SaaStr

SaaStr

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Talks/panels with SaaS CEOs and operators on revenue, GTM, and scaling.

Software's Cloud & LLM Disaster: Companies Face Terminal Decline #shorts
VideoMar 12, 2026

Software's Cloud & LLM Disaster: Companies Face Terminal Decline #shorts

The video lambasts public software companies for missing the unprecedented surge in cloud and large‑language‑model (LLM) spending, labeling the gap a “disaster” that threatens their relevance. The speaker points out that despite billions poured into infrastructure, firms have failed to create...

By SaaStr
SaaStr AI Live: 10 Things to Know Before Rolling Out Your First AI SDR
VideoMar 11, 2026

SaaStr AI Live: 10 Things to Know Before Rolling Out Your First AI SDR

The video titled 'SaaStr AI Live: 10 Things to Know Before Rolling Out Your First AI SDR' actually contains a short, plain tutorial on how to enable dark mode in the YouTube mobile app. The presenter directs users to tap...

By SaaStr
Consulting Vs. Software: Who Wins the IT Budget War? #shorts
VideoFeb 26, 2026

Consulting Vs. Software: Who Wins the IT Budget War? #shorts

The IT spending landscape is rapidly shifting, with organizations allocating more budget to software solutions than to traditional consulting services. Automation and artificial intelligence are accelerating this transition, enabling enterprises to implement scalable tools without extensive human advisory. As AI-driven...

By SaaStr
SaaStr AI Live: The Top 5 Issues Managing Multiple AI Agents In Production
VideoFeb 26, 2026

SaaStr AI Live: The Top 5 Issues Managing Multiple AI Agents In Production

SaaStr AI Live highlighted the five most critical challenges when running multiple AI agents in production. The discussion covered orchestration complexity, latency constraints, observability gaps, data consistency, and security‑cost trade‑offs. Experts shared real‑world examples from SaaS firms scaling AI‑driven workflows....

By SaaStr
AI Giants: Who Will Capture the BILLION Dollar Market? #shorts
VideoFeb 25, 2026

AI Giants: Who Will Capture the BILLION Dollar Market? #shorts

Enterprise software providers are increasing technology spend to keep pace with a rapidly evolving SaaS landscape. The surge is driven by the need to support large‑scale AI models from firms such as Anthropic. While demand for compute and data pipelines...

By SaaStr
Software's Future: Only the STRONGEST Will Survive! #shorts
VideoFeb 22, 2026

Software's Future: Only the STRONGEST Will Survive! #shorts

The short video argues that the software and SaaS sector will continue to evolve, but only the strongest firms will endure the next five to ten years. The speaker notes that many companies from 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 have already...

By SaaStr
Fundraising, AI Plugins, and Startup Valuations: The Latest Tech Buzz! #shorts
VideoFeb 17, 2026

Fundraising, AI Plugins, and Startup Valuations: The Latest Tech Buzz! #shorts

The clip stitches together two hot trends—massive venture fundraising at sky‑high valuations and the rapid rollout of AI‑powered plugins that threaten incumbent software vendors. In December a cloud‑native AI startup secured $200 million, valuing it at $11 billion, while secondary‑market deals are pushing...

By SaaStr
Bootstrap Success: Leaner, Faster, and Smarter! #shorts
VideoFeb 13, 2026

Bootstrap Success: Leaner, Faster, and Smarter! #shorts

The video argues that a growing number of founders are choosing bootstrapping over the traditional venture‑capital route, especially as market conditions have softened since 2022. It frames lean, profitable growth as the new benchmark for early‑stage companies, urging entrepreneurs to...

By SaaStr
Investor Growth Expectations: Why 3X Isn't Enough Anymore #shorts
VideoFeb 12, 2026

Investor Growth Expectations: Why 3X Isn't Enough Anymore #shorts

The video highlights a shifting investor mindset where the once‑impressive 3‑times revenue growth target is now considered a baseline, and venture capitalists are chasing “one‑to‑hundred” scaling stories. Speakers note that the market is flooded with clone startups, driving valuations to historic...

