SaaStr

JUNE 7, 2025

The shift from “innovation budget” to “operational budget” means AI tools must compete directly with established software investments—and many aren’t winning those comparisons yet. The Hidden Enterprise Pipeline Card spend data, while valuable, captures only a portion of enterprise AI investment.

AI 274

AI Payment Services Payments Scale 274

SaaStr

DECEMBER 25, 2023

G2 had us back for another great deep dive on just where SaaS investing is there days, and it was a great panel: Accel Partner Arun Mathew Inspired Capital Founder & Managing Partner Alexa von Tobel Salesforce Ventures Managing Partner Paul Drews and Jason Lemkin! Low investment multiples pose a key challenge.

B2B 276

B2B Investment Venture Capital SaaS 276

Clouded Judgement

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

The purpose of the detailed information is to help investors (both institutional and retail) make informed investment decisions. We are modernizing a massive and technologically underserved industry—an industry commonly referred to as the “trades.”

Benchmarks 299

Benchmarks Payments Payment Services SaaS Payments 299

SaaStr

JUNE 12, 2025

Close behind, 40% are using technology like AI to automate key tasks. The technology integration game has changed. Thirty-seven percent of leading CMOs are integrating advanced technologies, including AI, to enhance efficiency. Let that sink in—99% of marketing leaders are actively investing in generative AI.

AI 186

AI Technical Review Scale Headcount 186

SaaStr

OCTOBER 23, 2024

” Investing for growth has been pretty flat year over year for SMBs, which means there is money there, but they’re holding onto it. AI Learnings “Fundamental technologies become fundamental, not because of hype,” René says. They don’t care as much about the technology as long as it’s safe and secure.

SMB 300

SMB Payment Services Payments Payment Methods 300

Clouded Judgement

MARCH 28, 2025

That piece of technology was commoditized by an AI lab. The technology sands are shifting so quickly. That juxtaposition is what makes investing in venture markets these days so fun! This is for information purposes and should not be construed as an investment recommendation. That was unheard of in the SaaS world.

Cloud 299

Cloud AI Scale Scaling 299

SaaStr

JUNE 20, 2025

The Infrastructure Bypass Midmarket software companies are caught in a “pressure cooker” with fast-moving AI startups developing applications far more rapidly than traditional software companies on one side, and tech giants investing billions in proprietary AI tools on the other. Palantir was ready.

AI Search 283

AI Search Artificial Intelligence AI CTO Hire 283

SaaStr

JUNE 29, 2025

This isn’t just a comeback story—it’s a masterclass in how enterprise software companies can reinvent themselves when new technological waves create fresh demand for their core capabilities. When new technological waves emerge, platform companies can adapt faster than feature companies. An unprecedented one in B2B.

AI 251

AI Artificial Intelligence Software Review Technical Review 251

SaaStr

JUNE 14, 2025

The SaaS industry is now experiencing what every other mature technology sector has gone through. The Bundling and Consolidation Wave is Here Mature markets consolidate. Weak players get acquired or shut down. The “Meme Stock” IPO Effect is Real : Recent IPOs averaged 76.8%

AI 251

AI Cloud Software Review Underperforming Technical Team 251

SaaStr

JUNE 14, 2025

They achieved this with $0 invested in marketing and just 131 employees. Quality Beats Quantity – The leaders fight fiercely for technological supremacy. We’re witnessing the fastest technology adoption in human history. Midjourney’s Creative Empire : From zero to 19.26 The kicker?

ChatGPT 215

ChatGPT AI Search AI Growth Hacking 215

SaaStr

JANUARY 28, 2025

Cutting Through the Noise: Three Gen AI Pioneers Reshaping Enterprise Technology In a pivotal moment for generative AI, Vanessa Larco, partner at NEA, brought together three visionary CEOs convened at SaaStr Annual to share insights that are redefining the technological landscape.

AI Search 244

AI Search AI Artificial Intelligence Technical Review 244

SaaStr

JUNE 13, 2025

These technologies became transformative precisely because they weren’t relegated to a single department. .” You’re creating a silo in an organization that desperately needs the opposite – pervasive, integrated AI thinking across every function. Think about it. Would you hire a “VP of Internet” in 2010?

Sales Hiring 238

Sales Hiring Artificial Intelligence AI Sales Recruiting 238

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 2, 2025

This change is driven by advances in AI technology and changing customer expectations. Their platform helps restaurant owners, who typically earn less than $50,000 annually in profit, create professional online presences without significant investment in time or resources.

AI 209

AI Technical Review Artificial Intelligence Systems Review 209

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Models built by OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have billions of dollars to invest in training these models, so you have more powerful engines under the hood at no cost to you. Infrastructure Buildout Isn’t Trivial People are building novel and interesting applications, essentially playing with the technology and getting used to it.

AI 258

AI Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT Mobile 258

SaaStr

MAY 27, 2025

Why It Matters : This is forcing LPs to completely rethink their investment strategies and cash flow planning. Defense Tech Has Quietly Become a Major VC Category The Surprise : Defense tech VC investment jumped 2x in 2023 and stayed at that level in 2024 , with 15 active unicorns now valued at $50B collectively.

Outsourcing Services 165

Outsourcing Services Venture Capital Outsourced Development Data 165

Tom Tunguz

MARCH 4, 2025

Scaling Management Invest in managers : Great companies invest disproportionately in developing their managers. The best startup leaders recognize that scaling their management capabilities is just as important as scaling their technology or customer base.

Startup 270

Startup Management Scale Construction 270

SaaStr

MARCH 18, 2025

Joselyn Goldfein , Managing Director at Zeta Venture Partners, which invests in AI and data infrastructure-focused startups from inception through seed stage And see everyone at 2025 SaaStr Annual, May 13-15 in SF Bay!! Every public company earnings call mentions AI, and every boardroom discussion includes it. The actual tech stack matters.

