2023

ChatGPT & Taylor Swift

ChatGPT surpasses Taylor Swift in search trends, revealing unprecedented AI curiosity. Data shows mass-market …

Apr 09, 2023

Economics in the Sometimes Strange World of Web3

Explore how Layer 2 blockchain solutions are driving 97% cost savings and 67% of Ethereum transactions, …

Apr 07, 2023

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 …

Apr 04, 2023

Theory

Announcing Theory Ventures: A new $230M fund focused on data-driven startups, ML/AI innovation, and the next …

Apr 03, 2023

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% …

Mar 31, 2023

Usage as the Moat in AI

Discover why usage data becomes the key competitive moat for AI startups, beyond capital and technical …

Mar 28, 2023

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 …

Mar 24, 2023

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 …

Mar 20, 2023

How to Build Your Startup like Google & Stripe

Learn proven strategies from Google & Stripe's playbook for building exceptional startups. Key frameworks for …

Mar 12, 2023

Take a Breath

After SVB's collapse, learn key action steps for startups: managing payroll, establishing new banking …

Mar 09, 2023

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 …

Mar 07, 2023

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 …

Mar 02, 2023

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 …

Feb 28, 2023

Magical Metrics with Omni

Discover how Omni's next-gen BI platform solves enterprise data consistency challenges, helping startups …

Feb 26, 2023

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 …

Feb 21, 2023

Which Customer Segments are Healthiest During the Downturn?

Explore how different SaaS customer segments perform during economic downturns, revealing trends in growth …

Feb 14, 2023

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 …

Feb 10, 2023

Venture Capital, Withering & Dying

Comparing VC cycles: 2001 vs 2023 shows striking parallels in venture capital slowdowns, IPO freezes & …

Feb 06, 2023

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 …

Feb 03, 2023

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 …

Feb 02, 2023

When AI Favors the Incumbents

Explore how AI adoption gives tech incumbents unprecedented advantages over startups, reversing historical …

Jan 31, 2023

The Future of Startup Office

Explore how startup office design has evolved over 100 years, from fluorescent lights to open plans. Key …

Jan 24, 2023

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 …

Jan 23, 2023

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 …

Jan 19, 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 …

Jan 16, 2023

The Most Acquisitive Acquihirers in Software

Discover which tech giants lead software acquisitions: ServiceNow (5), Alphabet (4) & Medallia (4) top the …

Jan 13, 2023

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, …

Jan 11, 2023

2023 is the Year of _________

Learn how successful startups use annual themes to drive focus & growth. Key lessons from Looker's journey …

Jan 05, 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 …

Jan 01, 2023

Sizing the Web3 B2B Software Market

Analyzing the $231M web3 B2B software market: revenue distribution, growth metrics, and market cap potential …

Dec 27, 2022

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 …

Dec 27, 2022

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

Learn how Constellation Software grew from a $15M investment to a $30B company through acquisitions, achieving …

Dec 23, 2022

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 …

Dec 18, 2022

Five Predictions for 2023

Expert VC analysis: 5 data-driven predictions for 2023, from ML-powered SaaS growth to PE acquisitions. Key …

Dec 14, 2022

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 …

Dec 13, 2022

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. …

Dec 12, 2022

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 …

Dec 07, 2022

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 …

Dec 04, 2022

Top 10 Posts of 2022

Explore 2022's most impactful VC insights: Web3's evolution, Figma's 50x ARR exit, and startup growth …

Nov 30, 2022

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 …

Nov 27, 2022

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 …

Nov 23, 2022

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, …

Nov 21, 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 …

Nov 18, 2022

A New Chapter

After 14 years at Redpoint, exploring new frontiers in venture capital as startup funding grows 40x to $320B. …

Nov 15, 2022

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 …

Nov 14, 2022

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 …

Nov 11, 2022

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 …

Nov 09, 2022

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% …

Nov 06, 2022

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 …

Nov 02, 2022

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 …

Oct 30, 2022

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 …

Oct 28, 2022

Grey Skies in Cloud Earnings

Analyzing Q3 cloud earnings: Azure, AWS & GCP show 25% growth slowdown. Key data reveals market shifts …

Oct 26, 2022

9 Predictions for Data in 2023

Discover 9 data industry predictions for 2023: Cloud data warehouses to hit 75% workload share, metrics layers …

Oct 23, 2022

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 …

Oct 19, 2022

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 …

Oct 16, 2022

Antifragility as a Competitive Advantage in 2022

Learn how startups can build antifragile businesses in 2022 by targeting non-cyclical customers. Data shows …

Oct 13, 2022

How Low Could Valuations Go?

Explore how rising Fed rates could push SaaS valuations to 6-year lows. Data shows EV/revenue multiples may …

Oct 10, 2022

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, …

Oct 03, 2022

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 - …

Sep 26, 2022

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 …

Sep 23, 2022

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 …

Sep 20, 2022

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 …

Sep 17, 2022

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 …

Sep 15, 2022

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 …

Sep 12, 2022

Your Customers' Profitability is Your Startup's Future Health

Learn why customer profitability matters for startups: Compare EBITDA margins across industries (6-33%) to …

Sep 08, 2022

Systematizing Go-To-Market Hiring

Learn how top SaaS companies like HubSpot use data-driven hiring to build successful sales teams. Key metrics …

Sep 06, 2022

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 …

Sep 02, 2022

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 …

Aug 30, 2022

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 …

Aug 30, 2022

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 …

Aug 19, 2022

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 …

Aug 18, 2022

Pipeline Analysis Playbook

Learn the 4-step playbook for analyzing sales pipeline health: conversion rates, lead generation targets, …

Aug 16, 2022

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 …

Aug 15, 2022

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 …

Aug 12, 2022

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, …

Aug 10, 2022

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 …

Aug 08, 2022

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, …

Aug 04, 2022

Messaging: the Bottleneck for Web3

Explore why messaging is Web3's critical growth bottleneck and how the lack of native protocols impacts crypto …

Aug 02, 2022

The Math Behind Starting a Successful Software Startup

Discover how successful software startups generate 10x returns on venture capital. Analysis of 30-year …

Jul 29, 2022

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 …

Jul 28, 2022

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 …

Jul 26, 2022

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 …

Jul 25, 2022

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 …

Jul 22, 2022

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 …

Jul 20, 2022

Spot the Difference

Explore the key architectural differences between Web2 and Web3 startups, focusing on blockchain databases and …

Jul 19, 2022

PE in VC in 22

Private equity firms acquired $29B in venture-backed startups in 2022, targeting SaaS companies with $20M+ ARR …

Jul 18, 2022

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 …

Jul 14, 2022

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 …

Jul 13, 2022

The Missing Letter from the English Alphabet

Discover how the ampersand (&) was once the 27th letter of the English alphabet, and what its modern …

Jul 12, 2022

1% of Salesforce's Revenue Makes a Unicorn

Discover how capturing just 1% of Salesforce's $113B market creates a billion-dollar SaaS opportunity. …

Jul 11, 2022

Deliberately Underselling as Sales Strategy

Learn why deliberately underselling in SaaS sales can lead to higher customer retention, faster sales cycles, …

Jul 08, 2022

The End of Web3

Explore why Web3 will fade as infrastructure, while its core innovations reshape how startups build products & …

Jul 06, 2022

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 …

Jul 05, 2022

When AI Becomes Table Stakes

Explore how AI and machine learning are becoming essential tools across industries - from software development …

Jun 28, 2022

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 …

Jun 27, 2022

Coinbase & Uniswap: How 7 Key Benchmarks Stack Up

Compare how Coinbase & Uniswap's key metrics stack up: revenue multiples, efficiency metrics & business models …

Jun 23, 2022

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 …

Jun 22, 2022

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 …

Jun 21, 2022

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 …

Jun 20, 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 …

Jun 17, 2022

The Most Popular Financing Round in 2022

This post explores how round extensions are becoming more popular in startup fundraising, reducing founder …

Jun 16, 2022

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 …

Jun 14, 2022

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, …

Jun 13, 2022

The New Key Competitive Advantage for Web3 Startups

Discover how Web3 startups can gain competitive edge through data-driven marketing analytics, token …

Jun 08, 2022

Is a 10% Reduction in Staff a Layoff?

Explore why a 10% staff reduction isn't a true layoff signal - data shows startups average 13-25% annual …

Jun 06, 2022

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 …

Jun 01, 2022

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 …

May 31, 2022

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, …

May 26, 2022

The Largest Software Acquisition in History

Broadcom's $70B VMware acquisition signals opportunity in public SaaS. Analysis shows software companies …

May 25, 2022

2022 Startup Market Conditions Survey

Participate in our 2022 startup market survey exploring fundraising, hiring, and strategic trends. Join 500+ …

May 24, 2022

Lessons from Watching a Great CEO Operate

Learn how Monte Carlo CEO Barr Moses built a data observability category from scratch, driving startup growth …

May 18, 2022

So You Want to Improve Your Sales Efficiency

Learn how to boost your startup's sales efficiency through 3 proven strategies: optimizing bookings, margins, …

May 16, 2022

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 …

May 11, 2022

Five Mid-Year Predictions for Web3

Amid crypto market turbulence, 5 key predictions for web3's evolution: L1 consolidation, institutional …

May 09, 2022

How Much Further Can We Fall?

Analysis of SaaS valuation trends shows software multiples could drop another 50%. Data reveals current 7.9x …

May 05, 2022

Cash Flow Shockwaves

Discover how IT spending trends and cash flow indicators impact startup fortunes in 2022. Key metrics to watch …

May 04, 2022

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 …

May 03, 2022

Product-Market Fit in Different Capital Environments

Explore how capital availability shapes startup growth strategies, from 2008's $1M ARR requirements to today's …

Apr 29, 2022

The Critical Question Facing Web3 Infrastructure Startups

Explore the key infrastructure challenges facing Web3 startups: managing multiple tokens vs centralized …

Apr 28, 2022

The Three Eras of Startup Valuations

Explore how startup valuations evolved across 3 distinct eras: from cash-flow analysis to revenue multiples. …

Apr 25, 2022

Imagine You're a Venture Capitalist...

Explore the strategic dilemma VCs face: maximize investment multiples or holding value? Analysis of a …

Apr 20, 2022

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 …

Apr 19, 2022

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 …

Apr 12, 2022

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 …

Apr 07, 2022

Four Fundamental Innovations of Web3 that Will Upend Web2 Incumbents

Explore 4 transformative Web3 innovations disrupting trillion-dollar markets: ownership records, token …

Mar 31, 2022

$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 …

Mar 27, 2022

Inflation and Deflation in Web2 and Web3 Startups

Explore how share count inflation differs between Web2 SaaS startups and crypto projects, with data-driven …

Mar 25, 2022

Startup Self-Repricing as a Recruiting Tool

Explore how startup self-repricing at 40% below previous valuations could become a powerful recruiting tool in …

Mar 22, 2022

The Spicy Future for Data

Discover how data apps are revolutionizing business intelligence. See how interactive analysis drives $189B in …

Mar 21, 2022

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 …

Mar 17, 2022

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 …

Mar 14, 2022

Guess the Startup Answers

Compare MongoDB vs Ethereum's revenue trajectories and learn why these vastly different database companies …

Mar 11, 2022

Guess the Startup

Compare two database startups with identical growth trajectories until 2021, when one achieves unprecedented …

Mar 10, 2022

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, …

Mar 09, 2022

The People Roadmap for Startups

Learn how successful startups build scalable org structures, from first marketing hire to full team. A …

Mar 03, 2022

The Future of Money

Explore how digital currencies & CBDCs are reshaping money: from Sweden's 87% cashless society to data-driven …

Mar 01, 2022

Rediscovering the Power of the Command Line

Discover why tech founders are returning to command-line interfaces for greater productivity. A VC's …

Feb 28, 2022

1/9/90 in Crypto

Explore how DAOs are reshaping crypto governance with data from 4000+ organizations. Key insights on voting …

Feb 25, 2022

The Next Key Innovation in the Shift-Left Movement

Discover how shift-left innovation enables safer production development in microservices architectures. Key …

Feb 23, 2022

Why Early Valuations Might Surge in 2022

Despite public market turmoil, early-stage startup valuations may rise as hedge funds shift $200B+ from …

Feb 18, 2022

The Sales Sandwich

Learn how top SaaS sales leaders hit quota 27 quarters straight using data-driven pipeline metrics and proven …

Feb 17, 2022

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 …

Feb 14, 2022

Will Your Startup Borrow More in 2022?

Explore how rising interest rates impact startup borrowing in 2022, with data showing -0.5 correlation between …

Feb 09, 2022

The New Discipline Web3 Software Companies Must Develop

Learn why web3 B2B startups must master treasury management as crypto payments create new financial …

Feb 07, 2022

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 …

Feb 03, 2022

Intensity Oozes from these Pages

Learn how Frank Slootman drives hypergrowth in startups through intense focus and ruthless execution. Key …

Feb 01, 2022

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 …

Jan 28, 2022

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 …

Jan 25, 2022

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 …

Jan 19, 2022

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 …

Jan 18, 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 …

Jan 13, 2022

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 …

Jan 11, 2022

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 …

Jan 04, 2022

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 …

Dec 30, 2021

My Favorite Books of 2021

Discover the top books of 2021 shaping tech & VC thinking - from crypto & web3 foundations to rhetoric …

Dec 29, 2021

Five Predictions for 2022

Explore 5 data-driven predictions for 2022: Web3 adoption reaching 100M Americans, SaaS evolution, and …

Dec 28, 2021

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 …

Dec 17, 2021

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 …

Dec 13, 2021

The Fifth SaaS Correction

Analyze 5 major SaaS market corrections since 2016, with valuations dropping 30-60%. See how cloud companies …

Dec 07, 2021

Partnering with Mysten Labs to Build Foundational Infrastructure for Web3

Discover why Redpoint invested in Mysten Labs, a Web3 infrastructure startup solving blockchain scalability …

Dec 01, 2021

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 …

Nov 19, 2021

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 …

Nov 17, 2021

Words Like Loaded Pistols

Discover the timeless art of persuasion in venture capital through ethos, logos, and pathos. Learn proven …

Nov 16, 2021

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 …

Nov 07, 2021

The Need for Two Types of Payback Period Calculations

Learn why SaaS startups need two payback period calculations: comparing annual vs monthly contracts reveals …

Nov 04, 2021

The 100x ARR Multiple

Explore how the 100x ARR multiple compares to public SaaS valuations, with data showing median 17x ARR and top …

Oct 19, 2021

Using the Reversal Mental Model to Invest Better

Learn how reversing investment analysis helps VCs evaluate startup valuations, from 100x ARR multiples to …

Oct 19, 2021

Hex - The Best Product for the Technical Analyst

Discover how Hex is revolutionizing data analytics by solving key notebook sharing & collaboration challenges …

Oct 15, 2021

Spot.ai - The Future of Video Intelligence

Redpoint leads $20M Series A in Spot.ai, revolutionizing video intelligence with AI-powered cameras that …

Oct 11, 2021

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, …

Oct 08, 2021

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 …

Oct 07, 2021

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 …

Oct 05, 2021

Why You Should Repeat Yourself, A Lot

Learn why successful venture capital leaders and startup CEOs repeat key messages 7+ times to drive brand …

Oct 03, 2021

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. …

Sep 29, 2021

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 …

Sep 27, 2021

The IMPACT Conference on the Modern Data Stack

Join tech leaders from Snowflake, Databricks & more at IMPACT to explore the Modern Data Stack revolution …

Sep 20, 2021

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 …

Sep 15, 2021

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, …

Sep 14, 2021

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 …

Sep 06, 2021

How Will We Value a Crypto Token?

Explore how crypto tokens compare to traditional equity, from voting rights to dividends. A data-driven …

Sep 02, 2021

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 …

Aug 29, 2021

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 …

Aug 23, 2021

You'll Never Login the Same Way Again

Explore how Web3 is reshaping user privacy and data ownership, moving from surveillance capitalism to …

Aug 18, 2021

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 …

Aug 16, 2021

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 …

Aug 09, 2021

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 …

Jul 30, 2021

The Velocity of Money in Startupland

Explore how startup funding velocity has accelerated in 2021, with IPO values 3x higher than 2020 and …

Jul 27, 2021

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 …

Jul 24, 2021

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 …

Jul 20, 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 …

Jul 15, 2021

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 …

Jul 13, 2021

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 …

Jul 09, 2021

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 …

Jul 01, 2021

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 …

Jun 16, 2021

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 …

Jun 10, 2021

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 …

Jun 06, 2021

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 …

Jun 01, 2021

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 …

May 24, 2021

The Inflationary Forces in Startupland

Analyze the 60% spike in cloud startup valuations in 2021. Data reveals 11% annual growth over 10 years in …

May 03, 2021

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 …

Apr 22, 2021

Never Raising, Always Raising

Explore how venture capital dynamics are shifting as top startups receive funding offers every 3-6 months …

Apr 19, 2021

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 …

Apr 08, 2021

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 …

Apr 04, 2021

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 …

Apr 02, 2021

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, …

Mar 29, 2021

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 …

Mar 22, 2021

The Importance of Building & Maintaining Great Developer Documentation

Learn how top B2D startups like Stripe & Twilio build winning developer documentation. Key insights from …

Mar 14, 2021

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 …

Mar 07, 2021

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 …

Mar 05, 2021

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 …

Mar 02, 2021

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 …

Feb 23, 2021

The Four Types of Startup COOs

Discover the 4 distinct types of startup COOs and when to hire each role. Expert insights on scaling …

Feb 21, 2021

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. …

Feb 18, 2021

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 …

Feb 16, 2021

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 …

Feb 09, 2021

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 …

Feb 03, 2021

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 …

Feb 01, 2021

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 …

Jan 27, 2021

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 …

Jan 26, 2021

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% …

Jan 25, 2021

Information as Surprise - Harness Claude Shannon's Key Idea

Learn how Claude Shannon's information theory concept of surprise applies to startups, content strategy & …

Jan 21, 2021

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 & …

Jan 20, 2021

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 & …

Jan 18, 2021

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 …

Jan 12, 2021

The Art of Doing Science & Engineering

Explore how exponential growth modeling and back-of-envelope calculations can transform startup analysis. Key …

Jan 11, 2021

The Missing Insight Around Software Multiples for Valuing Companies

Discover why fast-growing SaaS companies command exponentially higher valuations, not just 2x. Data-driven …

Jan 08, 2021

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 …

Jan 07, 2021

The Next Chapter for StackRox

RedHat acquires Kubernetes security leader StackRox, marking a pivotal exit in enterprise container security. …

Jan 04, 2021

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 …

Dec 21, 2020

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 …

Dec 17, 2020

5 Predictions for 2021

Venture capitalist's top 5 predictions for 2021: Remote work revolution, data startups dominating tech, and …

Dec 16, 2020

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 …

Dec 15, 2020

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 …

Dec 14, 2020

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, …

Dec 10, 2020

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 …

Dec 07, 2020

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 …

Nov 30, 2020

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 …

Nov 27, 2020

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 …

Nov 26, 2020

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 …

Nov 20, 2020

The Supercharger Boosting Startupland Fundraising and Exits

Discover how low interest rates are supercharging venture capital in 2020, driving $57B in VC fundraising, …

Nov 17, 2020

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, …

Nov 16, 2020

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

Learn how successful startups drive sales growth through high-volume prospect engagement. Key insights from …

Nov 09, 2020

How Developer Marketing Parallels Consumer Marketing

Discover how developer marketing mirrors consumer strategies through influencer partnerships, brand building, …

Nov 01, 2020

The Parallels in the Culture Between the Two Category Defining Companies

Discover striking cultural parallels between Netflix and Bridgewater, two category-defining companies. Key …

Oct 29, 2020

How Many Technologies Can a Company Adopt at Once?

