Podcasts about b2b saas

Send us a textIn this episode we interview David Kyle Choe, Director of Product Marketing at a B2B SaaS company. He reveals why research and behind-the-scenes storytelling often outperform polished campaigns in building trust and brand authenticity.What you'll learn in this episode:Why documenting failed experiments and messy processes creates credibilityHow research can become content that strengthens your brandWhat brands like Story MFG, Anthropic, and Huckberry teach us about authentic marketingHow showing obsession and passion makes even “boring” products compellingWhy mistakes and rough edits resonate more than polished perfectionPractical ways to uncover and share your company's unique process as story

Are you hiring your first go-to-market team, or looking to scale your B2B SaaS sales organization? In this episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains sits down with William Spengler, founder of Frederick Fox, to discuss the realities—and pitfalls—of building a high-performing sales team for SaaS startups.Will reveals why most early sales hires fail, how the staffing industry is undergoing disruption, and his blueprint for assembling a scrappy, effective team in a marketplace crowded with resumes and inflated claims. The conversation ranges from the challenges of hiring senior versus raw talent, the tactical necessity of reference checks, the evolving role of AI in recruiting, how to avoid cash crunches even when revenues are up, and why clarity in your hiring process is the foundation of success. If you're ready for a brutally honest, actionable guide to hiring and scaling (without the fluff), this episode is for you.Key Takeaways00:00 Effective Sales Strategy & Hiring04:56 Real Estate-Style Recruiter Model08:51 "Reality Check: Starting a Firm"11:47 Competitor Research for Business Growth15:04 Defining Critical Hiring Needs20:49 Experience Over Elbow Grease22:14 Streamlining Interview Processes28:25 Incentivizing Sales with High Commissions29:57 "Finding High-Performing Sales Talent"36:37 AI Tools in Recruiting: Limitations40:02 The Limits of AI Interviews42:33 Building an Effective GovTech Sales Team45:24 Verifying Sales Candidate References50:14 "AI Systems & Sales Strategies"Tweetable QuotesQuote: "I would say start to target their top salespeople. That's really what recruiters do. We do the research, we cold call, we email them and we sell your value proposition." — William Spengler How to Attract Top Talent: “A player is going to pick up on that confidence and is going to want to join you. If you're going to go, if you're going to talk to Lebron James and you're not confident, they're not going to take you seriously." — William Spengler Viral Topic: The Traits of Top Sales Talent: "I always think that's a red flag when a really good salesperson is paycheck to paycheck, that it's sort of a red flag." — William Spengler "It's not just about hiring someone with a shiny resume or a smooth pitch because they all seem to have that." — Jeff MainsThe Secret to Unstoppable Leadership: "It's not strategy, not charisma. It's not even luck. It's relationships. — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership LessonsBuild for Clarity, Not Convenience:Ensure all stakeholders align on what the business truly needs from a hire before you start searching for "unicorns."Check the Hype at the Door:Don't just trust claims and shiny resumes. Take the time to verify past performance, especially for sales roles.Know Your Numbers—And Theirs:Ask candidates detailed questions about past targets and results, and verify them. Top performers are always eager to share real numbers.Prioritize Process Discipline:A clear, concise hiring process beats endless rounds every time. Do more work upfront—it pays off with better hires.Scale Operations Before Sales Explode:Investing in back office, accounting, and compliance early prevents massive headaches and cash crunches when you scale rapidly.Bet on Talent That Bets on Themselves:Seek out salespeople willing to trade high base salaries for high upside. These are often the true A-players.Guest...

What if attending a wedding, gala, or an important event didn't mean buying something new, but instead allowed you to rent a designer-quality outfit?In this episode of HappyPorch Radio we are joined by Büsra Zanner, the founder of Wearr. Wearr is a German-based startup reinventing circular fashion rental for special occasions.Büsra shares how her tech background shaped Wearr's customer-first approach, from prioritising flawless event delivery to building a data-driven platform that keeps garments in circulation longer. With a focus on convenience, automation, and strong partnerships, Wearr is proving how circular models can delight customers, extend product lifecycles, and shift mindsets away from ownership toward access.✨ In this episode:Büsra explains why customer experience must come first in rental - even before sustainability.We learn about the emotional side of circular fashion: garments creating new stories through multiple lives.Büsra talks about building a tech stack for rental that uses data to optimise sourcing, curation, and customer experience.We touch on the challenges and opportunities of sourcing: buying retail, partnering with private lenders and working with designers and retailers.We learn why focus and clarity matter for early-stage circular startups.Büsra highlights the importance of picking the right partnerships - and knowing when to say no.We find out how Wearr achieves a 100 NPS by prioritising reliability and delight.

Kristie Jones — sales consultant, B2B SaaS expert, and author of "Selling Your Way In”- discovered that her best workouts aren't defined by the time of day, but by consistency. After long, sometimes challenging days at the sales office, Kristie prefers to “defrag” with evening exercise sessions, finding them the perfect way to unwind and recharge. Rather than chasing morning routines, she focuses on fitting in activity at least five days a week, motivated by the endorphin boost each session brings. For Kristie, the most important part of fitness is enjoying the process and staying consistent, no matter when it happens. Kristie shares why she believes that mental, physical, and spiritual well-being are essential for success in sales, and offers practical advice on building sustainable fitness habits, managing stress, and staying motivated through a disciplined routine. Whether you're a morning workout enthusiast or an evening exerciser, this conversation is packed with actionable tips to help you find your groove, maintain energy, and drive results in your sales career. Get ready to learn how taking care of your body can elevate your professional game! Outline of This Episode [00:00] The link between fitness and sales performance. [06:01] Silent workout struggles. [09:00] It doesn't matter WHEN you exercise, just that you do. [10:53] Holistic wellness through self-awareness. [15:38] Kristie's fitness insights for salespeople. [16:43] Be open to trying new athletic adventures. Translating Physical Wellness Into Greater Sales Results For Kristie Jones, the relationship between physical fitness and professional performance is all-encompassing. Fitness, she explains, tangibly fuels confidence, provides mental clarity, and promotes better sleep—all factors that directly impact sales professionals who need sharp minds and high energy to navigate demanding workdays. According to Kristie, cardio is the keystone. Having shifted from running to brisk walking (following several foot surgeries), she now relies on activities like four-mile-per-hour walks and hiking. This consistency in cardio, she says, keeps her mental and emotional health balanced, not just her physical stamina. Building Powerful Fitness Habits: It's All About Consistency While many believe morning workouts yield the highest consistency, Kristie challenges this stereotype, demonstrating that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. “I really enjoy the evening workout because I need to kind of defrag after a long day,” she explains. The real differentiator isn't the time of day, but consistency. Whether it's before sunrise, at lunch, or after work, what matters most is creating a regular rhythm you look forward to, at least five days a week. For Kristie, evening sessions allow her to unwind and release the day's stress productively. Both approaches highlight the importance of knowing yourself and designing routines that suit your lifestyle and natural rhythms. Fitness as Stress Management and Motivation Fuel Sales roles are notoriously high-pressure—chasing targets, facing rejections, and constantly performing at a high level. Kristie emphasizes that, for her, cardio is just as much about mental health as it is about physical fitness. During especially stressful periods, she'll even double up on walks to keep herself balanced. Exercising in nature—what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing—brings another layer of emotional resilience and mental clarity. Being outdoors fosters problem-solving and introspection, even sparking solutions to work challenges. Prioritizing Fitness Amid Demanding Schedules A recurring obstacle for sales professionals is carving out time for self-care. With startups and sales teams priding themselves on marathon work weeks, personal well-being often gets sidelined. Kristie's solution is to be proactive and build fitness into your schedule by putting it in your calendar. Her commitment to scheduled fitness classes with penalties for no-shows creates the accountability needed to overcome excuses. Whether it's workouts in your calendar or fitting them in before the workday, systematizing self-care is critical. If you notice irritability, low motivation, or mounting stress, it's time for a reset—starting with sleep, nutrition, and movement. How Fitness Drives Sales Results Kristie's own journey—transitioning from team sports to competitive racquetball, and then running—showcases how cross-training and expanding physical competencies dramatically enhanced her competitive edge. Even now, integrating new fitness activities, like strength training or pickleball, keeps her engaged and discovering new strengths. Her advice is to be open to new athletic adventures. You might surprise yourself and discover routines that not only boost your sales performance but also bring new joy and fulfillment to your life. Sales success starts from within. Prioritizing fitness is not a luxury for sales professionals—it's a foundational pillar for clarity, energy, resilience, and long-term success. Whether you find your stride on a morning walk, mid-day hike, or post-work workout, commit to movement. Your clients, your numbers, and most importantly, your well-being, will thank you. Resources & People Mentioned RunKeeper app  OrangeTheory Selling Your Way IN: The Playbook for Setting Your Income and Owning Your Life  Connect with Kristie Jones Kristie Jones  Connect With Paul Watts  LinkedIn Twitter    Subscribe to SALES REINVENTED Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

