Today's SaaS Pulse
Fire disrupts Google Cloud India network, performance stays sluggish
A fire damaged Google Cloud India's network infrastructure, and the service remained slower than usual a week after the incident.
Also developing:
By the numbers: GIA acquires 30% stake in De Beers' Tracr blockchain platform
Affinity Takes on Adobe in the Best Way Possible - by Making All Its Software Free for Everyone
Affinity announced that its three professional‑grade apps—Designer, Photo, and Publisher—are now completely free for all users, bundled into a single suite. The change follows the company's 2024 acquisition by Canva and dispels earlier fears of a shift to subscription pricing. Canva premium subscribers also receive integrated Canva AI Studio tools such as Generative Fill and Remove Background. The full feature set is retained, and the perpetual‑license purchase option has been removed in favor of a new website launch.
Promptable Signals Transform Go‑to‑Market with 6sense
Go-to-market leaders — our Signalverse is about to blow up. 💥 You already know 6sense for intent, predictive, and technographic data… but soon, anything you can prompt will be at your fingertips. ✓ Want to find companies expanding product lines?...
Legora Secures $150M Series C, Hits $1.8B Valuation
Congrats to @MaxJunestrand, @siggelabor, and @WeAreLegora on their $150M Series C at a $1.8B valuation! Legora is the collaborative AI platform helping lawyers review and research faster, draft smarter, and advise with precision. In just six months, they've grown from 250 to...
What To Expect From a New VP of Customer Success in The First 30-60-90 Days
The article outlines a 30‑60‑90 day plan for a new VP of Customer Success, emphasizing immediate customer engagement, internal alignment, and data analysis in the first month. In weeks 31‑60, the focus shifts to refining onboarding, establishing health scores, piloting...
AI Will Close Major Deals Without Sales Executives by 2026
There is going to be a rude awakening for the sales profession in 2026. Everyone is going to be surprised how many fairly big deals close without a sales exec. This isn’t to say they will close without a human involved. ...
Enterprise AI Fails because Big Firms Can’t Build It
MIT's new State of AI in Business report went viral for claiming that 95% of enterprise AI projects fail. But the real story isn't that AI doesn't work — it's just big companies can't build it. On the @LightconePod, @garrytan, @harjtaggar,...
$555B of Cloud Spend
Microsoft and Google reported surging AI-driven cloud demand, with combined remaining performance obligations and capex commitments swelling to roughly $555 billion as both ramp data-center builds and GPU capacity. Microsoft’s commercial RPO topped nearly $400 billion and Google’s backlog hit...
Scaling SaaS: $1‑3M Is the Critical Growth
Only 1 in 10 SaaS companies ever make it to $10M ARR. And for the ones that do, it takes an average of 5-7 years from when they first start generating revenue. This comes from Kyle Poyar ’s analysis of...
Don't Let Bots Crash Your Human Meetings
I’m actually very pro meeting recording and ai summarization. But I’m not ok with bots joining as fake humans accomplish this. It’s a meeting between you and me. Not you and me and some startup’s viral growth strategy. Granola is...
Box CEO Aaron Levie on How AI Is Changing the Enterprise SaaS Landscape
Box CEO Aaron Levie told TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 that AI agents will not replace enterprise SaaS but will operate alongside it, creating a hybrid model where deterministic SaaS handles core workflows and non‑deterministic agents augment decision‑making and automation. He warned...
Growth Takes Time; Success Isn't Only Million‑Dollar ARR
Same here. Took 2.5 years to reach $1M ARR (for all my products combined). And then it plateaued for almost 2 years until I launched FounderStack. Many small businesses never even go beyond 6 figures, and they're still doing better than most! We...
AlertMouse Beats Google Alerts, Generates Real Revenue
Another day, another SHINING example of why https://alertmouse.com gets that cheddar, while Google Alerts is
Adobe and Google Team up to Offer More AI Models and YouTube Integration
Adobe and Google announced an expanded partnership at Adobe Max 2025, embedding Google’s Gemini, Veo and Imagen AI models into Adobe’s creative suite—including Firefly, Photoshop, Express, Premiere and GenStudio. Enterprise users can fine‑tune these models with their own brand data...
