Dave discusses Squire’s product, the history of the company, how Squire successfully navigated through the early days of COVID, and the role institutional and celebrity angel investors play in the Company. 

BIO

Dave Salvant is a Co-Founder and President of Squire Technologies, a provider of an all-in-one barbershop management platform. Prior to Suire, Dave was a sales associate at AXA and private banking at JP Morgan. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University at Albany (SUNY) and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

TIMESTAMPS

00:50 Dave and Squire

03:40 Go-To-Market

07:32 Marketing in Squire

08:16 Company size / Global Remote-first company

08:57 Quick product release help barbers navigate COVID (incredible response to COVID)

11:00 Creating new products

12:15 First Investors

14:45 Celebrity Investors

16:11 Involvement of investors

16:44 Vision for Squire Technologies

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Barb discussed Sapia’s unique product, the role of artificial intelligence in unbiased hiring, the Sapia data set based on a billion words and 2 million candidate profiles, the initial dataset that Sapia utilized, its first client, go-to-market strategy, and many other things. 

BIO

Barb Hyman is the Founder and CEO of Australia-based Sapia. Prior to Sapia, Barb was a Head of HR and Marketing at Boston Consulting Group. She received her Bachelor's degree from Monash University and MBA from Melbourne Business School.

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 Barb and Sapia

04:20 Five questions to select a candidate

07:50 Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning

10:25 Getting the initial data set

13:25 When your first client is Enterprise…

17:30 Pricing model

24:00 Sapia’s Go-To-Market strategy

29:30 Hiring on values

33:30 KPIs

35:00 Raising capital

37:50 On biases 

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Sean discussed the financial diligence process of SaaS companies, common mistakes in ARR, Gross Profit, and EBITDA calculations, the effects capitalized software and capitalized commissions have on cash EBITDA, and many other things. 

BIO

Sean St. Germain is a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal. He focuses on transactions in the software and technology industry. He has advised clients on domestic and cross-border transactions, including traditional buy-side transactions, portfolio company add-on transactions, public-to-private acquisitions, asset purchases, and sell-side divestiture processes, including carve-outs. Sean is an expert in software revenue recognition, including the new revenue recognition standard (ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers).

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 Sean and Alvarez & Marsal

05:30 Unique aspects of SaaS businesses

09:00 Recurring vs Re-occurring revenue streams

12:20 Mistakes companies make in ARR calculation

15:35 Cost of Sales

17:35 EBITDA Adjustments 

22:00 Confirmation of synergies 

23:15 Capitalized commissions

25:30 Capitalized software

29:05 What is Cash EBITDA?

33:30 Preparing your company for financial diligence 

37:00 Findings that can derail transactions

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Francois shared his experience of bringing the Norway-based Cognite to the US market, discussed the most significant challenges he has faced along the way,  and compared corporate cultures in the US and Europe. 

BIO

Dr. Francois Laborie is the President of Cognite North America, overseeing Cognite’s expansion and operations in the US, Canada, and Latin America. He has had an extensive career in the technology industry, serving in both research and executive roles. Francois has been at the heart of the transformation of the media industry through technology. He spent 11 years as COO and CCO of Vizrt, where he focused on disrupting journalism by empowering media content creators with visual storytelling tools. Before that, Francois managed research projects on collective decision-making and human-computer interfaces at the Airbus Group Corporate Research Center. 

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 Francois and Cognite

06:15 Competition with internally built systems

08:40 Go-To-Market Strategy

11:40 Reception of Cognite by US and EU clients

15:35 Selecting sales personnel

19:30 Comparing corporate cultures in the US and Europe

20:20 Involvements of investors

23:30 Long-term vision for Cognite

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Diamond discussed SaaS valuation and how multiples have changed over the past several years, the main drivers of multiples, and M&A market trends.

BIO

Diamond Innabi is a Vice President at Software Equity Group, a boutique investment bank focused on B2B software companies. Over her nearly a decade career at SEG, she was instrumental in numerous M&A transactions involving public and private companies as well as private equity funds.

TIMESTAMPS

1:45 Why are SaaS companies valued at a multiple of revenue or ARR?

4:00 Drivers of SaaS Valuation and how they have changed in the current environment

6:30 Mission-critical software

7:50 Multiples over 5 years

9:05 SaaS valuation during COVID

10:00 Comps contribution to assigning multiples

11:25 On-prem vs cloud valuation

14:20 Buyers and Sellers

16:20 Most durable SaaS categories

17:15 Recommendation to sellers

19:30 Calculation of Gross Margins

Click the following links to "double-click" on Diamond's comments about M&A Update, The Rule of 40, Gross Margin impact, and COGS

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Marion shared her experience of being a serial entrepreneur, the challenges of raising funds, as well as founding and growing Govenda. We discussed the company’s product, customer base, go-to-market strategy, and everything in between.