Discover how modern companies balance centralized IT and employee-driven tech adoption. Key insights on …

Oct 26, 2020

Your Startup is a Series of Cycles

Learn why successful startups operate in cycles, not funnels. Key insights on SaaS metrics, customer …

Oct 19, 2020

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 …

Oct 11, 2020

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 …

Oct 05, 2020

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 …

Oct 01, 2020

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 …

Sep 29, 2020

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 …

Sep 24, 2020

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 …

Sep 22, 2020

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 …

Sep 21, 2020

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 …

Sep 14, 2020

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. …

Sep 13, 2020

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 …

Sep 08, 2020

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 …

Sep 01, 2020

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 …

Aug 31, 2020

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 …

Aug 27, 2020

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 …

Aug 24, 2020

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 …

Aug 21, 2020

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 …

Aug 17, 2020

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 …

Aug 10, 2020

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 …

Aug 06, 2020

The Secret to Productive Group Meetings over Video

Discover how remote teams can transform unproductive group meetings using a simple Google Docs technique that …

Aug 02, 2020

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 …

Jul 31, 2020

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 …

Jul 26, 2020

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 …

Jul 21, 2020

The Best Economic History Books According to Readers

Discover 6 essential economic history books recommended by VCs and founders, covering financial crashes, …

Jul 19, 2020

The Unforeseen Benefits of Online Events

Discover how virtual events drive 5-10x higher attendance and accelerate lead generation for startups. …

Jul 17, 2020

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 …

Jul 13, 2020

What I've Learned about Modern Monetary Theory

Explore how Modern Monetary Theory challenges traditional economic policies through dynamic taxation and job …

Jul 09, 2020

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 …

Jul 05, 2020

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 …

Jul 01, 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 …

Jun 30, 2020

Two Charts that I've Been Wondering About

Explore how record-high consumer savings rates and stock market concentration create startup opportunities in …

Jun 25, 2020

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 …

Jun 21, 2020

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. …

Jun 18, 2020

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 …

Jun 17, 2020

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 …

Jun 16, 2020

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. …

Jun 15, 2020

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 …

Jun 12, 2020

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 …

May 28, 2020

Where are Most Unicorns Headquartered?

Discover where billion-dollar startups cluster: 63% of US unicorns call California home, controlling 79% of …

May 25, 2020

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 …

May 19, 2020

Office Hours with Hollie Wegman

Join former Segment CMO Hollie Wegman for virtual SaaS Office Hours to learn proven marketing strategies for …

May 18, 2020

Three Little Puzzles about Infinity

Explore three fascinating mathematical puzzles that challenge our understanding of infinity through simple …

May 13, 2020

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 …

May 11, 2020

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 …

May 06, 2020

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 …

May 05, 2020

Redpoint 8 - Our Eighth Early Stage Fund

Redpoint announces $500M early-stage venture fund to back visionary startup founders building the future …

Apr 29, 2020

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 …

Apr 26, 2020

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 …

Apr 22, 2020

Narrative Economics and the Power of Stories

Explore how powerful narratives shape startup success, market dynamics, and investment outcomes in venture …

Apr 17, 2020

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 …

Apr 15, 2020

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 …

Apr 12, 2020

Why Margin Matters Now in Startupland

This post explains why gross margins are crucial for startup valuation and survival, using a hypothetical SaaS …

Apr 07, 2020

Questions about Returning to Work

Explore key questions startup leaders face about returning to work post-pandemic: office safety, meeting …

Apr 06, 2020

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+ …

Apr 03, 2020

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 …

Apr 02, 2020

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 …

Mar 29, 2020

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 …

Mar 26, 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 …

Mar 25, 2020

What Will this Crisis Accelerate in Your Ecosystem?

Explore how the current crisis accelerates tech adoption in remote work, telemedicine, and enterprise software …

Mar 20, 2020

Six Startup Disciplines for Challenging Times

Learn 6 essential startup disciplines for navigating market uncertainty: transparent communication, customer …

Mar 16, 2020

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 …

Mar 12, 2020

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% …

Mar 09, 2020

Notes from Office Hours with Lisa Lawson

Learn proven channel strategy frameworks from Optimizely's former channel leader. Key insights on SaaS …

Mar 06, 2020

What I Expect in the Next Few Months in Startupland

Expert analysis on startup growth challenges during market uncertainty: key metrics to watch, pipeline …

Mar 04, 2020

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 …

Mar 02, 2020

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 …

Feb 27, 2020

The Great CEO Within

Learn essential frameworks for startup CEOs, from time management to effective meetings. Key insights from …

Feb 25, 2020

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 …

Feb 23, 2020

The Strategic Importance of Competition

Learn why competition is vital for startup success in new markets. A VC's perspective on category creation, …

Feb 17, 2020

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 …

Feb 13, 2020

When You Have an Advantage, Speed Up the Game

Learn how top-performing startups can accelerate growth by maximizing their competitive advantages, backed by …

Feb 12, 2020

Office Hours with Lisa Lawson

Join Lisa Lawson, Optimizely's channel program expert, for exclusive SaaS office hours at Redpoint. Learn …

Feb 10, 2020

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 …

Feb 04, 2020

Mental Models for Hiring Salespeople at Startups

Learn how market position impacts sales hiring at startups. Key mental models to evaluate AE candidates based …

Feb 03, 2020

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 …

Jan 29, 2020

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, …

Jan 27, 2020

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 …

Jan 24, 2020

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 …

Jan 20, 2020

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 …

Jan 16, 2020

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 …

Jan 13, 2020

The Redpoint 2020 Go To Market Survey

Benchmark your startup's go-to-market strategy against 600+ peers. Get data on sales compensation, team …

Jan 07, 2020

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% …

Jan 05, 2020

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 …

Dec 19, 2019

5 Predictions for 2020

Expert VC analysis: 5 key predictions for 2020, from direct listings becoming the IPO standard to $200B in …

Dec 15, 2019

The Top 10 Posts of 2019

Discover 2019's most impactful startup insights: from 37x growth through daily improvements to billion-dollar …

Dec 12, 2019

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 …

Dec 02, 2019

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 …

Nov 21, 2019

Benchmarking Your Sales and Customer Success Teams

Discover key sales benchmarks from 5M+ calls: 19% win rates, AI-powered insights, and data-driven best …

Nov 18, 2019

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, …

Nov 10, 2019

The Most Frequent Mishire in Startups

Learn why the first head of marketing is often a startup's biggest hiring mistake and how to choose between …

Nov 07, 2019

Notes from Office Hours with Nick Mehta

Learn how customer success strategies evolve across SaaS pricing tiers, from high-volume CSAMs to enterprise …

Nov 04, 2019

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, …

Oct 28, 2019

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 …

Oct 28, 2019

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 …

Oct 22, 2019

Welcoming Travis Bryant, Again!

Redpoint welcomes Travis Bryant as Partner of Founder Experience, reimagining how venture capital serves …

Oct 21, 2019

What I've learned about IPOs and Direct Listings

Explore how direct listings are disrupting traditional tech IPOs, with insights from Spotify & Slack's …

Oct 17, 2019

On Humility and Making Better Decisions

Learn how Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's framework for structured decision-making can help startup leaders …

Oct 14, 2019

Design and Open Source: A Potentially Powerful Combination

Explore how open source software and design can combine to disrupt SaaS, reduce customer acquisition costs, …

Oct 07, 2019

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 …

Oct 04, 2019

The Early Discipline of Remote Startups

Remote-first startups develop key operational disciplines earlier than traditional companies. Learn why …

Sep 30, 2019

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 …

Sep 23, 2019

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 …

Sep 19, 2019

Little Known Facts about the VC Industry

Discover the surprising origins of venture capital, from 18th century whaling to the 1980s tech boom. Learn …

Sep 17, 2019

That Will Never Work

Discover how Netflix grew from a startup idea to a $130B company through founder Marc Randolph's journey, …

Sep 16, 2019

The SaaS Correction of Late 2019

Analyzing the 18% drop in SaaS valuations: Key data on enterprise multiples, growth trends, and market …

Sep 11, 2019

The Siren Song of ROI Based Pricing

Learn why ROI-based pricing can backfire for startups, and discover proven SaaS pricing strategies used by …

Sep 05, 2019

A Mental Model for Prioritizing Your Startup's Energies

Learn how successful startups oscillate between product and go-to-market priorities to drive sustainable …

Sep 02, 2019

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 …

Aug 26, 2019

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 …

Aug 08, 2019

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, …

Aug 05, 2019

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 …

Aug 02, 2019

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 …

Jul 29, 2019

A Clever Hack to Reading More Books

Discover a proven framework for reading more books and extracting key insights. Learn how successful founders …

Jul 22, 2019

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 …

Jul 19, 2019

The Strategic Question at Seed Today

Explore how modern seed rounds now match historical Series A sizes, with insights on strategic fundraising …

Jul 16, 2019

Private Equity as an Exit Option for SaaS Startups

Private equity firms now match corporate buyers in SaaS acquisitions, spending $13B on venture-backed …

Jul 15, 2019

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, …

Jul 12, 2019

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 …

Jul 08, 2019

Adding Engineering Metrics to the Redpoint SaaS Metrics Template

Learn 3 essential engineering metrics for SaaS startups: reliability, availability & incident rates. Updated …

Jun 24, 2019

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 …

Jun 20, 2019

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% …

Jun 19, 2019

Mattermost's $50M Series B

Mattermost raises $50M Series B: How this open-source enterprise chat platform is transforming secure team …

Jun 18, 2019

Theory SaaS Startup Key Metrics Template

Download our comprehensive SaaS startup metrics template covering 6 key areas: people, revenue, cash, sales, …

Jun 17, 2019

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 …

Jun 11, 2019

Setting the Salesforce/Tableau Acquisition in Context

Analyze Salesforce's $15.7B Tableau acquisition in the context of enterprise BI consolidation, valuations, and …

Jun 10, 2019

Why Product Innovation Slows After the Series A

Discover why product innovation often stalls after Series A funding, and the key challenges founders face …

Jun 06, 2019

Looker Joins Google Cloud

Looker joins Google Cloud in landmark acquisition, combining enterprise data analytics with cloud …

May 30, 2019

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 …

May 28, 2019

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 …

May 24, 2019

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 …

May 20, 2019

Define the What But Delegate the How

Learn how successful startup leaders scale by defining outcomes while delegating execution. Key insights from …

May 13, 2019

The Fundraising Environment in 2019 - Three Major Shifts

Explore 3 major shifts transforming startup fundraising in 2019: diverse capital options, sophisticated …

May 10, 2019

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 …

May 06, 2019

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 …

Apr 29, 2019

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 …

Apr 25, 2019

A Random Walk Down Sand Hill Road

Explore how mental models and random walk theory explain startup success patterns in venture capital, with …

Apr 22, 2019

Office Hours with Travis Bryant

Join our SaaS Office Hours with Travis Bryant, former Salesforce VP, to discuss tactical startup growth …

Apr 14, 2019

The Four Strategic Questions Facing AI Agencies

Explore 4 critical strategic decisions AI agencies face when disrupting traditional service industries. Key …

Apr 08, 2019

Hustle As Strategy

Discover why hustle and execution trump strategy in competitive markets. Data shows how top companies win …

Apr 04, 2019

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 …

Apr 02, 2019

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 …

Mar 26, 2019

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 …

Mar 24, 2019

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 …

Mar 21, 2019

Puzzles, Not Problems

Gain perspective on startup challenges through a WWII graduate's story. A powerful reminder for founders to …

Mar 18, 2019

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 …

Mar 11, 2019

Where Have All the Angels Gone?

Angel investing plummets 81% as institutional seed dominates startup funding. New data shows dramatic shift in …

Feb 28, 2019

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 …

Feb 26, 2019

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 …

Feb 25, 2019

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 …

Feb 25, 2019

A Lasting and Enduring Gift

Discover how Richard Feynman's curiosity and experimental mindset offers powerful lessons for startup founders …

Feb 19, 2019

Should Your Startup Differentiate On Pricing?

Learn when startups should innovate on pricing vs. stick with industry standards. Key insights from Kustomer's …

Feb 12, 2019

In Defense of Troublemakers

Discover how dissenting voices drive better decisions in startups. Research shows minority opinions broaden …

Feb 11, 2019

Answering Readers' Questions about the Free Trial Survey

Explore key SaaS trial conversion benchmarks across ARR segments and market segments. Data-driven insights for …

Feb 08, 2019

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 …

Feb 07, 2019

1.01^365 = 37.7

Discover how 1% daily improvement compounds to 37x growth over a year. Learn why small, consistent gains drive …

Feb 06, 2019

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 …

Feb 05, 2019

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 …

Feb 04, 2019

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 …

Feb 01, 2019

Sharing the Learnings from the Redpoint Free Trial Survey

Discover key insights from 600 SaaS companies on free trial strategies. Data-driven analysis reveals …

Jan 31, 2019

What Makes a Great Leader?

Explore the 5 stages of Adult Development Theory and how they shape effective leadership in startups. Key …

Jan 30, 2019

Infinity Wells and Deep Work

Discover how deep work and eliminating distractions can boost productivity, with data showing the average …

Jan 28, 2019

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 …

Jan 25, 2019

How Much ARR Can a CSM Manage?

Discover data-driven benchmarks for CSM workload capacity across Enterprise, Mid-Market & SMB segments. Most …

Jan 24, 2019

Serving the People First Enterprise

Discover how customer-centric SaaS startups can capture 1% of incumbent revenue to reach unicorn status. …

Jan 23, 2019

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 …

Jan 21, 2019

Welcome, Travis Bryant!

Meet Travis Bryant, former Salesforce VP & SaaS expert, joining Redpoint as EIR. Learn his unique approach to …

Jan 09, 2019

Your Company is a Product Used By Your Employees

Learn how successful startups like Basecamp treat their company as a product for employees, optimizing …

Jan 07, 2019

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 …

Jan 04, 2019

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 …

Dec 26, 2018

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 …

Dec 18, 2018

Predictions for 2019

Expert VC predictions for 2019: M&A slowdown, strong IPO market with SaaS at 8x forward, blockchain's next …

Dec 17, 2018

5 Most Popular Posts of 2018

Discover 2018's top VC insights: SaaS revenue scaling, enterprise pricing strategies, s 1 analysis, and key …

Dec 14, 2018

My 10 Favorite Books of 2018

Discover 10 must-read books from 2018, including insights on market behavior, Apple's innovation culture, and …

Dec 12, 2018

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 …

Dec 11, 2018

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 …

Dec 04, 2018

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 …

Dec 03, 2018

Selling Your Product While You Build It

Learn how successful SaaS startups sell their product during development, using customer prepayments to fund …

Dec 01, 2018

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 …

Nov 25, 2018

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 …

Nov 11, 2018

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 …

Oct 28, 2018

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 …

Oct 14, 2018

SaaS Freemium/Free Trial Survey is Here

Participate in our SaaS free trial benchmarking survey to uncover data-driven insights on optimal trial …

Oct 09, 2018

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 …

Oct 04, 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 …

Oct 01, 2018

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 …

Sep 26, 2018

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 …

Sep 24, 2018

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 …

Sep 16, 2018

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 …

Sep 10, 2018

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 …

Sep 03, 2018

Access is the Scarcest Commodity in Startupland

Explore how startup access has become the scarcest asset in venture capital, as companies stay private longer …

Aug 30, 2018

How SaaS Companies are Valued

Learn how modern SaaS companies are valued using revenue multiples, enterprise value metrics, and market data. …

Aug 12, 2018

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 …

Jul 23, 2018

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 …

Jul 20, 2018

Why Your Startup Doesn't Invest Sufficiently in its Differentiators

Learn how successful startups prioritize product features: MMRs, neutralizers & differentiators. Key insights …

Jul 19, 2018

The Startup Founder's Almanac

Discover key insights from High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil, exploring how successful startups scale through …

Jul 10, 2018

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 …

Jul 08, 2018

Does Winner Take Most in SaaS?