Growth Requires Feedback Loops, Not Just More
More only works if you have feedback loops to get better. More for the sake of more doesn't move the needle.
Launch Partnerships When Network Effects Mature for Scale
Partnerships and community programs launched too early rarely hit the scale you want. Not because they're bad strategies — but because the network effects haven't had time to mature yet. Timing matters.
The Rise of the AI Accountant: Cheaper. Faster. Riskier?
The UK is entering its first AI‑driven tax season, with a Taxfix survey showing 59% of self‑assessment filers intend to use AI tools to meet the Jan 31 deadline. Respondents cite speed (39%), convenience (36%) and lower cost (33%) as primary...
Bootstrapping SaaS Success: LTV/CAC Mastery with PodUp
New episode with PodUp founder Nathan Gwilliam! 🎙️ Bootstrapping, service-enabled SaaS, and LTV/CAC mastery. A must-watch for SaaS builders 👇 https://t.co/YLrLMsWUCR 🚀 #SaaS #PodUp https://t.co/8MRkDXh6e5
Product Strategy: Disciplined Building Driven by Customer Context
Building because you can is easy. Building because you should takes discipline. That discipline is called product strategy and it runs on customer context.
The Missing Data Link in Enterprise AI: Why Agents Need Streaming Context, Not Just Better Prompts
Confluent unveiled a real‑time context engine that couples Apache Kafka event streaming with Apache Flink stream processing, and released an open‑source Flink Agents framework to give enterprise AI agents continuous, low‑latency data context. The platform creates materialized views from live...
SaaStr AI VC: Massive Startup Data & VC Connections
SaaStr AI VC. Try it free -> https://t.co/XzJ5d0OqGr 🧮548,709 start-up valuations 🖥️1,657+ VC pitch decks graded 🧖♀️1,200+ active founders now 🫂503 VC connections made It's pretty darn cool https://t.co/nXGlRNz6mC
SaaStr Tops Brand Mentions, Beats HubSpot and TechCrunch
Insights from @Amplitude_HQ AI Visibility 🚀 @saastr is the #1 most-mentioned brand - ahead of @hubspot and @TechCrunch!! https://t.co/g6PJChA7Ll https://t.co/5bV9t5BPky
If Your CRO, CCO or CPO Doesn’t Meet With Customers Their First Week On The Job … Move On. ...
SaaStr founder Jason Lemkin warns that a newly hired CRO, CCO or CPO must meet with customers in their first week, or the company should apologize for the mis‑hire and let them go. He says skipping direct customer interaction signals...
AI BDR Books Meetings, Replaces Need for Hires
Our AI BDR booked 7 meetings on its own with our sales team last week. I mean you could argue a human could do a better job. Maybe. But the real thing is, you don't even have to hire than human...
Prototype with Alloy: Look Exactly Like Your Product
Alloy (@alloy_app) is the tool for prototypes that look exactly like your product. PMs and designers have struggled with off-brand prototypes – built with “app builder” tools that look nothing like their existing app. They’re left with confused stakeholders, prototypes they can’t...
5 Interesting Learnings From MongoDB at $2.4 Billion in ARR
MongoDB reported $2.4 billion in ARR, with revenue growth rebounding to 24% and its stock up about 45% year‑to‑date. Seventy percent of Atlas ARR now comes from customers that use at least one additional platform capability, and those multi‑product users generate...
Revenue per Employee: 2025’s Top AI SaaS Metric
Revenue per employee is the most valuable AI SaaS metric in 2025. This chart shows it. Here’s what it means👇
Announcing Ambitious AI Intern Roadmap and Safety Strategy
Yesterday we did a livestream. TL;DR: We have set internal goals of having an automated AI research intern by September of 2026 running on hundreds of thousands of GPUs, and a true automated AI researcher by March of 2028. We may...