Haastattelussa ilkeä investointipankkiiri Sami Miettinen | #neuvottelija 353. Eemeli Ervasti kääntää asetelman ja haastattelee Sami Miettistä Translinkistä. Jaksossa pureudutaan yrityskauppaprosessiin, omistajuuteen, ostajaprofiileihin, Translinkin hinnoitteluun ja rekryihin, tekoälyn vaikutuksiin investointipankkityössä sekä yrittäjän exit-polkuun.00:00 Haastateltavana Sami Miettinen00:42 Kuka on Eemeli Ervasti01:11 Hopea Euroopan yrittäjyyskisasta01:44 Kolme teema-aluetta: M&A, tulevaisuus, omistajan ohjeet02:07 Translink pähkinänkuoressa02:29 Omistajuus on niukkuushyödyke03:05 Harhakäsitys yrityskaupasta03:43 Omistajan rooli04:34 Ulkomainen pääoma ja ostajat. Translinkin rooli04:58 Ostajaprofiilit: PE, family office, pörssi, yksityiset, teollinen06:30 Postin listautumisen mahdollisuudet ja riskit07:22 Hinnoittelu ja oman sijoittamisen kyynisyys IPOissa07:48 Miten listautus tehdään reilusti08:50 Jakson rungon kertaus ja kysymyssetti09:29 Miten M&A-prosessi alkaa. Suositukset vs kylmä liidi10:22 Miksi Translink ei lähde halpiskilpailutuksiin10:51 Suositus vs markkinointi. Luottamustili käytännössä12:28 Kohtaamiset ja luottamuksellinen tila13:00 Referenssimarkkinointi raskaassa B2B:ssä13:37 Fokus. B2B SaaS 20–50 M€ EV14:42 Milloin poiketaan fokuksesta15:07 Ostokeissejä ja sarjaostajat16:09 Hinnoittelu. Kiinteät milestone-palkkiot ja success fee17:27 Sopimuksen allekirjoitus ja onnistumispalkkio18:14 Tiimi Suomessa: 11 hengen kokoonpano19:11 Interim-analyytikot. Puolen vuoden oppijakso20:07 Rekryprosessi. Case study, arvonmääritys ja esitys21:32 Tekoäly arjessa. VIBE coding, GitHub ja Python22:23 ChatGPT, koodin ajo ja Adobe Firefly23:00 LLM-työkalut, Perplexity-selain, CRM-assarit23:29 Copilot ei iske24:02 Dokumenttien tiivistys, käännökset, ostajaträkkäys24:56 Dataroomien tietoturva. AI:n rajat25:51 Samin mielipide sähköpostista26:15 Missä automaatio tuo oikeasti arvoa27:11 Voivatko agentit neuvotella kauppakirjan28:13 Delegointi ja human check. Miksi silti tarvitaan ihmisiä28:37 Tiedontason tasaaminen myyjän ja ostajan välillä29:42 Avoimuus nostaa hintaa ja vähentää riitoja30:04 SaaS Suomessa. B2B osaaminen ja esimerkkejä31:08 Horisontaalinen vs vertikaalinen SaaS31:49 Horisontaalinen vs vertikaalinen arvostuskertoimet32:49 AI-disruptio ja reverse engineering33:13 Elon Muskin Macrohard34:09 Miksi malli murtaa dinosauruksia34:27 Fokus ja vallihaudat. Kieli, kulttuuri, sääntely35:33 MVP ja vibekoodaus36:07 AI-hype vs arvo37:04 Agentics Finland ja tekijöiden yhteisöt37:55 Mikä yritys kannattaa perustaa?38:27 Maslow käytäntöön39:13 Humanoidirobotit ja jakelun seuraava aalto40:05 Tavoite: 10 vuodessa exit. Mitä huomioida alussa?40:39 Exit-vaihtoehtojen rakentaminen41:06 Kriittinen massa. 5 M€+ ARR herättää ulkomaan kiinnostuksen41:27 Tee itsesi korvattavaksi. Rooli ja succession42:15 Osakassopimus. Ehdot myös erolle43:18 Kasvun rahoitus. Kassavirta vs ulkoinen rahoitus43:43 Voiko jäädä vain Suomen markkinaan?44:12 Älä perusta vain exitiä varten45:10 Perintövero vs luovutusvoittovero46:06 Ikääntyvät omistajat ja exit-paine46:55 Miksi ruotsalainen omistaja voittaa?48:29 Omistajavihamielinen narratiivi ja työllisyys49:28 Nuorten aloituspaikat ja Vuosi Yrittäjänä -ohjelma50:25 Euroopan suurin nuorten yrittäjyyskilpailu (Gen-E)51:08 YEL-uudistus52:13 Mahdollisuuksista markkinointi53:01 Y-tunnus kaikille55:00 Mitä yrittäjä menettää tuissa? Työnhakija vs yrittäjä56:45 Tyypillisimmät virheet M&A-prosesseissa57:15 Huono osakassopimus ja vähemmistön veto-oikeus57:42 Johdon palkkat59:00 Epärealistiset arvo-odotukset59:27 Virhe yritystä myydessä1:00:21 Miksi lukea Neuvotteluvalta?1:01:19 Neljä vipua: valta, analytiikka, sosiaalisuus, periaatteet1:01:52 Miten Eemeli päätyi jaksoon1:03:05 Jätä kysymykset kommentteihin seuraavaa jaksoa varten1:04:07 Sisäpiiri: Työelämä 22-vuotiaana ja AI-taidot#neuvottelija Sisäpiirissä Työelämä 22-vuotiaana ja AI-taidot

#JonaKoekelcoren #OpenThBox #FromMusicToBusiness #SalesAndMarketing #TechStartups #CustomerSuccess #EntrepreneurshipJourney #AuthentiekeSales331 Jona Koekelcoren Van Muziek Naar Startup Leven in B2B Saas | What's On Your Mind? (Dutch/Nederlands)Hi ik ben Peter en elke week geef ik jullie een podcast over personal development, mindset & verkoop. What's On Your Mind ? is een 1 uur conversatie. Iedereen heeft een verhaal. En ik wil dit verhaal van mijn gast naar boven brengen.In een vorig leven was Jona Koekelcoren actief als zanger en gitarist in een rock/popband die eigen nummers speelde. De band kreeg enige bekendheid door optredens, onder andere als voorprogramma in Nederland en Engeland, en had invloeden van bands als The Strokes en The Vaccines. Jona benadrukt zijn drang om te creëren via songwriting en muziek maken, iets wat voor hem altijd een technische en creatieve combinatie was.Hij vertelt ook over de uitdagingen in de muziekindustrie, zoals het feit dat het maken van muziek vaak gepaard gaat met beperkte financiële beloningen en het belang van geluk voor succes. Jona had de ervaring dat veel muzikanten goed zijn in creativiteit, maar vaak minder bedreven zijn in de zakelijke kant zoals sales en marketing. Dit maakte dat hij zich uiteindelijk meer aangetrokken voelde tot het zakelijke en commerciële aspect van de muziekindustrie en latere techbedrijven dan tot de pure muziekbusiness.Daarnaast reflecteert hij op veranderingen in de muziekindustrie, bijvoorbeeld de impact van streamingdiensten zoals Spotify, waar artiesten vaak alleen kleine royalty-inkomsten krijgen en optreden en merchandise belangrijke inkomstenbronnen zijn. Hij noemt ook dat vroeger cd's belangrijk waren, maar dat die markt grotendeels verdwenen is.En daardoor maakte Jona de overstap als Chief Revenue Officer bij openthbox, waar hij verantwoordelijk is voor sales, marketing en customer success. Het gesprek behandelt de uitdagingen en kansen van zowel de creatieve sector als de tech-start-up wereld, waarbij luisteren en authentieke connecties cruciaal zijn in sales. Jona benadrukt ook het belang van het begrijpen van de achterliggende behoeften van klanten om effectief te kunnen verkopen.Share this video with a YouTuber friend: https://youtu.be/4gFOq_VxY3E Leave your email address at http://www.psgrow.com and receive a weekly update when the new episode is availableSupport your podcast via Patreon https://www.patreon.com/psgrow?fan_landing=true or WhyDonate https://whydonate.nl/donate/PSGROW/enIk gebruik Willow, een Belgische software om alle social media posts op Twitter, Facebook, Instagram en LinkedIn te posten. Willow's tool en consultants zorgen ervoor dat je altijd weet wat, hoe en wanneer je moet posten. Ik ben er zelf heel tevreden van wegens het grote gebruikersgemak.Van eenvoudig inplannen tot content inspiratie en glasheldere analytics. Contacteer me op peter@psgrow.com als je wil genieten van 1 maand gratis !Ben jij klaar om je salesstrategie naar een hoger niveau te tillen? Ben je het beu om te focussen op de verkeerde leads? Automatiseer je processen van prospectie tot het sluiten van deals en focus op wat écht telt: oprechte gesprekken met je prospects. Met Bizzy identificeer je moeiteloos nieuwe leads en stroomlijn je jouw workflow voor maximale impact.Bezoek vandaag nog bizzy.org en ontdek hoe jij net zoals Trixxo, Hudson, Alan, Delaware en Victus sales jouw salesproces kunt transformeren met Bizzy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/, a serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies. In episode #41 of season 5, Anna Nadeina talks with Mike Hill, bootstrapper and serial entrepreneur, co-founder of products like Curator.io, Frill.co, Juuno.co, Flook.co, and Anycamp.--------------Episode's Chapters----------------0:00—Introduction and background1:59—Building stuff and starting micro startups4:01—Limitations of managing multiple businesses5:27—Discussion on AI and its limitations7:04—The future of SaaS and bootstrapping8:33—Team composition and hiring approach10:26—Product strategy and market selection45:16—Biggest wins and failures51:37—Growth hacks and final adviceMike - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mymatemike/ Subscribe to our channel to be the first to see the interviews that we publish - https://www.youtube.com/@saas-groupStay up to date:Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaaS_groupLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/14790796