Explore data-driven analysis of market share distribution in SaaS. Does the fastest-growing startup really …

Jun 27, 2018

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, …

Jun 24, 2018

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 …

Jun 21, 2018

What I'm Grateful For

Reflections on Redpoint's $400M fund and key startup lessons: building enduring VC firms, fostering …

Jun 18, 2018

The Three Layers of Management

Learn how successful leaders balance tactical execution with strategic vision through 3 distinct management …

Jun 14, 2018

Our Investment in Kustomer

Redpoint announces investment in Kustomer, a next-gen customer support platform transforming how startups …

Jun 12, 2018

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 …

Jun 10, 2018

Seven Strategic Rationales for the Microsoft/Github Acquisition

Analyze Microsoft's $7.5B GitHub acquisition through 7 strategic lenses: developer identity, cloud dominance, …

Jun 07, 2018

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 …

Jun 03, 2018

The 5 Forces Driving Startup Valuations Today

Explore 5 key forces driving record startup valuations in 2023: capital influx, larger VC funds, market …

May 29, 2018

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 …

May 20, 2018

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. …

May 09, 2018

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 …

May 06, 2018

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, …

May 04, 2018

The Challenge of Uncertainty

Learn how successful startup leaders navigate critical decisions under uncertainty, balancing speed and …

May 02, 2018

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 …

Apr 30, 2018

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 …

Apr 22, 2018

Why I Overestimate My Contribution to My Team

Learn why team members consistently overestimate their own contributions and how this cognitive bias impacts …

Apr 14, 2018

The Disappearance of the Fundraising Demo

Explore how startup pitch demos evolved from product showcases to metrics-focused presentations, reflecting …

Apr 08, 2018

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 …

Apr 01, 2018

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 …

Mar 20, 2018

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 …

Mar 18, 2018

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 …

Mar 08, 2018

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 …

Mar 04, 2018

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 …

Mar 02, 2018

The Clearest Articulation of a Marketing Roadmap

Learn the 3-step marketing roadmap used by top SaaS startups: from crafting compelling narratives to driving …

Feb 24, 2018

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% …

Feb 20, 2018

The ROI of Cash Burn for SaaS Startups

Learn how successful SaaS startups calculate cash burn ROI, with target metrics for revenue multiples and …

Feb 16, 2018

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 …

Feb 15, 2018

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, …

Feb 11, 2018

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 …

Feb 11, 2018

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, …

Feb 08, 2018

Expanding Your Time Horizon To Scale Your Startup

Learn how successful startups scale by expanding strategic planning from weekly tactics to 2-year horizons. …

Feb 02, 2018

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 …

Jan 26, 2018

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 …

Jan 19, 2018

Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea

Discover how rowing's intense training principles parallel startup success: lessons in teamwork, resilience & …

Jan 17, 2018

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 …

Jan 11, 2018

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. …

Jan 04, 2018

7 Predictions for SaaS in 2018

Explore 7 key predictions for SaaS in 2018, from major M&A moves ($252B in repatriation) to enterprise …

Jan 01, 2018

Jettisoning the Assumptions of Last Year

Explore how foundational business theories and management data are being challenged, and why startups must …

Dec 10, 2017

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 …

Dec 03, 2017

Meetings Shouldn't Be Boring

Discover why effective meetings drive startup growth. Learn 5 proven strategies to transform boring status …

Nov 30, 2017

Managers Must be Insane to Brainstorm in Groups

Research shows group brainstorming produces fewer ideas despite feeling more productive. Learn data-backed …

Nov 29, 2017

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 …

Nov 26, 2017

The Parallel Between Cryptocurrency and Continentals

Discover striking parallels between today's cryptocurrency boom and Colonial America's currency experiments - …

Nov 22, 2017

An Antifragile Thanksgiving

Explore how true innovation emerges from tinkering and practice, not academia. Key lessons from Taleb's …

Nov 19, 2017

False Competition - Why Defining Axes of Competition Matters

Learn why successful startups must redefine competition, not just compete. Key insights from Peter Thiel on …

Nov 11, 2017

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 …

Nov 09, 2017

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 …

Nov 08, 2017

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 …

Nov 05, 2017

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 …

Nov 01, 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 …

Oct 31, 2017

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 …

Oct 29, 2017

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 …

Oct 22, 2017

The Rising Stakes in SaaS

Explore how SaaS competition has intensified with 20x investment growth over 20 years. Key insights on market …

Oct 15, 2017

How to Decide With Speed and Conviction

Learn why decisive CEOs outperform peers and how speed in decision-making impacts startup success. Data shows …

Oct 09, 2017

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 …

Oct 01, 2017

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 & …

Sep 24, 2017

Decision-Making Auditing

Learn how to make better decisions when advising experts by auditing their decision-making process. A VC's …

Sep 17, 2017

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 …

Sep 13, 2017

Ownership - A Defining Trait of a Leader

Learn why owning mistakes is a defining leadership trait, with lessons from Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink …

Sep 10, 2017

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 …

Sep 06, 2017

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 …

Sep 04, 2017

The Theory and Data Underpinning Sales Commission Plans

Learn how successful startups structure sales commission plans with data-backed insights on OTE, quota …

Aug 31, 2017

Hiring for a Discipline You Know Little About

Learn 3 proven strategies for hiring department heads when scaling your startup, even in unfamiliar …

Aug 27, 2017

Maximizing Productivity on My Commute

Discover how AI-powered email tools like Astro are transforming commute productivity for VCs and startup …

Aug 23, 2017

Has SaaS Become Commodified?

Is SaaS becoming commodified? Explore 4 key market shifts affecting SaaS startups: falling tech barriers, …

Aug 21, 2017

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 …

Aug 18, 2017

The Limiting Factor of Voice and Dictation Adoption

Explore how voice technology adoption is limited by user skepticism rather than technical capability, with …

Aug 15, 2017

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 …

Aug 13, 2017

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

Discover when profitable bootstrapped SaaS startups should consider venture capital, with data-driven analysis …

Aug 11, 2017

Three Big Ideas on Technology Innovation Cycles

Discover how 70-year technology innovation cycles shape venture capital returns and startup opportunities, …

Aug 08, 2017

How to Decide When To Move Upmarket

Learn the key metrics and strategic considerations for SaaS startups moving upmarket to enterprise sales, …

Jul 25, 2017

Labor Arbitrage Comes to Silicon Valley

Explore how startups combat SF's $3500 average rent through labor arbitrage, with tech hubs emerging in …

Jul 23, 2017

How Developed is Global Venture Capital Market?

Explore how global venture capital markets are evolving, with Korea, China & Japan leading 50%+ growth while …

Jul 20, 2017

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 …

Jul 19, 2017

Self Service Data

Discover how Dremio solves 3 critical data access challenges for startups and enterprises. Learn key insights …

Jul 16, 2017

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 …

Jul 09, 2017

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 …

Jul 07, 2017

Patterns in Startup M&A Processes

Learn the key patterns and insider strategies of successful startup acquisitions, from a VC's perspective. …

Jul 04, 2017

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, …

Jun 30, 2017

Gratitude

A personal reflection on loss, friendship, and finding gratitude amidst grief. A departure from data to focus …

Jun 29, 2017

Prioritizing Your Startup's Roadmap

Learn how scope creep can derail startup execution, with a real-world engineering story showing why ruthless …

Jun 26, 2017

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 …

Jun 20, 2017

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 …

Jun 19, 2017

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 …

Jun 16, 2017

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 …

Jun 14, 2017

The Intense Power of a Strong Company Culture

Discover how $2B edtech company 2U built an exceptional culture through transparency, teamwork and trust. Key …

Jun 12, 2017

SaaS Fundraising in 2017

Analyze 2017 SaaS fundraising trends: Series A, B & Seed rounds hit 7-year highs as capital concentrates among …

Jun 07, 2017

Apprenticeship

Learn why apprenticeship and mentorship are critical for startup success. A VC's perspective on developing …

Jun 04, 2017

Plant Trees You'll Never See

Learn 3 powerful leadership lessons from the New Zealand All Blacks' 79% win rate: humility, continuous …

Jun 01, 2017

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 …

May 30, 2017

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 …

May 26, 2017

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 …

May 24, 2017

The Unbundling of Excel

Explore how Excel's 300M+ user base is being disrupted by specialized SaaS startups, mirroring Craigslist's …

May 22, 2017

Bias Against Creativity

Research shows why people reject creative ideas despite valuing innovation. Learn how uncertainty bias impacts …

May 19, 2017

Data Middleware - The SaaS Ecosystem's Response to Fragmentation

Explore how data middleware is transforming the SaaS ecosystem, enabling companies to unify fragmented data …

May 16, 2017

Hiring for Bookings Capacity in Sales

Learn how to calculate and optimize your SaaS sales team's bookings capacity with proven formulas, ramp-up …

May 14, 2017

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 …

May 11, 2017

The Price Anchoring Effect of Distribution Platforms

Discover how distribution platforms create price anchoring effects in SaaS, with real examples from Salesforce …

May 09, 2017

The Challenge of Performance Pricing for SaaS Companies

Discover why performance-based SaaS pricing can limit startup growth. Analysis of pricing power, customer …

May 05, 2017

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 …

May 03, 2017

When Statistics Will Mislead You

Discover how statistical analysis of startup fundraising data can be misleading, with key insights on Series …

Apr 30, 2017

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 …

Apr 26, 2017

My Algorithm is Better than Yours

Learn why superior algorithms alone don't guarantee market success in SaaS. Key insights on tech …

Apr 24, 2017

A Tale of Two Go To Market Strategies

Compare two $100M+ ARR SaaS companies in fleet management: Fleetmatics vs Geotab. Different GTM strategies, …

Apr 21, 2017

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 …

Apr 19, 2017

When Machine Learning Just Isn't Enough

Learn why machine learning alone isn't enough for SaaS success. Key insights on workflow integration, …

Apr 17, 2017

The Four Dimensions of a Demand Generation Portfolio

Learn how successful startups scale demand generation across 4 key dimensions. A data-driven framework for …

Apr 13, 2017

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, …

Apr 09, 2017

The Asset Allocator in Chief

Learn how successful startup CEOs approach resource allocation as asset managers, turning $250k experiments …

Apr 07, 2017

Startup Best Practices 25 - Bounding the Unknown Unknowns

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

Apr 05, 2017

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 …

Apr 03, 2017

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 …

Mar 31, 2017

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 …

Mar 29, 2017

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 …

Mar 27, 2017

Creating Tension in Your Startup's Marketing Positioning

Learn how successful SaaS startups like Box use dual positioning strategies - balancing visionary enterprise …

Mar 23, 2017

When Should You Sell Your Startup?

Discover the optimal timing to sell your startup based on growth rates and valuation multiples. Data shows …

Mar 22, 2017

Lies Managers Tell Themselves to Avoid Firing Someone

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

Mar 20, 2017

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 …

Mar 17, 2017

The Three Types of SaaS Value Propositions

Learn the 3 core SaaS value propositions: revenue growth, cost reduction & productivity. See how each model …

Mar 15, 2017

The Best Content Marketers in the World

Learn how top SaaS marketers leverage TV network strategies to optimize content timing and personas for …

Mar 12, 2017

When to Innovate With Your Sales Process

Learn 4 innovative SaaS sales strategies from successful startups like Slack & Twilio. Key insights on …

Mar 07, 2017

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 …

Mar 06, 2017

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 …

Mar 03, 2017

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 …

Mar 01, 2017

The Narrowing of SaaS Valuations

Explore how public SaaS company valuations have compressed since 2014, with forward revenue multiples …

Feb 28, 2017

Psychology for SaaS Startups

Learn how successful SaaS startups leverage social proof and psychology to reduce customer acquisition costs …

Feb 26, 2017

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 …

Feb 23, 2017

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 …

Feb 21, 2017

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 …

Feb 15, 2017

How to Improve Your Decision Making by Learning from Computers

Learn how computer science algorithms can improve business decision-making, from hiring strategies to …

Feb 13, 2017

How Machine Learning Can Benefit Your SaaS Startup

Discover 4 proven ways machine learning drives SaaS growth: optimization, object detection, anomaly tracking & …

Feb 10, 2017

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 …

Feb 07, 2017

Announcing our Investment in Chorus

Redpoint leads investment in Chorus.ai, pioneering AI-powered speech analysis for sales teams. See how machine …

Feb 05, 2017

Against All Odds in Startupland

Discover why win probability charts can mislead founders & investors. Learn how data analysis falls short when …

Feb 03, 2017

Modesty, First Principles and Opportunities for Startups

Discover how first principles thinking and modesty unlock startup opportunities. Learn why challenging …

Feb 01, 2017

Which to Prioritize - Churn or Growth?

Should early-stage startups focus on growth or churn? Learn why reducing churn is crucial before scaling, with …

Jan 29, 2017

How Much Money Should I Raise for My Startup?

Learn proven fundraising strategies for startups: how to calculate optimal round size, reverse engineer …

Jan 27, 2017

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 …

Jan 24, 2017

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 …

Jan 22, 2017

Is Machine Learning Overhyped?

Is machine learning living up to the hype? Explore real-world AI breakthroughs, from 40% crash reduction in …

Jan 20, 2017

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 …

Jan 18, 2017

Using Chat in Content Marketing - Observations Several Months In

Discover how chat transforms content marketing engagement: personal interactions, better audience insights, …

Jan 17, 2017

The $100M ARR Customer

Explore how Workday's $100M+ Walmart deal validates enterprise SaaS at massive scale. Key insights on the …

Jan 11, 2017

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 …

Jan 09, 2017

How Does Your Startup's Management Spend its Time?

Discover how successful startup managers optimize team productivity through data analysis. Key insights from …

Jan 05, 2017

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. …

Jan 02, 2017

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. …

Dec 21, 2016

The Top 6 Posts of 2016

Discover 2016's most impactful startup trends: $70B in SaaS acquisitions, record Series A rounds, and …

Dec 18, 2016

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 …

Dec 16, 2016

When to Increase Your SaaS Startup's Burn

Learn when to strategically increase burn rate in your SaaS startup: key indicators, timing factors, and …

Dec 12, 2016

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 …

Dec 07, 2016

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 …

Dec 05, 2016

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 …

Dec 01, 2016

Winning with Data Available on Audible

Learn how top startups leverage data for competitive advantage. Get the new Audible version of Winning with …

Nov 30, 2016

The Important SaaS Accounting Changes Coming in 2017

New SaaS revenue recognition rules in 2017 give startups more flexibility in recording revenue. Learn key …

Nov 28, 2016

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 …

Nov 17, 2016

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 …

Nov 16, 2016

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 …

Nov 14, 2016

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% …

Nov 10, 2016

The Customer Support Experience of the Future

Explore how AI and automation are transforming customer support experiences, featuring a real-world case study …

Nov 09, 2016

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 …

Nov 07, 2016

Trends in Early Stage SaaS Fundraising Market of 2016

Analyze 2016 SaaS startup funding trends: Marketing leads with $1B invested, operations rises, while sales …

Nov 05, 2016

The Limitations of Data and Benchmarks

Discover why data and metrics alone can't drive startup innovation. Learn the key limitations of benchmarks in …

Nov 02, 2016

Task List Zero - When Inbox Zero Isn't Enough

Discover how Inbox Zero principles can transform startup productivity and mental clarity. Learn data-driven …

Oct 26, 2016

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 …

Oct 23, 2016

Your Startup's Competitive Advantage

Learn the 5 key competitive advantages that prevent startup failure: product, cost, positioning, distribution …

Oct 20, 2016

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 …

Oct 19, 2016

The Challenge Facing Deep-Learning Powered Startups

Explore why debugging complex AI systems poses a critical challenge for deep-learning startups, as machine …

Oct 17, 2016

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 …

Oct 12, 2016

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 …

Oct 10, 2016

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 …

Sep 21, 2016

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 …

Sep 19, 2016

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 …

Sep 14, 2016

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 …

Sep 12, 2016

Startups as a Second Language

Discover how startup culture mirrors language learning, with structured patterns emerging from chaos. Key …

Sep 09, 2016

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 …

Sep 07, 2016

Startup Best Practices 22 - Explicit Risk Bundles and Mitigations

Learn how successful startups identify and mitigate 4 critical business risks: hiring, product-market fit, …

Sep 02, 2016

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 …

Aug 31, 2016

How Much is Your SaaS Startup Worth?

Discover what drives SaaS company valuations in 2016: Analysis shows 75%+ growth startups trade at 7.4x …

Aug 29, 2016

3 Marketing Insights from a World Class SaaS Marketer

Learn 3 unconventional marketing strategies from Duo Security's playbook that drove exceptional SaaS growth …

Aug 25, 2016

A Breakthrough in Human Computer Interaction

New research shows speech recognition is 3x faster than typing with 20% fewer errors. How voice interfaces are …

Aug 24, 2016

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 …

Aug 22, 2016

Why Understanding Startup History is a Competitive Advantage

Learn why understanding tech history gives startup founders a competitive edge. Key lessons from Google & …

Aug 19, 2016

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 …

Aug 17, 2016

Event Driven SaaS - The Workflow of the Future

Discover why event-driven SaaS is transforming enterprise software, shifting from report-centric to …

Aug 15, 2016

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 …

Aug 10, 2016

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 …

Aug 08, 2016

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 …

Aug 04, 2016

Fighting and Leveraging Inertia in Sales

Learn how successful SaaS companies leverage activation energy in sales: reduce switching costs to win deals, …

Aug 03, 2016

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 …

Aug 01, 2016

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 …

Jul 29, 2016

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 …

Jul 27, 2016

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 …

Jul 24, 2016

Which of the Three Software Budgets Does Your SaaS Startup Target?

Learn how successful SaaS startups target 3 distinct software budget types: displacement, expansion & …

Jul 21, 2016

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 …

Jul 19, 2016

Flux in the Fundraising Market

Analyze the shifting VC landscape: Series A funding drops 33% while Series B shows resilience. Key data on …

Jul 15, 2016

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 …

Jul 14, 2016

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 …

Jul 13, 2016

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. …

Jul 11, 2016

The Next Big Shift in SaaS

Explore how SaaS is evolving from displacement to disruption, as software companies capture 15% of market …

Jul 01, 2016

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 …

Jun 28, 2016

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 …

Jun 27, 2016

The Two Ingredients of Mastery

Discover the two essential ingredients for achieving mastery in startups and business, illustrated through …

Jun 23, 2016

How Many Inboxes Do You Have?

Explore how the modern knowledge worker juggles 12+ digital inboxes and communication channels, plus …

Jun 21, 2016

The Decline of New SaaS Company Formation

Explore why new SaaS company formation dropped 18% since 2014, despite record venture capital investment. …

Jun 20, 2016

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 …

Jun 16, 2016

Mitigating Myopia in SaaS Marketing

Learn how successful SaaS startups build comprehensive marketing teams across 9 key disciplines, moving beyond …

Jun 13, 2016

The Impact to Startups of the LinkedIn Acquisition

Analyze Microsoft's $26.2B LinkedIn acquisition: Key SaaS valuation metrics, startup implications, and how …

Jun 10, 2016

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 …

Jun 08, 2016

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. …

Jun 07, 2016

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, …

Jun 02, 2016

The Beginning of Consolidation in SaaS

Analyze 3 major SaaS acquisitions worth $7.6B, including Salesforce-Demandware and Marketo deals, with revenue …

Jun 02, 2016

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 & …

May 31, 2016

Start with the Premise that Everything is Noise

Learn how successful founders and VCs maximize impact by eliminating noise. Discover the power of extreme …

May 26, 2016

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 …

May 24, 2016

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 & …

May 23, 2016

The Decentralization of Venture Capital

Explore how venture capital is evolving through decentralization, from $150M+ in AngelList syndicates to DAOs …

May 16, 2016

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 …

May 12, 2016

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 …

May 10, 2016

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 …

May 09, 2016

SaaS Companies Are Changing their Growth Strategies

Discover how public SaaS companies are shifting from growth-at-all-costs to profitability, with median net …

May 05, 2016

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 …

May 04, 2016

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 …

May 02, 2016

Is the 2016 Economy a Risk to SaaS Companies?

