FastSpring

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

Larger technology companies can pay more, offer more benefits, and provide a more marketable brand on a candidate’s resume. So how are smaller companies supposed to compete with large brands for the best talent? to working for smaller brands. And some people really value brand names. Lizzie, welcome to Growth Stage.

SMB 105

SMB Sales Recruiting Branding Sales Hiring 105

SaaStr

APRIL 14, 2025

SaaS Capital surveyed 1,000 B2B startups of varying sizes to find out just how much today they are spending in sales and marketing in this new era of efficiency. Despite the boost you get from building a brand. Startups spend as much as they can, in general, with their limited cash reach.

Scale 247

Scale Sales Hiring B2B Startup 247

SaaStr

MAY 1, 2025

Do They Know How to Sell Without a Big Brand? Avoid reps whove only sold with the backing of a strong brand like Datadog or HubSpot or Adobe. Selling for a startup is a completely different gameits scrappier, harder, and requires more creativity. These experiences build the grit needed to succeed in a startup.

Sales Hiring 256

Sales Hiring Scale Sales Interviewing 256

SaaStr

AUGUST 3, 2021

If you raise money from top or even top-ish brand VCs at a reasonable valuation, you usually get at least 3 benefits: Top Partners at Top VC Firms are Usually Good for a Second Check if you are doing OK / decent but not great yet. Note this really only holds for seed funds with a strong brand. Social proof overall. It just makes sense.

Branding 286

Branding Pricing Investment Startup 286

SaaStr

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

Dear SaaStr: In B2B Startups, How Useful is Cold Calling? Sales automation, marketing automation, business intelligence and analytics … segments with hundreds of vendors … typically have lower “connect rates” at least until you have a brand. Super-crowded spaces, with non-brands calling in … tend to have connect rates of well below 1%.

B2B 298

B2B Startup Outbound Sales Team Branding 298

SaaStr

AUGUST 26, 2021

You need startup folks to succeed at a startup. BigCo folks just don't know how to succeed without a brand + tons of resources. Many startup folks have no idea how to work at scale. It’s a reminder the same is true of SaaS startups. This is really the only way most startup folks can really scale.

Sales Hiring 317

Sales Hiring Scale Startup Scaling 317

SaaStr

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Second, there are so, so many startups so you’ll really have to learn what the partners like. You have no brand, no track record, nothing special. Even at the VC firms with the biggest brand, that doesn’t mean you have a brand. And it’s even harder at firms with no brand, or negative brands. Not everything.

Sales Hiring 294

Sales Hiring Compensation Branding Investment 294

SaaStr

JANUARY 16, 2023

Most salespeople will succeed somewhere … but fail at >your< specific startup. Earlier stage startups: – Have no brand – Have no/little training – Have very few resources. Most important is making sure they will thrive at your startup. More here. The ones you hire yourself.

Sales Hiring 322

Sales Hiring Startup Underperforming Technical Team Branding 322

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

Dear SaaStr: Is It Worth It To Try to Get 2-3 Name Brand VCs Into My Round? For as long as I’ve been in start-ups, having a name-brand VC on your cap table has mattered. Brands do matter. But … brands are a proxy for value. Brands are in flux. This isn’t to say 2-3 name-branded VCs are bad.

Branding 277

Branding Benchmarks Cloud Investment 277

SaaStr

JUNE 1, 2021

Q: If I White-label my SaaS, will it hurt me on branding my own company? The brand benefits will go to my partner, not me. Your brand will shine through. We did whitelabelling in the first startup I worked at for a $1m TCV deal … and it ended up forking the platform. Just do it. If it’s easy to do. I’ll be valued less.

Branding 269

Branding SaaS Startup Revenue 269

SaaStr

OCTOBER 16, 2022

Dear SaaStr: What Percentage of Startups That Are Acquired Remain Successful? Even if they have trouble creating brand new products that thrive. The post Dear SaaStr: What Percentage of Startups That Are Acquired Remain Successful? So we grew impressively. But it wasn’t never quite a top priority.

Startup 306

Startup Acquisition Cloud Engineering 306

SaaStr

JUNE 1, 2025

These folks are used to having brand recognition, warm leads, and established processes. Startups are scrappy and chaotic, and they need people who can thrive in that environment. Look for reps whove succeeded at startups a stage or two ahead of yourssay, $10M-$20M ARR. Underpaying Sales Reps : This is a rookie error.

Outsourcing Services 186

Outsourcing Services Sales Hiring Scale Enterprise 186

SaaStr

AUGUST 1, 2022

If as a VC you invested at $10m pre initially, and say it’s 2021 and that same startup is doing a 100x round at a $300m valuation, this early VC fund can pick and choose whether to invest more or not. This gets more acute both with brand new funds, and with older funds. There just isn’t much left. Just ask. No one asks.