MOVE SUPPLY CHAINPay less for COGS, get shorter lead times, and improve payment terms in your supply chain with help from Move Supply Chain at https://⁠movesupplychain.com⁠.INTELLIGEMSIntelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42DcmFl. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20.//Drew Fallon is the founder and CEO of Iris. Learn more about Iris at www.irisfinance.co and follow Drew on X at https://x.com/drewfallon12.//Raising money has become almost taboo in the DTC and eCommerce world—but is that mindset actually holding brands back?In this episode, Andrew sits down with Drew Fallon, CEO of Iris, fresh off a $6.2M seed round. They unpack the hard truths about fundraising, margins, forecasting, and why certain categories (like supplements and gummies) are scaling at lightning speed. Drew brings unique insight from inside the financials of 100+ eCommerce brands, offering perspective few operators ever get to see.You'll hear a candid discussion about:- When raising capital creates real advantage (and when it kills your optionality)- Why high gross margin is the ultimate cheat code for scale- The long, overlooked sales cycle for B2B SaaS in eCommerce- How forecasting and inventory planning can make or break growth- The capital markets correction and what it means for CPG founders nowIf you're facing margin pressure, considering outside investment, or just want a sharper financial lens on your business, this episode is a masterclass in understanding the numbers that matter.//CHAPTER TITLES:00:01:15 - Raising Money00:03:43 - Influencer Marketing In DTC00:07:40 - Drew's Onboarding Sales Cycle00:10:11 - Hiring For Head of Marketing00:11:17 - The Future Of Iris00:16:45 - The Up Trend For E-Commerce Brands00:18:40 - These ARE The Brands That Win00:27:52 - Drew's Bucket Analogy00:31:46 - Make Your Subscription Valuable To Customers00:37:59 - Make The Case For Fundraising00:47:27 - Early Growth Equity Funds//SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR 2X/WEEKLY UPLOADS!//ADMISSIONGet the best media buying training on the Internet + a free coaching call with Common Thread Collective's media buyers when you sign up for ADmission here: ⁠⁠https://www.youradmission.co/andrew-faris-podcast⁠//FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/andrewjfaris ⁠Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.comWork with Andrew: ⁠https://ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Anthony Pierri and Rob Kaminski are the co-founders of Fletch, a positioning strategy firm for B2B SaaS companies. They started Fletch after observing that most founders often confuse positioning with copywriting and marketing, and built their business by helping SaaS leaders make the tough, strategic choices about who they serve and how they win. Over the last three years, Anthony and Rob have collaborated with over 400 SaaS companies, ranging from early-stage startups to rapidly growing companies. Fletch helps founders and B2B SaaS leaders clarify their positioning, sharpen their messaging, and translate strategy into effective homepage design. In our practical discussion, they help founders see that positioning is a business strategy, not copywriting, which forces clarity and tradeoffs to improve execution. They share why founders must (eventually) choose one clear path to scale efficiently and why bootstrapped SaaS leaders often make sharper bets than VC-backed peers. Key Takeaways Positioning = Strategy: Positioning is a founder/CEO choice, not copywriting or branding. Almost Universal Problem: Most B2B SaaS founders struggle with positioning clarity. Anchors Drive Focus: Use category, use case, or alternative as clear positioning anchors. Bootstrappers Move Faster: Limited capital forces clarity that VC-backed companies delay. Execution Takes Time: Positioning decisions are quick, but discipline drives results. Homepage Test: Your homepage clearly reveals whether positioning is working or not. This Interview Is Perfect For SaaS founders stuck at $1M–$10M ARR growth plateaus Bootstrapped operators needing sharper messaging to scale Founders unclear about marketing vs positioning strategy B2B SaaS CEOs rethinking go-to-market focus Quote from Dave Yuan, founder of Tidemark Capital “There is a difference between bootstrappers and VC-funded startup founders in successfully positioning their startups. Bootstrappers are willing to see a narrow opportunity and tackle it with focus, because almost every market is big enough to sustain a $10 million company. “I don't care how narrow you get, the world's a big place. So even with a hyper-focused, verticalized niche, or use case play, there's plenty of money if you do it well and that's very appealing to bootstrappers. “Most VC-funded founders don't focus as well, which creates problems. But the founders who truly understand positioning and the idea that it can evolve over time, whether they're venture backed or not, they start with a very narrow practice to start and succeed as a leader. “ Links Anthony Pierri on LinkedIn Rob Kaminski on LinkedIn Fletch Website Podcast Sponsor – Cypress Growth Capital This podcast is sponsored by Cypress Growth Capital, an alternative to equity, royalty-based growth capital provides funding in exchange for a fixed percentage of your company's future monthly revenues. Learn more at https://www.cypressgrowthcapital.com/ The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding.  A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.

The B2B SaaS market is experiencing a significant slowdown with growth rates dropping, while traditional marketing channels deliver diminishing returns in an increasingly saturated landscape.• Marketing benchmarks show companies growing faster than 20% spend 10-15% of revenue on marketing, while slower-growing firms spend only 7-9%• Digital channels like SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay per click), and email are seeing declining performance metrics despite increased spending• Today's B2B buyer completes 80% of their journey independently, yet companies still allocate 70% of go-to-market resources to sales• "What's old is new again" – smaller, intimate events and personalized interactions are outperforming scalable digital tactics• Successful companies balance brand marketing (awareness) and demand generation (conversion) equally• Effective positioning requires elevating problems to the executive level by articulating significant business impact• AI isn't changing what we should measure but enables better personalization at scale across industries and personas• The brand versus demand debate represents a false dichotomy – both work synergistically to drive growthThe rules of B2B marketing are being rewritten before our eyes. In this revealing conversation with marketing benchmark expert Omar Akhtar and go-to-market guru AJ Gandhi, we unpack the surprising reality that most B2B SaaS companies are facing: we're effectively in a recession. Growth rates have plummeted from over 30% to just 11-20%, while traditional digital channels deliver diminishing returns despite increased spending.What's behind this troubling trend? Market saturation, poor tool integration, rapid commoditization, and fundamental shifts in buyer behavior all play a role.The most compelling insight? Companies growing faster than 20% annually are investing 10-15% of revenue in marketing, with a balanced approach between brand awareness and demand generation.Whether you're managing a marketing team, leading sales, or driving overall growth strategy, this episode offers critical benchmarks and tactical approaches for navigating today's challenging landscape. AJ Gandhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjaigandhi/AJ Gandhi is a distinguished Go-To-Market (GTM) leader and executive community builder. He currently serves as a Board Member for Plum Acquisition Corp.  Additionally, he is a Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital and GTMfund.  AJ is also a co-founder of the GTM Leader Society.  Just recently, AJ served as Chief Growth Officer for Marlin Equity Partners and held significant roles at Salesforce, Ring Central, Bain & and McKinsey.  AJ is an alumnus of UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School.Omar Akhtar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarbilalakhtar/Omar Akhtar is the Founder and Principal Analyst at Benchmarker, leading research on marketing excellence for B2B tech. Previously, he was Head of Research at Altimeter, a Prophet Company, where he advised Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, Salesforce, Adobe, and Netflix, on marketing, data, and content strategies. Omar got his undergraduate degree in economics from Ohio Wesleyan, and then got a Masters in Journalism from Columbia.Website: https://www.position2.com/podcast/Rajiv Parikh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivparikh/Sandeep Parikh: https://www.instagram.com/sandeepparikh/Email us with any feedback for the show: sparkofages.podcast@position2.com

Send us a textIn this special interview edition of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias sits down with Shekar Sivasubramanian, Head of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, to explore how AI can be deployed at scale for social good. Shekar shares powerful stories of AI in action—from an oral reading fluency assistant helping millions of Indian children, to smartphone-powered pest detection for rural farmers. This episode dives into designing for deployment (not just innovation), building trust with limited data, and why humility and human-centered thinking are vital for transformative impact. It's a conversation full of heart, hope, and hard-earned wisdom. Shekar Sivasubramanian brings nearly four decades of experience in technology and business leadership, having scaled multiple startups to billion-dollar valuations. Now Head of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, he leads a team delivering AI solutions in agriculture, healthcare, and education to underserved populations across India. An alum of IIT Bombay and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Shekar also maintains deep technical expertise and a research affiliation with Carnegie Mellon University. 