Amid economic uncertainty in 2016, data shows SaaS companies maintaining strong revenue growth, with most …

Apr 29, 2016

Land, Expand, Retain

Analyze ServiceNow's pioneering SaaS metrics reporting: land, expand, retain strategy drives $1B revenue. Key …

Apr 26, 2016

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 …

Apr 25, 2016

The Secret of Exceptional Teams

Discover the core principles of high-performing teams through lessons from championship rowing crews. Learn …

Apr 22, 2016

There are Only 3 Pricing Strategies for Your Startup

Learn the 3 proven pricing strategies for startups: maximization, penetration & skimming. Data-driven insights …

Apr 21, 2016

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 …

Apr 19, 2016

Have VCs Changed Their Seed Investment Strategies?

Analyze how VC participation in seed rounds has evolved since 2010, with data showing consistent 25% …

Apr 18, 2016

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, …

Apr 14, 2016

Five Questions About The Future of Chatbots

Explore 5 critical questions shaping chatbot platforms, from infrastructure and monetization to AI language …

Apr 10, 2016

All New Ideas are Combinations of Old Ideas

Discover how modern innovation happens at the intersection of fields, from biomimicry in architecture to …

Apr 08, 2016

Inside-Outside-Bias in Startups

Explore how inside/outside bias affects startup founders' planning and timelines, with insights from Nobel …

Apr 07, 2016

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 …

Apr 05, 2016

The Future of Machine Intelligence

Explore how sequence-to-sequence AI and machine learning are revolutionizing content understanding, from image …

Apr 04, 2016

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 …

Apr 01, 2016

Q1 2016 Startup Investment Trends

Analyze Q1 2016 venture capital trends: $14.6B invested shows 17% YoY decline but remains historically high. …

Mar 31, 2016

Winning with Data

Learn how data-driven startups create lasting competitive advantages. Insights from top tech companies on …

Mar 29, 2016

The Craft of Management

Explore how autonomy, purpose & mastery drive modern startup teams. Key management insights from Daniel Pink's …

Mar 27, 2016

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 …

Mar 24, 2016

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 …

Mar 22, 2016

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 …

Mar 21, 2016

Your Customer's Top 3 Priorities

Learn why successful SaaS startups focus on solving their customers' top 3 priorities and how to position your …

Mar 18, 2016

Disruptive Innovation in SaaS by Competing with Non-Consumption

Learn how disruptive SaaS startups win by targeting non-consumption, creating new product categories, and …

Mar 17, 2016

The Future of Collaboration - Instant Data

Explore how instant data access is transforming workplace collaboration through AI-powered chat interfaces. …

Mar 15, 2016

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 …

Mar 13, 2016

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 …

Mar 11, 2016

A Technology Innovation Leading to a Go-To-Market Advantage

Discover how successful SaaS startups leverage technology innovation to create sustainable go-to-market …

Mar 10, 2016

Authenticity in Leadership

Explore different leadership styles from Nelson Mandela to Steve Jobs, and discover why authenticity matters …

Mar 09, 2016

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 …

Mar 07, 2016

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%. …

Mar 04, 2016

Resilience and Telos in Entrepreneurs

Discover how resilience and purpose drive successful founders. Key insights from psychology research on …

Mar 02, 2016

The Startup Office of the Future

Discover how modern startups are reimagining office culture through data-driven insights from Google's team …

Mar 01, 2016

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 …

Feb 28, 2016

Not All Revenue Dollars Are Created Equal

Discover why gross profit, not revenue, drives SaaS company valuations. Analysis shows 55%+ correlation with …

Feb 25, 2016

Benchmarking Exceptional Series A SaaS Companies

Analyze key metrics and benchmarks of top-performing Series A SaaS companies, including revenue growth rates …

Feb 23, 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 …

Feb 22, 2016

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 …

Feb 18, 2016

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, …

Feb 17, 2016

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 …

Feb 15, 2016

Venture Debt for SaaS Startups

Learn how venture debt can reduce startup dilution and extend runway. See how $2M in debt vs $5M equity …

Feb 12, 2016

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 …

Feb 11, 2016

How to Become Profitable Faster in SaaS

Discover 3 proven strategies for SaaS startups to accelerate profitability without layoffs. Learn how annual …

Feb 09, 2016

Mr. Market and the SaaS World

Explore how SaaS valuations correlate with growth metrics in 2024. Data shows faster-growing companies face …

Feb 07, 2016

The 57% Drop in SaaS Valuations

SaaS company valuations plummet 57% from 2014 peak, with top performers hit hardest. Key analysis of public …

Feb 05, 2016

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 …

Feb 03, 2016

With Smart Software, Sell Ironman Not Robocop

Learn why selling AI-powered SaaS as an augmentation tool (like Ironman) rather than a replacement (like …

Feb 01, 2016

The 12 Things I Know About You

Discover how the Forer Effect impacts startup founders and VCs through 12 universal psychological traits. …

Jan 29, 2016

Chained Probabilities in Startup Business Models

Learn how startup success follows domino chain reactions, with each win leading to bigger victories. See how …

Jan 26, 2016

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 …

Jan 24, 2016

The New UI for SaaS - The Question

Explore how conversational UI is transforming SaaS products from rigid forms to natural chat interfaces, …

Jan 21, 2016

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 …

Jan 19, 2016

When Data Confounds Our Intuition

Explore how data challenges our assumptions through the famous Monty Hall problem that stumped 1000+ PhDs. Key …

Jan 15, 2016

The Metric that Matters for Startups in 2016

Discover why unit economics become the critical startup metric for 2016, as rising capital costs reshape …

Jan 13, 2016

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 …

Jan 11, 2016

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 …

Jan 08, 2016

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 …

Jan 07, 2016

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 …

Jan 05, 2016

When Startup Compensation Isn't About the Money

Discover how Google's power law approach to talent and compensation challenges traditional Gaussian models, …

Jan 03, 2016

The Hottest Startup Sectors in 2016

Discover which startup sectors are attracting VC dollars in 2016. Data analysis reveals key trends in …

Dec 16, 2015

A Rich Library of User Onboarding Analysis

Explore 40+ expert UX teardowns of top tech products and learn proven user onboarding strategies for SaaS …

Dec 14, 2015

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 …

Dec 10, 2015

Building the Machine - Organizational Design in Startups

Learn how successful startups structure teams beyond 8 employees. Explore 3 proven organizational models used …

Dec 10, 2015

Are You Present?

Discover how mindfulness and being present can transform startup leadership, featuring insights from Google's …

Dec 08, 2015

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 …

Dec 07, 2015

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 …

Dec 04, 2015

A Framework to Maximize Your Startup's Hiring Success

Learn how successful startups like Optimizely and Greenhouse define company values after reaching 10+ …

Dec 03, 2015

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 …

Dec 01, 2015

The Tech Press Cycle and Unicorns

Explore how tech unicorn narratives cycle from euphoria to pessimism, analyzing what true startup success …

Nov 30, 2015

The Biggest Buyers of Software Companies in 2016

Analysis of top software acquirers in 2016: Public software companies hold $380B in cash, with Microsoft & …

Nov 24, 2015

Startup Best Practices 20 - Managing Oneself

Learn how successful startup leaders align personal strengths with company goals. Key insights from Peter …

Nov 23, 2015

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 …

Nov 19, 2015

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 …

Nov 15, 2015

The Right Kind of Mania

Learn how the British cycling team's 1% improvement philosophy drove Olympic success, and why startups should …

Nov 12, 2015

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 …

Nov 10, 2015

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+ …

Nov 09, 2015

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 & …

Nov 06, 2015

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+ …

Nov 05, 2015

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 …

Nov 03, 2015

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 …

Nov 02, 2015

The Next Major Technology to Shape SaaS

Explore how AI and natural language understanding will revolutionize SaaS by bridging the gap between human …

Oct 28, 2015

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, …

Oct 27, 2015

The Most Transformational Force in US Society

Explore how startups have revolutionized major industries, from Uber's 65% taxi disruption to WhatsApp …

Oct 25, 2015

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 …

Oct 23, 2015

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 …

Oct 22, 2015

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 …

Oct 21, 2015

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 …

Oct 19, 2015

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 …

Oct 15, 2015

5 Mistakes SaaS Startups Often Make with Pricing

Learn the 5 costly pricing mistakes SaaS founders make, from complex models to delayed annual prepay. …

Oct 13, 2015

The Turbulence in Startupland

Analyze the shifting startup landscape through data: despite growing concerns in Silicon Valley, 2015 …

Oct 11, 2015

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 …

Oct 08, 2015

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. …

Oct 07, 2015

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, …

Oct 05, 2015

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. …

Oct 02, 2015

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 …

Oct 01, 2015

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 …

Sep 27, 2015

What 10x More Seed Capital Means for Founders

Explore how 10x growth in seed funding impacts startup competition, Series A expectations, and founder success …

Sep 24, 2015

Data Network Effects in SaaS Enabled Marketplaces

Discover how SaaS-enabled marketplaces leverage data network effects to build unbeatable competitive …

Sep 22, 2015

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 …

Sep 21, 2015

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 …

Sep 17, 2015

Do Vertical SaaS Companies Benefit from Higher Sales Efficiency?

Analyzing 54 public SaaS companies reveals vertical solutions achieve 47% higher sales efficiency vs …

Sep 14, 2015

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 …

Aug 30, 2015

Why Skillful Fundraising is a Huge Competitive Advantage

Learn how skilled fundraising creates a 50% larger business over 6 years through better capital efficiency. …

Aug 28, 2015

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 …

Aug 26, 2015

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 …

Aug 25, 2015

What SaaS Startups Miss in User Onboarding

Learn why most SaaS startups fail at user onboarding and the critical step they miss: creating immediate …

Aug 24, 2015

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% …

Aug 20, 2015

Startup Trends from YCombinator's Demo Day

Analyzing 250+ YCombinator startups reveals key shifts: healthcare ventures up in 2015, commerce startups …

Aug 18, 2015

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 …

Aug 17, 2015

The 3 Ways Culture Enables Startups to Scale

Learn how successful startups scale through culture: 3 proven ways culture drives hiring, decision-making, and …

Aug 14, 2015

Lessons from the 8 Great CEOs

Learn how 8 unconventional CEOs outperformed the S&P 500, including Warren Buffett's insights on breaking from …

Aug 13, 2015

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 …

Aug 11, 2015

The Magic of Email Snooze

Learn how email snooze transforms inbox management from LIFO chaos to strategic prioritization - key insights …

Aug 09, 2015

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 …

Aug 07, 2015

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 …

Aug 06, 2015

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 …

Aug 05, 2015

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 …

Jul 30, 2015

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 …

Jul 29, 2015

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 …

Jul 28, 2015

If You Chase Two Rabbits...

Learn why startups should resist expansion until reaching critical mass. Data-driven insights on focus vs. …

Jul 26, 2015

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 …

Jul 23, 2015

We Must Strive to be Ourselves

Discover how Hunter S. Thompson's timeless advice on authentic goal-setting applies to startup founders and …

Jul 21, 2015

The Best Goal Setting Frameworks

Learn proven goal-setting frameworks used by top startups, from Google's OKR system to moonshot targets. …

Jul 20, 2015

Take Your Startup to the Limit

Learn how successful startups manage extreme growth and contraction through a powerful analogy. Key insights …

Jul 16, 2015

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 …

Jul 15, 2015

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 …

Jul 14, 2015

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. …

Jul 12, 2015

Startup Best Practices 15 - Start With the Why

Learn how successful startups build powerful brands by leading with values, not features. Key insights from …

Jul 09, 2015

Startup Investment Trends in 2015

Analyze 2015's record-breaking $57B+ venture capital deployment across sectors. See which industries are …

Jul 08, 2015

The Most Successful SaaS Sectors

Discover which departments control SaaS spending. Analysis of 50+ public SaaS companies reveals HR and Sales …

Jul 07, 2015

The Increasing Fragmentation of SaaS

Explore how SaaS fragmentation is reshaping enterprise software, with marketing tech companies growing 98% to …

Jul 06, 2015

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 …

Jun 30, 2015

Trends In Startup Acquisition Market in 2015

Analysis of 2015 startup acquisition trends reveals 40% increase in $500M+ deals over 5 years, while median …

Jun 29, 2015

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 …

Jun 24, 2015

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 …

Jun 23, 2015

The Beauty of Bottoms Up SaaS Businesses

Discover why bottom-up SaaS models accelerate growth through shorter sales cycles, rapid experimentation, and …

Jun 22, 2015

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 …

Jun 19, 2015

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 …

Jun 18, 2015

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 …

Jun 16, 2015

The Disruptive Effect of Open Source Startups

Explore how open source startups disrupt software distribution, drive revenue growth, and attract VC funding. …

Jun 14, 2015

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, …

Jun 11, 2015

Startup Best Practices 12 - Customer Success Compensation

Learn how successful SaaS startups structure customer success compensation, with a data-driven framework …

Jun 10, 2015

How an $11B SaaS Company Measures Churn

Learn how ServiceNow, an $11B SaaS leader, measures customer churn through two key metrics: upsell rate and …

Jun 09, 2015

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 …

Jun 08, 2015

The Expanding Role of Marketing in SaaS Companies

Discover how modern SaaS marketing teams now guide customers deeper into the funnel, transforming traditional …

Jun 05, 2015

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 …

Jun 04, 2015

Welcome, Mina!

Former Uber first PM Mina Radhakrishnan joins Redpoint as EIR, bringing marketplace & hyper-growth expertise …

Jun 03, 2015

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 …

Jun 02, 2015

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 …

May 31, 2015

When Should Your SaaS Startup Offer Professional Services

Learn when SaaS startups should add professional services: analyze margins, revenue impact & tradeoffs. Data …

May 28, 2015

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 …

May 27, 2015

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 …

May 26, 2015

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 …

May 20, 2015

A Very Unusual Book about Startup Culture

Discover unconventional startup wisdom from a 30-year Hallmark veteran on fostering creativity, navigating …

May 19, 2015

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 …

May 15, 2015

The 4 Teams Within Customer Success Organizations

Learn how successful SaaS companies structure customer success into 4 key teams: sales engineering, …

May 14, 2015

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 …

May 11, 2015

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% …

May 08, 2015

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 …

May 07, 2015

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 …

May 05, 2015

Startup Best Practices 11 - Practice Negotiations Before the Meeting

Learn proven negotiation strategies for startup founders, from preparation tactics to partnership frameworks. …

May 03, 2015

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 …

Apr 30, 2015

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. …

Apr 30, 2015

How to Make Pretty Charts

Learn how to create professional data visualizations using R and ggplot2. A step-by-step guide for startup …

Apr 28, 2015

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 …

Apr 27, 2015

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 …

Apr 23, 2015

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 …

Apr 21, 2015

Why the Bubble Question Doesn't Matter

Learn 4 essential strategies for startup survival during market uncertainty: focus on product differentiation, …

Apr 19, 2015

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. …

Apr 16, 2015

How Faster Sales Cycles Become a Competitive Advantage

Learn how shorter sales cycles create competitive advantages in startups, from faster process optimization to …

Apr 14, 2015

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+ …

Apr 13, 2015

Hacking the Performance Evaluation

Learn how top startups like Google optimize performance reviews by separating growth feedback from …

Apr 10, 2015

The Gamble of the Private IPO

Explore why 25% of 2014 IPOs were down rounds and the growing valuation gap between private and public …

Apr 09, 2015

The Innovator's Dilemma for SaaS Startups

Explore why successful SaaS startups inevitably move upmarket from SMB to enterprise customers, driven by …

Apr 05, 2015

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. …

Apr 02, 2015

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 …

Apr 01, 2015

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 …

Mar 30, 2015

3 Key Ingredients of a Sales Compensation Plan

Learn the 3 essential components of SaaS sales compensation: commission ratios, acceleration & payment …

Mar 26, 2015

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 …

Mar 24, 2015

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 …

Mar 22, 2015

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% …

Mar 18, 2015

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 …

Mar 18, 2015

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 …

Mar 16, 2015

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 …

Mar 13, 2015

The State of the SaaS Fundraising Market

Analyze the shifting SaaS fundraising landscape: Series B funding surged 66% to $6.5B, while seed rounds …

Mar 11, 2015

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 …

Mar 10, 2015

Sales Funnel Optimization for SaaS Startups

Learn how SaaS startups can optimize their sales funnel metrics with data-driven insights. See how a 50% …

Mar 06, 2015

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 …

Mar 05, 2015

Trends in the Startup Acquihire Market

Analyze 4-year trends in startup acquihires with data showing 15 tech companies acquired per quarter. Key …

Mar 03, 2015

The Compounding Returns of Content Marketing

Discover how content marketing delivers compounding returns in SaaS, with data showing posts generate 2x more …

Mar 02, 2015

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 …

Feb 25, 2015

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 …

Feb 24, 2015

Creating the Strangely Familiar

Discover how Apple's Jony Ive built a $1.5B product empire through radical design thinking and brutal …

Feb 17, 2015

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 …

Feb 13, 2015

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 …

Feb 11, 2015

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 + …

Feb 10, 2015

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% …

Feb 09, 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, …

Feb 06, 2015

Why Managing For Progress is So Important

Research shows how great managers drive team success: analysis of 12,000 work journals reveals why focusing on …

Feb 05, 2015

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 …

Feb 04, 2015

The 4 Types of Customer Success Organizations

Discover the 4 distinct customer success models used by SaaS companies, from Late Bloomers to Captains of …

Feb 03, 2015

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 …

Feb 02, 2015

Benchmarks for Employee Stock Based Compensation in SaaS Startups

Discover data-driven benchmarks for SaaS startup equity compensation. Analysis shows $10-20k per employee …

Jan 30, 2015

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 …

Jan 29, 2015

Five Bits of Management Wisdom from Pixar

Discover 5 essential management lessons from Pixar's Ed Catmull on startup leadership, first principles …

Jan 27, 2015

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 …

Jan 23, 2015

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 …

Jan 22, 2015

The Fundraising Patterns of Unicorn SaaS Companies

Analyze fundraising patterns of unicorn SaaS companies: median $88M raised before IPO, 4 rounds over 6 years. …

Jan 20, 2015

The Characteristics of the Most Successful Teams

Discover the two key traits of high-performing startup teams, backed by MIT research. Learn how equal …

Jan 19, 2015

The Increasing Growth Rates of SaaS Companies

Data shows modern SaaS startups reach $50M revenue 50% faster than previous generations. Analysis of 51 public …

Jan 16, 2015

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 …

Jan 15, 2015

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 …

Jan 14, 2015

The Rising Table Stakes in SaaS

Learn why understanding SaaS metrics, customer success, and content marketing are no longer competitive …

Jan 13, 2015

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 …

Jan 12, 2015

The Sales Motions of B2C2B Companies

Discover 3 proven B2C2B sales models used by LinkedIn, Duolingo & other startups to convert consumer traction …

Jan 08, 2015

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 …

Jan 07, 2015

B2C2B Startups - Why Selling with Internal Influencers is so Powerful

Discover how B2C2B startups drive enterprise growth by targeting individual users first. Learn proven …

Jan 06, 2015

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 …

Jan 05, 2015

The Sudden Shift in SaaS Product Pricing

Explore how SaaS pricing has shifted: New IPO data reveals 77% smaller revenue per customer, as IT …

Dec 19, 2014

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 …

Dec 18, 2014

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 …

Dec 16, 2014

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 …

Dec 15, 2014

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 …

Dec 14, 2014

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 …

Dec 12, 2014

The Importance of Mindfulness When Managing a Startup

Learn the 5 key mindfulness principles used by high-performing teams to manage startup crises effectively. …

Dec 11, 2014

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 …

Dec 10, 2014

The Acquisition Environment for Startups in 2015

Explore how $430B in tech company cash reserves will drive startup acquisitions in 2015, with detailed …

Dec 08, 2014

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%. …

Dec 05, 2014

When Will the Tech Bull Market End?