BIO

Marion Lewis is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Govenda, a board management platform that enables effective corporate governance. Prior to Govenda, she was a co-founder and CEO of Tachyon Solutions, a custom application development and interactive marketing firm.

TIMESTAMPS

01:05 Marion – serial entrepreneur

04:00 Govenda and its target markets

11:10 Locking in the first client

12:55 Raising capital

16:25 Govenda during and after COVID

17:45 Go-To-Market strategy

19:40 Org structure and hiring first employees

21:50 Role of investors

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Miguel discusses the story of Capchase, typical profile of SaaS clients, terms of financing they provide, and how investors and lenders view such financing. 

BIO

Miguel Fernandez is a Co-Founder & CEO of Capchase, an alternative finance provider that enables SaaS companies to access their future contract payments upfront. Prior to launching Capchase, Miguel worked in management consulting and then moved into SaaS. He headed sales and customer success at Geoblink, a Location Intelligence SaaS and scaled it from 0 to $2m in ARR.

TIMESTAMPS

01:10 Mguel and the story of Capchase

04:35 Use cases for Capchase

07:05 Comparing Venture Capital, Venture Debt, and Alternative financing

09:35 Who can use Alternative finance

11:30 Terms of financing - price, covenants, etc.

14:25 Revenue-based financing players

17:15 VCs' and lenders' take on Alternative financing

20:15 Vision for Capchase

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Scott discusses the rise of Customer Success, Gainsight Essentials, its GTM strategy, and the most common mistakes by SMBs when it comes to CS.

BIO

Scott Salkin is SVP & GM, Gainsight Essentials at Gainsight. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, CEO, and senior B2B sales and marketing executive. Prior to joining Gainsight, Scott was the founder and CEO of Allbound, a B2B SaaS platform dedicated to helping businesses accelerate revenue through channel partners and ecosystems.

TIMESTAMPS

01:20 Scott's path to Gainsight

04:15 Rise of Customer Success

06:50 Changes in Customer Success

09:00 Gainsight Essentials

12:45 Essentials' GTM strategy vs the Gainsight's GTM

14:40 Customer Success KPIs for SMBs

17:10 Most common mistakes by SMBs

18:20 Vision for Gainsight Essentials

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Mark discusses Alpine Investors and Alpine Software Group, a unique holding company they have built by acquiring SaaS companies within several verticals. He also shared Alpine's take on talent, the profile of companies the firm invests in, and SaaS 2.0.

BIO

Mark Strauch is a founding partner at Alpine Investors and Chairman of Alpine SG, the firm's vertical SaaS aggregation platform. Prior to Alpine, Mark served as CEO of EDC, a financial technology company that was acquired in 2011. Previously, he served as CEO of Business Engine, a venture-backed software company that was acquired in 2007.

TIMESTAMPS

00:35 Intro

03:15 Alpine and CEO-in-Training program

05:35 The reason why Alpine is the most sought-after firm for top MBA programs

06:50 Investing in SaaS and building Alpine SG

13:20 Valuations of private SaaS companies

15:40 Competing for the deals with other PE funds

21:20 Acquisition process and deal structuring

26:25 Investor vs Operator mindsets

28:30 Areas of improvements in bootstrapped companies

32:40 A vision for Alpine SG

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Geoffrey Moore, the author of numerous marketing books (including the all-time classic – Crossing the Chasm), discusses how COVID affected the Chasm and how SaaS companies should apply the blueprint to SMB and Enterprise target markets. He also speaks about Geoffrey’s newest book, Zone to Win, written for later-stage technology companies. 

BIO

Geoffery Moore is a best-selling author, speaker, and advisor who splits his consulting time between start-up companies in the Wildcat Venture Partners portfolios and established high-tech enterprises, most recently including Salesforce, Microsoft, Autodesk, Gainsight, Google, and Splunk.

TIMESTAMPS

03:08 Crossing the Chasm in a few words

08:10 COVID’s effect on Chasm 

11:02 Chasm’s blueprint for SaaS companies 

13:55 SMB vs Enterprise approach to Chasm

15:27 Case Study

19:58 Geoffrey’s most important books

Season B is Sponsored by CELIGO, IPaaS for Mid-Market companies.

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Bruno discusses the evolution of the Data Analytics space, its current trends, and shares his view on what lies ahead.

BIO

Bruno Aziza is a recognized authority on Business Intelligence and Information Management. He is a Data & Analytics industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in leading technology companies of various sizes - from startups (Alpine Data) to behemoths (Oracle, Microsoft, and now Google).

