Sat.Jan 21, 2023 - Fri.Jan 27, 2023

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Why Now is a Great Time to Raise Seed Funding. Even If It’s Awful for Series A-E Rounds.

SaaStr

So now is simply a terrible time to be raising growth stage venture capital. With the BVP Cloud Index down 40%+ from a year ago , and many of the top Cloud leaders trading for as low as 5x ARR, it’s just hard to justify a later stage $300m-$400m valuation round these days, let alone a true unicorn round. We just did our latest Workshop Wednesday with Omers Growth, and they only did one growth investment last year.

AWS 329
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Slides from Emerging Stronger from the Downturn

Kellblog

Here are the slides from the Balderton Capital webinar I did today with Michael Lavner , entitled How to Emerge Stronger from the Downturn than You Went In. For people who can’t use Slideshare, they are also available here. We discuss: The importance of how founders/CEOs frame challenges to the organization. What we mean by “stronger.” Focus, how to do fewer things, better — including reading The Crux by Richard Rumelt.

B2B 115
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How to Measure Customer Loyalty In SaaS: 10 Important Metrics to Track and Improve

User Pilot

How do you measure customer loyalty? Building loyalty is essential to retain customers, drive word-of-mouth, and nurture product growth. But since loyalty is more of a concept rather than a number, it might be confusing to think about ways to track it. Thankfully, there are metrics you can use to expand your field of view and estimate how loyal your customers are.

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Episode 6: Revolv3 | A Full Circle Conversation on Tokenization, Orchestration, and Innovation

Infinicept

Our guest for this podcast is Revolv3 Chief Product Officer, Robert Podlesni. We discuss the importance of tokenization, recent rules changes at Mastercard and Visa, the opportunities, therein, and how Revolv3 is helping Infinicept customers benefit from it all. Read the full transcript below. Todd Ablowitz (00:09): Welcome to It Pays to Know, the Infinicept podcast where we dive deeply into.

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Monetizing Analytics Features

Think your customers will pay more for data visualizations in your application? Five years ago, they may have. But today, dashboards and visualizations have become table stakes. Turning analytics into a source of revenue means integrating advanced features in unique, hard-to-steal ways. Download this white paper to discover which features will differentiate your application and maximize the ROI of your analytics.

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What Does Product-Market Fit Feel Like?

Predictable Revenue

Using pirate metrics to know when you’ve reached product-market-fit. These five key metrics can help you determine where you are on your journey and how to course correct if needed. The post What Does Product-Market Fit Feel Like? appeared first on Predictable Revenue.

More Trending

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How Layoffs in Startupland Differ Between B2B & B2C Companies

Tom Tunguz

The current wave of layoffs, a difficult component of the innovation boom/bust cycle, differs from the previous years’ dynamics. B2B companies have reduced headcount to a greater extent than at any time since 2020. In the last three years, B2C startups’ ratio of layoffs have dwarfed B2B layoffs. In 2020, B2C companies cut 8.8x the number of B2B employees. 3.8x in 2021, & 6.9x in 2022.

B2C 264
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Investing in Cygnvs

Andreessen Horowitz

Cyber incidents have reached a crisis level over the past decade. In 2021, the U.S. saw 1,862 data compromises , affecting nearly 300 million people (a nearly 100% increase from five years ago). Cybersecurity practitioners no longer wonder if they … The post Investing in Cygnvs appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.

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Advantages of Authenticating Ownership of Bank Accounts

Agile Payments

Authenticating ownership of a bank account is a crucial step in ensuring the security and integrity of financial transactions. It is a process of verifying that the person claiming to own a bank account is indeed the rightful owner. This can be done through a variety of means, including providing personal identification, answering security questions, or providing a signature.

Banking 88
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Confluence vs. Jira

The Daily Egg

Confluence and Jira are both project management tools offered by Atlassian. Both can help teams get organized, share knowledge, and complete complex. The post Confluence vs. Jira appeared first on The Daily Egg.

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6 Reasons Why Your Integrated Payments Strategy Could Fail

If you're in the software industry grappling with integrating payments into your business model, understanding where others have stumbled can be a game-changer for your revenue goals. Discover 6 key reasons behind the struggles many face. The challenge goes beyond the technicalities of integrating a payment system; it delves into the strategic oversight of revenue shares, negotiations with payment providers, and the full exploitation of potential revenue streams.