Explore 3 key drivers of tech's bull market: widespread disruption, record VC funding, and strong exits. …

Dec 04, 2014

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 …

Dec 02, 2014

Brutal Intellectual Honesty

Discover how brutal intellectual honesty drives better decisions in startups and VC. Key management lessons …

Dec 01, 2014

Nailing Your Startup's Value Proposition

Learn how successful startups validate product-market fit using the Value Proposition Canvas. Key frameworks …

Nov 25, 2014

The Fundamental Unit of SaaS Growth

Learn how successful SaaS startups scale by building the optimal go-to-market team structure. Key insights on …

Nov 24, 2014

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. …

Nov 21, 2014

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. …

Nov 20, 2014

How Important are Professional Services to Your Startup?

Discover how professional services impact startup valuations, with data showing PS revenue ranging 20-41% for …

Nov 18, 2014

Why Negative Churn is Such a Powerful Growth Mechanism

Discover how negative churn drives exponential SaaS growth: analysis shows 5% negative churn can double …

Nov 17, 2014

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 …

Nov 14, 2014

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 …

Nov 12, 2014

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 …

Nov 10, 2014

The Most Effective Questions to Use When Interviewing Candidates

Learn proven interview techniques that boost hiring success 3x. Data-driven strategies from Google's …

Nov 06, 2014

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 …

Nov 05, 2014

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 …

Nov 04, 2014

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 …

Nov 03, 2014

The Meteoric Acceleration in Series A Valuations

Explore how Series A startup valuations have doubled in 6 months, surpassing historical Series B levels. Key …

Oct 31, 2014

The Stability of the Current Tech Market

Analysis of Q3 tech earnings shows 69% of public companies beat revenue forecasts, with enterprise startups …

Oct 30, 2014

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 …

Oct 29, 2014

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 …

Oct 26, 2014

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 …

Oct 24, 2014

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. …

Oct 23, 2014

The Obscure Economic Idea Behind SaaS Pricing Challenges

Discover how Veblen goods economics challenges traditional SaaS pricing models. Learn why higher prices can …

Oct 22, 2014

The 9 Marketing Disciplines of Great SaaS Companies

Discover the 9 essential marketing disciplines that power successful SaaS companies, based on insights from …

Oct 20, 2014

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 …

Oct 17, 2014

The Fastest User Interface

Discover why voice interfaces are 3x faster than typing, with speaking speeds of 120 WPM vs 40 WPM typing. …

Oct 16, 2014

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. …

Oct 14, 2014

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 …

Oct 13, 2014

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 …

Oct 10, 2014

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 …

Oct 09, 2014

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 …

Oct 08, 2014

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 …

Oct 06, 2014

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 …

Oct 02, 2014

Come Work on the Redpoint Software Team!

Join Redpoint's software investment team in Menlo Park. We seek technical experts with deep networks to …

Oct 01, 2014

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 …

Sep 30, 2014

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 …

Sep 29, 2014

How Much Cash Should Your Startup Burn?

Discover optimal startup burn rates with data-driven analysis comparing SaaS vs consumer companies. Key …

Sep 26, 2014

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 …

Sep 24, 2014

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 …

Sep 22, 2014

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 …

Sep 18, 2014

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 …

Sep 17, 2014

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 …

Sep 15, 2014

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, …

Sep 12, 2014

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, …

Sep 11, 2014

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 …

Sep 09, 2014

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 …

Sep 03, 2014

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 …

Aug 28, 2014

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 …

Aug 27, 2014

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 …

Aug 25, 2014

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 …

Aug 21, 2014

Not A Conventional Company

Explore Google's unconventional path from startup to tech giant, growing from $220K to $3.2B revenue in 5 …

Aug 20, 2014

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 …

Aug 19, 2014

Benchmarking Consumer and SaaS Companies' Path to IPO

Compare growth trajectories: Consumer startups hit $100M+ revenue in year 2 vs steady SaaS growth through year …

Aug 18, 2014

The Three Most Important Trends in the Seed Fund Raising Market

Discover key seed funding trends: 3x growth to $3B in 2013, with data showing 2014 on track for 8x increase. …

Aug 15, 2014

Are Tech IPOs Dying?

Analyzing 36 years of tech IPO data: Are private mega-rounds replacing public offerings? New data shows …

Aug 14, 2014

The Most Important Investment a Startup Can Make

Learn why investing in employee education and development is crucial for startup success, based on lessons …

Aug 12, 2014

Why Customer Success? Why Now?

Discover why customer success has become critical for SaaS companies, driving 20% market growth and $18B in …

Aug 11, 2014

4 Major Competitive Trends in Mobile App Stores

Explore 4 key trends reshaping mobile app store competition in 2014, with data showing increased rank …

Aug 07, 2014

The B Corporation - A Novel Structure for Mission Driven Startups

Discover how B-Corporations like Warby Parker and Etsy balance profit with social impact. Key insights on this …

Aug 05, 2014

The Challenge Facing Mobile-First SaaS Companies

Explore why mobile-first SaaS startups face unique distribution challenges vs consumer apps, despite 1B+ …

Aug 04, 2014

What the Public Markets Trends Say About the Fundraising and M&A Environment Startups

Discover how Q2 tech earnings beating expectations by 4% impacts startup fundraising, M&A trends, and SaaS …

Aug 01, 2014

The Secret Ingredient to the Best Startup Fundraising Pitches

Learn the key ingredient that sets exceptional startup fundraising pitches apart, based on insights from …

Jul 31, 2014

Building a Performant Customer Success Organization

Learn how top SaaS companies structure customer success teams to drive growth. Key insights from Silicon …

Jul 29, 2014

How to Retain Your Startup's Best Employees

Learn proven talent retention strategies for startups from LinkedIn's playbook, including the Tour of Duty …

Jul 28, 2014

What Q2 Tech Earnings Reports Say About the State of the Technology Market

Analyzing Q2 tech earnings data: See how 25% of public tech companies are performing vs analyst expectations …

Jul 25, 2014

The Best Advice I've Ever Received

Learn why the best startup advice focuses on frameworks over opinions. A VC's perspective on making better …

Jul 24, 2014

How Much is Your Business Worth?

Learn how to value your startup using market data: $1.2T in corporate cash and $412B in PE dry powder signal …

Jul 23, 2014

The Coming Wave of Venture Capital and What It Means for Your Startup

Discover how record-breaking VC fundraising in 2014 will impact startup funding. Analysis of industry data …

Jul 21, 2014

Lessons from Interviews of Pre-Eminent VCs in 2000

Discover timeless venture capital wisdom from iconic 2000-era VC interviews. Key insights on competition, …

Jul 15, 2014

How to Maximize Your Organic Twitter Content Marketing Efforts

Learn how to optimize Twitter content marketing with data-driven insights. Analysis reveals best posting …

Jul 15, 2014

Data is Useless Unless You Can Act on It

Learn why data collection alone isn't enough for startups. Discover the 3-step pattern behind successful …

Jul 11, 2014

One of the Greatest Opportunities to Learn

Discover how active listening drives startup innovation and learning. See how Pixar turned $120M investments …

Jul 10, 2014

Trends in the Startup Acquisition Market

Analyze key trends in startup acquisition markets: 20+ IPOs per quarter, 80% undisclosed deals, and shifting …

Jul 08, 2014

How Vibrant is the Hardware Startup World?

Analyze hardware startup investment trends: 56% of seed rounds exceeded $1M in 2013. Data reveals shifting VC …

Jul 02, 2014

An Exceptional Story with Exceptional Data

Learn how data storytelling drives impact through FiveThirtyEight's Messi analysis. Key lessons for founders …

Jul 01, 2014

The Importance of Hometown Investors for Startups

Discover how hometown VC investment patterns vary across 10 major US startup hubs, with data-driven analysis …

Jun 30, 2014

The Marketing Math Behind Scaling a SaaS Salesforce

Learn how successful SaaS companies scale sales teams using data-driven marketing metrics. Key insights on …

Jun 27, 2014

The Insularity of Silicon Valley

Despite a 3% GDP drop and broader market volatility, Silicon Valley tech stocks show resilience with …

Jun 26, 2014

Why Smart Watches Could be a Huge Trend in Mobile

Explore how smartwatches could disrupt mobile: Analysis shows 5% Android Wear adoption means 50M users, plus …

Jun 25, 2014

The Five Forces Shaping the Fundraising Market

Explore the 5 key forces driving today's venture capital landscape, from stable LP investments to 40%+ …

Jun 24, 2014

The Hottest Startup Sectors

Discover which startup sectors are surging in 2014: Hardware, Health & Wellness lead seed funding growth while …

Jun 23, 2014

The Disruption Debate is Focused on the Wrong Ideas

Explore how disruption theory and the Lindy Effect shape modern tech innovation. Key insights for founders on …

Jun 17, 2014

The 3 Minute Technique for Brainstorming Your Startup's Product Roadmap

Discover a powerful 3-minute brainstorming framework used by successful startups to build better products, …

Jun 16, 2014

The Great Unbundling of Email

Explore how email's unbundling creates opportunities for B2B startups, as 70T annual emails drive innovation …

Jun 13, 2014

How Much Should Your Startup Spend to Grow?

Discover how SMB, mid-market & enterprise SaaS startups differ in growth spending. Data-driven analysis of 46 …

Jun 12, 2014

The Optimal Seed Round Construction to Maximize Series A Success

Discover how seed round investor composition impacts Series A success. Data shows VC-backed seeds have 54% …

Jun 09, 2014

The Impact of VCs in Seed Rounds in Seven Charts

Explore how VCs transformed seed funding: 132% more capital, 114% larger rounds, and the rise of $2.8M …

Jun 06, 2014

The Riskiest Investment a Startup Can Make

Learn why marketing spend is the riskiest investment for startups, with data-driven insights on measuring ROI …

Jun 04, 2014

The Hidden Costs of the Switching Products in the Consumer Web

Discover why switching costs in consumer web products are higher than expected, from file storage to music …

Jun 02, 2014

Salesforce's Marketing Secret - The Fourth Marketing P

Learn how Salesforce became the #1 SaaS company through strategic positioning. Key insights from Marc …

May 30, 2014

The Common Characteristics of Successful Freemium Companies

Discover the 3 essential traits of successful freemium startups. Data-driven insights on how top SaaS …

May 28, 2014

The Impact of Varying Sales Hiring Strategies on SaaS Startups

Analyze 3 SaaS sales hiring strategies: bulk vs. gradual hiring impacts revenue growth, cash burn, and …

May 27, 2014

The Common Language of Great Teams

Discover how elite teams overcome doubt and failure, from Felix Baumgartner's space jump to America's Cup's …

May 23, 2014

The Five Letters that Will Change the Data World&#58; BYOBI

Discover BYOBI: The emerging data trend reshaping how startups and enterprises access business intelligence. …

May 22, 2014

Confessions of a Perpetual Freeloader: When to Jettison the Freemium Tier

Discover when growing B2B SaaS companies should eliminate their free tier, based on data from successful …

May 21, 2014

A Surprisingly Powerful Mechanism for Growing a SaaS Startup

Discover how prepaid contracts can transform SaaS startup cash flow, turning a near-bankruptcy scenario into a …

May 20, 2014

What's Wrong with the Internet of Things

Discover why successful IoT products should focus on services, not devices. Learn how great tech companies …

May 19, 2014

How the Fund Raising Market Will Evolve in 2014

Analyze key shifts in 2014 venture funding: 11 new $1B+ valuations, 47% late-stage investment dominance, and …

May 16, 2014

The Workplace of the Future

Explore how office design, tools, and culture have evolved from the first information workers to today's tech …

May 15, 2014

The 4 Challenges Facing Customer Success Teams in SaaS Startups

Discover the 4 key challenges facing SaaS customer success teams: education, justification, attribution & team …

May 13, 2014

Ruthlessness and Grit in Startups

Learn how successful startups combine ruthlessness and grit to scale. Key insights on adapting leadership …

May 12, 2014

Startup Best Practices 7 - How to Use Andy Grove's Stagger Chart to Build Predictability

Learn how top startups use Andy Grove's stagger chart framework to achieve predictable growth and higher …

May 09, 2014

The Worst Time of Year to Raise A Seed Round

Discover the optimal timing for seed fundraising with data-driven analysis. Q4 rounds are 60% larger than Q1, …

May 08, 2014

9 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read

Discover 9 essential books that shaped successful startups, from NetApp's founding story to timeless business …

May 06, 2014

The Current State of the Consumer Internet Market

Analysis of consumer internet stocks shows 25% average decline, with social media up while fintech struggles. …

May 05, 2014

A Framework for Maximizing Startup Marketing Effectiveness

Learn how successful startups evolve their marketing strategy across 3 key horizons - from initial channel …

May 02, 2014

Surprising Trends in Startup Founder Equity Stakes

Discover how founder equity stakes have evolved: CEOs now retain 30-33% more equity through Series A/B rounds, …

May 01, 2014

What's Happening to the SaaS Market?

SaaS company valuations plummet 33% from peak, erasing a year of gains. Analysis shows $33B enterprise value …

Apr 29, 2014

The Surprising Compensation Trends of Startup Executives

Explore surprising shifts in startup executive pay: VPs see up to 26% cash increases while equity drops 31%. …

Apr 28, 2014

Quantifying the Cost of a Bad Hire

Discover the true financial impact of sales hiring mistakes: how a bad hire can double losses to -$20k and …

Apr 23, 2014

Quantifying a SaaS Startup's Revenue at Risk

Learn how to calculate and track Revenue at Risk (RaR) in SaaS startups using two proven methods. Essential …

Apr 21, 2014

How to Determine Which Price is Best for Your SaaS Startup's Product

Learn proven methods to optimize SaaS pricing through data-driven testing. A step-by-step framework for …

Apr 17, 2014

The Challenges SaaS Businesses Face Communicating their Financial Health

Explore why traditional accounting fails SaaS companies and how metrics like ARR better reflect enterprise …

Apr 16, 2014

The Power of a Coach

Discover how management coaching transformed a skeptical Google PM's leadership journey and why every startup …

Apr 15, 2014

The Investment Patterns of SaaS Companies in Sales and Engineering Over Time

Analyze how modern SaaS startups allocate more to sales & engineering vs older companies, with 50% revenue …

Apr 09, 2014

The Correction in SaaS Company Valuations

Analyzing the 23% decline in SaaS valuations: Why the market correction isn't as dramatic as it seems, backed …

Apr 08, 2014

The Great Keyboard Layout Debate

Explore one VC's journey switching from QWERTY to Dvorak keyboard layouts, with insights on productivity …

Apr 04, 2014

Do Startups Require Less Capital to Succeed than 10 Years Ago?

Explore how modern SaaS startups achieve 2x revenue-on-invested-capital vs 1998, with data showing increased …

Apr 03, 2014

The Financing Trends of Billion Dollar SaaS Companies

Analyze financing data from 41 public SaaS companies: from $4M to $400M raised pre-IPO. Key insights on …

Apr 01, 2014

Subscriber Cannibalization and Other Mysteries in Content Marketing

Explore how email subscribers are cannibalizing RSS readers in startup content marketing, with data showing a …

Mar 31, 2014

My Surreal UberX Experience

A VC's perspective on how modern tech platforms like Uber break down communication barriers and enable …

Mar 27, 2014

Reflections on YCombinator Demo Day&#58; How the Seed Market Has Changed

Analysis of YCombinator trends: Enterprise startups grew from 48% to 57%, with vertical SaaS rising from 29% …

Mar 24, 2014

Startup Best Practices 6 - Avoiding the Bike Rack Effect

Learn how the bike rack effect derails startup decision-making: why teams obsess over small choices while …

Mar 24, 2014

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

Analyze Box's IPO metrics vs 40 public SaaS companies. Deep-dive into growth rates, revenue, and profitability …

Mar 21, 2014

The Hardest Round to Raise for Startups

Discover why Series B is now the toughest funding round for startups, with data showing 31% growth in Series A …

Mar 20, 2014

The Machinery of Blogging

Discover the data-driven tools and technical infrastructure powering a leading VC blog. Learn how Jekyll, …

Mar 19, 2014

Are VC Mega-Rounds the New Normal?

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

Mar 17, 2014

How Fast Must a SaaS Startup Grow to Raise a Series A?

Discover the optimal monthly growth rate SaaS startups need to raise Series A funding, backed by real metrics …

Mar 14, 2014

SaaS Startup Balance Sheets: How Much Cash & How Much Debt to Raise

Discover the optimal cash levels for SaaS startups, from $7M seed funding to IPO. Data-driven analysis of …

Mar 13, 2014

How Quickly Does a SaaS Startup Have to Grow to Go Public?

Discover the revenue milestones SaaS startups need to hit for IPO success. Data from 41 public companies shows …

Mar 11, 2014

Why There's Never Been a Better Time to Found a SaaS Startup

Discover why SaaS companies now trade at 11x revenue vs 6x in 2006, with IPO timelines dropping from 12 to 7 …

Mar 10, 2014

The New Market Places

Explore how modern marketplaces are evolving beyond Craigslist and eBay's models, shifting from simple listing …

Mar 06, 2014

A Moore's Law for Data

Explore how Moore's Law principles are transforming data processing & startup tech stacks, from 90% faster …

Mar 05, 2014

Great SaaS Companies Focus on Behavior Change

Learn how successful SaaS startups drive user behavior change through product design, sales, and data. Key …

Mar 03, 2014

Do More Competitors in a Sector Decrease Fundraising Success?