Ever wondered if you might already be a product marketer without knowing it? This episode breaks down one of B2B's most misunderstood roles with someone who literally wrote the book on it. Kayla Medica, Australia's leading product marketing advocate and author of The Mehdeeka Method, sits down with host Vinnie Romano to demystify what product marketers actually do and why they're crucial for proving product-market fit. If you're a marketer feeling stuck between sales enablement and strategic growth, or a founder struggling to translate your brilliant product into clear value propositions that resonate, this conversation will change how you think about marketing's role in driving revenue. Kayla reveals why product marketing might be the missing piece in your marketing strategy—and why understanding it could be the key to unlocking sustainable business growth. Guest Introduction Kayla Medica is the author of The Mehdeeka Method, a book all about establishing product marketing in an organisation including all the tricky bits like wrangling big personalities, as well as a fractional product marketer working with B2B SaaS businesses and startups. Having worked in B2B SaaS for over a decade, she's established product marketing functions at companies like Willow, serves as Head of Programming for Generate Summit, and writes the weekly Mehdeeka newsletter. Key Topics Defining product marketing beyond the buzzwords - Why product marketing isn't just another marketing role and how it bridges the gap between what you build and what customers actually needThe product marketer as the "buddy system" to your product - How product marketers change roles throughout a product's lifecycle from concept to sunset, acting as whatever the product needs at each stageWhy sales enablement isn't "just" sales enablement - How internal education and getting everyone on the same page about what your product actually does forms the foundation for all other marketing effortsThe granular work behind product-market fit - Real examples of how product marketers identify new use cases, expand into new markets, and help businesses understand not just who their customers are, but how they actually use the productCareer transition advice for aspiring product marketers - How to identify if you're already doing product marketing work and what skills transfer from traditional marketing rolesThe collaboration imperative - Why product marketing success depends on working across teams (sales, product, customer success) and being the person who brings solutions, not just problemsProduct marketing as a business growth lever - How understanding and maintaining product-market fit becomes crucial for sustainable business growth and why business leaders should care about this functionThe Australian product marketing landscape - Why the role is newer in Australia compared to the US and how the local market is evolving Resources & Links Books Mentioned: The Mehdeeka Method by Kayla Medica - A step-by-step guide to establishing product marketing within organisationsListen Like You Mean It by Ximena Vengoechea - About conducting interviews and listening skills for product marketersTalk to Me by Dean Nelson - A journalist's guide to asking better questions Communities & Resources: Generate Summit - Australia and New Zealand's leading B2B marketing communityMehdeeka Newsletter - Kayla's seasonal newsletter on B2B SaaS marketing People Mentioned: Axel Sukianto - Co-founder of GenerateLara Vandersluis - Generate community organiserKaylee Liu Generate community organiser Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter Contact & Credits Host: Vinnie Romano Guest: Kayla Medica Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell Edited by: Alexander Hipwell Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

Are you struggling to stay ahead of your competitors in the B2B SaaS market? In this podcast hosted by Cassio Sampaio, Okta Head of Insights for Growth Kundan Kolhe will be speaking on building effective competitive intelligence strategies. Drawing from over 20 years of enterprise software experience, Kundan shares insider tactics on how top tech companies transform competitive insights into winning business strategies.

Please note: The topics covered in this episode should not be taken as investment advice.This week on Riding Unicorns, we're joined by Rupert West, the founder and Managing Director of Puma Growth Partners, a UK-based growth equity investor backing companies at Series A with cheque sizes of £4–10m. Puma invests across consumer brands, B2B SaaS, and scalable business services, with a hands-on approach to helping founders scale sustainably and successfully exit.Rupert shares the story of building Puma from scratch, starting with the core mission: to deliver true value-add support to founders using his team's operational and financial expertise. He also dives into the firm's unique structure (including VCTs), investment thesis, and deep operational involvement with portfolio companies like Pockit and YASO.

Benjamin Ard is the Co-founder and CEO of Masset, a platform that helps B2B teams centralize and track their content for faster access and smarter use. He's grown the company with notable clients like Awardco, secured early funding, and hosts the Content Amplified Podcast with over 300 episodes. With extensive experience in B2B SaaS and marketing leadership — and as a father of four — Benjamin shares practical insights on growth, content strategy, and building customer-focused companies. In this episode… Buried in shared drives and forgotten folders, high-value marketing content often disappears before it can create impact. This “content graveyard” drains productivity and leaves teams scrambling to find what they need. How can businesses finally make content easy to find, track, and use across the organization? Benjamin Ard set out to solve this by creating a unified content library designed for scalability. With AI-powered search and integrations across Slack, Google Drive, and HubSpot, Masset ensures that every department can access, deploy, and measure content's real value. By eliminating seat-based pricing, Ben prioritized accessibility from day one — helping clients like Awardco boost efficiency and sales. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz talks with Benjamin Ard, Co-founder and CEO of Masset, about transforming B2B content management and scaling a SaaS startup. They discuss co-founder dynamics, raising angel and pre-seed rounds, validating product-market fit, and evolving SaaS pricing. Ben also shares insights on mentorship, community, and podcasting as tools for growth.

Tim Guleri, Managing Partner at Sierra Ventures, reflects on 25 years in venture capital and his journey from Chandigarh to Silicon Valley. He shares how hands-on experience as a founder shapes his investing philosophy, why early-stage VCs must guide founders toward long-term fundamentals, and why raising too much capital too soon can hurt a company. Tim explains Sierra's disciplined approach to partnering with entrepreneurs, the power of unique customer insight, and his hope that America preserves its structural advantage in entrepreneurship.In this episode, you'll learn:[02:10] From Chandigarh to Silicon Valley: Tim's path to venture and entrepreneurship[04:09] Lessons from Scopus and Octane: Why lived experience matters more than spreadsheets[06:07] How venture “reinvents itself” and demands a learning mindset[11:43] Sierra Ventures' early-stage focus and flexible check sizes[14:33] Why raising the maximum check can backfire[16:44] The Eudia story: Hundreds of customer interviews and unique insights win conviction[23:07] How Sierra selects only ~2 deals per partner each year[27:26] Tim's message to Washington: Don't overregulate America's greatest gift—entrepreneurshipThe nonprofit organization Tim is passionate about: American India FoundationAbout Tim GuleriTim Guleri is a Managing Partner at Sierra Ventures, where he focuses on AI, enterprise software, and emerging technologies. A successful founder turned investor, Tim led Scopus Technology to an IPO and later founded Octane Software, which was acquired for $3B. Since 2001, he has been a hands-on venture capitalist, backing transformative companies and guiding founders with lessons from both entrepreneurial wins and mistakes.About Sierra VenturesSierra Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture capital firm with over $2B in assets under management and more than four decades of experience. Specializing in enterprise infrastructure and emerging technologies, Sierra partners with founders at seed and Series A stages, providing flexible capital, operational expertise, and trusted connections to help startups scale into market leaders. Portfolio companies include Eudia, Yalo, Spectro Cloud, Endor Labs, Phenom People, Planera, Quintessent, Cimulate, among others.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

Is the new age of AI agents about to kill niche B2B SaaS businesses? Many first-time founders worry that tools like ChatGPT or custom AI builders will make off-the-shelf SaaS products obsolete, but it could simply herald a new evolution of SaaS.In this episode, Yaniv is joined by Rob Walling, serial founder, investor, and author of The SaaS Playbook, to break down why B2B SaaS still outperforms other business models and how founders can build defensible products – even in an AI-driven world.They explore the fundamentals of recurring revenue, why vertical SaaS wins over horizontal competitors, and the real opportunities AI creates for startup builders.In this episode, you will:Understand why recurring revenue outperforms one-off sales for stability and growth.Learn how vertical and orthogonal SaaS niches beat large horizontal players.Discover the importance of high margins and why bootstrapping B2B SaaS is often possible.Evaluate how net revenue retention and negative churn can exponentially increase enterprise value.Apply Rob's 2-20-200 framework to validate and launch your own SaaS idea.Explore how to use AI as a feature or an enabler rather than seeing it as a threat.Gain insights on positioning, pricing, and finding your ideal customer profile in crowded markets.Learn more about Rob Walling and his work here: https://robwalling.com The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:Follow, rate, and review us in your listening appSubscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/  Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media followingKey linksGet your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/Learn more about Chris and YanivWork 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/  Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/  Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthurIntro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

Aviv spent months walking construction sites carrying tools for managers just to understand their problems—speaking to customers is "bullsh*t"—you need to work beside them to see reality. His company Buildots had a working AI product that tracked construction progress perfectly, but 90% of users got zero value from it. Until he made one key change that took them from barely surviving to 3-4X yearly growth. He reveals why his first customers had negative margins, how he accidentally underpriced by 10X, and why you should never build a feature until you've proven the value manually in Excel first. After nearly dying, today Buildots does tens of millions in revenue.Why You Should Listen:Why you need to stop talking to customers and start working alongside them.Why one simple change can transform usage and value creation.Why you should prove value without product before writing a single line of code.How to price when you have no idea.Keywords:startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, Buildots, Aviv Leibovici, construction tech, customer development, product-market fit, B2B SaaS, computer vision,00:00:00 Intro00:01:41 From Israeli intelligence to construction tech00:05:03 Working alongside construction managers00:10:20 Understanding the problem00:21:41 First customer deployment disaster00:30:29 COVID and nearly failing00:39:04 The pivot that changed everything00:45:16 Finding product-market fitSend me a message to let me know what you think!