If you are in the Data & Analytics space be sure to check out:

Bruno's book: Drive Business Performance: Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution

Bruno's educational series: Data Journeys

TIMESTAMPS

00:35 Bruno's background

02:25 What is Data Analytics 

05:40 Evolution of the Data Analytics space

07:50 Data Lakes and Data Warehouses 

10:10 Crowded Data Analytics space explained

12:45 Tailwinds for Data Analytics

14:40 Data Analytics tools in a modern organization

16:15 Bruno’s Tech Stack

17:35 How mature is the Data Analytics space 

19:15 Parting thoughts 

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Jan shares the story of Celigo, discusses iPaaS, speaks on the Company’s Org structure and functions, and how he manages the fast-growing company with an exceptional retention profile.

BIO

Jan is a veteran of the software industry with more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, product development, and customer success. He founded Celigo with the goal of simplifying how companies integrate business applications together for a connected enterprise. Prior to Celigo, he worked at NetSuite and Cambridge Technology Partners.

TIMESTAMPS

00:40 Jan and Celigo

06:00 Target Customers (Market)

07:25 Basis for Pricing

09:25 Competition in iPaaS

16:55 Retention

18:20 Go-to-Market

20:00 Rebuilding the platform from scratch

21:00 Size and Growth

23:55 Team and Structure

30:30 Relationship with investors

31:30 Long Term Vision

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Vlad discusses lower-middle market SaaS space, competition in the field, Nexa's deal sourcing, due diligence process, deal structures, and exit strategies. He shares a case study about Nexa's acquisition of AutoReturn, whose software connects law enforcement and towing companies.

BIO

Vlad Besprozvany is a Founder and Managing Partner of Nexa Equity, a private equity firm that invests in lower-middle market software and fintech companies. Prior to founding Nexa, Vlad was a Managing Director at Greater Sum Ventures, where he focused on investments in software companies. Previously, he was a software and fintech investor at Insight Partners and Thoma Bravo.

TIMESTAMPS

00:40 Vlad and Nexa

05:45 Competition in Lower-Middle Market

07:35 Nexa's Investment Criteria / Valuations in the space

13:50 Sourcing deals

19:38 Winning competitive deals 

21:30 Typical deal structures

29:20 Case Study: Investing in AutoReturn

35:30 Exit Strategies

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Erinn Tarpey is a CMO at Visual Lease, a software provider that helps companies stay compliant with lease accounting standards. In this episode, Erinn discussed her role as a marketer, the structure of her team, how she measures the effectiveness of different marketing functions, her take on NPS, and many other things. She also shared a case study – Visual Lease’s call-to-action with a 65% conversion rate.

BIO

Erinn has expertise scaling up organizations in SaaS companies during periods of high growth and has driven marketing efforts around proprietary research development, mergers and acquisitions, and channel sales.

Before joining Visual Lease, Erinn served as a member of the senior leadership team at iCIMS. Prior to joining iCIMS, Erinn directed marketing efforts at Aquiire and PurchasingNet, Inc., both of which provide SaaS solutions designed to streamline procure-to-pay processes at global Fortune 1000 organizations.

TIMESTAMPS

00:35 Erinn and Visual Lease

03:50 Clients

05:20 Pricing

06:05 Solving the lease problem

09:20 Tailwinds from the regulatory environment

12:10 Top objectives of Marketer 

14:35 Marketing team structure

16:05 Measuring effectiveness of Marketing functions

22:25 Internal use of NPS 

26:45 Tech Stack 

29:25 Case study 

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Shelley Perry is an investor, board director, and advisor that specializes in the uniqueness of the SaaS ScaleUp Stage. In this interview we discussed ScaleUps, compared the mindset of investors and operators, and touched on the European SaaS space.

BIO

Shelley Perry is a Managing Director at Scalelogix Ventures. Over her career in SaaS she was an Operating Partner at Insight Partners, CEO of Bynder, Chief Product Officer at NTT, CTO Industry Solutions at Hewlett-Packard, among other things. Shelly sits on boards of Chargebee, Bynder, Foresite MSP, Airbrake.io, and Trove.

TIME STAMPS

01:30 ScaleUp stage

07:30 Quantifying Low, Mid, and Late ScaleUp stage

11:10 What goes wrong on ScaleUp stage?

14:35 What do operators learn when they start investing?

16:45 Role of an Operating Partner at an investment firm

19:20 Due Diligence for different stages of ScaleUp companies

22:35 Do investors and operators look at the same SaaS metrics?

26:00 European SaaS space

28:50 US investors in European SaaS

31:40 SaaS companies that are worth imitating 

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Michael Lyon, is a Founder and Managing Director of Vista Point Advisors, an investment bank exclusively focused on Software and internet. In this episode, he discussed main drivers of SaaS valuation and how revenue models may influence it, Private Equity funds that are active in the space, what founders need to fix prior to selling SaaS companies, how they should handle inbound calls from potential investors, and many other things.