Analyze how 25% YoY startup growth impacts fundraising success across sectors. Data-driven insights on …

Feb 28, 2014

The Four Key Steps in Startup Fund Raising Processes

Learn the 4 key phases VCs use to evaluate startups: screening, socialization, diligence & decision. Data …

Feb 27, 2014

The Things You Do Often Create the Things You Believe

Discover how daily actions shape company culture and beliefs in startups. Key insights on the psychology of …

Feb 26, 2014

Which Acquirer Pays the Most for Startups?

Discover which tech giants pay most for startup acquisitions. Analysis of 15+ years of M&A data reveals …

Feb 23, 2014

Why the WhatsApp Acquisition Changes Everything

Explore how WhatsApp's $19B Facebook acquisition revolutionized startup growth, proving mobile distribution …

Feb 20, 2014

What to Look for When Hiring a Head of Marketing for Your Startup

Learn the 3 essential marketing skillsets every startup needs in a head of marketing: MarCom, quantitative, …

Feb 18, 2014

The Impact of a Startup's Location on Its Ability to Raise Capital

Analyze startup success rates across 12 US cities using Crunchbase data. Does location impact Series A & B …

Feb 13, 2014

How to Combat Inaccurate Data and Faulty Statistics When Making Decisions

Learn how to avoid data analysis pitfalls in decision-making, with insights from research showing 75% of …

Feb 12, 2014

Why Startups Face Increasing Competition in Raising Series As and Bs

Analyze 917 startup funding trends: Why Series A/B rounds are getting more competitive, with only 27% of …

Feb 09, 2014

How Your Startup's Sector Affects Your Ability to Raise a Series A

Discover which startup sectors have the best odds of Series A success. Data shows 40% of search startups …

Feb 07, 2014

Using Data to Pick the Optimal Name for Your Startup

Discover how your startup's name impacts fundraising success. Data shows T-named startups raise 100% more in …

Feb 06, 2014

The Minimum Size Seed Round to Maximize Series A Follow On Investment

Data analysis reveals optimal seed round size: $600-900k increases Series A success rate by 33%. Key insights …

Feb 04, 2014

Do Larger Seed Rounds Lead to Bigger Series As?

Analyzing 726 startups reveals surprising data: larger seed rounds don't reliably predict bigger Series A …

Feb 03, 2014

The Optimal Average Customer Value for SaaS Startups

Analyze the optimal customer value strategy for SaaS startups with real IPO data. Key finding: Revenue per …

Jan 31, 2014

Military Strategy Applied to Startups

Learn how military OODA strategy can give startups a competitive edge through rapid decision-making, team …

Jan 30, 2014

The Three Key Forces Shaping SaaS in 2014

Explore how predictive AI, cloud data, and machine learning are transforming SaaS in 2014, driving …

Jan 30, 2014

The Technology that's Taking Data Science by Storm

Discover how Amazon Redshift is revolutionizing data warehousing: 20x faster performance at 25% the cost, with …

Jan 29, 2014

The Maximum Viable Churn Rate for a Startup

Learn how churn impacts startup growth: analyze maximum viable churn rates, capital requirements, and revenue …

Jan 28, 2014

The Best Times of Year to Raise Capital for Your Startup

Discover the optimal months for startup fundraising based on 15+ years of VC investment data. Learn when VCs …

Jan 27, 2014

The Go-To-Market Challenges of B2D Companies

Discover the unique go-to-market challenges B2D startups face and learn proven sales strategies from …

Jan 22, 2014

Using Data to Demystify Data Science

Explore the 4 distinct types of data scientists and their key skill sets, based on research from 250 …

Jan 22, 2014

How One Startup's Engineering Team Cut their Engineering Release Times in Half

Learn how Axial's engineering team cut release cycles in half using data-driven scheduling, and why accurate …

Jan 21, 2014

What the Nest Acquisition Means for the Internet of Things

Explore how Google's $3B Nest acquisition signals IoT's emergence as the next tech frontier, with $1B in VC …

Jan 20, 2014

Three Important Trends in the Startup Exit Market

Analyze 3 key startup exit trends: 7% annual value growth, flat exit volume, and 2x increase in IPOs. …

Jan 16, 2014

The Average Value of a Tech Company is Decreasing

Data analysis reveals tech company valuations dropped 67% since 1980s, from $4.3B to $1.4B, as market …

Jan 15, 2014

Why Everything I Thought I Knew About Churn Is Wrong

Learn why common churn calculations can overestimate SaaS metrics by 2x. A data-driven analysis of customer …

Jan 14, 2014

The Two Key Skill Sets Startups Must Develop To Grow

Learn how successful startups master two critical skills: transforming chaos into scalable processes and …

Jan 13, 2014

Why Quotas Aren't the Most Important Number for Startup Sales Teams

Learn how effective sales quotas drive SaaS growth through 3 key metrics: Business Results, Sales Objectives & …

Jan 09, 2014

The Importance of Seasonality in SaaS Startups

Discover how seasonality impacts SaaS revenue: Analysis of 40+ public companies reveals surprising growth …

Jan 08, 2014

My Thoughts on CES - The Six Trends on the Show Floor

Venture capitalist insights from CES 2024: Analysis of 6 major tech trends reshaping startups, from drone …

Jan 07, 2014

The Three Doors to SaaS Success

Learn the proven 3-door framework for SaaS website optimization from former Salesforce CMO. A strategic …

Jan 06, 2014

How Healthy is the Public Technology Market?

Explore how the $9.7T tech market is becoming more fragmented, with top 10 companies' share dropping from 95% …

Jan 03, 2014

Should Your Startup Adopt a New Management Style?

Explore how Zappos' shift to holacracy could reshape startup management. Analysis of flat organizational …

Jan 02, 2014

Startup Best Practices 5 - Effectiveness, not Productivity

Learn how successful startup founders prioritize effectiveness over productivity using Covey's matrix to focus …

Jan 01, 2014

The consumer forces shaping enterprise innovation

Explore how consumer tech trends are reshaping enterprise software, with 66% of employees using personal …

Jan 01, 2014

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions about content usage, data visualization, and site policies. Learn how to …

Jan 01, 2014

A Startup’s Step-by-Step Guide to Working with Recruiters

Learn when and how to work with tech recruiters: a data-backed guide for startup founders on optimizing …

Dec 20, 2013

Startup Best Practices 4 - Managing Monkeys

Learn how successful startups prevent decision bottlenecks using the 5-step monkey management framework. Key …

Dec 17, 2013

Revenue per Employee Benchmarks of Billion Dollar Companies

Discover key revenue-per-employee benchmarks for SaaS companies, from Google's $1M/employee to the industry …

Dec 16, 2013

The 10 Most Important Metrics in a Startup's Financial Statements

Discover the 10 essential startup metrics VCs analyze, from revenue growth to gross margins. Data-driven …

Dec 13, 2013

A 47 Year Old Prediction Comes True

Discover how Buckminster Fuller's 1966 prediction about tech founders revolutionizing the world through …

Dec 11, 2013

Using Price & Demand Curves to Inform Startup Product Roadmaps

Learn how successful startups use price-demand curves to optimize product roadmaps, segment customers, and …

Dec 10, 2013

How Much Does It Cost to Take Your Startup Public?

Discover the true costs of taking your startup public. New data shows tech IPOs pay 8.8% in fees on average, …

Dec 09, 2013

The Typical Billion Dollar Startup Acquisition

Analysis of 2400 tech startup acquisitions reveals 83% are all-cash deals, with larger $1B+ exits more likely …

Dec 06, 2013

What Bitcoin and Internet of Things Startups Have in Common

Discover why successful Bitcoin and IoT startups hide their underlying protocols and how this strategy drives …

Dec 06, 2013

The 10 Most Important Metrics in a Startup’s Financial Statements

Discover the 10 essential financial metrics VCs analyze in startup investments, from revenue growth to gross …

Dec 05, 2013

How to Hire a Head of Customer Success for Your Startup

Learn how to hire your first Head of Customer Success: key responsibilities, cross-functional impact, and …

Dec 04, 2013

How to Grow Huge: Proprietary Distribution Channels

Learn how successful startups build proprietary distribution channels to drive exponential growth, from …

Dec 03, 2013

Startup Best Practices 3 - How to Structure a Sales and Marketing Team

Learn how successful startups structure sales & marketing teams to scale revenue. Key metrics and proven …

Dec 02, 2013

The Tablet-First Retail Startup

Discover why tablet users drive 3.5x more retail value than mobile, with conversion rates 300% higher. Key …

Nov 22, 2013

The Most Effective Way of Visualizing Funnels

Learn how Sankey diagrams revolutionize startup funnel analysis and user behavior tracking. A data-driven …

Nov 21, 2013

The Next Big Opportunity in Mobile Advertising

Discover why mobile app re-engagement advertising will grow to a $10B+ market opportunity, surpassing user …

Nov 20, 2013

Startup Best Practices 2 - Startup Team Sizes

Learn how successful startups optimize team size using the two-pizza rule, span of control metrics, and …

Nov 19, 2013

The Language of the Web

Discover how JavaScript became the web's dominant language, with 3x growth in GitHub repos over 5 years and 7x …

Nov 18, 2013

How Much Cash Does Your Startup Need To Go Public?

Discover the cash requirements for tech IPOs: median startups burn $33M and need $32M in reserves. Data from …

Nov 17, 2013

This Message Will Self-Destruct in 48 Seconds

Learn 5 data-backed content marketing secrets for startups, including the 48-second rule and why social proof …

Nov 15, 2013

Startup Best Practices 1 - Situational Management

Learn how successful startup managers adapt their leadership style across 4 key scenarios to maximize team …

Nov 14, 2013

The Missing Startup Design Pattern Is Management

Discover why management is the critical missing design pattern in startup scaling, and how engineering …

Nov 14, 2013

The Missing Startup Design Pattern

Learn how successful startups scale through management design patterns. Key insights on building high-growth …

Nov 13, 2013

The Secrets Behind Content Sharing Widgets

Discover how different content sharing channels drive traffic: HackerNews generates 3x impact, while email and …

Nov 12, 2013

Why the Petal Diagram Isn't the Best Competition Diagram for Startup's Pitch

Learn why petal diagrams fall short for startup pitch decks and discover 4 key elements every competitive …

Nov 11, 2013

The Ratio of Engineers to Sales People in Billion Dollar SaaS Startups

Discover the optimal engineer-to-sales ratio in $1B+ SaaS companies. Data from 36 public startups shows 2:1 …

Nov 08, 2013

How I Built a Performant and Measurable Content Marketing Engine

Learn how to build a data-driven content engine that drove 100K monthly visitors and 20% quarterly Twitter …

Nov 07, 2013

The First Form of Communication that Changes Depending on Who is Using It

Explore how Twitter revolutionized communication by creating dynamic, audience-dependent messaging - …

Nov 06, 2013

The Future of Journalism in the Touch Era

Explore how interactive, data-rich journalism is transforming media consumption in the touch era, from static …

Nov 05, 2013

The Single Biggest Determinant of Startup Valuations at IPO

Discover why growth rate explains 50% of startup IPO valuations in 2013, while profitability shows zero …

Nov 04, 2013

How Mobile is Disrupting Even the Most Successful Internet Products

Discover how mobile engagement disrupts web products: Analysis shows users check phones 110x daily vs 10x for …

Nov 01, 2013

The Most Important Feature In KitKat No One is Talking About

Discover how Android KitKat's deep-linking search technology transforms mobile app discovery and creates new …

Oct 31, 2013

The Three Churn Mitigation Strategies of SaaS Startups

Learn 3 proven strategies SaaS startups use to combat 20% annual revenue churn: faster acquisition, upselling, …

Oct 30, 2013

Quick and Dirty Product/Market Fit Validation&#58; Can You Hit Your Quota?

Learn a practical test for product/market fit: Can your SaaS startup hit a $300k sales quota with just …

Oct 29, 2013

The Unexpected Compensation Trends of Post-Series A Startup Founder/CEOs

New data reveals post-Series A founder CEOs taking 24% less salary but 32% more equity. Analysis of 800 …

Oct 29, 2013

Dream Teams: The Characteristics Of Billion-Dollar Startup Founders

Analyzing 30 billion-dollar startups reveals key founding team patterns: 54% have technical founders, 2.4 …

Oct 25, 2013

The Internet Subscription Startup is Winning

Explore how Netflix, HBO & NYT prove subscription business models are winning, with Netflix reaching 31M users …

Oct 24, 2013

Anticipatory Commerce&#58; the Evolution of Intent on the Web

Explore how anticipatory computing and data-driven intent signals are reshaping ecommerce and digital …

Oct 23, 2013

A Startup's Rosetta Stone - How to Succinctly Communicate the Details of a Business

Learn how financial statements evolve from basic burn rate tracking to powerful strategic tools as startups …

Oct 22, 2013

The SaaS Valuation Bubble

Explore how SaaS company valuations surged 200-400% in 2 years despite unchanged unit economics. Key insights …

Oct 21, 2013

What a Dog and a Monkey Taught Me About Management at Google

Learn how Google's AdSense team used creative management techniques to build transparency, celebrate wins, and …

Oct 18, 2013

Silicon Valley's Library

Explore Silicon Valley's untold startup stories, from Google's early burn rate to Netflix's close calls. …

Oct 17, 2013

Using Gaming Product Hacks to Maximize Freemium SaaS Growth

Learn how successful freemium SaaS companies boost conversion by applying proven gaming industry tactics for …

Oct 16, 2013

How Much Should Your Startup Spend on Managing Churn?

Learn how much SaaS startups should invest in churn management. Data-driven analysis shows when customer …

Oct 15, 2013

The Two Characteristics of Seamless Mobile Payment Experiences

Learn why high usage frequency and identity verification are the two essential elements driving seamless …

Oct 14, 2013

The Optimal Blog Post Length to Maximize Viewership

Data analysis of 256 blog posts reveals surprising truth: post length shows no meaningful correlation with …

Oct 11, 2013

Why Customer Success Is An Essential Part of Every SaaS Startup

Learn why SaaS startups must focus on customer success: with 2-3% monthly churn, companies need 27-43% annual …

Oct 10, 2013

Sales Efficiency Benchmarks for SaaS Startups

Discover key sales efficiency benchmarks for SaaS startups, including optimal payback periods and revenue …

Oct 09, 2013

The Simplest Brand Health Question For Your Startup

Learn a simple yet powerful test to measure your startup's brand strength: can users identify your product …

Oct 08, 2013

How APIs Will Evolve

Explore how APIs are evolving from simple data endpoints into powerful API Hubs, enabling startups to combine …

Oct 07, 2013

Using Twitter Recirculation to Maximize Content Marketing Effectiveness

Learn how to maximize Twitter content marketing ROI through data-driven recirculation. Analysis shows posts …

Oct 03, 2013

Deserve is a Toxic Word

A powerful lesson for founders: why feeling entitled to success can derail your startup journey. Learn how …

Oct 02, 2013

Which of the Five Types of Data Science Does Your Startup Need?

Discover the 5 distinct types of data scientists your startup needs, from quantitative PhDs to operational …

Oct 01, 2013

The 3 Competitive Defenses of Enduring SaaS Companies

Discover the 3 proven competitive moats that help SaaS companies retain customers and fight 15% annual churn: …

Sep 30, 2013

The Single Best Content Marketing Channel for Your Startup

Data-driven analysis reveals the most effective content distribution channels for startups. Compare email vs …

Sep 27, 2013

What Your Startup’s MRR Figure Is Hiding

Discover why your SaaS startup's MRR metrics may be misleading. Learn how churn impacts real revenue growth …

Sep 26, 2013

The Developer Economy&#58; Power to the Coders

Explore how developer-focused startups like Rally & Atlassian built billion-dollar businesses by serving the …

Sep 25, 2013

A Five Year Android User Switches To iOS

After 5 years on Android, a VC's switch to iOS reveals surprising insights on mobile OS convergence and what …

Sep 24, 2013

Using The Friend Paradox to Maximize Your Effectiveness at Startup Networking Events

Learn a data-backed networking strategy for startup events using the Friend Paradox. A VC's guide to finding …

Sep 23, 2013

Sexism, Statistics and Space s How Disruptive Startup Ideas Are Discovered

Discover how Simpson's Paradox reveals hidden truths in startup data analysis, illustrated through Berkeley's …

Sep 20, 2013

Which Half of Your Startup’s Emails Are Wasted?

Learn how startups waste 50% of customer engagement opportunities through neglected transactional emails, and …

Sep 18, 2013

How To Take Exceptional Notes and Be Productive with Paper

Learn how a former Google PM transformed his productivity with an analog note-taking system. A practical guide …

Sep 17, 2013

Interpreting Cohort Data - The 3 Key Analyses for Measuring Your Startup’s Product Performance

Learn 3 essential cohort analysis methods to measure product performance: onboarding, longitudinal & cohort …

Sep 16, 2013

How Wordpress Used VideoConferencing and IRC to Change the World

Discover how WordPress built a global distributed team to power 20% of the internet using remote collaboration …

Sep 13, 2013

Google F1 and The Cascade of Innovation New Databases Create

Explore how Google's F1 database technology evolved from NoSQL to power $100B+ in ad revenue, and what this …

Sep 12, 2013

Crossing the People Management Chasm - A Necessity of Startup Growth

Learn how startups evolve from team leads to true managers as they scale past 30-50 employees, and why this …

Sep 11, 2013

Six Key Benchmarks for Your SaaS Startup

Discover 6 essential SaaS benchmarks: Inside sales drives 40% faster growth, optimal pricing ranges, and key …

Sep 10, 2013

The VC Firm of the Future

How top VC firms must evolve: leveraging data & tech to find asymmetric opportunities in an era where 10% of …

Sep 09, 2013

The One Best Metric for Your Startup to Maximize

Learn why share of habit, not engagement, is the key success metric for startups. Data-driven insights on how …

Sep 07, 2013

The Best Content Marketing Campaign in the Last Year - Do VC Blogs Actually Lead to Investments?

