Cracking the Code

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

The fact that SaaS valuations are being more affected by the downturn than the Nasdaq can be surprising given the supposed resiliency of the SaaS model (recurring revenues) but it translates the public investors belief that SMB software spend is going to be hit very hard by this recession. SaaS 13 Index Valuation. anecdotes. (13).

Software Review 48

Software Review Technical Review Valuation Portfolio 48

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 23, 2021

Or, you might proactively change your business in a way that requires you to rebuild your dashboard to account for an additional revenue stream. Many times, a global view of data is sufficient, like the virality curve at PayPal. The problem was that Groupon’s revenue growth was a false positive. COMMON DECISION-MAKING PITFALLS.

Venture Capital 46

Venture Capital Metrics Investment Bankers Framework 46

Cracking the Code

FEBRUARY 25, 2008

As I was building the spreadsheet, I also included the revenue multiples for this set of companies, both for the trailing 12-month (TTM) and the forward 12-month (FTM). Note: high CAC ratio means high productiviy (see blog post for definition). Detailed SaaS Spreadsheet (Valuation and CAC benchmark). SaaS 13 Index Valuation.

Software Review 48

Software Review Technical Review Europe Venture Capital 48

View from Seed

JUNE 30, 2015

Over a third of our investments happen pre-product (so by definition, before PMF), and two-thirds are pre-revenue. For a marketplace or ecommerce business, you need to be doing well north of $5M in annual revenue or GMV to get an A round done. FWIW, at NextView, we invest from inception to strong PMF.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Syndicate Syndication Dilution 120

Cracking the Code

JANUARY 22, 2009

While it may make sense to offer very slight adjustments for favorable payment terms and one time revenue, net additions to MRR should dominate the sales rep’s thoughts. 1 of MRR generates $12 of annual revenue, so $1 commission equals 1/12=8.3% of Year One Revenue Sounds high, but is that considered a reasonable package?

Software Review 91

Software Review Clawback Sales Salary 91

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

Friendster’s valuation set the tone for the entire social networking space. we had no revenue. As a result, we knew that our pitch would need to steer into investors’ biggest concern: the lack of revenue. We are the leader in the professional domain with viral growth. Investors see a lot of pitches. Why is it valuable?

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Revenue Viral Networking 111

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

I found one definition I like: ” Someone who manipulates unskillfully or experimentally “. I’d like to add my definition of tinkerer: “ someone who makes small adjustments and tests a lot of crazy ideas, but doesn’t get discouraged when they fail.” . For example, Dollar Shave Club created a video that went viral. Guess what?

Metrics 136

Metrics Cofounder Cram Down Liquidity Event 136

Cracking the Code

DECEMBER 16, 2006

however, public SaaS companies like Concur, Saba, Taleo, LivePerson and Ultimate are growing 50-100% per year and trading at an average 5x trailing revenue multiples (I excluded salesforce leading the pack with 9x!) whereas traditional software companies of this size have a growth rate of less than 10% and revenue multiples of 2-2.5x.

Software Review 48

Software Review Silicon Valley Technical Review Software 48

Cracking the Code

JANUARY 28, 2008

Eloqua is bringing this revolution to the B2B marketers by providing on-demand applications and best-practice expertise for B2B marketers to execute, automate and measure effective marketing programs that drive revenue. Note: high CAC ratio means high productiviy (see blog post for definition). SaaS 13 Index Valuation.

Software Review 48

Software Review Technical Review Los Angeles Europe 48

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

There are two reasons to raise money: You have a killer idea that is only partially validated, that you think can get to $50M+ of revenue in 5 years with 80%+ gross margins (if margins are lower, you need a lot more revenue)and you need money to get to product-market fit, or. Not all startups need outside investment to grow.

Cofounder 429

Cofounder Seed Stage Valuation Metrics 429

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

5 great viral marketing campaigns (and what small businesses can learn from them!) - crowdSPRING Blog , September 13, 2010 At crowdSPRING we talk a great deal about how we can leverage our limited marketing resources to drive traffic and revenues and build strong community. Except they won’t be called Product Managers. It’s simple.

Technology 191

Technology Product San Francisco CTO Hire 191

Cracking the Code

MAY 25, 2010

A few highlights from the different keynotes and speakers On top of Jason, we also had the chance of having many great speakers at the event and here are a few quotes and notes that I have taken during the different keynotes and panels: Joe Payne, CEO of Eloqua moderated the panel on Revenue Performance Management. SaaS 13 Index Valuation.

Software Review 74

Software Review Cloud IPO Jordan 74

Duct Tape Marketing

DECEMBER 14, 2017

It’s definitely, it’s the hardest part. In 2011, before we sold the business, we had a business that was making $30 million a year in revenue, but we’ve never raised any capital. This was definitely been different as being the CEO of a company and being the founder. It was a huge piece of the puzzle for us.

Kansas City 40

Kansas City CTO Hire Las Vegas Software Developers 40

Cracking the Code

MARCH 10, 2008

I found this approach interesting, but it seems to me that gross margin is a more relevant benchmark than revenues, given that the GM of saas companies varies by type of application and size of the company (for example NetSuite went from about 50% GM three years ago to close to 70% today).

Sales 79

Sales Software Review Marketing Technical Review 79

Cracking the Code

OCTOBER 10, 2008

Be prepared to cross the desert - SaaS requires R&D and sales expense up front for a multi-year stream of revenue, so it demands enough investment capital to fund 4+ years of runway. Farming is also often overlooked, but can help grow customer accounts and revenues from 30% upwards (if successful). Great list! Philippe Botteri.

Software Review 48

Software Review North America Europe Metrics 48

Cracking the Code

SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

The Deutsche Bank report has a very interesting chart on the topic presenting the Free Cash Flow margins vs. the revenue growth four years post IPO for select software leaders: As you can see, with 20% Free Cash Flow margin and a 50% growth rate, Salesforce is well positioned in the pack! SaaS 13 Index Valuation. My Investments.

Software Review 48

Software Review Software Technical Review Cloud 48

Cracking the Code

JULY 6, 2007

I was surprised today when I went through the NetSuite IPO filling (S1) to see that it looked very much like any Enterprise software document - not a single mention of churn or % of recurring revenues. The reason for this difference, from an investor perspective, is that the SaaS model provides far clearer visibility into future revenues.

Software Review 66

Software Review Metrics Valuation Technical Review 66

Cracking the Code

FEBRUARY 4, 2008

T he response rate has been overwhelming and we ended up with 40+ companies and 80+ attendees, most of them CEOs and CxOs of leading public and private saas companies representing around 80% of the revenues of the SaaS industry in 2007. Your key business metrics are CMRR (Contracted Monthly Recurring Revenue) and cash.

Software Review 48

Software Review South Korea IPO Portfolio 48

abovethecrowd.com

JUNE 2, 2021

Paypal famously offered customers $5 to invite a friend, who would then also get $5 as part of a highly successful viral marketing campaign (they actually started at $20, and then reduced it to $10 and then ended at $5). You guessed it — straight up free money. A doughnut is one thing, cold-hard cash is even better.

IPO 82

IPO Customer Matching Silicon Valley 82