SaaStr 781: How to Think About Product-Led Growth, Bootstrapping vs VC, and Early Exits with Jason Lemkin At the closing AMA (Ask-Me-Anything) of SaaStr Annual, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin delves into key topics facing SaaS startups including bootstrapping, private equity (PE) opportunities, and achieving product market fit. With practical advice and real-world examples, the Q&A covers critical issues such as growth strategies, funding options, and the dynamics of venture capital. Additi...
Dec 18, 2024•38 min
SaaStr 780: From Outbound to Channel Partnerships: Your Burning Sales Questions Answered by SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin At the closing AMA of SaaStr Annual, SaaStr CEO and Founder, Jason Lemkin shared candid insights about what's really happening in SaaS today. In this Ask Me Anything Part 1, Lemkin answers the questions: What does SaaStr Annual attendee data tell us about the state of SaaS? Is outbound sales dead? When sales slow how do you keep the team motivated and push through? How ...
Dec 13, 2024•42 min
SaaStr 779: 5 Things That Are Actually Working and 5 Things That Aren’t in B2B SaaS AI with Ironclad's CEO and a16z Ironclad CEO and co-founder Jason Boehmig joined Seema Amble, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz at SaaStr Annual to share their observations on what's currently working – and what's not quite there yet – for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in SaaS. With Ironclad's journey from an AI-first concept in 2014 to a Series E+ company and a16z's extensive portfolio view, their insights offer a v...
Dec 11, 2024•29 min
SaaStr 778: How to Leverage Pricing and Packaging to Drive Growth, Revenue, and Profit with Miro, Loom, OpenAI, and Splunk Pricing is more than just a number on a contract — when used thoughtfully, it can become a strategic tool for your SaaS product that can drive product adoption, customer satisfaction, and business growth. At this year’s SaaStr Annual AI Summit, Akshay Sharma, Head of Pricing and Monetization at Miro , chats with a panel of experts, including Janie Lee, Head of Product at Loo...
Dec 04, 2024•31 min
SaaStr 777: The Rise of Vertical SaaS: Achieving 110% NRR from SMBs with Mangomint's CEO Join SaaStr CEO and Founder, Jason Lemkin, and CEO of Mangomint, Daniel Lang, as they dive into the booming world of vertical SaaS. Discover why software tailored for niche industries like salons and spas is gaining traction. Daniel shares insights on the evolution of salon software, the impact of embedded financial services, and the challenges and strategies around customer onboarding and retention. Learn a...
Nov 27, 2024•32 min
SaaStr 776: How to Successfully Bring AI Products to Market at Scale with GitHub’s CRO Elizabeth Pemmerl Join Elizabeth Pemmerl, Chief Revenue Officer at GitHub, as she shares an in-depth look at GitHub's journey with CoPilot and its growth from an internal tool to a widely adopted AI product. With nearly a decade of experience at GitHub, Elizabeth discusses the importance of customer feedback, iterative development, and scalable strategies for product and team growth. Learn about the challenges...
Nov 21, 2024•29 min
SaaStr 775: If You Fall Off the Venture Track, At Least Stay on The PE Track with Andy Wilson CEO Logikcull and SaaStr CEO Jason Lemkin In this episode of the SaaStr podcast, Jason Lemkin and Andy Wilson dive deep into the topic of selling your SaaS company to private equity. From initial discussions in 2012-2013 to strategic exits and lucrative sales, Andy shares valuable lessons learned from his own journey. Key takeaways include the impact of private equity on the SaaS industry, essential tac...
Nov 15, 2024•46 min
SaaStr 774: The Vertical SaaS Rocketship: Samsara's CEO and Co-Founder Sanjit Biswas and SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin on Samsara's Journey to $1.26 Billion in ARR! SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin has an exclusive conversation with Sanjit Biswas, founder and CEO of Samsara and a two-time entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. Sanjit shares insights on the growth of Samsara, a leading vertical SaaS company that's disrupting the industry by growing 36% and reaching $1.26 billion ...
Nov 13, 2024•46 min
SaaStr 773: CRO Confidential: Moving Beyond Traditional Sales, Clay CEO & Co-Founder Kareem Amin on the Future of AI-Driven Growth CRO Confidential podcast host Sam Blond chats with the CEO and co-founder of Clay, Kareem Amin, about two major topics: The evolution of Go-To-Market systems: where we are today with the incorporation of AI, and where we’re headed. How Clay approaches GTM itself and how they’ve realized their level of success in such a short amount of time. They also dive into how Cl...
Nov 08, 2024•42 min
SaaStr 772: What Really Matters in SaaS in 2025 with Jason Lemkin and Dave Kellogg In this episode, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin and Dave Kellogg, Executive in Residence at Balderton Capital (+ SaaStr fan favorite) share what really matters in SaaS for 2025. We delve into 5 key topics in SaaS and cloud for 2025, discussing the future of AI in B2B, strategic pricing changes, the impact of moving customer success to sales, and the state of private equity deals. Dave provides a unique perspe...