Explore how VC blogs drive startup investments and build founder relationships. Real data on content marketing …

Sep 06, 2013

You’re Not Finished Selling Until You Change Your Customers Habits

Learn why successful SaaS sales extend beyond the contract - discover proven strategies to drive user adoption …

Sep 05, 2013

Not Sharing the Opportunity to Learn is a Cardinal Sin

Learn how project postmortems drove Alcoa's $24B revenue growth and why most startups fail to implement this …

Sep 04, 2013

How Web Development Techniques Are Infiltrating Mobile Apps

Learn how web development practices are transforming mobile app development, from QA automation to deployment …

Aug 30, 2013

The Part They Don’t Tell You About Startup Team Building

Discover the hidden challenges of startup leadership: when building great teams means making yourself …

Aug 30, 2013

Mobile Social Networks&#58; The New Customer Acquisition Powerhouse

Discover how mobile social networks like Line and Kakao are driving massive app distribution revenue, with …

Aug 29, 2013

The Series A Is Overloaded

Explore how the Series A landscape has evolved into 3 distinct types: Classic ($3-5M), Juiced ($8-15M), and …

Aug 26, 2013

The Sales and Marketing Spend Strategies of Billion Dollar SaaS Companies

Analyze sales & marketing spend patterns across 34 public SaaS companies to benchmark optimal investment …

Aug 26, 2013

Analyzing Twitter Ad Performance for the Last 9 Months

Analyze 9 months of Twitter ad performance data: $2.9k spent, 1,650 followers gained at $1.73 CPF. Key …

Aug 22, 2013

Marketing’s Technical Liberation

Discover how modern technology is transforming startup marketing teams from influencers to direct drivers of …

Aug 21, 2013

The Fundamental Challenge of Your Startup’s First Hire&#58; Leading and Learning at the Same Time

Learn the essential management principles for startup founders making their first hire. Key insights on …

Aug 21, 2013

A team of founders who had just made their first their first hire asked me about culture and on boarding. How do they go about managing people? How do they maintain the values of the business?

Learn proven strategies for building startup culture and managing your first employees. Key insights from …

Aug 19, 2013

Choosing a Content Marketing Strategy for Your Startup

Learn how to optimize your startup's content marketing strategy across key distribution channels. Compare …

Aug 16, 2013

Your Startup’s Three Horizons

Learn how McKinsey's Three Horizons framework helps startups balance current growth with future innovation. A …

Aug 15, 2013

The Seed Investment Patterns of Billion Dollar Startups,w

Discover how 71% of billion-dollar startups included VCs in seed rounds. Data analysis reveals key patterns in …

Aug 15, 2013

The Seed Investment Patterns of Billion Dollar Startups

Analyzing seed funding data from 30+ billion-dollar startups reveals key patterns: 55% raised seed rounds, …

Aug 14, 2013

The Founder’s Null Hypothesis

Learn how successful founders validate startup ideas using the Null Hypothesis framework - a data-driven …

Aug 13, 2013

Announcing Redpoint’s $16M Series A Investment in Looker

Redpoint leads $16M Series A in Looker, a breakthrough data exploration platform helping companies unlock …

Aug 12, 2013

Cohort Analysis for Startups - Six Summary Reports to Understand Your Customer Base (With Code)

Learn 6 essential cohort analysis reports to track SaaS growth, revenue trends, and customer churn. …

Aug 07, 2013

Anticipatory Computing - The Next Big Thing Is Enabling Laziness

Explore how anticipatory computing and AI are transforming connected devices, making technology work smarter …

Aug 05, 2013

Great Startup Product Design Is Telepathic

Learn how great product design creates a telepathic connection between creators and users, drawing insights …

Aug 02, 2013

The 3 Different Strategies of Venture Funds

Discover the 3 distinct venture fund strategies and how exit size data shapes VC investment approaches, from …

Jul 31, 2013

Community Marketing&#58; Starting A Movement For Your Product

Learn why successful startups should prioritize community building before performance marketing, and how early …

Jul 29, 2013

Maximizing the Value of Investor Referrals

Learn how different types of investor referrals impact startup fundraising success, from strong signals of …

Jul 29, 2013

How CrowdFunding Embodies Amazon’s Product Management Process

Learn how crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter mirror Amazon's proven product management process and help …

Jul 26, 2013

Why Support Software Is the Future of Work Email

Learn how support software tools like Trakken helped Google's team of 100 manage 100K+ customers with 90% …

Jul 25, 2013

Framing Your Startup’s Sales Pitch: Focus on Value, Not on Cost

Learn how to frame your startup's sales pitch around value creation instead of cost reduction. Key strategies …

Jul 24, 2013

Framing Your Startup’s Sales Pitch&#58; Focus on Value, Not on Cost

Learn why focusing on employee empowerment instead of headcount reduction leads to more successful SaaS sales …

Jul 23, 2013

Product Market Engagement: The Missing Step in Lean Startup Methodology

Learn how successful startups drive user adoption by adding Product Market Engagement - a critical step …

Jul 22, 2013

Product Market Engagement: The Missing Step in Lean Startup Methodology

Learn why product-market engagement is the crucial missing step in startup methodology, and how behavior …

Jul 18, 2013

Your Startup’s Office Is Missing a Room

Discover why every startup needs a usability lab. Learn how user testing reveals critical product insights and …

Jul 17, 2013

The Three Phases of Startup Sales

Learn the 3 critical phases every startup must master in sales: from beta testing to reference customers to …

Jul 15, 2013

The Five Characteristics of An Ideal SaaS Company

Discover the 5 essential traits of winning SaaS companies, from core product value to growth metrics. Key …

Jul 13, 2013

Your Startup’s Office Is Missing a Room

Every post-Series A startup needs a usability lab to uncover critical product insights and improve user …

Jul 12, 2013

Data, Data Everywhere, Not a Second to Think

Explore how modern companies navigate the 4 stages of big data adoption, from data collection to …

Jul 11, 2013

Why Starting a Company Is Completely Irrational

Discover why emotion, not logic, drives successful founders to start companies. A neuroscience-backed look at …

Jul 06, 2013

Peak Smart Phone - What Happens to the App Economy When Smartphone Penetration Reaches 100%?

As smartphone penetration nears 70% in the US, explore data-driven insights on how market saturation impacts …

Jul 06, 2013

A Formula for Innovation

Learn why successful innovation requires more than just invention. Explore the critical formula of invention + …

Jul 02, 2013

The Compounding Returns of Content Marketing - The Data Behind Why Persistence Pays Off in Blogging

Discover why content marketing compounds: Data shows 59% of blog traffic comes after day one. Learn the …

Jun 28, 2013

Throwing in the Towel on Google’s Go&#58; What Programming Taught Me About Sales

Learn how a 90-minute coding experiment with Google's Go reveals crucial lessons for startup sales, technology …

Jun 27, 2013

The Startup Sector That’s Quietly Booming

Discover the 7 key innovations transforming financial services startups, from math-based currencies to new …

Jun 26, 2013

The First Rails App I Built at Google

Learn how Ruby on Rails transformed development speed at Google, reducing build time by 90% compared to Java …

Jun 24, 2013

How to Analyze Your Startup Like A VC in 15 Minutes Or Less

Learn how VCs analyze startups in 15 minutes using 3 proven frameworks: Business Model Canvas, Porter's Five …

Jun 21, 2013

Debunking the Myths of Social, Viral and Community

Explore the key differences between social products, viral growth, and community building in startups. …

Jun 21, 2013

Debunking the Myths of Social, Viral and Community

Explore the key differences between social products, viral growth, and community building in startups. …

Jun 19, 2013

It’s Time to Start Worrying About the Next Round for Your Startup

Learn when and how to prepare for your startup's next funding round, with data-driven insights on revenue …

Jun 17, 2013

A Formula For Innovation

Learn the essential formula for startup innovation: why technical invention alone isn't enough and how timing …

Jun 14, 2013

Piecing Together A Quilted Social Network&#58; Does M&A Work for Social Nets?

Analyzing major social network M&A deals: Can acquired networks maintain user engagement? Key lessons from …

Jun 13, 2013

The Return of Venture Backed Hardware

Discover why VCs are betting big on hardware startups again: How software integration & subscription revenue …

Jun 12, 2013

The Library in Building 42

Discover why investing in employee education is crucial for startup success. Learn from Google's hidden …

Jun 11, 2013

Why Starting a Company Is Completely Irrational

Discover why emotion, not logic, drives startup founders to take the entrepreneurial leap - insights from …

Jun 11, 2013

The Most Effective Price Discovery Question for Your Startup

Learn the most effective pricing strategy for your startup through comparative value questions. A data-driven …

Jun 10, 2013

Why PRISM May Herald a New Golden Age for P2P

Could PRISM concerns drive a resurgence in P2P technology? Explore how privacy demands may shift cloud …

Jun 07, 2013

The Bewildered User at the Center of the Legal Firestorm

Explore how legal battles in tech are impacting users and data privacy. With 28% of Americans offline, learn …

Jun 06, 2013

The Most Under-Appreciated Startup Team Member

Learn why hiring a head of finance post Series A is critical for startup success. Key insights on timing, team …

Jun 05, 2013

The Dawn of the Voice-to-Text Era

Explore how voice-to-text technology is transforming data input, reaching 99% accuracy and poised to replace …

Jun 04, 2013

Why You Should Be Measuring Time To Utility For Your Product

Learn why measuring time to utility is crucial for SaaS success. Data shows faster value delivery drives …

Jun 01, 2013

The Data Behind Why Google’s Play Is So Much Harder For Startups To Crack Than the iOS App Store

Discover why Android's app store is harder for startups to crack than iOS, with data-driven analysis of …

May 30, 2013

Elon Musk’s Genius&#58; Understanding the Cost of a Screw and the Value of a Photo

Learn how Elon Musk built PayPal, Tesla & SpaceX by understanding unit economics: from $2 rocket materials to …

May 29, 2013

Block and Tackle Product Marketing

Learn how Apple's data-driven product strategy evolves from single to multi-product lines, and what Tim Cook …

May 28, 2013

Startup Pricing - How to Manage Channel Conflict

Learn proven strategies for SaaS pricing and managing enterprise channel conflict. Key tactics to optimize …

May 24, 2013

A Startup’s Guide to Maximizing Last Mover Advantage

Learn when last mover advantage works in startups through real examples like Google & Microsoft. Key …

May 23, 2013

Antagonism is the Heart of the Consumerization of IT Movement

Discover how friction within organizations creates opportunities for IT consumerization startups, from …

May 22, 2013

Investing in the Consumer Web is Dead

Data shows consumer startups only get 17% of VC dollars - debunking myths about post-Facebook IPO investment …

May 20, 2013

You Shouldn’t Start an Ad Tech Company, But If You Do…

Discover why ad tech startups face tough odds and the two critical paths to success: proprietary data assets …

May 17, 2013

The Future of Human Data Interaction

Explore the future of data visualization through Bret Victor's groundbreaking HCI software, revolutionizing …

May 16, 2013

Coding and Cooking&#58; The Connection between Jacques Pepin and Database Migrations

Discover how master chefs and coding experts share the same teaching principles to make complex skills …

May 15, 2013

Social Network Alchemy&#58; The Five Ways of Turning Users Into Gold

Discover 5 proven revenue models for social networks, from media monetization to data marketplaces. Key …

May 14, 2013

Your Startup’s API Could be Its Disruptor

Learn how APIs can be a double-edged sword for startups: enabling growth through partnerships while …

May 13, 2013

Redpoint is Hiring a Consumer Analyst

Join Redpoint Ventures' early-stage consumer investment team. Seeking analyst to evaluate tech startups, …

May 10, 2013

How Will I Enable Greatness Today?

Discover how small, focused teams drive breakthrough innovation, based on lessons from Steve Jobs and Google's …

May 09, 2013

The Greatest Challenge to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter is Unbundling

Explore how vertical-focused social networks are unbundling Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter's dominance, …

May 07, 2013

Reverse Engineering Your Startup’s Success

Learn how successful startups reverse engineer their growth goals using data-driven planning. Key insights …

May 06, 2013

Three Counterintuitive Points about SMB SaaS

Discover surprising data on SMB SaaS growth: why the SMB market is 2x larger than SOHO, with 38M vs 21M …

May 03, 2013

Hiring Your Startup’s First Salesperson

Learn when and how to hire your first startup salesperson with data-driven insights on costs, quotas, and …

May 02, 2013

The Secret to Growth Hacking

Learn how successful startups achieve sustainable growth through data-driven testing. Key growth rates and …

May 01, 2013

What Today’s Revolution in Publishing is Missing

Explore how digital publishing lacks the personal touch of handwritten manuscripts, and what modern startups …

Apr 30, 2013

The Antidote to Burnout is Progress

Discover why startup burnout stems from repeated failure, not overwork - and learn the data-backed strategy …

Apr 29, 2013

Building Content Strategy by Segmenting and Analyzing Twitter Followers

Learn how to segment Twitter followers for content strategy: analysis of 7k followers reveals 20% are …

Apr 26, 2013

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

Explore how the IRL era is transforming tech startups, as mobile technology bridges digital and physical …

Apr 25, 2013

Out of My Depth

A VC's personal story of being out of depth as a startup engineering intern, and how mentorship and …

Apr 24, 2013

The Twitter Game, Google’s Bin and Other Force Multipliers

Learn how Google's AdSense team processed 10k daily requests with data-driven tools, and how VCs can apply …

Apr 23, 2013

Activity Based Pricing - When Is It The Right Choice for Your Startup?

Learn when activity-based pricing is right for your startup. Explore key tradeoffs between usage and revenue, …

Apr 22, 2013

The Android-First Social Network

Explore how Android's open platform could enable the next breakout social network through innovative …

Apr 18, 2013

Mastering Feedback Loops in Startups

Learn how successful startups leverage feedback loops across product, sales & marketing to drive sustainable …

Apr 17, 2013

The Defining Characteristics of Successful SMB SaaS Startups

Discover the key traits of successful SMB SaaS startups and why they operate more like consumer companies than …

Apr 16, 2013

The Two Key Ingredients in Great Connected Consumer Products

Discover the two essential elements driving successful connected consumer products: seamless connectivity and …

Apr 15, 2013

Founders, Equip Your Champions

Learn how successful founders structure winning pitches with a proven 3-step framework. Essential advice for …

Apr 12, 2013

Here’s to the Grinders

Discover how successful founders embrace the daily grind of building startups. A founder's reflection on time, …

Apr 11, 2013

How To Price and Sell Your Startup’s Product

Learn the 4 proven SaaS pricing models and how to choose the right one for your startup. Data-driven insights …

Apr 10, 2013

Startup Judo - The Secret You Should Know Before Starting a Company

Learn the startup secret Peter Thiel teaches: why opposing incumbents head-on fails, and how founders can use …

Apr 09, 2013

A Startup’s Three Visions

Discover the 3 essential visions every successful startup needs: product vision, business vision, and team …

Apr 07, 2013

The Power of Team Work in Startups

Learn how successful startups drive growth through team alignment. See how marketing, product & sales teams …

Apr 04, 2013

Anatomy of a Reference Check

Learn the essential framework for conducting effective reference checks in venture capital and startup hiring, …

Apr 03, 2013

What I’ve Learned about Blogging in 3 Years

Discover key blogging insights from 3 years of VC writing: daily vs. monthly posting strategies, content …

Apr 02, 2013

Breaking Down a Typical VC/Startup Diligence Process

Learn the step-by-step venture capital due diligence process, from first meetings to market validation. A …

Apr 01, 2013

Your Startup’s Top 3 Priorities

Learn the 3 essential priorities every startup must master: distribution, engagement, and monetization. A VC's …

Mar 29, 2013

The 7 Questions A Startup Should Answer in their Fund Raising Pitch

Learn the 7 essential questions startups must answer in their fundraising pitch to VCs, from team & value prop …

Mar 28, 2013

The 11 Risks VCs Evaluate

Discover the 11 key risks VCs evaluate when investing in startups, from market timing to execution. Essential …

Mar 27, 2013

How to Align Founder and VC Incentives - Why Fund Size Matters

Learn how VC fund size impacts startup outcomes. Compare $50M vs $500M funds and align investor incentives …

Mar 26, 2013

Your Startup’s 10 Most Important Metrics

Learn the 10 essential startup metrics every founder needs to track. Data-driven framework for measuring …

Mar 25, 2013

Why Freemium Negates The Leaky Bucket Myth

Discover how freemium models help SaaS startups overcome high churn in SMB markets, with insights from …

Mar 22, 2013

Mobile Productivity for Normal People

Discover how successful mobile startups are reimagining productivity apps for mainstream users through AI, …

Mar 21, 2013

Why the File System Wars Will Trigger a Wave of Consumer M&A

Explore how the battle for cloud file systems is driving major consumer tech M&A, as startups like Dropbox …

Mar 20, 2013

The Future Is Here, It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed

Explore how technology adoption spreads unevenly across regions and the 4 key barriers startups must overcome …

Mar 19, 2013

Which Data Biases Challenge Your Startup?

