If a VC gives you an opportunity to present your startup and then sets a subsequent meeting to present to their entire investor team how would you best leverage this?
Jason M. Lemkin This is probably the wrong time to “leverage”. It’s probably one stage too early. The best time to leverage is when either (x) you’ve just gotten a real term sheet, or (y) you are Pretty Darn Confident you are about to get one....
How to Grow 20% Month-over-Month, from Top SaaS VCs @jasonegreen @ttunguz and @StaceyCurry
Recently I moderated a great session at Max Altschuler’s Sales Stack conference on “How to Grow 20% Month over Month” with Jason Green from Emergence (who invested in me — thank you! :), Tomasz Tunguz of Redpoint (you know his blog, folks), and...
The Second Timers: Rick Nucci of Guru and Boomi: “Always Be In Front of Customers”
We’re back after an extended break with our Second Timer series on great SaaS CEOs doing their second SaaS start-up. I’m super pleased Second-Time SaaS Founder Rick Nucci of Boomi (acquired by Dell in 2010) and now Guru (https://www.getguru.com/) is...
SaaStr AMA: Building Your First SDR Team with Brendon Cassidy (EchoSign/LinkedIn) and Kyle Porter (SalesLoft)
Missed the SaaStr “Ask Me Anything” with Brendon Cassidy, VP of Sales extraordinaire (EchoSign, Talkdesk, LinkedIn), and Kyle Porter, CEO of SalesLoft? No worries. We’ve got you covered! Today we’ve got an in-depth, 45ish minute discussion on building your...
As a VC and investor, what’s the wisest first question I should ask an entrepreneur before I invest in their company?
Jason M. Lemkin If you mean Right Before You Decide To Invest … my favorite question is: What are the Top 3 or 4 things I’ll learn at the first Board meeting I don’t know now? I think this Columbo-style question will, in more cases than not, elicit...
I want to ask an angel investor I know for a $25k convertible note w/ 75% discount and 1.5m cap. Are these relatively attractive terms or should I modify that to make it more appealing?
Jason M. Lemkin I actually like this idea, but it is very situationally dependent. Most angels that are serious about it — i.e., making 5-10x on their angel investments as a cohort, not just Playing Angel — generally have some serious rules. If you...
The Problem With Junior Marketing Hires (And What a True VP Costs)
Not sure if you need a VP or "just a manager"? The answer is almost always VP, after even $1m ARR — Jason ✨Be Kind✨ Lemkin (@jasonlk) October 27, 2020 There’s a painful mistake I’ve touched on many times on SaaStr, but never given a...
SaaStr on First “Zero to Won” Podcast with RainforestQA and Heavybit
A little while ago we did a podcast at Heavybit with RainforestQA CEO Fred Stevens-Smith as the first speaker in a new series of “Zero to Won” on the tools founders use to build great companies.  It was a great session and was just published today. For...
Don’t Have an “Exit Strategy,” but Do Have a “Competitive and Cooperative Landscape” Slide.
A small but important tip and point that merits a little time. When you’re fundraising … people do need to know how the heck they are going to make money if they write you a check. And really, there are two types of investors. Â Those looking to “make...
SaaStr on This Week in Start-Ups: “The Godfather of SaaS”
Ok, I don’t know who coined that term. Â But, in any event, it was a pretty great session with Jason Calacanis on where SaaS is and is going; why Slack will beat Hipchat no matter what you and I think; and how to spot the very best SaaS start-ups: “Jason...
I am 13 and aspire to be a venture capitalist. Could somebody give me advice on the best route to take to become one?
Jason M. Lemkin My best advice is actually very similar to what I give folks that think they want to be lawyers. It’s — understand what doing the actual job and profession really means. For real. One way to be a VC is to “stumble” into it...
Is the Square (SQ) IPO offering price a huge disappointment?
Jason M. Lemkin No, it’s a qualified but large success. For reasons that only partially make sense, an IPO that trades up at least 20% from its IPO price going forward is a success. That means everyone made money in the IPO itself, it had a “pop”,...
Was studying in Harvard university necessary to achieve entrepreneur success. (e.g. Jason M. Lemkin)?
Jason M. Lemkin I don’t know where any of the CEOs/founders I’ve invested in went to college. So … See Questions On Quora View original question on quora
Is it easier to go from an operational role to VC or from VC into an operational role?
Jason M. Lemkin Part of the answer(s) depends on how long you’ve done either. Venture Capital is an incredibly specialized skill set. If you’ve been an associate, analyst or principal for a few years … those skills can (sort of, kind of) translate...
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