By SaaStr
Going From Blobs to Billions. Clay's Co-Founder Breaks Down Inbound, Outbound, and AI-Powered Sales.
VideoFeb 11, 2026

Going From Blobs to Billions. Clay's Co-Founder Breaks Down Inbound, Outbound, and AI-Powered Sales.

The podcast features Clay’s co‑founder outlining how the platform unifies inbound, outbound, and AI‑driven sales workflows to turn raw prospect data into qualified leads and personalized outreach. By aggregating global data providers, applying large language models, and exposing unique signals—such...

By SaaStr
How Nebius Built a $4B+ GPU Cloud in 18 Months: The 7 Top Lessons Learned
BlogFeb 7, 2026

How Nebius Built a $4B+ GPU Cloud in 18 Months: The 7 Top Lessons Learned

Nebius, a Yandex spin‑out, built a $4 billion GPU cloud in 18 months, scaling from zero U.S. staff to 40+ and constructing a 300 MW data center in New Jersey. The company leveraged its deep engineering talent, a targeted network of early...

By SaaStr
PE Is No Longer Coming to the Rescue. And That Probably Means No One Will.
BlogFeb 6, 2026

PE Is No Longer Coming to the Rescue. And That Probably Means No One Will.

Private equity, once a reliable exit for B2B SaaS firms hitting $20M ARR, has largely withdrawn its support as of 2026. While total technology M&A reached a decade‑high $587 billion in 2025, PE capital is now concentrated on AI‑accelerated, high‑growth or...

By SaaStr
Palantir: The Greatest Enterprise Software Company Of All Time Ever? Could Be.
BlogFeb 4, 2026

Palantir: The Greatest Enterprise Software Company Of All Time Ever? Could Be.

Palantir reported a record Q4 2025, generating $1.4 billion in revenue—a 70% year‑over‑year jump that pushed its run‑rate above $5 billion. The company posted a Rule‑of‑40 score of 127, driven by 57% adjusted operating margin and 139% net‑dollar‑retention, while U.S. commercial revenue...

By SaaStr
I Wrote Off $4M to $0. My Co-Investor Marked Up the Same Deal to $30M. Here’s What Founders Need to...
BlogFeb 1, 2026

I Wrote Off $4M to $0. My Co-Investor Marked Up the Same Deal to $30M. Here’s What Founders Need to...

The author wrote off a $4 million SaaStr Fund investment to zero, while a co‑investor marked the same deal up to $30 million. The divergence stems from the co‑investor’s need to showcase a strong TVPI while fundraising for a new fund, prompting...

By SaaStr
The Trade Desk Was Priced for Perfection. Then Growth Slowed. Now It’s the Worst Performing Stock in the S&P 500.
BlogJan 31, 2026

The Trade Desk Was Priced for Perfection. Then Growth Slowed. Now It’s the Worst Performing Stock in the S&P 500.

The Trade Desk, once the ad‑tech darling, saw its stock plunge 73% as revenue growth slowed from 26% in 2024 to roughly 18% in Q3 2025. The market cap collapsed from $70 billion to under $15 billion, reflecting a sharp multiple contraction...

By SaaStr
Please Stop Selling Like It’s 2021
BlogJan 27, 2026

Please Stop Selling Like It’s 2021

The post argues that B2B sales tactics from 2021 are obsolete in 2026. Buyers now expect AI‑driven solutions that install themselves, cost less, and eliminate migration friction. Demonstrations and lengthy calls no longer persuade when customers can “vibe‑code” their own...

By SaaStr
AI App of the Week: Vivun — The AI Sales Engineer That Actually Does the Work
BlogJan 24, 2026

AI App of the Week: Vivun — The AI Sales Engineer That Actually Does the Work

Vivun’s AI sales teammate, Ava, is a generative‑AI assistant that prepares, participates in, and follows up on technical sales calls. Unlike typical chatbot tools, it uses a proprietary Sales Reasoning Model to surface real‑time insights and generate stakeholder‑specific materials. Enterprise...