Venture Capital 331

Venture Capital Startup Investment Pricing 331

SaaStr

APRIL 20, 2024

Building a Brand Building a brand is essential for long-term success. Once a double-digit percentage of the core customer base has heard of the company, it’s time to invest in brand marketing. Brand marketing helps sustain word-of-mouth growth, which is a key driver of customer acquisition.

Sales Hiring 294

Sales Hiring Startup Marketing Technical Review 294

SaaStr

DECEMBER 21, 2024

Dear SaaStr: When and how should SaaS startups offer reduced pricing vs the competition? That may be OK if you are the only vendor or in the space, or have the dominant brand. For most SaaS apps, you want to at least start with just right, Goldilocks pricing: #1. Too high a price, and you start to add friction to the sales process.

Pricing 242

Pricing Marketing Startup SaaS 242

SaaStr

JULY 11, 2022

Q: Dear SaaStr: What Separates a Good Startup Founder From a Great One? They find a way to attract better and better talent to their brand-less start-up, somehow. The post Dear SaaStr: What Separates a Good Startup Founder From a Great One? Two factors IMHO / experience: (1) recruiting, and (2) the ability to push on.

Startup 300

Startup Branding Scaling SaaS 300

SaaStr

APRIL 16, 2025

SaaStr Who Do You Want to Meet Brand new for 2025, were launching the SaaStr Who Do You Want to Meet AI-powered networking program. This is a brand new way to have 1:1 meetings with peers attending SaaStr. Pitch your startup at the Mayfield AI AI Demo Stage at SaaStr. Screenshot Building the next AI breakthrough in SaaS?

AI 216

AI Travel Consulting Startup 216

Tom Tunguz

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Here are the highlights : Define Your ICP Before Anything Else The most fundamental decision for any startup is determining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). " When launching a startup, narrowly defining your ideal customer profile (ICP) is not just helpfulit’s essential for survival.

Marketing 207

Marketing Scale Startup Branding 207

SaaStr

JUNE 9, 2023

Dear SaaStr: Is It Normal to Feel Like a Pest When Prospecting for Customers for a Startup? Yes, once you have a brand, and inbound leads, the engine gets more established. The post Dear SaaStr: Is It Normal to Feel Like a Pest When Prospecting for Customers for a Startup? Yes — at least at first. Boy sales is hard.

Startup 306

Startup Engineering Branding Sales 306

SaaStr

JANUARY 28, 2025

The company realizes that the startup space is highly competitive in terms of speed, and therefore, they need to execute extremely fast. Brand Building and Human-Centric Approach The company’s vision is to empower people and transform work, making it utterly unrecognizable, and its brand is based on The Human Experience at work.

AI Search 244

AI Search AI Artificial Intelligence Technical Review 244

Tom Tunguz

DECEMBER 27, 2021

Ten years ago, startups pulled capital from the capital markets. A startup raised money, executed for 12-24 months then sought more capital on Sand Hill, flaunting milestones to justify a higher valuation. How might the brand of the leading investor bolster the startup’s market presence?

Startup 261

Startup Strategy Marketing Entertainment 261

SaaStr

JANUARY 16, 2023

To convert an idea into a successful venture, startups need to be equipped to scale. Hiring a reliable team is an all-encompassing issue where startups dive in head-first but fail to optimize it for success. . Hiring a reliable team is an all-encompassing issue where startups dive in head-first but fail to optimize it for success. .

Scale 256

Scale CTO Hire Cloud Scaling 256

SaaStr

DECEMBER 26, 2023

Dear SaaStr: What Is A Good Demo Conversion Rate for a SaaS Startup? But sometimes, as your brand grows and you get better at marketing, you’ll attract more general passers by. If fewer than 8%-10% or so of your demos convert to paid customers, you’ll start to burn out your sales team. Even that’s a lot. appeared first on SaaStr.

Startup 278

Startup Scale Sales Hiring SaaS 278

SaaStr

JULY 29, 2023

I’m not a branding expert but when I met with some true experts a ways back, their advice always stuck in my head: “Don’t ever change your name if it has strong brand equity, even if the history is mixed. But the larger topic of when to change your name as a startup is an interesting niche topic. Once you have a mini-brand.

Startup 243

Startup Scale Branding Consulting 243

SaaStr

MARCH 5, 2022

The life of a startup is not a smooth ride. Because, as a founder, your responsibility is to your brand, your culture, and the future you hope to create. The post Hacks For Founders Of High-Growth Startups With DigitalOcean’s CEO Yancey Spruill appeared first on SaaStr.