Technical Review 176

Technical Review Artificial Intelligence AI Marketplace as a Service 176

SaaStr

APRIL 28, 2025

After Meraki’s acquisition by Cisco, Sekar and several colleagues founded Samsara in 2015 to bring modern technology to physical operations industries that were still using antiquated systems. .” Despite his engineering background, Sekar helped Meraki build a scalable go-to-market engine for their wireless networking products.

Scale 257

Scale Transportation Scaling SMB 257

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

With Databricks now one of the largest pre-IPO technology companies, with $10 billion of expected non-dilutive financing and a valuation of $62 billion, Ron’s insights are gold for any revenue leader looking to scale. And we expect our salespeople to understand the technology. We tend to be very technical.

Scale 169

Scale Sales Hiring Scaling Revenue 169

SaaStr

MAY 23, 2024

What’s your most recent disclosed investment? I invested in a company named CAT Labs in Q1 of this year. What’s your sweet spot for investing — check size, stage, type of deal? My main focus is to invest in Series A with an initial check of $5-15M, although I do reserve an interest in smaller checks for late Seed rounds.

Technical Review 286

Technical Review Management Investment AI 286

Clouded Judgement

JUNE 20, 2025

In the industrial revolution (or other large technological or industry shifts), the people who’s jobs were being displaced had time to “re-skill.” This is for information purposes and should not be construed as an investment recommendation. Altimeter is an investment adviser registered with the U.S.

Cloud 157

Cloud AI Headcount Pricing 157

SaaStr

JUNE 6, 2025

Build it into your core value prop or risk being eliminated before you even get to pitch The Opportunity : 4 out of 5 buyers report positive ROI on AI investments, and they’re willing to pay 20-30% premiums for proven AI value 2. Same technology, completely different go-to-market approaches

AI Search 143

AI Search AI Technical Review Software Review 143

SaaStr

MAY 11, 2025

Its designed to connect founders with VCs actively looking for investments. Be specific in your meeting requestshighlight why your startup aligns with their investment focus. How to Meet VCs at SaaStr Annual 2025 #1. Leverage the Meet-a-VC Program The Meet-a-VC program is a cornerstone of SaaStr Annual. Tailored outreach is key here.

Venture Capital 165

Venture Capital Technical Review Innovation AI 165

SaaStr

APRIL 15, 2025

About Ethan Kurzweil Ethan is the founder of Chemistry VC, a focused early-stage venture firm that writes $3-30M checks with an average of $10-12M for Series A investments. Prior to founding Chemistry, Ethan spent 16 years at Bessemer Venture Partners, where he led investments in successful companies like PagerDuty, Intercom, and SendGrid.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Venture Capital Outsourced Development AI 152

Tom Tunguz

JUNE 5, 2021

Let’s examine the relationship between total venture capital investment and the 10 year Treasury in some detail. The y-axis tracks enture capital investment by year and the year of the data point resides in the reddish circle. In short, we should expect some cooling. Do you remember this shape from high school math?

Venture Capital 363

Venture Capital Marketing Government Investment 363

SaaStr

JUNE 2, 2025

This acquisition builds on previous AI investments, including the 2023 purchase of Neeva, a generative AI search startup. The Bottom Line These acquisitions signal a fundamental shift in B2B software infrastructure where companies aren’t just buying databasesthey’re acquiring the foundational technology for AI-driven applications.

VP of Engineering 183

VP of Engineering AI Search AI Data 183

Tom Tunguz

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Alarm about interest rates, QE ending, and geopolitical risk have swirled around public technology companies, kinking the valuation curve. PitchBook surmises non-traditional VC (aka hot money) comprises 78% of venture dollars invested in 2021. The broad market sentiment is they will be lower. But by how much?

Finance 363

Finance Pricing Investment Startup 363

SaaStr

JULY 13, 2024

A few that I thought we were super helpful for SaaS folks: “At the 8th annual East Meets West (EMW) conference, we gathered technology leaders from around the world for three days of thought-provoking conversations and connection building. Private Equity does have record amounts to invest. #4. Coate believes it’s simple.

Software 327

Software AI Scale Investment 327

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 26, 2020

Asana runs less profitably because of meaningfully bigger investments in both Sales & Marketing (S&M) and Research and Development (R&D). Asana invests 10% more of its revenue in S&M, which is consistent with its higher growth rate. Asana pays back its sales and marketing outlay in 10.5

Payment Solutions 363

Payment Solutions Payments Outsourced Development Payment Services 363

SaaStr

OCTOBER 20, 2022

In my own portfolio , more of my investments had a record month in October than a rough month. CIOs’ top areas of increased investment for 2023 include “cyber and information security (66%), business intelligence/data analytics (55%) and cloud platforms (50%). So are we in some sort of downturn — or aren’t we?

Forecasting 293

Forecasting Artificial Intelligence Software Business 293

Tom Tunguz

FEBRUARY 22, 2020

You need to cross the chasm and reach the second half of the technology adoption curve. I found a beautiful technology curve online and have replicated it above. I’ve since realized I was wrong. Let’s say you’re creating a category. Both of those experiences have brought us to the same conclusion.

Venture Capital 338

Venture Capital Education Innovation Technology 338

Tom Tunguz

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

It’s why we’ve invested in our own custom silicon in Trainium for training and Inferentia for inference. The majority of the spend is to support the growing need for technology infrastructure.” ” In total, these hyperscalers invested about $52b last quarter in data centers & GPUs.

GCP(Google Cloud Platform) 225

GCP(Google Cloud Platform) Azure AWS Cloud 225