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/, a serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies. In episode #40 of season 5, Anna Nadeina talks with Joran, founder of Reditus, affiliate management software tailored for SaaS businesses. --------------Episode's Chapters---------------- 0:05 — Introduction and welcome 0:53 — Benjamin's background in engineering 2:37 — Competing with larger AI companies 4:12 — Marketing strategy and challenges 6:16 — Product positioning and customer segments 9:07 — Growth channels and Microsoft store 17:59 — Small team operations and AI automation 27:52 — Managing AI hallucinations 34:55 — Company wins and failures 40:43 — Final advice for founders Benjamin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-spinola-691250a8/ SlidesGPT - https://slidesgpt.com Subscribe to our channel to be the first to see the interviews that we publish - https://www.youtube.com/@saas-group Stay up to date: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaaS_group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/14790796

In this episode of Noob School, I catch up with Scott Millwood, a familiar voice in the Greenville startup scene and co-founder of Founderville, a venture capital fund based right here in Greenville, SC. Scott shares his journey after Datastream, diving into some of the ventures he's led and the successes he's achieved along the way.We spend time discussing his current focus at Founderville. The fund is dedicated to supporting B2B SaaS startups, helping promising companies scale and thrive in today's competitive market. Scott gives insight into his role with the fund, the kinds of startups they look for, and the strategies they've used to foster growth in the Greenville tech ecosystem.Looking ahead, Scott shares exciting plans for the future, including the anticipated launch of Fund II. It's clear that Founderville isn't just a fund—it's a growing part of the Greenville startup community, and Scott's dedication to supporting founders is a big reason for its impact.Throughout the episode, we also touch on investing, entrepreneurship, and the lessons Scott has learned from years of building businesses. Whether you're an aspiring founder, investor, or just curious about the Greenville tech scene, there's a lot to take away from this conversation.Get your sales in rhythm with The Sterling Method: https://SterlingSales.coI'm going to be sharing my secrets on all my social channels, but if you want them all at your fingertips, start with my book, Sales for Noobs: https://amzn.to/3tiaxsLSubscribe to our newsletter today: https://bit.ly/3Ned5kL#SalesTraining #B2BSales #SalesExcellence #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #SalesLeadership #SalesSuccess #SalesCoaching #SalesSkills #SalesInnovation #SalesTips #SalesPerformance #SalesTransformation #SalesTeamDevelopment #SalesMotivation #SalesEnablement #SalesGoals #SalesExpertise #SalesInsights #SalesTrends#salestrends

Derek Weeks is the Chief Marketing Officer at Katalon, a company that provides an AI-augmented software quality management platform for automating testing and improving software development workflows. He brings over 30 years of marketing experience, including leadership roles at Sonatype and the Linux Foundation. Derek co-founded All Day DevOps and has pioneered efforts in open-source software supply chain security. He is also the author of Unfair Mindshare: A CMO's Guide to Community-Led Marketing in a Product-Led World.  In this episode… Building a loyal audience is harder than ever in the crowded B2B SaaS landscape. Traditional marketing tactics can struggle to break through, and customer acquisition costs continue to rise. How can companies create authentic connections that lead to long-term growth? According to Derek Weeks, a seasoned marketing leader and pioneer in community-led strategies, the answer is to put audience needs first and consistently provide value before selling anything. He highlights that trust is earned by creating spaces where people can learn, share, and engage without feeling pitched. By leveraging user-generated content and empowering practitioners to create authentic conversations, he has seen communities grow to hundreds of thousands of members. In this episode of the Revenue Engine Podcast, host Alex Gluz sits down with Derek Weeks, Chief Marketing Officer at Katalon, to discuss how community-led marketing drives sustainable B2B SaaS growth. They explore strategies to scale a product community from 60,000 to 117,000 members, why user-generated content lowers acquisition costs, and how to adapt content for the age of LLM search. Derek also shares lessons from building the All Day DevOps community and keeping audiences engaged over time.

Brendan Foody is the CEO and co-founder of Mercor, the fastest-growing company in history to go from $1M to $500M in revenue (in just 17 months!). At 22, he is also the youngest American unicorn founder ever. Mercor works with 6 of the Magnificent 7 and all top 5 AI labs to help them hire experts to create evaluations and training data that improve their models. In this conversation, Brendan explains why evals have become the critical bottleneck for AI progress, how he discovered this massive opportunity, and what the future of work might look like in an AI-driven economy.What you'll learn:1. Why evals are becoming the primary bottleneck for AI progress and what this means for AI startups2. How Mercor grew to $500M revenue in 17 months (fastest in history)3. Brendan's meeting with xAI that changed his company's trajectory4. Which skills and jobs will remain most valuable as AI continues to advance (hint: jobs with “elastic” demand)5. Why Brendan believes AGI and superintelligence are not happening anytime soon6. The three unique core values that drove Mercor's success7. How Harvard Lampoon writers are making Claude funnier—Brought to you by:WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUsJira Product Discovery—Atlassian's new prioritization and roadmapping tool built for product teamsEnterpret—Transform customer feedback into product growth—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/experts-writing-ai-evals-brendan-foody—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/173303790/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Brendan Foody:• X: https://x.com/BrendanFoody• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-foody-2995ab10b/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Brendan Foody and Mercor(05:38) The “era of evals”(09:26) Understanding the AI training landscape(17:10) The future of work and AI(25:54) The evolution of labor markets(29:55) Understanding how AI models are trained(38:58) Building Mercor(53:27) Lessons from past ventures(56:55) The future of AI and model improvement(01:00:41) His personal use of AI and final thoughts—References: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/experts-writing-ai-evals-brendan-foody—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

About Stevee Danielle:Stevee Danielle is the CEO of FiveCRM and BeePurple, leading transformation in addiction recovery technology after a remarkable journey from cosmetology through enterprise SaaS sales. Having experienced every level from individual contributor to C-suite across multiple industries, Stevee brings unique empathy and adaptability to her leadership role, where she's leading a mission-driven SaaS that helps recovery centers prove their impact through data.About BeePurple:BeePurple is a specialized CRM platform designed for addiction recovery centers, transforming how peer support specialists stay connected with people in recovery. Built on the principle that "connection beats addiction," the platform helps recovery centers track outcomes, manage relationships, and aggregate data to prove their community impact. Unlike traditional B2B SaaS, BeePurple serves clients who often still use pen and paper in their roles day-to-day, creating a unique approach to selling and supporting mission-driven technology.Show Notes:00:00 Introduction and Background: From cosmetology to SaaS leadership01:18 Transitioning to SaaS Sales: "The only thing I knew about software was I couldn't hold it"02:27 Building Relationships in Sales: How years as a cosmetologist prepared her for enterprise03:30 Selling a Technical Product: The discovery that led to pairing AEs with SEs06:45 Leadership and Team Dynamics: Learning to be receptive from early mentors12:06 From Individual Contributor to CEO: Taking empathy from every level of the journey15:02 Empathy in Leadership: "I wouldn't ask my team to do anything I haven't done"18:05 The Unique Value of BeePurple: Shifting from traditional B2B to mission-driven sales20:55 Connecting with Recovery Centers: Selling to heroes who aren't on LinkedIn

In this episode of Executive IT, host Evan Kiely sits down with Alan Taylor, COO of Maxio, to explore how IT and security shape business reliability, compliance, and growth. Alan shares his perspective as a seasoned operator in private-equity backed SaaS companies, covering:Why IT and security are non-negotiable investments for scaling businessesHow Maxio structures compliance around SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI auditsThe role of IT in go-to-market, customer trust, and competitive differentiationLessons from M&A integrations—where IT diligence can make or break successPractical advice for IT and security leaders on building cross-functional governanceWhether you're a technology leader, operator, or business executive, this conversation offers actionable insights on making IT and security a business driver — not an afterthought.

This episode dives deep into digital accessibility—why it's more than just ticking a compliance box and how it can unlock business growth, improve user experience, and amplify engagement across your B2B SaaS company. Jeff Mains chats with Mike Barton, VP at AudioEye, about transforming digital content and experiences to be truly inclusive. Together, they explore practical strategies for simplifying messaging, overcoming the “curse of knowledge,” leveraging AI as a creative partner, and using storytelling to create content that resonates with and includes everyone.If you're looking to scale your SaaS, boost SEO, or just build a business of significance, this conversation is full of actionable wisdom.Key Takeaways00:00 Inclusive Content Creation Strategies05:59 Emphasizing Digital Accessibility Awareness09:36 Unlocking a $13 Trillion Market10:28 Accessibility: A Revenue Opportunity15:51 Digital Accessibility for All19:50 Simplifying Content for Quick Impact22:29 "Storytelling Enhances Data Impact"24:30 User Experience Roadblocks Analogy30:27 Pre-Demo Decision Influencers33:49 Collaborative Storycrafting in Business36:40 Creating Unified Brand Narratives38:29 Engaging Brand Storytelling Techniques43:56 AI Enhances Content Creation Efficiency45:39 AI Clarifies Better Than Humans?48:58 Free Accessibility Site Scan51:18 Streamlining Growth: AI to StorytellingTweetable QuotesDigital Accessibility Matters: "This isn't about just checking a compliance box. It's unlocking your full audience potential and improving the experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities." — Mike Barton"But here's the kicker. Simplifying content, ditching jargon, and designing with clarity not only helps users with visual, cognitive or mobility challenges, it boosts your SEO, increases engagement, and actually converts better." — Mike BartonViral Topic: The Power of Emotion in B2B Storytelling: "data informs and emotion transforms." — Mike Barton Why Simplicity in Web Design Matters for Everyone: "Simplicity sells, simplicity scales." — Jeff MainsQuote: "Well, the first place it goes wrong is that there is no overarching brand story or narrative. You just have a bunch of content islands that exist across all your channels that are telling different stories." — Jeff Mains Quote: "Most people are shocked to find how many issues exist on their site and how difficult it is for a person with a disability." — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership LessonsEmpathy-led Leadership:Lead your content, teams, and company by keeping customer experience at the forefront, especially for those often excluded.Challenge Default Thinking:Don't treat accessibility as a compliance task—see it as strategic growth and innovation opportunity.Simplify Relentlessly:Precision beats paragraphs. Prioritize clarity in your messaging for every audience segment.Make Others the Hero:Elevate your users' journey and outcomes, not your brand's accolades.Leverage Team and Community Feedback:Build a creative "brain trust" for testing and refining ideas—it's never a solo act.Embrace Technology with Humility:Use AI not to replace the human touch but to supercharge your team's abilities and your content's impact.Guest Resourcesmike.barton@audioeye.comwww.audioeye.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/omnibarton/Episode Sponsor

