Billy Robins

Enterprise GTM is broken! Why? There is so much noise! It's getting harder to get in front of decision-makers, send them valuable content, and build trust! Everyone is bombarded by stuff they don't want. So they don't see your content and messages. Our founder and board chair, SC Moatti, will be on TechCrunch’s stage to tell you about how to fix enterprise GTM, backed by her collaboration with Products That Count’s 500k+ product leaders. You can upvote her talk so more people can learn how to fix their enterprise GTM 👇

8

1 Comment

An important discussion that I see first hand in both my very deep tech focused investing industry in venture capital and as an ethnic minority. The anti-woke discussion MUST not derail critical corporate DEI initiatives but the lesson is we need to more than box tick. Fabric Ventures Money20/20

7

🔥 Founders, don't make the mistake of pursuing VC funding if your startup isn't the right fit! 🔥 In this podcast clip, I sit down with David Forsberg, CFA from Ascent Energy Ventures to explore the truth about raising venture capital. 💸 As a startup founder, former VC, and advisor to companies that have raised over $1 billion, I know how crucial it is to target the right investors. 🎯 Check out the full podcast for more expert advice on navigating the world of venture capital. Link in the original Kruze Consulting post. 🎧 #startups #venturecapital

6

2 Comments

I’m excited to publicly share something that has been in the works for a few months at the 9point8 Collective. We’ve launched our Virtual Studio! This is a program for early-stage companies that provides the coaching, development and venture-building tools they need to find traction and scale. The program is modeled off of the venture-building processes found inside #VentureStudios, which have delivered 2X IRR and exit 45% faster than traditional #VC-backed #startups over the last 10 years. Some of the secret sauce to this is that studios have found a way to validate strategies early on, de-risk execution, preserve and extend limited runway, and create efficient business models very fast. We at 9point8 are seasoned studio builders and are on a mission to bring this value to founding teams as they navigate their startup journeys. What we’ve done with the Virtual Studio is distill these key processes and techniques, add in our own expertise and best practices, and package them into a program which meets start-ups where they are. We are now opening up our Summer 2024 Cohort, slated to begin in July. Space is limited, so I’m sharing the opportunity with my network before we fill the cohort. Here are the details: -It’s a 3-month program which takes the founder through the key phases of venture-building and de-risking (refining target market, product-market fit, economics and financials, planning, and fundraising). -Founders can expect to achieve greater focus, improved operations and increased marketability to customers and investors. -The end results include collaboratively-drafted operational plans, commercial / investment pitch decks, and elevated management practices within the founding team. These draft off frameworks from 9point8's proprietary venture-building process: Targets Over Everything. -It’s built for founders facing (or approaching) a critical inflection point, where fresh perspectives and strategic management levers are critical. These might include fundraising preparation, new product launch, market expansion, and post-MVP scaling efforts. Why did we build this program? Because building a new company is really hard. 90(!) percent of startups fail, and even moderate risk reduction can create a huge lift to survival rate and eventual returns. The studio model is proven to drive greater venture success; our virtual program is extending that success to more and more teams. The program is highly collaborative and hands-on, so we only take on a few companies at a time. This is a great opportunity for founders who are looking to level-up their abilities when it comes to unlocking traction, growth, and an express lane to superior returns. If interested, please reach out immediately as we expect the program to be fully enrolled very soon! Blair Merlino Evan Allen Neal Ghosh

55

17 Comments

Product Market Fit (PMF) is a crucial yet elusive concept for many early-stage startups. Achieving it can make or break a company's long-term success. In the latest episode of the "Founder & CEO Podcast," Michael Viscuso and I discuss what PMF is, what it looks like, and what to do once it's achieved. Check out the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/g2fw7v9g

86

3 Comments

It is no secret that fundraising has been incredibly challenging for founders at all stages. According to Carta’s Q1 2024 State of Private Markets report, Seed stage deal count fell 33% from Q4 2023 and Series A deal count fell 36%. Additionally, total cash raised in the same period was 30% less at each stage suggesting rounds sizes are also getting smaller. In this next edition of Collaborative Fund's Founder Support Series, I get into the details of how to prepare to fundraise in a challenging environment. Have a read and let me know what you think: https://lnkd.in/gJjqhsCd

38

3 Comments

Messy cap tables could cause problems for fundraising. Sometimes we meet founders who gave up 50-80% of the company during pre-seed and seed rounds. This typically signals to VCs that the team has a lower motivation to run a startup and may prefer to exit earlier. This in turn will result in lower returns on investment. Of course, it’s not the end of the world and there are ways to fix that, but VCs and founders will need to put efforts and time to renegotiate with current investors. Many external VCs will prefer to pass on the investment opportunity. Keep this in mind when you raise your early-stage funding. For more details, please refer to the article: https://lnkd.in/d449zqJw