Nov 06, 2024•54 min
SaaStr 771: The Top Marketing Strategies for 2025 Growth with the CMOs of Snowflake, LinkedIn, and Carta Right now is one of the hardest times of the year for marketers. Most CMOs will be heads down wrapping up a year-end assessment and figuring out what to pitch for next year’s budgetary spend to drive revenue, all while navigating an ever-changing environment of inconsistent metrics, lower conversion rates, and a rapid rate of change with the adoption of AI in SaaS. A CMO panel consisting of t...
Nov 01, 2024•30 min
SaaStr 770: How to Avoid a Bad VC Investor with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin In our latest episode, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin delves into 11 ways you can identify bad investors before signing a term sheet. Use this 11-part test to avoid common pitfalls: Do reference checks Ask if they write second or third checks See how many control they want Figure out their long-term goals Ask about the lows too Ask about outside CEOS What was their worst investment? Ask what CEO they're a fa...
Oct 30, 2024•37 min
SaaStr 769: The State of SaaS Go-to-Market with Theory Ventures General Partner Tomasz Tunguz Join us in this insightful episode as seasoned venture capitalist Tomasz Tunguz, General Partner at Theory Ventures shares transformative insights on the current landscape of SaaS Go-To-Market. Six months ago, security was the number one prohibition preventing businesses and software companies from buying AI. Today it's ROI. In this episode, Tomasz shares nine observations from a Go-To-Market survey The...
Oct 25, 2024•24 min
SaaStr 768: Approaching Half a Million Customers: How to Win in SMB with BILL CEO and Founder René Lacerte Join our in-depth exploration of Bill.com's remarkable evolution, from BILL CEO and Founder René Lacerte and SaaStr CEO and founder Jason Lemkin. Tune in as they share how BILL has reached half a million customers and $1.3B in revenue. Together, Jason and René discuss: How to sell to multiple stakeholders as a SaaS platform Going long and BILL's 20+ year journey to $1B Creating a Moat How t...
Oct 23, 2024•57 min
SaaStr 767: The Future of AI in SaaS Sales with Henry Schuck, CEO of ZoomInfo and SaaStr CEO Jason Lemkin SaaStr CEO Jason Lemkin joined ZoomInfo's Season 2 of its ZI Labs Podcast as the opening guest alongside ZoomInfo CEO Henry Schuck. Along with co-host Ben Salzman, Jason and Henry discuss the transformative power of AI within SaaS and the evolving dynamics that are reshaping the landscape of software as a service. Together they explore the intricacies of scaling SaaS companies, including the...
Oct 18, 2024•58 min
SaaStr 765: The Bar Has Gone Up. The Era of HyperFunctional SaaS is Here with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin In this comprehensive episode, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin explains why the era of hyper-functional SaaS is here, and how it's reshaping the landscape of SaaS companies. Key topics include the critical role of AI and automation in meeting rising customer expectations and the imperative for tech companies to develop multi-product strategies to sustain growth. We explore how co...
Oct 16, 2024•45 min
SaaStr 764: State of the Cloud 2024: The Cloud AI Era with Bessemer Venture Partners, Anthropic, Jasper, Abridge and EvenUp Bessemer Venture Partners is committing $1 billion in capital to back AI-native companies and founders at the bleeding edge. Sameer Dholakia, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners speaks with Julia Chapin, COO at Abridge, Kate Jensen, Head of Revenue at Anthropic, Rami Karabibar, CEO and founder at EvenUp, and Timothy Young, CEO at Jasper, on the impacts of AI on the State o...
Oct 11, 2024•33 min
SaaStr 763: The Secrets to Selling and Scaling in Vertical SaaS with Slice's CRO Loren Padelford Loren Padelford, CRO of Slice and previously SVP and GM of Shopify Plus, does a deep dive with the SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin on the top learnings selling to SMBs and within Vertical SaaS. The conversation dives into Slice's approach of helping independent pizzerias by offering integrated software and services, comparing it to the approach of Domino's. Lauren offers lessons learned during hi...
Oct 09, 2024•43 min
SaaStr 762: How to Build a Product Customers Love and Drive Nearly $1B in Revenue Along the Way with Klaviyo CEO Andrew Bialecki and SaaStr CEO and Founder, Jason Lemkin Klaviyo is the most awesome SaaS company you don't know enough about yet. :) Join SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin and Klaviyo CEO and Co-Founder, Andrew Bialecki as they discuss Klaviyo's rise as a leading marketing and customer data platform for B2C businesses. Discover the strategies behind its growth, the challenges faced...
Oct 04, 2024•50 min
SaaStr 761: How to Build Pipeline and GTM Alignment with Datadog’s CMO Sara Varni Sara Varni, Datadog ‘s CMO, shares how to build pipeline and create alignment across sales and marketing. The CMO role at Datadog covers the usual aspects of marketing, including product marketing, corporate communications, events, partnership marketing, and solutions marketing. While these insights seem like pipeline 101, they aren’t always implemented. Let’s look at some quick facts about Sara’s experience. She s...