By SaaStr
20VC X SaaStr Are Back: If Figma Isn’t Good Enough, What Hope Is There? Plus OpenAI Ads, Elon Vs. Sam,...
BlogJan 22, 2026

20VC X SaaStr Are Back: If Figma Isn’t Good Enough, What Hope Is There? Plus OpenAI Ads, Elon Vs. Sam,...

The 20VC × SaaStr episode argues that public SaaS isn’t dying, it’s merely being sorted by growth and AI tailwinds. Companies like Figma still command high multiples, but any slowdown triggers steep valuation cuts. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s nascent ad business could unlock $25 billion...

By SaaStr
Dear SaaStr: What Do The Top 1% of Sales Reps Do … That The Other 99% Don’t?
BlogJan 18, 2026

Dear SaaStr: What Do The Top 1% of Sales Reps Do … That The Other 99% Don’t?

The post argues that the single biggest differentiator for the top 1 % of sales reps is extreme time efficiency. These reps enter every deal with a pre‑mapped playbook, knowing exactly how to replicate a winning pitch across similar accounts. By...

By SaaStr
Meritech’s Look at 2025 Exits: M&A at $587B Hits a Decade+ High … But IPOs Were a Whimper
BlogJan 16, 2026

Meritech’s Look at 2025 Exits: M&A at $587B Hits a Decade+ High … But IPOs Were a Whimper

Meritech reports that 2025 delivered a muted IPO market, with only six pure‑play software listings, while merger‑and‑acquisition activity surged to $587 billion—the highest in a decade. Leading private firms such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Stripe continued to stay private, limiting public‑market...

By SaaStr
ElevenLabs Just Hit $330M ARR in 24 Months. It Took Twilio 8 Years to Get There.
BlogJan 14, 2026

ElevenLabs Just Hit $330M ARR in 24 Months. It Took Twilio 8 Years to Get There.

ElevenLabs announced $330 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) at the end of 2025, achieving the milestone in just 24 months. The company added $100 million in ARR in 20 months, then another $100 million in 10 months, and the next $130 million in...

By SaaStr
If You’re Going to Stick with a Mediocre VP for Now, You At Least Have to Micromanage Them
BlogJan 10, 2026

If You’re Going to Stick with a Mediocre VP for Now, You At Least Have to Micromanage Them

The article argues that while autonomy fuels A‑players, mediocre VPs require close oversight. Founders often retain underperforming executives due to timing or cash constraints, but leaving them unchecked can damage cash flow, sales, product velocity, and morale. The author proposes...

By SaaStr
The Change You Need Is the Change You Make. SaaStr AI Annual 2026 Will Help You Get There.
BlogJan 9, 2026

The Change You Need Is the Change You Make. SaaStr AI Annual 2026 Will Help You Get There.

SaaStr AI Annual 2026 positions itself as the definitive gathering for B2B SaaS leaders confronting the AI wave. The conference promises operator‑led sessions that deliver concrete frameworks for pricing, GTM, and product development, rather than abstract theory. Attendees will join...

By SaaStr
5 Interesting Learnings From Motive at $500,000,000 ARR.  And The Match Up With Samsara.
BlogJan 7, 2026

5 Interesting Learnings From Motive at $500,000,000 ARR. And The Match Up With Samsara.

Fleet‑management startup Motive filed its S‑1, revealing $500 million ARR and a growth rate of about 27%, while rival Samsara, now public, reached the same ARR milestone with 76% growth and recently achieved GAAP profitability. The two companies differ sharply in...

By SaaStr
Hooray, You Got Profitable. That’s Great, But It’s Not Enough. It’s Time To Reaccelerate Growth.
BlogJan 3, 2026

Hooray, You Got Profitable. That’s Great, But It’s Not Enough. It’s Time To Reaccelerate Growth.

SaaS founders who have reached profitability are being warned that profit is only a medicine, not a cure. Market data shows companies growing 40% command 4‑5x higher ARR multiples than those growing under 10%, with high‑growth firms valued at 25x...

