PRIMARY RESEARCH: G2 + RepVue Data We recently published a new research study in partnership with G2 (for product data) and RepVue (for seller data, like quota attainment) to examine the relationship between software product satisfaction and seller satisfaction: A downloadable copy of the study slides is here: "Selling Satisfaction" Slides March Demand Index We’re excited to update the SaaS Demand Index with data through March 2024. For our new readers: the Demand Index is derived from high-intent (aka “okta pricing”) Google Search volume data for 339 companies, covering 350,000+ searches eac ..read more

Building on our “Platforms Versus Pure Plays” and “Drivers of Customer Satisfaction + Category Leadership” primary research, we’ve partnered with G2 and RepVue to examine the relationship between software product satisfaction and seller satisfaction. 262 software companies with high volumes of seller ratings were selected from RepVue’s coverage universe and then merged with G2 review data across 32 factors. Throughout the research, we focus on 2 key RepVue metrics, with one financially oriented (Quota Attainment) and the other a more holistic measure of the selling environment (RepVue ..read more

First: An M&A Podcast With Software Equity Group VIDEO | AUDIO: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | All Platforms To fill a gap in an otherwise robust Founder content ecosystem, we recorded an episode with a pure-play M&A boutique - Software Equity Group - covering the full M&A cycle - from prep to closing - of selling your company, what drives premium multiples, and common mistakes to avoid. Related Reading: SEG’s “20 Factor Valuation Scorecard” deserves more attention: Subscribe To SaaSletter: My Notes From Meritech’s “Software Pulse” In addition to their excellent comps table, Me ..read more

Bowery Capital AGM Slides I had the pleasure of pontificating on the state of the software industry at Bowery Capital’s Annual General Meeting. Given the high proportion of private equity and growth equity subscribers, I wanted to offer an unpaid, merit-based call-out to a portfolio company I met named Incentiv - their bio = “an innovative platform designed to arm investors and talent leaders with rich data and intuitive tools they can rely on to make confident comp decisions” - led by Matt Fanelli (previously at Permira). *My* analogy = a PE/GE-oriented alternative to Aon Radford or Pave. The ..read more

Podcast: Matt Slotnick from Poggio Labs VIDEO | AUDIO: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | All Platforms Matt Slotnick is the Co-Founder and CEO of Poggio Labs (backed by Accel and Spark Capital), an AI Sales Workspace purpose-built for Account Executives. We cover his insights from early adopters of AI, lessons for building in AI versus traditional SaaS, and why the “data is the new oil” narrative might not make sense. February Demand Index We’re excited to update the SaaS Demand Index with data through February 2024. For our new readers: the Demand Index is derived from high-intent (aka “okta pricin ..read more

First: Our Paul Stansik from ParkerGale Capital Podcast VIDEO | AUDIO: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | All Platforms We cover hiring in the middle market, choosing the right sales + marketing KPIs, and the role of PE operating partners. Related Reading: writes on Substack at + ParkerGale ships strong content - our highlights: "What CEOs Should Expect From Their Sales Leader"  The Weekly Sales Metrics Playbook  Hiring Playbook Slides: How We Hire At ParkerGale  The Bridge Group 2024 SaaS AE Report The 2024 edition of one of the longest-running (I first read in 2010!) and granular ..read more

First: A Podcast With Dave Yuan From Tidemark VIDEO | AUDIO: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | All Platforms We cover his views on AI, Tidemark's investment criteria, qualities for vSaaS founders, product sequencing, and more. Related Reading: I highly recommend Tidemark’s “Vertical SaaS Knowledge Project” as a library of expert content on topics like market selection, control points, and multi-product sequencing. Our own multi-product research with G2 also heavily incorporated Tidemark’s VSKP research: Subscribe To SaaSletter: A NRR Reset + Zylo’s SaaS Management Index Zylo (software to manage ..read more

Building on our “Platforms Versus Pure Plays” primary research, we’ve partnered with G2 to examine the drivers of customer satisfaction for software. Using 135,000+ total data points from 4,222 software companies featured in G2 Winter 2024 Grid Reports, we performed over 50 regressions to understand the drivers of customer satisfaction. What Drives NPS? 6 factors showed a statistically meaningful correlation with Net Promoter Scores (NPS): Quality of Support Meets Requirements Ease of Doing Business Ease of Use Ease of Set Up Product Direction 3 factors showed some signal ..read more

January 2024 B2B AI Interest Index We’ve updated our B2B AI Interest Index through January 2024: SLIDES - B2B AI INTEREST INDEX While the “Atomic” > “Compound” still holds: interest is at the “atomic” and “enabling” level (like Collaboration + Productivity) and not yet for “compound” applications (where multiple atomic AI features are aggregated to create a powerful, compound AI application). the January 2024 data diverged from our earlier November 2023 and December 2023 reports. Positive Divergence + Accelerating: Our “blue chip” basket of large vendors - led by Microsoft Copilot - showe ..read more

January Demand Index We’re excited to update the SaaS Demand Index with data through January 2024. For our new readers: the Demand Index is derived from high-intent (aka “okta pricing”) Google Search volume data for 339 companies, covering 350,000+ searches. PDF slides here. Reminder: this is a directional, free, and ever-evolving* analysis → always do your own due diligence. Moreover, the data captured here is best characterized as top-of-funnel or dark funnel → factoring in sales cycle length, do NOT use this Demand Index as a predictor of near-term financial results and/or financial guidanc ..read more