Shensi cold messaged 50,000 engineers to build Merge. She worked 9am-9pm every day, gave her first customers two months free to prove herself, and refused to hire anyone remote—even during peak COVID. She purposefully didn't collect a single dollar of revenue until she knew she could hit $1M in a months. "Startups are all about momentum." She lost their biggest deal to a competitor who copied them, then won that customer back years later. She outbounded her way from zero to $10M through sheer force of will, doing demos all day until her calendar was completely booked. Today Merge has raised $75M and powers integrations for hundreds of B2B companies. This is raw, unfiltered founder advice from someone who believes you just have to "man up" and outbound your way to success.Why You Should Listen:Why you should wait to collect revenue until you see a clear path to $1M ARR. Why you need to outbound thousands of people to build your team.You can will your way to $10M—but you'll need something else to hit $100M.Why they are an in-office company, even for remote rockstar devs.Keywords:Startup podcast, Startup podcast for founders, Merge, Shensi Ding, integrations, B2B SaaS, outbound sales, seed funding, product-market fit, API, developer tools, startup growth00:00:00 Intro00:02:55 From coding in middle school to investment banking00:06:45 How she found the problem00:09:09 100 customer conversations00:13:51 Quitting during COVID00:16:16 Raising $4.5M seed in 3 weeks00:21:01 Outbounding 50,000 engineers00:25:32 Landing first customers through cold LinkedIn00:31:37 Not collecting revenue on purpose00:37:47 When product-market fit actually hitSend me a message to let me know what you think!

Send us a textIn this special 100th episode of Sidecar Sync, co-hosts Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias take a celebratory stroll down memory lane, unpacking the journey from the show's inception in 2023 to today. They reflect on five distinct podcast eras, distill the top 10 AI insights echoed across episodes, and get candid about the surprising speed of tech transformation in the association space. You'll hear how Mallory used Claude and Google Colab to distill hundreds of transcripts, which past guests left a mark, and what the future holds for episode 200. Plus, an exclusive giveaway for loyal listeners and one golden use case every association should adopt today. 

Why is it still harder for women to be seen, heard, and safe in B2B marketing?

Send us a textIn this episode we interview Billy Cripe, Global Vice President of Marketing at Solifi, a leading financial services SaaS company.Billy shares deep insight into the intersection of content, scalability, and AI—grounded in years of experience across B2B SaaS, demand generation, and sales enablement.What you'll learn in this episode:Why content is more than a marketing asset—it's a gravitational force for engagementHow to measure content's true impact beyond surface-level metricsThe internal cost of unused content and how to avoid itHow marketers can build with empathy by listening to frontline teamsWhy AI will transform marketers from creators to curatorsWhat the future of content looks like in an LLM-powered world

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray sits down with Riya Grover, co-founder and CEO of Sequence. Riya shares her journey from investment banking to entrepreneurship, including the story behind her first SaaS company in the restaurant industry and its eventual acquisition. She dives into the inspiration for Sequence—a modern billing and quote-to-cash platform designed to tackle the challenges of custom contracts and complex pricing models for scaling SaaS and B2B companies. Riya opens up about the company's pivotal shift from payments to revenue management, navigating tough conversations with investors, and building a lean, high-impact team. She reveals how Sequence is empowering finance teams to automate billing, invoicing, and revenue recognition, while also offering flexibility for hybrid pricing and go-to-market motions. Tune in to hear Riya's insights on scaling a SaaS business, managing a major product pivot, and how AI-powered automation is transforming the future of financial operations. Whether you're a SaaS CFO, founder, or just curious about the evolving CFO tech stack, this episode has a wealth of lessons and practical advice. Show Notes: 00:00 Automated Custom Billing Platform 04:29 Scaling Challenges for SaaS Companies 09:11 Pivoting to Custom Payments Solutions 10:54 Early Capital's Impact on Team Building 14:51 Adapting Teams for Changing Visions 16:40 Growth Strategy Focused on Content and Networking 20:31 Hybrid Scalable Pricing Model 24:35 Transforming Finance with AI Agents 29:19 "Contextual Finance Automation Opportunities" 30:25 "Contact SequenceHQ Easily" Links: SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/sequence-raises-75-million-in-funding Riya Grover's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riya-grover-a22a4822/ Sequence HQ's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sequence-hq/ Sequence HQ's Website: https://www.sequencehq.com/ To learn more about Ben check out the links below: Subscribe to Ben's daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben's SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben's SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

Rishi Taparia is a seasoned operator turned investor who brings a unique perspective from his time in the trenches at companies like Poynt and Legion. Now, as the Co-founder of Garuda Ventures, he invests in the next generation of B2B software companies.In this episode, we dive deep into the seismic shifts happening in the world of B2B SaaS, thanks to AI. We'll explore how the rules of software are being rewritten, what a real 'moat' looks like in this new era, and why customer trust might be the most valuable asset a company can have. Rishi shares his 'team, market, product, vision' framework for investing and offers a candid look at the emotional rollercoaster of building a company from the ground up.Links: ⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.comGaruda Ventures website - https://www.garuda.vcGaruda Ventures newsletter - https://garuda.substack.com/Brick by Brick podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@brickxbrickpodRishi Taparia on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rktaparia/Rishi Taparia on X - https://x.com/tapsTaps Notes (Rishi's newsletter) - https://taps.substack.com/Arpan Punyani on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpanpunyani/Arpan's newsletter - https://arpanpunyani.substack.com/

What does it really take to scale a SaaS from a tiny Barcelona startup to a global leader protecting brands like major clubs and top electronics companies? In this candid conversation, Laura Urquizu (CEO, Red Points) shares hard-won lessons on going from SMB to enterprise, hiring fast in NYC (and fixing the fallout), balancing long-term strategy with short-term execution, and why the best CEOs become “irrelevant” day-to-day as teams outperform.We dive into go-to-market, NRR as the north star, fundraising mistakes after a big round, building in the U.S. from Europe, and the AI behind Red Points (95% automated detection, 30M checks/day). If you're a founder, operator, or investor, this one's a masterclass in scaling under permanent uncertainty.Support the show

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/, a serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies. In episode #35 of season 5, Anna Nadeina talks with Joran, founder of Reditus, affiliate management software tailored for SaaS businesses.--------------Episode's Chapters----------------00:06 — Introduction and background02:14 — Initial contact and acquisition offer03:36 — How the deal started05:00 — Due diligence process06:33 — Lack of buyer due diligence07:52 — Data room and documentation requirements09:54 — Technical due diligence32:59 — Why the deal fell through41:37 — Current business status and future plans44:12 — Founder advice and lessons learnedJoran - https://www.linkedin.com/in/b2b-saas-growth/?originalSubdomain=nlSubscribe to our channel to be the first to see the interviews that we publish twice a week - https://www.youtube.com/@saas-groupStay up to date:Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaaS_groupLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/14790796

For years, B2B leaders have preached the importance of breaking down organisational silos, yet true cross-functional alignment remains elusive for many. How do you move beyond theoretical collaboration to create a genuinely seamless customer experience where product, marketing, sales, and support all speak the same language?In this episode, we're joined by Mika Yamamoto, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks, who oversees a diverse organization of 1,200 employees. Drawing on her extensive experience at tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Adobe, Mika shares the blueprint behind Freshworks' transformative "uncomplicate" movement.Discover how Freshworks uses this simple North Star to reduce friction across the entire customer journey. Tune in to learn:Why cross-functionality is essential to capitalize on innovations like AI search.Tactics for building a shared "source code" for brand messaging across technical and commercial teams.How to overcome the challenge of unlearning siloed behaviors and fostering a culture of mutual success.Proof points for measuring the impact of alignment on customer satisfaction and employee engagement.The FINITE Podcast is sponsored by Clarity, a full-service digital marketing and communications agency. Through ideas, influence and impact, Clarity empowers visionary technology companies to change the world for the better.

A full founder's arc: starting small, building global SaaS companies from Hyderabad, taking one to IPO, another to a billion-dollar exit, and then choosing to begin again (and again).Kiran Darisi began at Zoho, founding team member of Freshworks at 25, and stayed twelve years till the company went public. Today he is building Atomicwork, reinventing service management in the AI era. Sreedhar Peddineni started with Host Analytics back when SaaS was still called application service provider, went on to create the customer success category with Gainsight, and is now on his third venture with GTM Buddy.In this episode, we talk about what it takes to build companies that last for decades. We discuss how startups can find the “Goldilocks zone”,why smaller teams are creating more value than ever, and the mistakes founders often make when moving from SMB to enterprise.Both founders share how AI is reshaping every layer of SaaS, why it's both eating the pie and expanding it and what's left for entrepreneurs when the biggest AI companies are chasing every vertical.This conversation looks back at some of India's iconic SaaS companies, shares lessons from two decades of building, and looks ahead to the future of SaaS from India.0:00 — Atomicwork x GTM Buddy1:17 — Why They Chose to Be Founders Again8:27 — How to generate pipeline predictability at a startup?16:46 — Becoming Freshworks' Co-Founder at 2519:43 — How Atomicwork Co-Founders Connected & Chose Their Problem23:25 — Building Companies That Last for Decades27:18 — Why Smaller, High-Quality Teams Win30:21 — 1st vs 2nd Founders: What They Get Wrong31:56 — Scaling: SMB → Mid-Market → Enterprise33:36 — Category Creation at Gainsight40:03 — Disrupting vs Expanding Large Categories44:08 — How to Choose the Right Market49:08 — Why Atomicwork Chose This Category53:11 — The 'Goldilocks Zone' for a Startup Category57:11 — Can Salesforce Be Replaced?58:26 — Neon Fund x Atomicwork1:01:27 — Neon Fund x GTM Buddy1:03:44 — If Big AI Goes Everywhere, What's Left for B2B SaaS?1:07:36 — What to Build in the AI Era?1:10:35 — Is AI Expanding the Pie While Eating It?1:17:03 — How Useful Are Custom GPTs for Companies?1:20:34 — Workflows vs AI Workforce-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