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Hiring Risks vs. Hiring Flags

SaaStr

During the Boom Times of late ’20-early ’22, we all often confused Taking Risks in hiring … with Just Plain Ignoring Flags. Great risks to take IMHE: Been a Director, but never VP. The best VPs of Sales I’ve hired were Directors of Sales before. Not ICs, not top reps. But folks that had built small teams themselves, and were ready to go to the next level.

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

Tom Tunguz

I’m watching public company earnings to identify early weaknesses in the software market. Yesterday, Microsoft announced earnings. The transcript highlights the major trends in software of 2023. Below, I’ve listed those trends with data & excerpts from the earnings call transcript. 1. Enterprises Have Slowed their Spending, Decelerating Further in December: Company Q-6 CAGR Q-5 CAGR Q-4 CAGR Q-3 CAGR Q-2 CAGR Q-1 CAGR Q-0 CAGR Guidance Microsoft Azure 50% 51% 46% 46% 40% 35% 31%

Azure 233
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Clouded Judgement 1.27.23

Clouded Judgement

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Follow along to stay up to date! Azure (Microsoft) Quarter The week the first of the cloud giants reported - Azure. Their results were quite interesting. Q4 ‘22 (I’m talking about calendar quarters here, not their fiscal quarters), came in at 38% growth YoY in constant currency.

Cloud 140
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Pivotal Tracker Review

The Daily Egg

Most project management software casts a wide net, allowing teams to collaborate seamlessly on projects, even across diverse departments like IT, marketing, The post Pivotal Tracker Review appeared first on The Daily Egg.

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People, Passion & Perfection: The Key Ingredients for an Awesome Product

Need help launching innovative software quickly? Dive into "People, Passion, and Perfection" and unlock the secrets to building excellent products in the digital age. Fast-track your journey with Tech Accelerator: Agile and Cloud-Native for flexibility & scalability AI-powered innovation for faster results Quality at every step for a flawless user experience See real impact across industries: Healthcare: Empower patients and medical professionals with intuitive solutions Education: Transform cla

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5 Interesting Learnings from ServiceNow at $7 Billion in ARR

SaaStr

So we took a look at ServiceNow a little ways back at $5B in ARR , but I thought it was worth another deep dive now for a very specific reason: Their very seasoned CEO has sees no real slowdown or downturn in their business. At $7 Billion in ARR, growing ~30% annually, quarter over quarter over quarter. “[We’re] not fighting those headwinds”: Given that customers sign 3+ year, $1m+ contracts, one wouldn’t expect any massive decline in revenue from any shorter-term macro

Azure 268
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Introducing Checklists: The fastest way to turn signups into superusers

Intercom, Inc.

Every SaaS business faces the same challenge: how to get new customers to realize the value their product can deliver, as quickly as possible. With that in mind, simple, effective onboarding is a must-have within any product, and a crucial element of customer adoption and retention. But it can be surprisingly difficult to effectively communicate the steps your customers need to take.

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Cisco's Mac choice scheme confirms Apple's future in enterprise tech

IT World

Two-thirds of employees would use a Mac at work if given the choice, and companies that fail to offer hardware options to their employees are making a mistake. That’s one of the inferences I see reprised in a report exploring Cisco’s approach to Mac deployment across its business that crossed my desk last week. Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin looked at Cisco’s Mac enterprise team, now led by former IBM CIO Fletcher Previn.

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Toggl Plan Review

The Daily Egg

Toggl is a time-tracking software with project management elements, including team timelines, flexible tasks, and client collaboration. With additional products in planning. The post Toggl Plan Review appeared first on The Daily Egg.

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Driving Growth, Customer Satisfaction, and Retention through Usage-Based Pricing

As companies strive to boost revenue, deliver customer value, and stay competitive, they are increasingly embracing the potential of usage-based pricing.

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Dear SaaStr: How Long is a Venture Round Supposed to Last?

SaaStr

Dear SaaStr: How Long is a Venture Round Supposed to Last? I think like many venture axioms, founders get often get bad advice here out of good solid rules. Until 2002, the rule was “18-24 months” Then, during the boom times, most VCs stopped caring how long the round would last. The next round seemed to come so fast and furious. And now in tougher times, so many folks have to stretch the round … often indefinitely.

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Reinventing our wheel: The vision behind Intercom’s new Messenger

Intercom, Inc.