By SaaStr
How Much Equity to Give Your First Employees: The Real Data From 50,000 Startups
BlogJan 2, 2026

How Much Equity to Give Your First Employees: The Real Data From 50,000 Startups

Carta’s State of Seed report, based on 50,000 startups, reveals concrete equity benchmarks for early hires. The median grant for the first employee is 1.50% of fully diluted shares, falling to 0.85% for the second, 0.50% for the third, 0.44%...

By SaaStr
OpenAI’s GTM Lead Maggie Hott: No Commissions, 100% Pilot Win Rates, and the Race Against Incumbents
BlogDec 30, 2025

OpenAI’s GTM Lead Maggie Hott: No Commissions, 100% Pilot Win Rates, and the Race Against Incumbents

OpenAI’s go‑to‑market leader Maggie Hott, who grew ChatGPT Enterprise from ten to 500 reps, revealed unconventional sales tactics that defy industry norms. OpenAI eliminates sales commissions, insists pilots achieve a 100 % win rate, and prioritises rapid distribution to stay ahead...

By SaaStr
One Reason The Best AI B2B Startups Are Growing So Quickly: Truly Insane Value
BlogDec 28, 2025

One Reason The Best AI B2B Startups Are Growing So Quickly: Truly Insane Value

AI‑driven B2B startups are scaling rapidly because they deliver ROI that is orders of magnitude higher than traditional solutions. The post highlights ElevenLabs’ $22‑per‑month voice‑over service that replaced a $3,000, weeks‑long process, achieving 1,000× cost and time savings, and cites...

By SaaStr
Dear SaaStr: My Co-Founder Is Threatening to Quit Unless I Give Him More Equity
BlogDec 28, 2025

Dear SaaStr: My Co-Founder Is Threatening to Quit Unless I Give Him More Equity

A co‑founder threatens to quit unless granted additional equity, highlighting the common tension that arises as startups evolve. SaaStr notes that B2B co‑founder splits typically average a 2:1 ratio, but perceived fairness can shift after two years. The recommended remedy...

By SaaStr
AI And The Death of The 2021 Sales Process
BlogDec 27, 2025

AI And The Death of The 2021 Sales Process

The post argues that the traditional 2021 B2B sales playbook is obsolete in an AI‑driven buying environment. Buyers now complete most research themselves and expect instant answers, so a four‑day response cost a $10k deal. Deploying AI agents that can...

By SaaStr
Dear SaaStr: When Should You Sell Your Startup?
BlogDec 22, 2025

Dear SaaStr: When Should You Sell Your Startup?

The SaaStr post outlines practical signals for when founders should consider selling their SaaS startup and when they should hold off. It advises exiting before cash runs out, when the team cannot be strengthened, or when a founder’s personal “magic...

By SaaStr
App of the Week: OpenRouter — The Universal API for All Your LLMs
BlogDec 20, 2025

App of the Week: OpenRouter — The Universal API for All Your LLMs

OpenRouter launched a unified API that aggregates more than 300 large‑language models from over 60 providers, letting developers access any model through a single endpoint. The platform automatically routes requests based on cost, speed, accuracy, and privacy, and provides built‑in...

By SaaStr
Is Zendesk Building a Glean Competitor with Its Unleash Acquisition? Not Exactly, But Here’s What’s Really Happening
BlogDec 19, 2025

Is Zendesk Building a Glean Competitor with Its Unleash Acquisition? Not Exactly, But Here’s What’s Really Happening

Zendesk announced the acquisition of Unleash, an Israeli AI‑powered enterprise search startup with more than 70 connectors, to embed permission‑based retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) and AI agents directly into Slack and Microsoft Teams. The move targets internal employee‑service workflows—IT, HR, and...

By SaaStr
Databricks Vs. Snowflake at $5B ARR: Same Revenue, 2x Valuation Gap. Here’s Why.
BlogDec 17, 2025

Databricks Vs. Snowflake at $5B ARR: Same Revenue, 2x Valuation Gap. Here’s Why.