About Justin Hammond:Justin Hammond is a B2B SaaS growth strategist specializing in actionable, checklist-driven playbooks that help founders transform trial users into loyal customers. With over a decade of experience scaling high-growth companies including Book Like a Boss, Justin has become a trusted voice on data-driven onboarding, sustainable growth strategies, and practical frameworks that deliver immediate wins. His approach focuses on granular, implementable tactics rather than high-level theory.Show Notes:01:48 Users signing up to see onboarding flows05:23 Step one to a great onboarding flow: user research07:07 Step two to a great onboarding flow: identify high-converting actions09:02 What should good onboarding emails accomplish in a flow?11:40 Onboarding advice for early-stage startups14:21 Overcoming gaps in Time to First Value during onboarding21:14 How will AI shift SaaS onboarding?24:42 Why you shouldn't try to increase product adoption during onboarding

Send us a textIs the future of associations being rewritten by influencers? In this episode, Mallory Mejias is joined by Jackson Boyar, co-founder and CEO of Rallyboard, for a sharp and forward-thinking conversation about how digital creators are reshaping professional learning. They explore the competitive rise of “influencer-led” communities like Josh Bersin Academy, how associations can leverage trust and networks in the AI era, and why curated cohorts could be the key to long-term engagement. If you're an association leader wondering how to remain essential in a rapidly shifting landscape, this one's for you. Jackson Boyar is the Co-founder and CEO of RallyBoard, a peer learning and engagement platform for associations. He previously served as the Founding CEO of Mentor Collective—higher education's leading mentorship platform—where he led the company for 10 years and now serves as Chairman of the Board. Under Jackson's leadership, Mentor Collective partnered with hundreds of universities and employers to support more than 500,000 students, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 list four years in a row. A 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Jackson is also an active angel investor and advisor to socially minded startups.https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksonboyar/Jackon's LinkedIn Post: https://shorturl.at/5EKqn

How is AI Transforming Go To Market for B2B SaaS? Inbound go-to-market for SaaS is undergoing a major transformation. What once relied on blog posts, lead magnets, and cold outreach is now powered by artificial intelligence. AI is no longer just a content assistant. It now fuels end-to-end workflows, drives strategy, qualifies leads, and personalizes outreach at scale. SaaS teams are deploying AI agents to track LinkedIn signals, automate follow-ups, and even manage outbound efforts. This evolution is unlocking new levels of speed and scale, but it also brings real risks if automation isn't carefully managed. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, Maja Voje breaks down how AI is reshaping inbound GTM. She shares what's working today, where teams should stay hands-on, and how to build AI-assisted systems without losing the human connection that still drives trust in B2B. If you're building or scaling a SaaS product, this is your playbook for doing it smarter with AI.Key Timecodes(0:00) - Boosting AI Content Performance & Automating Founder Workflows(0:53) - What Is AI's Role in SaaS GTM? [With Guest Maja Voje](1:48) - Is Everything Dead? Why AI Agents Are the Future of SaaS Workflows(2:55) - Multi-Agentic Workflows Explained: Tools, Agents & Human Oversight(4:28) - Why You Must Earn the Right to Automate with AI(5:27) - SaaS Automation Gone Wrong: Avoiding Enterprise Pitfalls(6:15) - AI Agents: Build or Buy? Key Considerations for GTM Leaders(6:38) - Mapping GTM Workflows: LinkedIn, DMs, Offers & Content Ops(8:00) - Real-Life AI Marketing Automations You Can Use Today(9:43) - How Many AI Agents Do You Really Need for LinkedIn & Lead Gen?(11:08) - Iterating AI Models Post-Training: Prompts, Builders & Feedback Loops(12:55) - AI Costs, Compliance & Rollouts: From POC to Scalable Deployment(15:07) - Data Security in AI: The Case for 'Least Privilege' Access(16:04) - Rule of Thumb: Don't Share Data You Wouldn't Give a Friend(16:13) - Sponsor Spotlight: SaaStock Dublin—Investor Matchmaking + Discounts(17:22) - Inbound Marketing with AI: LinkedIn Trends & Time-Wasters to Avoid(18:54) - External vs Internal Knowledge Bases: Training AI Without Garbage Input(20:31) - Why AI Design Often Fails: Creatives, Claude vs ChatGPT & Brand Gaps(21:53) - LinkedIn AI Strategy: Commenting, Publishing & Legal Risks in the EU(23:30) - AI-Powered Outbound Marketing: ICP Scoring, Lead Research & Social Selling(25:52) - Training Your Team on AI: Avoiding Content Quality Pitfalls(27:26) - Human-in-the-Loop Design: What to Automate vs Delegate(28:43) - The AI-First Founder Mindset: Culture, Talent & Psychological Safety(31:20) - AI Implementation Choices: From Prototypes to Governance Guardrails(33:29) - PR & Leadership: Why 'We Replaced 7 People with AI' Is a Bad Look(34:10) - 2-Year AI Roadmap: Think Strategically, Reflect Often, Stay Safe(36:20) - Going from 0 to 10K MRR: Learn to Sell, Test Pricing, and Stay Focused(38:53) - Bootstrapping with AI: Don't Waste Model Credits, Focus on ROI(39:32) - Scaling to $10M ARR with AI: Ecosystem Marketing & Creator-Led Trust(40:47) - Recap: AI Workflows, POCs, LinkedIn Automation & Strategic Thinking(42:35) - Connect with Guest Maja Voje on LinkedIn(42:58) - Subscribe to the GTM Strategies Newsletter on Substack(43:28) - Final CTA: Review the Show, Sponsor, Ask Questions, and Connect

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions: Hey guys, I have been working for four months at my job and I already don't like it. This is my first job out of college and I work as a C# backend engineer for a small B2B SaaS company. I really think this company is a dead end. There is a lot of technical debt and antipatterns and we have no automated testing whatsoever. Most of our time is spent manually debugging but no one wants to refactor. I'm already thinking about working somewhere else. However, it took me a while to get this job, and I don't think the market has gotten any better since. I'm trying to decide whether I should focus on applying to jobs again or if I should work on a bunch of side projects and open source to stand out better. On one hand, I can learn new technologies on my own to make me stand out for my next job, but on the other hand, I feel like as long as I stay at this company I am wasting time, since I'm not learning from my job. I want to switch to more distributed backend engineering in Java anyways, but I'm not sure how to go about it. Listener Ghani asks, “I'm a mid-level software engineer who has trouble communicating with my engineering manager and product manager when there is unclear or missing information about an assignment/story/project. They answer with hostile/dismissive tone/non-answer (e.g it's on the jira-card, epic, etc). They course correct when they have the information later, harshly my impressions were they don't have the information at the time they expect engineers to make decision they expect engineers to know something they don't (e.g architecture, infrastructure, past decision, plans, etc) I really want to look for where we can have a safe exchange of information. How can I do this?

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/, a serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies. In episode #38 of season 5, Anna Nadeina talks with Jordan Crawford, founder of Blueprint, modern GTM playbooks for early-stage startups.--------------Episode's Chapters----------------00:00 — Introduction & Welcome00:35 — Meet Jordan & Blueprint01:33 — The Power of Messaging at Scale04:14 — Types of Campaign Messages: PQS & PVP11:28 — Deep Dive: Rewardful's Use Cases18:22 — Building the Ideal Customer Profile26:07 — Data Sources & Market Research32:06 — Affiliate Intelligence & Poachability41:21 — Scaling Campaigns & Value-First Outreach50:58 — Pre vs. Post Product-Market Fit Strategies56:52 — Closing Thoughts & Next StepsJordan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordancrawford/Subscribe to our channel to be the first to see the interviews that we publish twice a week - https://www.youtube.com/@saas-groupStay up to date:Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaaS_groupLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/14790796

From Engineering to Empathy: Chris Silvestri on Conversion Copy That ConnectsIn this episode, I sit down with Chris Silvestri — founder of Conversion Alchemy, conversion copywriter, and message–market fit specialist — to explore the psychology behind conversion and how B2B SaaS companies can craft customer journeys that actually drive decisions. With a background in industrial automation engineering and a decade in copywriting, Chris blends technical logic with user-centered creativity to produce copy that truly resonates.We cover:Why copywriting is more about research than writing (70% research, 30% execution)The “Motivation → Value → Anxiety → CTA” framework and how it beats rigid formulas like AIDAWhy founders must articulate a strategic narrative before even thinking about copyHow AI (like GPT and Claude) can be used as a research co-pilot without compromising human insightNavigating mega menus, product naming, and UX friction in SaaS websitesHow to craft messaging that speaks directly to your audience's inner monologueWhy B2B sales aren't siloed decisions, but committee-driven choices — and how to write for all stakeholders