9

Seed VCs are turning to new ‘pro rata’ funds that help them compete with the big firms Alpha Partners, SignalRank and now SaaS Ventures help seed VCs pay for shares when big VCs try to price — or push — them out Lee Edwards, partner at Root VC, has a saying at his firm that “pro rata rights are earned, not given.” That may be a bit of a stretch since pro rata refers to a term that VCs put in their term sheets that gives them the right to buy more shares in a portfolio company during consequent funding rounds to maintain an ownership percentage and avoid dilution. Still, while these rights are not exactly “earned,” they can be expensive. One of the latest trends in VC investing these days are funds dedicated to helping seed VCs exercise their pro rata rights. https://lnkd.in/dRM3RvdA By Christine Hall

13

Growth Strategy Advisors is a boutique consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Our mission is to empower startup founders and early-stage companies as they navigate the complex landscape of Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies and sales acceleration. Here’s how we do it: Founder-Led Sales: We recognize that founders often play a pivotal role in the initial sales process. However, as companies scale and GTM motions become more intricate, a strategic shift is necessary. Our team steps in to guide founders through this transition, ensuring seamless growth without the typical pains associated with siloed teams and fragmented data1. GTM Strategy Definition: We work closely with founders to define their GTM strategy. This involves identifying target markets, customer segments, pricing models, and distribution channels. By aligning these elements, we create a cohesive plan that maximizes revenue potential. Sales Enablement: Our experts equip founders with the tools, training, and processes needed to build a high-performing sales engine. From lead generation to closing deals, we optimize every step of the sales cycle. Performance Tracking: Metrics matter! We help founders establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and track progress against them. Whether it’s pipeline growth, conversion rates, or customer lifetime value, we ensure data-driven decision-making. Cross-Functional Alignment: Effective GTM requires collaboration across departments. We bridge the gap between marketing, sales, finance, and legal teams, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working toward shared revenue goals.

8

𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀! We're conducting a benchmarking study to define success metrics specifically for vertical software companies. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Existing SaaS benchmarks just don't cut it for your unique industry needs. This research will provide the data-driven insights to measure and optimize your vertical software business. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽? A few minutes of your time can make a big difference.

19

This is a great article on why Citi Ventures partnered with Gaurav Oberoi, Emad Elwany, Jessica Nguyen and the Lexion team. A lot of lessons here for startup founders 1. Do you have founder-market fit? In a world full of exceptionally talented people, why are you uniquely qualified to solve this problem? 2. Customer feedback - Have you validated the problem with enough buyers to have conviction that you are on the right track? 3. Reject ideas - Be willing to reject ideas that do not work because they are not solving a large enough or urgent enough problem. It's very easy to fall in love with an idea, but it's important to know "when to hold and when to fold" https://lnkd.in/gMawKzb4

94

3 Comments

It's on! Its Meetup week and as always, I'm sharing our panel in the lead up! The Topic? Equity + Compensation: Navigating Early Conversations for Cofounders & Advisors The Contributor? Kane Jackson! Fintech Warrior, a really good Moral Compass, and founder of Maslow® It all starts with an vision and then you must get others onboard with that vision. For Kane with Maslow, having a radical vision helps do a part of this but conversations around equity and compensation do an important job to build the best teams. The question I asked him here is: What has been your single biggest learning or surprise when navigating equity and compensation conversations as a founder whose been responsible for bringing people into your journey? Really looking forward to hearing Kane's experience navigating these conversations with his cofounders and advisors - something we can all learn from I'm sure!! Still to come: Josh Sharma & Sophie Hall EverestEngineering Rick Giner Craig Brown Tom Webster

12

3 Comments

Thrilled to announce the launch of our inaugural edition of Beyond Benchmarks at Emergence Capital. This comprehensive report dives deep into the metrics and trends shaping the early-stage enterprise cloud market. A huge thank you to our VC partners and contributors for making this possible! Here's a sneak peek of our findings: --> 60% of companies have already integrated GenAI into their service offerings, with another 20% planning to do so this year. --> While most companies use OpenAI as their primary LLM, many are experimenting with multiple models. We’re seeing a trend toward intelligently routing GenAI inference requests based on cost, performance, and security. --> Companies that have implemented GenAI are showing promising results, with a 7% higher NDR compared to those that haven’t. Beyond Benchmarks goes further with more GenAI trends, insights on the current fundraising environment, and key performance metrics. Our goal is to provide founders and their teams with valuable benchmarks to help them make better-informed decisions. At Emergence Capital, we're committed to helping founders build iconic companies. Dive into the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g6bnvAZM

70

3 Comments

#BuildingInPublic: VC funding & Growth - What I learned from Jason M. Lemkin, SaaStr July3rd webinar VC funding model is broken and Growth at all costs is back VC's still investing (have a tons of money), but they don't want to burn it on slow growth startups. ROI is ~1.01x So they are funding seed companies, and Seed valuations at all-time high 100x+ARR deals happening, but its AI, not B2B Growth is still king... VCs don't care about Profits Growth is moving from T3D2 to T2D2 ---- Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gaeNbeq5 Slides here: https://lnkd.in/gT96wD5H ---