Databricks and Snowflake have converged at roughly $5 billion in annual recurring revenue, but Databricks is growing at over 55% while Snowflake trails at about 29%. The faster growth translates into a valuation multiple nearly twice Snowflake’s, driven by Databricks’ stronger...

By SaaStr
The $7,500 Migration Fee That Just Cost a Vendor $80,000 ARR.  Really, $240,000.
BlogDec 16, 2025

The $7,500 Migration Fee That Just Cost a Vendor $80,000 ARR. Really, $240,000.

An $80,000 ARR SaaS deal was lost when the vendor imposed a $7,500 migration fee, pushing the contract into the following year. The author argues that such fees create friction, extending ROI timelines and giving incumbents a chance to retain...

By SaaStr
Klaviyo Adds Co-CEO To Get Back To Product. The Dream, But Does It Work?
BlogDec 16, 2025

Klaviyo Adds Co-CEO To Get Back To Product. The Dream, But Does It Work?

Klaviyo announced a co‑CEO structure, pairing founder Andrew Bialecki with former Workday co‑CEO Chano Fernandez. Bialecki will focus on engineering, product, and AI‑driven vision, while Fernandez will lead go‑to‑market, operations, and finance. The company recently crossed $1.2 B in revenue run‑rate,...

By SaaStr
SaaStr AI App of the Week: Kintsugi — The AI That Puts Sales Tax on Autopilot
BlogDec 13, 2025

SaaStr AI App of the Week: Kintsugi — The AI That Puts Sales Tax on Autopilot

Kintsugi is an AI‑native platform that automates sales‑tax compliance for high‑growth B2B and e‑commerce firms. It monitors nexus thresholds, registers businesses, classifies products, files returns and remits payments across all U.S. states and many countries. Since its August 2023 launch the...

By SaaStr
The First $100,000,000 ARR at Samsara: How Founder CEO Sanjit Biswas Built a Platform Giant by Digitizing the Physical World
BlogDec 12, 2025

The First $100,000,000 ARR at Samsara: How Founder CEO Sanjit Biswas Built a Platform Giant by Digitizing the Physical World

Vertical SaaS leader Samsara has surpassed $1.75 billion in ARR, up 29% YoY, after scaling from its first $100 M ARR milestone. Founder‑CEO Sanjit Biswas leveraged a beginner’s‑mind approach, reassembled his Meraki team, and pivoted based on customer feedback to build a...

By SaaStr
55% of All Departmental AI Spend Is Now on Coding. And It’s Not Slowing Down
BlogDec 10, 2025

55% of All Departmental AI Spend Is Now on Coding. And It’s Not Slowing Down

Menlo Ventures reports departmental AI spending reached $7.3 billion in 2025, with coding accounting for $4 billion (55%). AI‑driven coding tools such as Cursor and Claude Code grew sevenfold year‑over‑year, pushing daily usage to half of developers and delivering 15% faster software...

By SaaStr
Want to Get In Front of 3,500 B2B + AI Buyers a Week? Submit Your AI Agent to SaaStr
BlogDec 10, 2025

Want to Get In Front of 3,500 B2B + AI Buyers a Week? Submit Your AI Agent to SaaStr

SaaStr quietly launched an AI Agents Directory that now draws about 3,500 weekly visitors—primarily B2B founders, CTOs, and RevOps leaders actively seeking AI agents to integrate. The platform is free to submit, curated, and up‑voted by the community, giving listed...

By SaaStr
Why Your Startup Will Fail, If It Does Fail: The Drama Inside, Not Outside
BlogDec 8, 2025

Why Your Startup Will Fail, If It Does Fail: The Drama Inside, Not Outside

Jason Lemkin argues that internal dysfunction, not competition, is the primary cause of startup failure. He identifies unforced errors such as co‑founder rifts, loss of key executives, and a culture of blame as fatal. The article prescribes concrete actions—regular appreciation,...

By SaaStr
4 Reasons to Send Investor Updates Even When Times Are Tough
BlogDec 6, 2025

4 Reasons to Send Investor Updates Even When Times Are Tough

Founder communication falters when startups hit rough patches, but Jason Lemkin argues that regular investor updates are essential even in downturns. Updates break isolation by connecting founders with experienced backers who can offer advice or introductions. Writing hard‑line metrics forces...