Startup 305

Startup Leadership Innovation Scaling 305

SaaStr

AUGUST 9, 2024

From startup to $500M CARR, Spencer Burke, SVP of Growth at Braze, shares how Braze scaled a growth and customer success team. At the time, the app store apps were calculators and sound boards before brands and streaming hit the market. As an early startup team, you’re doing every job under the sun. But that was it.

Scale 284

Scale Sales Hiring Scaling Startup 284

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

Hire stretch reps if you want, but someone without any closing experience likely can’t close at your startup no one has ever heard of. And, most importantly, infinitely stronger brands. Startups are a journey and you need reps that want to be on the journey. Hiring a brand marketing firm. Expecting an SDR to close.

Sales Hiring 278

Sales Hiring Scale Startup Marketing 278

SaaStr

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Dear SaaStr: What Are The Biggest Problems You Face as a Startup Founder? Later, once you have a brand, you’ll be competing with Hot Startups nipping at your heals for top VPs. Some of us can go the distance as solo founders, and others of us can find a great co-founder, or perhaps a COO … later. This challenge never ends.

Sales Recruiting 278

Sales Recruiting Sales Hiring Startup Scale 278

SaaStr

MARCH 12, 2025

With 10+ years as a CMO at companies ranging from $1M to $1B in revenue, another 10+ years as CEO of companies in the $0-$100M range, and extensive experience as an independent director on startup boards, Dave offers a 360-degree perspective on marketing’s role in SaaS success. These “five-five” CMOs barely exist.

Sales Hiring 193

Sales Hiring Marketing Technical Review Underperforming Technical Team 193

Clouded Judgement

MARCH 28, 2025

If you, as a software company, got to a certain scale and brand awareness, it was really hard for others to catch you. It simply took too much time to start a competitor, build a product, build a brand, and compete. Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Follow along to stay up to date!

Cloud 299

Cloud AI Scale Scaling 299

SaaStr

AUGUST 15, 2023

So two discussions this week were reminders to me of how much marketing has changed in the early and “pre-brand” stages: Two very successful founders ($1B+ exits) with new startups pushed me really hard to promote their new startup you’ve never heard of our our podcast + at SaaStr Annual. There are way, way too many apps.

Startup 240

Startup Sales Hiring Content Marketing AI 240

SaaStr

JUNE 7, 2025

Early adopters were predominantly tech companies, startups, and digital-native businesses with short decision cycles and high risk tolerance. Their steady climb to 9% market share suggests that enterprise buyers are becoming more sophisticated, choosing AI providers based on specific capabilities rather than brand recognition alone.

AI 275

AI Payment Services Payments Scale 275

SaaStr

JULY 17, 2022

Q: Dear SaaStr: When Should a Startup Hire its First Sales Person, and What Should Their Profile Look Like? Don’t hire someone that hasn’t worked at a startup. They can’t sell without a brand behind, without lots of sales ops help, without collateral, etc. A bit more here. This almost never works. More here.

Sales Hiring 258

Sales Hiring Scale Startup Sales 258

SaaStr

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

This showcases a narrow segment of a niche market, and it’s missing a lot of startups. Any startup in any reasonable category likely has dozens of competitors, and Altman believes the best strategy to compete in 2023 and beyond is multi-product. Startups are no longer fringe. How can a startup compete with a big company?

Scale 278

Scale Scaling Startup Sales Hiring 278

SaaStr

MAY 10, 2025

This year, the SaaStr AI Summit is taking over two stages, featuring 100+ top AI startups demoing their products live. Its the perfect opportunity to pitch your startup or just make connections. Experience the AI Demo Stage This year, SaaStr is hosting a dedicated AI Demo Stage featuring 100+ of the best new AI startups.

AI 205

AI B2B Startup Interviewing 205

SaaStr

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

Dear SaaStr: How Do Startups Really Sell to Big Enterprises Before They’re Proven? But they are looking for two things, which allows start-ups to break though into big companies before they have brands: True innovation in their core processes. You solve their problems. If it’s not budgeted, you can still win the deal.

Enterprise 239

Enterprise Startup Scale Innovation 239

SaaStr

APRIL 5, 2025

Kobe Conrad, Head of Growth at Rupa Health and Onleet, took the stage at SaaStr Annual to break down the five growth channels that transformed Rupa Health from a $20M seed-stage startup into a platform with hundreds of millions in equity and a 4,000% increase in user acquisition over three and a half years.

Scale 225

Scale AI Search Sales Hiring Acquisition 225