Dear SaaStr: How Should Founders Build Their First Customer Success Team?
Dear SaaStr: How Should Founders Build Their First Customer Success Team? Building a Customer Success (CS) team early is critical for SaaS startups. Here’s how early-stage founders should approach it: Hire Early, Even Before It Feels Necessary Don’t wait until churn...
7 Of The Biggest Mistakes First-Time Founders Make. And How They Can Be Avoided.
Dear SaaStr: What Are The Biggest Mistakes First-Time Founders Make, and How Can They Be Avoided? Here’s my list in SaaS: #1.  Being reluctant to go up-market. Not everyone should go up-market. But if you have a bunch of $5 a month customers, and then a few offer to...
IPO Offerings Are Already Up 62.5% This Year. With Much More to Come. We’re Back
TL;DR: The IPO market isn’t just recovering—it’s thriving. Strong aftermarket performance, growing deal volume, and investor appetite signal the renaissance is here. Remember when everyone was waiting for the IPO market to “come back”? Stop...
Dear SaaStr: What Are The Rough Benchmarks for Raising a Series A?
Dear SaaStr: What Are The Rough Benchmarks for Raising a Series A? When it comes to raising a Series A, the benchmarks can vary depending on your market, growth trajectory, and the type of B2B business you’re building. But here are some general guidelines: ARR (Annual...
Sink or Swim: Every Enterprise Conversation is AI Today. And Every Enterprise AI is Different.
I spent this past week at the MaestrQA user conference with 200+ contact center and quality managers, where I’m on the board with SaaStr Fund. The attendee list read like a who’s who of both arguably more cutting-edge tech leaders—Brex, Oura Ring,...
10 Brutal Truths From Coatue About AI and Who Gets Left Behind: The Great Separation
Leading crossover VC firm Coatue recently put together its highly detailed East Meets West Conference overview of AI, Growth and Tech here. A lot we know, but it’s a very good collection of data and optimism on AI + B2B going forward The Great Separation: 10...
6 Key Signs a VP of Sales Can’t Scale Beyond $5m-$10m ARR
The best VPs can recruit in ways I barely understand You need someone for a key role? They somehow have 2-3 strong candidates in a week or two This is so, so hard But the very best VPs make it somehow look almost effortless It's also the only way to scale —...
The Great AI Talent Grab: The Latest 20VC with Jason, Harry and Rory
The latest episode of 20VC with Jason Lemkin, Harry Stebbings, and Rory O’Driscoll revealed a Silicon Valley in the midst of its most dramatic talent migration since the early days of the internet. But beneath the headline-grabbing acquisition numbers lies a...
AI Won’t Replace Sales Reps So Much as ‘Deflect’ Them: What Support’s 70% Deflection Rates Tell Us About Sales’ Future
The AI Account Executive Is Arriving. Here’s What Support — Which is 18+ Months Ahead — Teaches Us About What Comes Next. Customer support cracked the deflection code with AI. Companies are routinely achieving 60%+ deflection rates – meaning AI...
AI and Cybersecurity: How Rubrik’s Co-Founder Built a $1B+ ARR Platform While Joining the AI Revolution
AI and Cybersecurity: How Rubrik’s Co-Founder Built a $1B+ ARR Platform While Joining the AI Revolution Lessons from Arvind Nithrakashyap, Co-Founder and CTO of Rubrik, on scaling cyber resilience platforms, building multiple product curves, and implementing AI...
Wealthfront Files to IPO at $340,000,000+ ARR. IPOs are Back!
The Wealthfront IPO: 5 Key Lessons for SaaS Founders on Building a $2B+ Fintech at 40%+ Margins How a pure-digital wealth management platform achieved profitability ahead of peers and positioned for a landmark IPO By the Numbers: Core Metrics 📊 Key Financial Metrics...
VPs That Can’t Hire … They Aren’t Real VPs. At Least, Not Yet.
The best VPs can recruit in ways I barely understand You need someone for a key role? They somehow have 2-3 strong candidates in a week or two This is so, so hard But the very best VPs make it somehow look almost effortless It's also the only way to scale —...
M&A Is Back! Melio’s $2.5B Exit to Xero — In Just 7 Years!
TL;DR: After years of M&A drought, big deals are returning. It’s not just Wiz and Scale. In the latest billion+ acquisition, Xero just acquired Israeli-founded, NYC-based Melio for $2.5B to dominate US SMB payments. This 13.4x revenue multiple proves strong B2B...
Dear SaaStr: What is a Normal Commission for an Account Exec as a Percentage on Revenue of a Deal?
Dear SaaStr: What is a Normal Commission for an Account Exec as a Percentage on Revenue of a Deal? For SaaS account executives, commissions typically range from 8-10% of the first-year Annual Contract Value (ACV) of a deal. This is pretty standard for inside sales...
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