By SaaStr
The Top 10 “Hidden Gem” SaaStr Posts You May Have Missed — Per SaaStr’s Own AI
BlogDec 6, 2025

The Top 10 “Hidden Gem” SaaStr Posts You May Have Missed — Per SaaStr’s Own AI

SaaStr.ai scanned the platform’s massive archive and surfaced ten under‑read articles that deliver high‑impact SaaS guidance. The list spans sales playbook design, quota cadence, founder dilution, hiring stretch VPs, and financing pitfalls. Each post offers concrete tactics for founders looking...

By SaaStr
The 2026 Sales Reckoning: Why Your Traditional Sales Team Is About To Look Very Different
BlogDec 4, 2025

The 2026 Sales Reckoning: Why Your Traditional Sales Team Is About To Look Very Different

The blog argues that by 2026 B2B software sales will be dominated by AI‑driven prospecting and technical specialists rather than traditional account executives. Real‑world examples include a $4 million deal closed solely by a sales engineer, Vercel’s outbound motion run by...

By SaaStr
The 8 Things No One Tells You About ‘Prosumer’ Vibe Coding (That You Need To Learn To Build a Real...
BlogDec 1, 2025

The 8 Things No One Tells You About ‘Prosumer’ Vibe Coding (That You Need To Learn To Build a Real...

Jason Lemkin outlines the hidden challenges of AI‑assisted ‘vibe coding’ for B2B SaaS products. While AI agents can generate functional code quickly, they also hallucinate, require rigorous verification, and lack built‑in quality controls. Lemkin stresses that non‑technical founders must adopt...

By SaaStr
Two Billion+ B2B Companies Lost Salesforce Access Indefinitely. This Is Your Security Wake-Up Call.
BlogDec 1, 2025

Two Billion+ B2B Companies Lost Salesforce Access Indefinitely. This Is Your Security Wake-Up Call.

Two high‑profile SaaS vendors, Gainsight and Drift, were forced off the Salesforce AppExchange after a sophisticated threat actor stole OAuth tokens and exfiltrated data from hundreds of customers. Salesforce revoked the compromised tokens, pulling both companies' integrations offline indefinitely. The...

By SaaStr
PagerDuty Falls to ~$1B Market Cap on $500M ARR. Just 2x ARR. Profitable Isn’t Enough. You Have to Grow.
BlogNov 30, 2025

PagerDuty Falls to ~$1B Market Cap on $500M ARR. Just 2x ARR. Profitable Isn’t Enough. You Have to Grow.

PagerDuty reported $497 million ARR, up only 3% YoY, and became GAAP profitable, yet its market cap slipped to about $1.1 billion—roughly two times ARR. Growth has stalled at 4‑5% and net‑revenue retention fell to 100%, meaning existing customers no longer expand....

By SaaStr
The “Buy Your Own Product” Test: Why Every B2B Founder Should Be Their Own Customer (At Least For A Day)
BlogNov 29, 2025

The “Buy Your Own Product” Test: Why Every B2B Founder Should Be Their Own Customer (At Least For A Day)

Jason Lemkin urges B2B SaaS founders to purchase their own product using the public buying flow, not internal shortcuts. By submitting contact forms, calling support lines, and attempting in‑app upgrades, founders expose friction points that often go unnoticed. The exercise...

By SaaStr
The First $100,000,000 ARR at UiPath: How Founder CEO Daniel Dines Went From 10 Years of Struggle to Hypergrowth
BlogNov 28, 2025

The First $100,000,000 ARR at UiPath: How Founder CEO Daniel Dines Went From 10 Years of Struggle to Hypergrowth

UiPath, founded by Daniel Dines, hit its first $175 million ARR after a four‑year sprint from a modest $1 million base, illustrating a textbook hypergrowth trajectory in B2B SaaS. The company’s breakthrough came from a $10,000 pivot that turned a niche screen‑reading...

By SaaStr