SaaStr

LIVE from SaaStr Europa 2024: Stage B- Tuesday SaaStr Europa 2024 is a SOLD OUT event. Watch live here and following along the schedule at: https://lnkd.in/dqZjKRzK

Friday is story time. Many moons ago I sold cars. I was very young, I was a woman (in fact the only woman in sales or service) and I definitely was not what people expected when they walked in the dealership. 🚗 Countless times, people asked me if they could talk to a salesperson, assuming I was a receptionist. (no shade if I was, amazing receptionists make a dealership's world go round) I was usually the top rep and I also held the record for selling the most cars in one day. I'm sure someone broke it by now but it was one for the books then. 🥇 Years later, I'm a sales manager in SaaS. We're interviewing for AEs. I go to interview a candidate. He gives me a lame handshake and asks what I do there. I said, I'm an intern. He said, oh really? I said no, I'm one of the tenured sales managers here that our recruiter already prepped you about. 🙅♀️ (We didn't hire him) More years later, I'm leading a sales org. I asked for accountability from a fellow leader and I said "no" to another one a couple of times. I was now being called territorial and aggressive. 😡 Here's the deal. If you know me, you know one of my super powers is I get along with everyone. I don't indulge in drama and I build relationships everywhere I go. 🫂 The thing is, being a woman...still comes with some drama. These three examples were just everyday reminders that I was a woman, working in a man's world. (cue James Brown 🎤 ) If I were a man in any of the three scenarios, none of those things would have happened. Was I not in the same role, doing the same or even better work? Why am I telling this story? Because while it's come a long way since my car selling days, we're still here too often. Still so many Exec teams with little to no women on them. Not enough founders that are women. Not enough PREFERENCE to choose women. To balance this out a little, here are some ways where women are being chosen that I am participating in and you can too: SaaStr's Inclusion, equality and balance program. I got a free ticket to SaaStr 2024 as an Asian American woman. https://lnkd.in/g6ZQ9nPD Women in Sales is an invaluable community for women in sales. Shout out to the incredible Trailblaze and Toast event I get to be a part of soon! Alexine Mudawar Amy Volas Avenue Talent Partners and QuotaPath Kelly O’Halloran put together a curated dinner event for WOMEN in executive leadership roles to learn from and support each other. I get to be a founding member of an incredible company mompark™, a community of incredible fractional and consultant talent that are MOMS for companies to work with. I didn't have any daughters, but I do have sons that will watch their mom work to get chosen just as often as they will growing up so they can help be a part of choosing women more often too. The end. 🎉

ICYMI: "5 Tips for Upmarket Expansion" with Thoropass Jenna Keegan + Bryan Caplin cc Sam Li

New!! "Deep Dive: AI-Powered Marketing to Get More Leads and Customers with Guillaume "𝑮" Cabane HyperGrowth Partners" https://lnkd.in/geMw7CWR

What does it take to raise capital for SaaS companies now according to Jason Lemkin (SaaStr) Key Takeaway 1: The current venture capital landscape is experiencing significant changes, particularly driven by the rise of AI. Investors are increasingly focused on finding "decacorns" (companies valued at over $10 billion) in the AI space, as traditional software companies are no longer seen as sufficient for generating massive returns. > Agree, its a generational new sector that will change the world in the short to medium term Key Takeaway 2: There's a growing trend of large investments in AI companies, even those without established revenue or customers. This is exemplified by Elon Musk's new AI company raising $6 billion and OpenAI's rapid growth. Investors are making high-risk bets on potential AI breakthroughs, driven by the need for outsized returns. Key Takeaway 3: Established venture capital firms and investors are pivoting their focus towards AI. SoftBank is raising a $9 billion fund solely for AI investments, while prominent hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has restructured his venture fund to concentrate exclusively on AI opportunities. > This signals huge momentum of capital, a good but wary signal. Overall a very good signal. Key Takeaway 4: The AI investment trend is not without skepticism. There's recognition that some companies may be falsely claiming AI capabilities to attract funding. However, real-world applications and significant deals, such as Palantir's $480 million AI contract with the US Army, demonstrate the tangible potential of AI technologies. > As with any new exploding trend, be wary always. Key Takeaway 5: The venture capital industry is under pressure to find and invest in potential decacorns, as traditional software companies, even successful ones, are no longer considered sufficient for generating the massive returns required by large VC funds. This shift is causing stress and driving the focus towards high-potential AI startups. > Power law distribution and math doesn't lie (that much). https://lnkd.in/gHe8tW2E

It was worth coming to #dreamforce18 just so I can get the opportunity to meet the one and only Jason M. Lemkin! The LeBron James of the SaaS world. See you at #saastr!

SaaStr Annual 2024: Announcing our Sponsor Hall and Sponsor Activations Get in front of 10,000 SaaS leaders. https://lnkd.in/gPkW56q6

Great article from SaaStr and Jason M. Lemkin about switching vendors and the buyer perception of switching. I’m sure a lot of our SaaS customers can relate to the challenge of getting buyers to switch from the competitor to you. In apps and APIs, it’s important to mitigate migration fears, by allowing your new vendor to support you in scoping the effort, and to remember the long-term value in finding a better vendor. What stood out to me most in this post was the suggestion to: “Do it Yourself.  For Real.  Be a ‘Switcher’ as a Prospect for Your Own App. Switch to your own product from the competition for real.” Telgorithm was founded because we were the customers of the many CPaaS vendors and wanted to migrate to a different vendor but there weren’t any better options. And that’s how Telgorithm was born. Happy to tell you more about being the “Switcher”. https://lnkd.in/ef4KKzDx #CPaaS #SaaStr #SaaS #founder

Many of these ring true when I think back to the companies I helped build, or founders I've backed. Great to have the list in foresight rather than hindsight.