17

PE - PE Acceleration Toolkit (i.e. not Playbook) What commercial, GTM and growth areas do you cover in your "PE Portfolio Company Toolkit" (i.e. some funds like Vista Equity Partners call it a Playbook but I refer to it as toolkit with the aim of it being a participatory, not a prescriptive playbook)? Some ideas* come to mind - what else? (* i.e. Commercial/GTM/Revenue Growth - not including Product, Engineering, R&D and other functions) 1. Sales Optimization   - Sales Org Structure   - Sales Management Process   - Sales Prospecting & Outbound   - Sales Process Engineering - Pipeline Management - Forecasting & Commit Process - Forecasting Rollups - CEO & Board   - Sales performance metrics and KPIs   - Channel Sales, Partner and alliance programs   - Rev Ops & Sales Enablement   - Sales Quota, Compensation & Incentives   - Sales Tech & Automation 2. Marketing Optimization   - B2B Demand Generation strategy   - Marketing Management - Marketing Process Engineering - Defining Lead Nomenclature - Campaign Management - Strategic Messaging Architecture   - PLG - Product Led Growth   - Digital & Inbound marketing    - Account-based marketing (ABM) - Customer Marketing - Product Marketing - Marketing/Sales Alignment & SLAs   - Marketing Metrics / KPIs   - Marketing Tech & Automation 3. Customer Management, Success and Retention   - Customer onboarding processes   - VOC - collecting and analyzing customer feedback   - Customer Segmentation   - Customer Management Processes   - Proactive customer Engagement   - AM & Expansion Sales   - Renewal strategies   - Customer loyalty strategies   - Customer support optimization   - Customer metrics and KPIs 4. Pricing and Packaging   - Pricing strategies   - Value-based pricing   - Discounting strategies & pricing transparency   - Subscription and usage-based models   - Pricing experimentation and A/B testing   - Competitive pricing analysis 5. Operational Efficiency   - SaaS metrics (CAC, LTV, churn rate, etc.)   - Process automation and workflow optimization 6. Talent & Culture   - Leadership & Management    - Attracting and retaining top talent   - Building a high-performance culture   - Performance Management   - Remote work best practices   - Continuous learning and development 7. Community Building   - Community creation & engagement   - Building an ecosystem around the product   - Customer Advocacy Programs 8. Data and Analytics   - Data-driven decision-making   - Business intelligence (BI) tools and dashboards   - Data governance, security and privacy   - AI applications Other: 9. Product (& GTM Alignment) 10. M&A (Commercial/GTM integration) 11. Finance (Supporting the GTM org) 12. GTM Board Updates & KPIs 13. Etc. ------------------ #pe #privateequity #business

82

13 Comments

We’re finalizing our agenda for Unite Summit, an invite-only gathering of the people building the future of embedded finance: banks, tech companies (from public to startups), regulators, and industry leaders. Here are some of the speakers we’ve recently announced:  - Mary Dent (General Counsel & Sr. Advisor, Klaros Group)  - Phil Goldfeder (CEO, American Fintech Council) - Raj Date (Managing Partner, Fenway Summer + Former Deputy Director, CFPB)  - Sean Willett (President & CEO, Lincoln Savings Bank)  - Dana Lawrence (Sr. Director of Fintech Compliance, Pacific West Bank)  - Jake Tupa (Head of Embedded Banking, Live Oak Bank) We're laser focused on quality content; it’s a chance for industry leaders to learn from one another and share best practices for what we think will become a very important ecosystem over time. We’ve organized sessions for banks at several points in their embedded finance journey: 1. Getting embedded finance right: Deciding whether and how to get into the space 2. Revenues in embedded finance: the path to $1b in embedded deposits. We’re locking down our attendee list soon and spaces are limited. If you’re interested in joining, email louise@unit.co (VP Marketing) or request a seat here: https://lnkd.in/gbhtS_BB

82

1 Comment

Looking forward to discussing how changing demographics and culture norms are affecting investment opportunities in longevity, health and well-being at The Care Summit today Alongside Cake Ventures' Monique Woodard, Ziegler's Dan Hermann, Oak HC/FT's Billy Deitch and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Jennifer Edwards, we’ll dive into the trends shaping how we are investing in the space: - Last year marked one of the most significant social and economic moments in modern times: The number of older adults—those aged 50 and over- surpassed the number of children under the age of 15 for the first time. - In 2020 the 50 plus population contributed $45 trillion to global GDP, or 34% of the total. That equates to about 3x the revenue of the world’s 100 highest- earning companies in 2020. - The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase – a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group. - Women around the world and across all ages drive 64% of consumer spending

40

1 Comment

NY friends! Please come see me at Tech Day on my panel discussing the future of the NY tech ecosystem and what I hope to bring to it!

72

5 Comments

If you are curious about learning more about startup investing, check out this online event on May 13th. #WomenInBusiness #InvestmentStrategies #FinancialFreedom #HowWomenInvest #VentureCapital #FinancialEmpowerment #InvestInYourself

8

1 Comment