Oct 02, 2024•30 min
SaaStr 760: CRO Confidential: Rippling’s Top 3 Growth Tactics for Driving Revenue at Scale with Rippling CRO Matt Plank and Former CRO at Brex Sam Blond At this year’s SaaStr Annual, Rippling’s CRO, Matt Plank, chats with Sam Blond, host of the SaaStr CRO Confidential and former CRO at Brex, about Rippling’s top 3 growth tactics, which have led to the Rippling becoming a $14B company with several hundred million of ARR. A few years ago, Matt was making cold calls from CEO Parker Conrad’s basemen...
Sep 27, 2024•40 min
SaaStr 759: 5 Metrics that Matter When Raising Your SaaS Series A and Series B Round with Christoph Janz, Partner at Point Nine Capital What data and metrics do you need to convince SaaS investors you’re in good shape and aligned with what they care about? Christoph Janz, Partner at Point Nine Capital, shares 5 key insights during this year’s SaaStr Annual. These metrics are more targeted to those preparing for a Series A or B round and could make the difference between an excited-to-invest-in-y...
Sep 25, 2024•29 min
SaaStr 758: Avoid These Common Founder Mistakes to Hire a Great VP of Sales in 2024 with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin In this episode of the official SaaStr podcast, we delve into the common pitfalls founders encounter when hiring a VP of Sales. SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin kicked off the SaaStr Annual by reflecting on twelve years of hiring lessons, sharing critical insights into why sales leaders fail and how founders can avoid these mistakes. The discussion covers the importance...
Sep 20, 2024•45 min
SaaStr 757: 10 Cheat Codes I Learned While Scaling to $400M with Yext and Roam Founder Howard Lerman Dive into a unique and tactical journey with Howard Lerman, Founder at Roam, sharing unconventional yet effective strategies drawn from personal experiences and notable figures like John Lennon. Learn the importance of mastering storytelling, the art of live demos, the controversial take on one-on-one meetings, and the benefits of Sunday night executive meetings. Discover how leveraging your cap ...
Aug 31, 2024•33 min
SaaStr 756: From Challenges and Churn to Triumph - How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Support at Scale with Monday.com's VP of Customer Experience In this episode of the Official SaaStr Podcast, Natalie Margolin, VP of Customer Experience at monday.com, shares her journey and strategies for enhancing customer experience in a rapidly growing company. From tackling challenges of scale, implementing AI and chatbots, to ensuring customer satisfaction and building an expert support team, Natalie exp...
Aug 14, 2024•36 min
SaaStr 755: How to Optimize Sales Performance, SaaStr CEO Jason Lemkin Answers Your Top SaaS Sales Questions In this episode, we dive into the intricacies of effective sales check-ins, best practices for managing remote teams, and the essential strategies for hiring and ramping up sales leadership. Jason Lemkin answers audience questions, covers why Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are becoming obsolete, the significance of measuring sales team activities, and the critical importance of ensurin...
Aug 09, 2024•31 min
SaaStr 754: 7 Things the Best Sales Reps Get Right and 8 Ways the Rest Make Things Worse with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin Join Jason Lemkin, in this insightful episode as he dives deep into distinguishing the best sales reps from the rest. Jason outlines seven key traits that make sales reps successful, such as understanding customer problems, facilitating product demos, and being honest about competition. He also discusses common pitfalls that mediocre sales reps fall into, including pl...
Aug 06, 2024•30 min
SaaStr 753: Unveiling the 2024 CRO Playbook, How to Navigate A Shifting Sales Environment with Salesloft's CRO Mark Niemiec In this insightful podcast, Mark Niemiec, the CRO of SalesLoft, shares his strategic approach and key lessons learned since joining the company in February. Drawing from his extensive experience at Salesforce and Cisco, Mark discusses the challenges and opportunities that come with onboarding as a new CRO, especially in dynamic market conditions. He emphasizes the importanc...
Jul 26, 2024•29 min
SaaStr 752: 9 Signs a Startup Isn’t Going to Make It with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin SaaStr Founder and CEO, Jason Lemkin sat down to discuss 9 signs a startup isn’t going to make it. We all know, we’re living in strange times. A lot of AI companies are growing 500% a year and exploding A lot of public leaders are struggling Some unicorns are doing incredibly well, while others have stalled and are growing at zero Founders are struggling with how to deal with these changes, and VCs and ...
Jul 24, 2024•25 min
SaaStr 751: How to Use AI-Powered Marketing to Get More Leads and Customers with Guillaume Cabane of HyperGrowth Partners As a marketing leader, how do you use today’s AI platforms and tools to become more efficient? Guillaume Cabane, Co-Founder and General Partner at HyperGrowth Partners and ex-head of marketing at Drift, Gorgias and Segment, shares how you can win with AI in outbound, SEO, and paid. AI was good a year or two ago, but its quality was less than that of a human. There was less co...
Jul 19, 2024•23 min
