Corrily, a price optimization software startup used by subscription-based companies, won the global pitch competition at Saastock Austin on Friday.
The San Francisco-based company beat five semi-finalists to claim the top prize, including Oneup, Userflow, Uspacey, Laxis, and Forged.
Saasgtock, based in London, held its inaugural SaaStock Austin conference last week with more than 800 software as a service companies attending at the Marriott downtown. The event, including many nighttime parties and happy hours comprising Nightstock, was a huge success, said Alex Theuma, SaaStock Founder and CEO.
SaaStock Austin already plans to return to Austin in 2024, Theuma said.
SaaStock featured live podcasts with Alex Theuma and guests, exhibits, and two stages with speakers providing content tailored to Saas companies.
Jason Cohen, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Austin-based WP Engine, spoke about creating a realistic mission statement with employee input. Then, he advised startup founders to write everything down in brainstorming or “write-storming” sessions.
“It’s fun to plow through and figure out stuff,” Cohen said. “It’s forensic.”
Co-creating a mission statement with employees is essential, he said.
“If they were part of making it, they defend it themselves,” he said. “It’s so much better when not handed down from up on high.”
Cohen uses brainstorming and write storming methods with Individual product teams to the entire company’s strategy and choices. WP Engine has about 50 product developers and 1,200 employees overall.
Chris Walker, Founder and CEO of Refine Labs, based in Austin, gave tips to Saas founders on ways to grow and drive more revenue. One way is to add a direct link on the company’s website for a meeting or demo.
“97 out of 100 SaaS companies do not provide a direct link,” Walker said. Companies can double their sales pipeline by fixing this process, he said.
Companies dramatically overspend on organic and paid search, Walker said. Content creation and distribution are driving demand today, he said.
Companies also need to focus more on creating short-form videos like YouTube shorts or TikTok videos posted to LinkedIn, Walker said. He’s also bullish on Reddit paid ads targeted based on threads the company’s customers follow.
From a creative standpoint, meme content is working best, he said. However, he noted Quora’s paid and organic content is also performing well.
Social media, podcasts, word of mouth, and community are driving sales for companies today, Walker said.