At Intercom, we’ve reinvented different parts of our product many times over the years – most recently, our Messenger. This evolution always starts with one thing: a clear product vision. All products follow the same life cycle: development, growth, maturity, decline. An inevitable slide into decline sounds ominous. And, when products are in this phase, users can feel it: it’s the slow, clunky, dated experience you get when using previous-generation tech.

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You can’t hire ambitious people and then ask them to stop being ambitious.

Sparktoro

Hiring managers, executives, CEOs—especially those in tech—are proud to say that we only consider applicants with an unrelenting drive for success and a track record of impressive accomplishments.

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Asana vs. Basecamp

The Daily Egg

There are many cloud-based project management software packages available, and Asana and Basecamp are two of the industry leaders. Asana keeps things. The post Asana vs. Basecamp appeared first on The Daily Egg.

Cloud 293
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How To Package & Price Embedded Analytics

Just by embedding analytics, app owners can charge 24% more for their product. How much value could you add? This framework from Software Pricing Partners explains how application enhancements can extend your product offerings. You’ll learn: How to take a disciplined approach to pricing The three elements of the Packaging Decision Framework Ways to structure your new embedded analytics offering Download the White Paper to learn about How To Package & Price Embedded Analytics.

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My Best Advice If You Are Laid Off

SaaStr

Layoffs are brutal. In fact, I don’t think they generally ever should ever happen in SaaS. Why not? The simple fact is if you have 110%, 120%+ NRR … then you >know< You know then next 6-8 months, within a range. You should plan to that model. Many of us got into trouble by not just hiring to the plan our “last 4 months” average growth model told us to hire to.

Startup 259
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Review: The M2 Mac mini is the perfect desktop for most users

IT World

Nothing is the same with Apple Silicon. While the leap from M1 to M2 chips doesn’t deliver quite as big a performance improvement as the jump from previous Mac chips to Apple Silicon did, it still adds enough juice to ensure that even the entry-level M2 Mac mini does what most people need. The Geekbench tests Here are some Geekbench performance figures for entry-level Mac mini configurations dating back to 2011.

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4 Small Businesses on How They’re Changing Their Social Media Strategy in 2023

Buffer Resources

Social media is always evolving – as should your strategies for creating content. While you may have tried and tested methods when it comes to your social media posts, testing out something different is a great way to stay on top of trends and potentially grow your following. Here are four examples from small businesses and content creators who’re implementing new social media strategies in 2023.

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Kanbanize Review

The Daily Egg

Kanbanize uses visually organized Kanban boards to smooth and automate workflows, track metrics, and help project managers and team members adhere to. The post Kanbanize Review appeared first on The Daily Egg.

Metrics 293
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10 Red Flags in Integrated Payment Partnerships: Moving Towards a Mutual Benefit

Navigate the complex world of integrated payment partnerships with this essential guide, a treasure trove of insights for software companies. It unveils ten critical red flags to watch out for, from the dangers of hidden fees to the constraints of restrictive contracts. This guide is crucial for identifying potential pitfalls and aligning with the right partners.

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Dear SaaStr: How Do You Know If Your Startup Idea Already Exists?

SaaStr

Dear SaaStr: How Do You Know If Your Startup Idea Already Exists? Well, of course it already exists. Your really think you’re the only person on the entire planet that has tried to do this? It’s the Fermi Paradox of Start-ups. Of course they have. But — it doesn’t mean it matters. Not if they aren’t at scale, or at least getting there, yet.

Startup 251
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Slides: “Simple, Sane & Successful Inbound Marketing”

Predictable Revenue

Last week I spoke at Hubspot’s 5000 person Inbound conference. I share a new set of ideas on Inbound Marketing: Slides you can click through (or download the full deck): Resources mentioned in the talk: A “Sell Ideas, Not Stuff Matrix” Thinking “10x” (design a high-priced offering) Coming on the blog soon: a post about why […] The post Slides: “Simple, Sane & Successful Inbound Marketing” appeared first on Predictable Revenue.

Marketing 100
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Empathy and Customer Support: Finding the Right Balance

Buffer Resources

Empathy is a powerful way to build trust, but leaning in too far can also backfire. Something I’ve come to wonder after 3.5 years at Buffer as a Customer Advocate is how can we use empathy effectively to enhance the customer support experience? "The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communica