BIO

Michael Lyon is the Founder and Managing Director of Vista Point Advisors. Michael has spent 24 years as a technology investment banker and chemical engineer. Prior to founding Vista Point Advisors, Michael worked at Citigroup where he was a senior member of the technology M&A team. Prior to Citigroup Michael was an engineer for ExxonMobil and BP where he managed chemical plant operations.

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 Vista Point Advisors and Mike's background

02:00 Vista Points deal sourcing

03:05 SaaS market activity

05:00 Main drivers of SaaS valuation

12:50 Revenue models and how they influence valuations

16:00 Selling On-Premise software companies

18:35 Earn-outs or not Earn-outs 

19:55 Bringing house in order before selling the business 

23:00 Choosing a buyer and length of the sales process 

27:15 Private Equity funds active in the SaaS space

28:45 Handling inbound calls from Private Equity funds

29:45 When to call an Investment Banker

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Faisal Masud, is a CEO of Fabric, a cloud-native e-commerce platform for middle market and enterprise clients. Faisal discusses the history of Fabric, what’s behind the company's incredible growth, and what they plan to do with $150M capital they raised in less than a year. You would also be interested to hear his take on ebay, Amazon, UPS, and today’s Silicon Valley.

BIO

Faisal Masud is a CEO of Fabric, which he joined in 2020. Prior to Fabric, Faisal was COO at Wing (Alphabet), advisor to Google [X], and CTO at Staple. He also held roles at Groupon, eBay, and Amazon, and sits on several boards.

TIMESTAMPS

01:00 What’s Fabric  

05:50 Customer profile, Pricing, and Shopify discussion

09:00 Go-to-Market Strategy

12:45 Fabric’s size and growth drivers 

16:30 Company's Org. Structure

22:00 KPI for Marketing and Customer Success

22:40 Client focus - Balancing interests of customers and investors

25:00 Ebay and Amazon NPS

26:30 Survey Data vs Real Data. Silicon Valley is Wrong

27:55 Spending $100M in a frugal way

29:10 Investors involvement

31:40 Building a $100 Billion company

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Patrick Campbell, Founder and CEO of ProfitWell, discussed pricing strategies for SaaS companies. We covered wide variety of topics, from selecting a right price for your software to breaking news to your clients about increasing their price 2x.

Patrick's Bio

Patrick is a Founder & CEO of ProfitWell, the software for helping subscription companies with their monetization and retention strategies, as well as providing free turnkey subscription financial metrics for over 20,000 companies. Prior to ProfitWell Patrick led Strategic Initiatives for Boston-based Gemvara and was an Economist at Google and the US Intelligence community.

Time Stamps

01:15 Patrick and ProfitWell

03:50 Setting up right pricing

11:10 A/B testing or no?

14:50 Transitioning existing clients to new prices

19:50 On-Prem transitioning to Cloud

22:00 Example of companies that nailed their pricing strategy

25:00 Pricing pages

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Tom Meister, Co-Founder, COO, and General Counsel at NepFin, discusses Revenue-Based Financing for SaaS (and eCommerce companies), typical terms of such financing, profiles of the companies that should consider it as an option, and many other things.

Tom Meister's Bio

As COO and General Counsel, Tom manages NepFin's legal affairs and oversees its business operations. Prior to co-founding NepFin, Tom served as Senior Counsel, Capital Markets & Finance at Funding Circle, where he was responsible for the structuring, execution and distribution of Funding Circle's offerings to institutional and accredited investors. Earlier in his career, Tom practiced law as a debt finance attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC and Goodwin Procter LLP.

Time Stamps

01:15 Tom and NepFin

03:10 Revenue-based financing and its growth

13:15 Profile of companies that can take revenue-based loan

15:20 Terms of RBF loans

23:00 Pricing

27:30 Lender’s security interest, personal guaranty, and covenants

32:00 Is RBF good for equity raise?

35:00 Main RBF players

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Mark Znutas, Vice President of Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations at HubSpot, discusses HubSpot’s RevOps and how it aligns Sales, Marketing and Customer Success. We also covered HubSpot’s go-to-Market strategy, which has changed drastically over the years.

Mark Znutas' Bio

Mark is a VP of GTM Strategy and Operationsl at HubSpot, where he leads Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success. Mark has held several key roles in RevOps at HubSpot, when the company started expanding beyond its core Marketing software. Prior to HubSpot, Mark was a Manager of Global Field Solutions at Affinnova (acquired by Nielsen).

Time Stamps

00:20 HubSpot and Mark’s background

01:20 Revenue Operations and how it works at HubSpot

07:50 Go-to-Market strategy

08:40 HubSpot’s unconventional move to Product Led Growth

10:35 Three components of a growth strategy

17:40 HubSpot’s expansion from Marketing Software to CRM

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