Learn the 5 critical data biases affecting startup decisions from a 24-year Microsoft exec. Essential insights …

Mar 18, 2013

Measuring Dark Social Using Google Analytics

Learn how to measure dark social traffic in Google Analytics, which drives 40% of blog visitors. Essential …

Mar 15, 2013

A Startup’s Guide to Outsourcing

Learn when to outsource vs build in-house at your startup. A data-driven framework for founders to evaluate …

Mar 14, 2013

Social Proof - The Most Formidable Force Driving Content

Discover why social proof drives content success and killed RSS readers. Key insights on social curation's …

Mar 13, 2013

Why Branding Is the Next Essential Startup Competency

Learn why branding will become critical for startup success, with insights from Coca-Cola's $77.8B brand value …

Mar 12, 2013

Machine Learning in Consumer Products

Explore how machine learning is transforming consumer products, from Netflix recommendations to Google Now, …

Mar 11, 2013

Strikes and Gutters

Discover why successful startups embrace both wins and losses. Learn how founders can shift from mostly …

Mar 08, 2013

How To Measure the Success of a Blog

Learn how successful startup blogs measure true audience engagement beyond vanity metrics. Data-driven …

Mar 06, 2013

Crafting a Pricing Plan to Maximize Freemium Growth

Learn why feature-based pricing can hinder SaaS freemium growth and how to structure pricing plans that …

Mar 05, 2013

Crawling - The Most Underrated Hack

Learn how web crawling can transform your startup's data collection and market intelligence. A VC's guide to …

Mar 04, 2013

Searching for Eric Schmidt

Learn how Google's founders spent 2+ years hiring their CEO and why executive hiring requires a radically …

Feb 28, 2013

A Letter to the Editor

Explore how modern blogging platforms can reinvent Letters to the Editor to drive startup growth through …

Feb 27, 2013

Boiling a Billion Frogs

Explore how Facebook's evolving data practices created billions in value, and what startups can learn about …

Feb 26, 2013

The Relationship Between Margins and Acquisition Prices

Explore how operating margins impact startup acquisition prices and why high-margin businesses may command …

Feb 25, 2013

Every Damn Day

Learn how elite performance standards and relentless daily discipline drive success in startups and venture …

Feb 22, 2013

Matching Marketing Tactics to The Sales Funnel

Learn how successful SaaS startups align marketing tactics across the funnel - from awareness to retention. A …

Feb 21, 2013

The Five Key Dynamics of the Seed Market in 2013

Explore 5 pivotal seed funding trends shaping venture capital in 2013, from doubled micro-VC assets to …

Feb 20, 2013

What SaaS Businesses Can Learn from the News Industry

Learn how modern SaaS companies can drive growth by adopting proven marketing strategies from 300 years of …

Feb 19, 2013

How Competition Strengthens Startups

Data shows startups facing early competition are 30% more likely to survive long-term if they make it past …

Feb 15, 2013

Building A Money Machine

Learn the 3 essential steps successful startups use to transform investment into scalable revenue. A proven …

Feb 14, 2013

Salesforce’s Disruptor Won’t Be A CRM Company

Why Salesforce's next major disruptor won't be another CRM - analyzing how social proof and data-driven sales …

Feb 12, 2013

There’s A 10x Hidden In That Tweet

Learn how Google turned social media's 40% ad impressions but 2% revenue problem into a massive opportunity …

Feb 11, 2013

The Voice of the People is Data

Learn how Netflix uses data analytics to predict content success, transforming TV production with 25M+ …

Feb 08, 2013

Why Humility is Essential for Every New Startup Hire

Discover why top startups prioritize humility in hiring and how this overlooked trait drives innovation, based …

Feb 07, 2013

Freemium Businesses Switch the Hunter and Farmer Sales Roles

Discover how freemium SaaS businesses flip traditional sales roles to drive revenue growth. Key insights from …

Feb 06, 2013

The Religious Debate About Data

Explore the tension between data-driven and intuitive decision-making in startups. How top companies like …

Feb 05, 2013

Valuations in the Series A and Series B Market are Booming

Analysis of 77 startup funding rounds reveals soaring Series A/B valuations, with median Series B reaching …

Feb 03, 2013

How to Optimize Every Decision in Your Life and Accomplish Nothing

Learn how analysis paralysis affects even genius minds like Feynman, and why endless optimization in startups …

Feb 01, 2013

The Most Important Principle of Start Up Fund Raising

Learn the essential principle of startup fundraising: how to strategically raise enough capital to hit key …

Jan 31, 2013

The Power of Market Places

Discover why marketplaces like Airbnb and Uber dominate their sectors by disrupting traditional brokers …

Jan 30, 2013

What I Learned From a Two-Year Fund Raising Process

A VC's personal story of building trust through 24 monthly founder meetings, leading to a successful …

Jan 29, 2013

The Cost of Bad Data is the Illusion of Knowledge

Discover why bad CRM data costs startups $1 to fix now vs $100+ later, and how data accuracy impacts venture …

Jan 28, 2013

The Failure Fetish Fallacy&#58; Learning is at the Core of Startup Land

Debunking Silicon Valley's failure obsession: Why rapid learning and hypothesis testing - not failure worship …

Jan 23, 2013

Discovering, Honing and Exploiting Your Startup’s Strengths

Learn how successful startups leverage their core strengths across product, engineering, marketing or sales to …

Jan 22, 2013

The biggest professional challenge of my career&#58; communication

A VC's candid story: Transitioning from Google PM to venture capital and overcoming communication challenges …

Jan 17, 2013

How to nail your product market fit and sales pitch with a value proposition diagram

Learn how successful startups nail product-market fit using value proposition diagrams. See real examples from …

Jan 16, 2013

Why To Do Lists Are Failing Us

Discover why traditional to-do lists fail and how data-driven, context-aware task management is …

Jan 15, 2013

The product qualified lead (PQL)

Learn how product qualified leads (PQLs) drive 25-30% conversion rates in SaaS. Data-driven insights on …

Jan 14, 2013

What my high school chemistry class taught me about startups

Learn how startup growth mirrors chemistry: identifying and solving limiting factors is key to scaling your …

Jan 11, 2013

How to succeed despite your every effort to fail

Learn how successful startups embrace failure and set ambitious goals, with insights from Google's OKR system …

Jan 10, 2013

The startup hardware M&A market will be vibrant in 2013

Explore why hardware startups face intense competition in 2013, driving M&A activity as software becomes the …

Jan 09, 2013

A CEO’s epitaph

Learn how great leaders build winning teams through humility, from Andrew Carnegie's leadership philosophy to …

Jan 08, 2013

Observations of the LinkedIn Influencer program

Insider analysis: How LinkedIn's Influencer program drives 15x more engagement than traditional blogging, with …

Jan 07, 2013

The new marketers

How modern startups transformed marketing from pseudoscience to data-driven discipline, creating new playbooks …

Jan 04, 2013

To Sell is Human

Discover why ambiverted salespeople outperform extroverts by 25% in enterprise sales. Key insights on modern …

Jan 03, 2013

We should be living in the future already

Explore why smart homes aren't mainstream yet, as three key technologies - ML, mobile, and IoT - must converge …

Jan 02, 2013

Fundamentals of communication

Learn Peter Drucker's 3 essential communication principles for startup success: perception, expectation & …

Dec 21, 2012

Year in review: Best of 2012

Reflecting on a year of startup insights and data-driven analysis. See how this VC blog grew from 2k to 30k …

Dec 20, 2012

Tablets&#58; the third platform

Discover why tablets are emerging as the highest-ROI platform, with 2x mobile conversion rates and 20% better …

Dec 19, 2012

The myth of the generalist

Discover why true generalists in startups are specialists who can connect their expertise to broader …

Dec 18, 2012

Changes in the rules of the [startup] game

Discover the 3 key market discontinuities reshaping startup opportunities: technology shifts, ecosystem …

Dec 17, 2012

Email and meetings aren’t work

Discover how shifting your meeting ratio from 6:4 to 7:3 can boost productivity by 17%. Data-driven insights …

Dec 14, 2012

End of the year startup checklist

Learn the 5 essential end-of-year strategies top startup founders use to drive growth, from annual …

Dec 13, 2012

Great startup management teams are built with interlocking parts

Learn how successful startups build complementary management teams by assessing founder strengths, identifying …

Dec 12, 2012

The software customers don’t see

Discover the essential internal tools and technology infrastructure that help startups scale efficiently. …

Dec 11, 2012

Performance marketing for startups with R

Learn how startups can build data-driven performance marketing engines using R and machine learning. A …

Dec 10, 2012

It all starts as a hobby

Discover how hobby projects and seemingly trivial tech innovations evolve into disruptive movements. Learn key …

Dec 07, 2012

The one ideal characteristic of your startup’s first customers

Learn why daily active users (DAU/MAU ratio) are the ideal first customers for startups, and how power users …

Dec 06, 2012

Willing to be misunderstood

Discover how Amazon's willingness to be misunderstood reveals 3 essential startup principles: having a secret, …

Dec 05, 2012

The dumbest guy in the room

Learn how Netflix CEO Reed Hastings built success by being the dumbest in the room - key leadership lessons …

Dec 04, 2012

Education sales vs execution sales

Learn the key differences between education vs execution sales strategies for startups, and how to choose the …

Dec 03, 2012

Startup playbook - Reverse-engineering Clay Christens’s market disruptions

Learn how startups can reverse-engineer Clay Christensen's disruption framework to overcome market barriers …

Nov 30, 2012

Data on the “seedpocalypse”

Explore data-driven analysis of the Series A funding crisis, examining 3 key trends reshaping seed-stage …

Nov 28, 2012

VC consumer investment trends by sector and stage

Analyzing VC investment data: Consumer services & ecommerce capture 70% of venture funding, with average deal …

Nov 27, 2012

VC investment trends in the consumer web

Analysis of consumer web vs enterprise VC investment trends: Data shows consumer startups still gaining share …

Nov 27, 2012

The cognitive burden of unbundling

Explore how product unbundling creates cognitive burden for consumers, and why a hybrid model may be the …

Nov 26, 2012

A Startup’s Two Financial Plans - the Board Plan and the Stretch Plan

Learn how successful startups use dual financial planning: a 90% confidence board plan and 70% confidence …

Nov 21, 2012

Financial planning for startups

Learn why financial planning is crucial for startup success, from milestone planning to fundraising strategy. …

Nov 20, 2012

Segmenting customer pipelines

Learn how to optimize SaaS conversion funnels by segmenting customer pipelines. Data-driven strategies to …

Nov 19, 2012

Great products are like ducks

Learn why successful startups and founders operate like ducks - appearing calm while working intensely beneath …

Nov 15, 2012

The stewards of vision and culture

Discover why founders are essential stewards of vision and culture through startup growth phases, from …

Nov 14, 2012

Partnerships for startups - Key deal terms

Learn essential partnership deal terms for startups: traffic quality metrics, internal champions, and …

Nov 14, 2012

Incremental Innovation is Just As Powerful as Disruption

Explore how incremental innovation in tech and startups can drive transformative change, challenging Peter …

Nov 13, 2012

Distribution partnerships for startups

Learn when distribution partnerships make sense for startups through data analysis. See how a 10k monthly user …

Nov 12, 2012

Honest cultures in startups

Learn how transparent startup cultures drive success through embracing challenges and rapid learning. Key …

Nov 09, 2012

The trinity of product design

Learn how successful SaaS products balance UX design for 3 distinct user types: new, occasional & power users. …

Nov 08, 2012

The culture of data science

Explore how Nate Silver's perfect election predictions highlight a cultural shift: why data-driven decision …

Nov 07, 2012

Radio Ga Ga

Explore how content platforms evolve and adapt, from Twitter's noise to Medium's curation model. Key insights …

Nov 06, 2012

The idea factory

Explore how Bell Labs' innovation model drove 100 years of tech growth through transformative inventions like …

Nov 05, 2012

Mobile OS trends in five charts

Explore how Android and iOS battled for mobile OS dominance, from Apple's 191M device lead in 2011 to …

Nov 02, 2012

A great entrepreneur can come from anywhere

Learn why great entrepreneurs can emerge from any background. Explore how having a beginner's mindset, not …

Nov 01, 2012

The challenges facing startups serving K-12 education

Explore why K-12 edtech startups face unique challenges despite a 50% larger market than post-secondary …

Oct 31, 2012

Systems Thinking for Startups

Learn how systems thinking drives startup success through feedback loops and organizational learning. Key …

Oct 30, 2012

The future of search

Explore how Google Now's predictive search technology will reshape Android's competitive edge through machine …

Oct 29, 2012

What to look for when hiring a data scientist

Learn the 3 essential skills to evaluate when hiring data scientists: data processing, analysis & modeling. A …

Oct 26, 2012

You want to start a company. Now what?

Learn the proven research framework for finding your startup idea. A VC's guide to identifying market …

Oct 25, 2012

Gigabytes under management

Learn how web companies maximize user data like banks manage assets, driving revenue through economies of …

Oct 24, 2012

Demo to term sheet in 3 hours

Learn how a startup went from demo to VC term sheet in just 3 hours. Key insights on crafting the perfect …

Oct 23, 2012

Great products turn motivation into capability

Learn how great products convert user motivation into capability using BJ Fogg's behavior model. Key insights …

Oct 22, 2012

No startup is an island - The three ecosystems startups should develop

Learn why successful startups must cultivate 3 key ecosystems: user communities, platforms & press …

Oct 18, 2012

Culture is the biggest growth driver for social services

Learn how community culture drives social startup growth, with insights from Reddit's 2B pageviews and proven …

Oct 16, 2012

Data science in freemium businesses

Learn how freemium startups use data science and predictive analytics to optimize conversion rates and build …

Oct 11, 2012

The value of a patent to a startup

Learn why startups should view patents differently than Fortune 500s - key insights on patent strategy, …

Oct 10, 2012

Faking it + grit + inspiration = ?

Discover how body language data shapes startup success. Learn the science-backed strategies that helped one …

Oct 09, 2012

Learning from Amazon’s Startup Judo

Explore how Amazon leverages advertising data to fuel ecommerce growth, choosing lower prices over higher …

Oct 08, 2012

Four lessons for optimizing Twitter

Data-driven analysis reveals optimal Twitter engagement: best posting times, impact of retweets, and how …

Oct 05, 2012

Entrepreneurship growth&#58; perception vs reality

Despite media hype around tech startups, US entrepreneurship has declined 46% since 1999. Data reveals key …

Oct 04, 2012

Founders, teach your employees statistics

Learn why teaching statistics to startup employees is crucial for success, from measuring KPIs to data-driven …

Oct 03, 2012

My approach to building a hiring pipeline

Learn proven strategies to build an effective startup hiring pipeline, from candidate sourcing to closing. Key …

Oct 02, 2012

Sushi, passion, and entrepreneurship

Discover how passion develops through mastery, not the reverse, and why successful founders focus on dedicated …

Sep 30, 2012

A six-step framework to make strategic decisions

Learn a proven 6-step framework from McKinsey to make critical startup strategy decisions, from analyzing …

Sep 26, 2012

Should founders join incubators?

Discover 7 key benefits of startup incubators and accelerators, from education to networking. Data-driven …

Sep 24, 2012

The startup love affair

Discover why successful startup investments require more than logic - exploring the critical role of emotional …

Sep 21, 2012

The Heyday of SaaS - quick observations from Dreamforce

Insights from Dreamforce 2012: How Salesforce's 60,000-attendee SaaS conference signals industry dominance, …

Sep 20, 2012

A startup’s transition from product development to growth

Learn how successful SaaS startups transition from product to growth phase by aligning engineering, sales and …

Sep 19, 2012

Data isn’t a business model - it’s much more important

Learn why data is not just a business model but a strategic moat for startups. See how Google, Facebook & …

Sep 18, 2012

The Secret to SMB SaaS Distribution

Learn how successful SMB SaaS companies like Zendesk & Expensify drive growth through community building, not …

Sep 17, 2012

Must startup founders be charismatic?

Discover why both introverted and extroverted founders can build billion-dollar startups. Key insights from …

Sep 14, 2012

Mechanizing business development with social media

Learn how to leverage social media for strategic business development by connecting Twitter and LinkedIn data. …

Sep 13, 2012

Choosing market segments on customer profitability

Learn how customer profitability drives B2B pricing strategy. Compare profit margins across industries: …

Sep 11, 2012

Social network design and urban design

Explore how social networks mirror urban design principles, from managing community growth to creating digital …

Sep 10, 2012

Profitability and the IPO Market

Explore why 90% of small-cap IPOs are unprofitable, challenging traditional views on venture-backed public …

Sep 07, 2012

Using metrics to build communities

Discover the 3 types of social metrics that shape online communities: user validation, content engagement, and …

Sep 04, 2012

How the NYTimes avoided disruption

Learn how the New York Times survived digital disruption, transformed revenue streams, and achieved 10% …

Sep 03, 2012

Building auction pressure in financings

Learn proven strategies for creating auction pressure in startup fundraising. A VC's insider guide to building …

Aug 31, 2012

Death by a thousand small features

Learn how small UI features like coupon codes can sabotage conversion rates and user flows in startups. A …

Aug 30, 2012

The tension between predictability and creativity

Explore the cultural shift from startup to business mindset, and how it impacts company growth, revenue …

Aug 29, 2012

Consumer investment fatigue

Explore why consumer tech investments face headwinds and how VCs are adapting with two distinct strategies: …

Aug 27, 2012

Simplicity. Quality. Inspiration.

Learn how successful companies like Netflix, Apple and Google built lasting brands around a single core value, …

Aug 26, 2012

Radio Ga Ga

Explore how content distribution platforms evolve: from Twitter's noise to Medium's curation. Analysis of how …

Aug 24, 2012

On negotiation

Learn 7 proven negotiation tactics from a Google & military trainer to succeed in startup deals, term sheets & …

Aug 23, 2012

How much is a social media click worth?

Discover the true ROI of digital marketing channels: Email clicks deliver 10x more value than social media, …

Aug 22, 2012

The most important question a startup can ask

Discover why asking 'why' is the secret weapon of successful startups. Learn how challenging assumptions …

Aug 21, 2012

The Freemium Game Plan

Learn the key elements of successful freemium business models: from product design to market fit. Data-driven …

Aug 20, 2012

Segmenting the SaaS Market for Sales

Learn how to segment the SaaS market with census data: 98% of US businesses have <100 employees, while just …

Aug 20, 2012

Segmenting the SaaS Market for Sales

Discover key SaaS market segments using US Census data: 98% of businesses have <100 employees. Learn how to …

Aug 19, 2012

All Great Managers are Alike

Learn how great managers succeed across industries, from Woody Allen's 40-year film career to modern startups. …

Aug 14, 2012

The Path to Exponential Growth

Discover why linear growth precedes exponential success in startups. See how Facebook grew from steady gains …

Jul 14, 2012

Loyalty with a tinge of betrayal

Explore how Android's 51% market share mirrors Apple's 1990s challenges, with insights on platform loyalty, …

Jun 20, 2012

The 3 Kinds of Startup Metrics

Learn the 3 essential startup metrics types - from vanity metrics to business health KPIs - that drive …

Jun 19, 2012

Facebook’s new feature: your top 7 friends

Facebook tests new top 7 friends feature to combat feed relevance issues. Analysis of how machine learning and …

Jun 11, 2012

Why did Apple’s unwillingness to compromise finally succeed?

Discover how Apple's uncompromising ecosystem strategy led to 6.5x more revenue than Android, paying $5B to …

Jun 02, 2012

Stories, not sentences

Explore how modern information overload impacts startups and decision-making. Learn why quality trumps …

May 30, 2012

Are We Investing Enough in Our Managers?

Discover why investing in startup managers is critical: 80%+ of costs go to talent, and poor leadership drives …

May 27, 2012

Defining a Personal API

Explore how EU cookie laws and Facebook permissions shape the future of personal data APIs, impacting user …

Apr 26, 2012

Successful SMB SaaS Companies Have a 2 Step Value Proposition

Learn why successful SMB SaaS companies need a distinct 2-step value proposition to serve 5.8M small …

Jan 01, 2012

Venture capitalist and former Google PM sharing data-driven insights on building successful startups. Join …

Feb 26, 2010

How Do VCs Analyze Companies?

Learn how VCs analyze startups through proven frameworks. A data-driven approach to venture capital …

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Timing Cashflows of Your Sales Commissions and Your Customers

Learn how to align sales commission payouts with customer payments to protect startup cash flow. Key …

Jan 01, 0001

Reorganizing Your SaaS Startup's Organizational Structure to Optimize the Customer Lifecycle

Learn how modern SaaS startups are restructuring teams to optimize customer journeys, moving beyond linear …

Jan 01, 0001

An Often Forgotten Characteristic About Your Startup's Ideal Customer Profile

Learn why defining your startup's Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn't enough - discover 3 critical criteria for …

Jan 01, 0001

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