Visit thedigitalslicepodcast.com for complete show notes of every podcast episode. Influencer and affiliate marketing decoded! Join Brad Friedman & Tye DeGrange to explore tools and tactics that drive real business growth. Tye DeGrange is the Founder and CEO of Round Barn Labs, a leading growth marketing agency specializing in affiliate and influencer marketing for top tech brands, including Grammarly, Nextdoor, Meta Quest, and Atlassian. With 20 years of experience in performance marketing, Tye has driven growth for startups and Fortune 500 companies across e-commerce, B2B SaaS, and Consumer Tech. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in History, Tye began his career at Sequoia-backed AdBrite, one of the first ad networks. Under his leadership, Round Barn Labs has earned accolades such as Boutique Agency of the Year and recognition as a Top 30 Global Affiliate Marketing Agency.  Based in Austin, TX, Tye is passionate about building growth-focused teams and identifying innovative revenue opportunities. Outside of work, he enjoys playing tennis, exploring Austin with his wife Blaine, and spending time with their two young children, Hayward and Gray. The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by Magai. Up your AI game at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai

Soham co-founded Rubrik by taking what he learned from building Google's data center tech to enterprises desperate for cloud migration. Two quarters later, he hit $1M ARR. And a few years later, a $16B IPO. Soham breaks down why paid pilots beat free trials, how to sell enterprise hardware before it works, and why early customers become your biggest champions when you solve real pain. Now building WisdomAI after watching the ChatGPT moment unfold, he shares what's different about competing in AI's gold rush versus owning an ignored category.Why You Should Listen:Why early customers  endure broken productsHow he hit $1M ARR in 2 quarters selling enterprise hardwareWhy you should always charge for pilotsCustomer feedback is the only PMF signal that mattersKeywords:Rubrik, Soham Mazumdar, enterprise sales, data backup, IPO, product market fit, B2B SaaS, cloud migration, WisdomAI, data centers00:00:00 Intro00:04:26 Leaving Google to start a company00:11:00 Building the founding team00:14:27 Landing the first customer in Australia00:22:30 Hitting $1M ARR in two quarters00:25:42 Go-to-market strategy and the DeLorean stunt00:30:30 When Arvind left to start Glean00:34:10 Starting WisdomAI after the ChatGPT moment00:51:22 Advice for early stage foundersRetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.Send me a message to let me know what you think!

The software that powers 25% of India's e-commerce transactions, processes a billion orders each year, and in 2025 alone fulfilled 20 million quick-commerce orders: Unicommerce sits at the core of India's digital retail ecosystem. It is one of the few SaaS companies from India to go public, doing so after nearly a decade of steady growth without fresh primary capital until its IPO in 2024.In this episode of The Neon Show, we sit down with Kapil Makhija, CEO of Unicommerce, the company quietly running India's $60B E-retail market (set to hit $2 Trillion in the next two decades). The conversation goes beyond the company's journey to unpack how perceptions of Indian SaaS customers are changing: from the old belief that they “don't pay” to a more nuanced reality where they value communication, support expectations, and long-term relationships define success.We also look ahead to the future of SaaS in India: from the impact of AI, to the challenges of scaling from zero to $100M, to the balance between pricing and value, and identifying the sectors most ready for building large SaaS companies.This episode is for anyone curious about the story of SaaS in India, from how it is being built, scaled & the opportunities ahead.00:00 – Trailer01:15 – India makes you product-ready & pressure-tested03:45 – GTM: India doesn't reward size, it rewards focus05:00 – Joining Unicommerce the week Snapdeal acquired it10:10 – Digital-first brands vs. traditional brands12:36 – Why Excel and manual ops were the real competition?14:25 – The acquisition of Shipway17:02 – How will the company achieve 1000 Cr Revenue?19:40 – How the decision to go public was made23:40 – Success in SaaS isn't sign-ups, it's retention29:31 – The myth that Indian customers don't pay33:30 – Do Indian customers want Enterprise support but SMB pricing?36:40 – The impact of AI on SaaS39:10 – Founder vs. CEO: Is there a difference?47:29 – White spaces in e-commerce waiting to be built50:35 – Q-commerce vs. E-commerce: where are brands betting?52:07 – How SaaS companies decide if they're IPO-ready?55:10 – Can India build billion-dollar SaaS companies at home?58:15 – How long does the 0 → $100M journey really take?01:01:15 – How to build a ₹100 Cr SaaS company today?01:09:53 – Are pricing advantages in SaaS sustainable?01:12:22 – How much do brands actually spend on tech?-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

Unlock the secrets of hypergrowth in SaaS with Gaurav Bhattacharya in this electrifying kickoff of our podcast series, hosted by Lauren Hawker Zafer.

This week, I sat down with my good friend Michael Bair, founder of Bair Consulting, to unpack what really separates good CX in B2B from the DTC playbook, and why both worlds have a lot to learn from each other.We cover B2B SaaS, enterprise customer success, DTC retention, and why too many brands still treat CX like an afterthought. Michael gets real about why B2B companies ignore brand at their own risk, what DTC can steal from SaaS (hint: product obsession), how subscription churn compares to six-figure SaaS contracts, the rise and overhype of AI in CX, and why empathy and product knowledge will always be the secret sauce of customer success.If you're leading a CX team, building SaaS, or trying to scale a consumer brand, this episode is packed with hard-won insights from two people who've lived on both sides of the table.Listen now for the truth about B2B vs DTC CX, retention that actually works, and what “fractional” really means when you're in the trenches with founders.

How can enterprise product leaders balance customer needs, technical complexity, and strategic vision? In this podcast hosted by Cassio Sampaio, Okta VP of Product Ian Hassard will be speaking on building effective B2B SaaS roadmaps and navigating product management challenges. Ian shares insights from his extensive experience leading product teams at high-growth companies like Okta and Auth0, offering a deep dive into modern product management strategies.

Eoghan McCabe is the founder and CEO of Intercom, a customer service platform that has successfully pivoted to become an AI-first company with its agent product, Fin. After stepping away from the CEO role in 2020 due to health issues, Eoghan returned to find the company's growth had stalled. Just one month after his return, ChatGPT launched, and within six weeks, Intercom had a working prototype of what would become Fin. In this conversation, Eoghan shares the brutal reality of transforming a late-stage SaaS business valued at multiple billions into an AI-first company that's now growing faster than most public software companies.We discuss:1. Why Eoghan believes most late-stage companies won't survive the AI transition2. The “founder mode” transformation that required firing 40% of staff and resulted in 98% employee satisfaction3. Why having “nothing to lose” is the ultimate advantage in AI transformation (and why comfortable companies will fail)4. How Intercom transformed from a plateauing SaaS business to an AI-first company growing at 300%+5. How Intercom's pricing evolved from “the most hated in SaaS” to a model that charges just $0.99 per resolved ticket6. The cultural transformation required to compete with AI-native startups7. How 12 years of therapy and a period of “ego death” shaped Eoghan's leadership approach—Brought to you by:Great Question—Empower everyone to run great research: https://www.greatquestion.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lennyDX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers: http://getdx.com/lenny—Transcript: ⁠https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-intercom-rose-from-the-ashes-eoghan-mccabe—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/170710700/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Eoghan McCabe:• X: https://x.com/eoghan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoghanmccabe/• Website: https://eoghanmccabe.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Eoghan(05:00) The state of Intercom(09:53) The decision to pivot to AI(12:33) Why Eoghan is "anti-bot" in customer service(16:19) Pricing strategy evolution(19:26) Implementing the AI transformation(26:11) Cultural and organizational changes(31:18) Surviving a coup attempt(40:05) The future of AI and business(45:11) AI's impact on jobs(48:44) AI and human creativity(50:26) The importance of young AI talent(55:00) The cultural shift in AI adoption(58:00) Personal growth and leadership(01:04:34) Intercom's success in producing product leaders(01:11:05) Intercom's unique company culture(01:14:11) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/• Fin: https://fin.ai/• Des Traynor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destraynor/• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Pricing your AI product: Lessons from 400+ companies and 50 unicorns | Madhavan Ramanujam: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/pricing-and-scaling-your-ai-product-madhavan-ramanujam• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Behind the founder: Marc Benioff: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-founder-marc-benioff• Anthropic co-founder on quitting OpenAI, AGI predictions, $100M talent wars, 20% unemployment, and the nightmare scenarios keeping him up at night | Ben Mann: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/anthropic-co-founder-benjamin-mann• Fergal Reid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fergalreid/• How Perplexity builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-perplexity-builds-product• Yosi Amram's website: https://yamram.com/• (Nathaniel Russell) Ego Death Now: https://heythereprojects.shop/products/copy-of-nathaniel-russell-space-is-a-place• Daniel Kahneman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman• Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Revolut: https://www.revolut.com/en-US/• Paul Adams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauladams• What AI means for your product strategy | Paul Adams (CPO of Intercom): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-ai-means-for-your-product-strategy• Which companies accelerate PM careers most: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/which-companies-accelerate-your-pm• N26: https://n26.com/en-eu• Notion: https://www.notion.so/• Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/• True Detective on Max: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/true-detective/9a4a3645-74e0-4e4d-9f35-31464b402357• 28 Years Later: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10548174/• Trainspotting: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/• 28 Days Later: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/• Fellow: https://fellowproducts.com/• Porsche 911: https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/• Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz' Bosworth (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto—Recommended book:• Nuclear War: A Scenario: https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-War-Scenario-Annie-Jacobsen/dp/0593476093Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com