What’s Working in GTM Right Now
Surveying 195 software GTM leaders, the inaugural 2025 State of B2B GTM report finds companies juggling heavy channel experimentation—an average of five core GTM channels plus 5.5 experiments—while inbound (23%), outbound (19%) and account‑based GTM (18%) remain the most common...
Fluid UI Makes Business Software Feel Playful
We've been working hard on nailing the transitions and feel of open and closing columns. Feeling really good about where we've likely landed. Little burst of color at the top when a column opens to reiterate that's the column that changed....
HappyFox Cuts Tickets 50% and Boosts Support 10x
Thrilled to welcome @HappyFoxApp as a Super Gold Sponsor at SaaStr AI Summit AND SaaStr AI London! 🚀 HappyFox is transforming support with AI-powered solutions that actually work—cutting ticket volumes by 50%, boosting agent productivity 10x, and bringing AI assistance directly...
Sabbaticals Keep Our Attrition at Bay
37signals says offering a six-week sabbatical every three years has been a simple, effective tool to curb churn in an industry where average tenure is about 18 months. The company reports the policy — in place for roughly 15 years...
Software Will Define Medicine's Next Decade, Says Commure CEO
Tanay Tandon (@tanay_tandon) is the co-founder and CEO of Athelas/Commure, the AI operating system for healthcare. Commure powers 20M+ appointments annually and processes $25B+ in claims volume, helping clinicians and health systems work faster, smarter, and spend more time on...
True Progress Feels Like Doubt, Not Applause
Progress is easy to fake. You stay busy. You launch things. You talk about traction. Everyone claps because motion looks like momentum. The team feels alive. The investors nod. But the market is silent. Real progress feels different. It feels like doubt....
Small Firms Reap Bigger AI ROI by Redesigning Workflows
Interesting data from Wharton showing that 75% of companies see a positive ROI on AI investment. But what’s more fascinating, and revealing, is the delta between companies that are $2B in revenue. Much higher rates of seeing significant gains and...
Azure Hits $93B Run Rate, 39% Growth, Lags Microsoft
Azure at a ~$93B run rate growing 39% constant currency Quarterly YoY growth trends below $MSFT https://t.co/YS2msooKX0
Google Cloud Hits $61B Run Rate, up 34% YoY
Google Cloud at a ~$61B run rate growing 34% (not constant currency). Google cloud includes GCP and GSuite Quarterly YoY growth trends in below chart $GOOGL https://t.co/WBQXU7nwmh
AI Agents Automate Post‑production Chores From Ingest to Delivery
Aspect (@aspectratioinc) gives post-production teams AI agents to handle their non-creative work from ingest → review → delivery 🎥 💥 Agents retrieve second-accurate clips, assemble rough cuts, check revisions against notes, and sync to other business tools. https://t.co/IGCeVisCPk
AI Turns Photo Into Instant Marketplace Listings
SellRaze (@SellRaze) uses AI to sell your stuff from just a pic. It identifies it, prices it, and lists it across marketplaces automatically. What used to take 30+ minutes now takes seconds. https://t.co/WQVEySzxV9 Congrats on the launch, @JeffMao_ & @TylerMa_! https://t.co/Kc21QX1mCu
Flexibility, Not Fortresses, Is the Real Competitive Edge
Many leaders perceive competitive advantage as a fortress—protected, invulnerable. However, in our rapidly changing world, that perspective may become your greatest flaw. Rethink the barriers. Welcome flexibility. That’s the true advantage. View: https://t.co/vMm2vq9jJV @RogerLMartin
Fixpoint Streamlines Hiring Vetted Experts for AI Training
Fixpoint (@gofixpoint) automates hiring vetted experts—doctors, lawyers, PhDs, coders, etc—for AI training data and evals. They handle sourcing and vetting so customers can focus on creating quality data and benchmarking AI. https://t.co/Wg6Ilo4W8V Congrats on the launch, @dbmikus and @jakubonchain!
37signals Trims Staff to 62, Down From 80
Lots of questions about how how many people we have at 37signals. We currently have 62 people. We were around 80 at our employee-count peak a few years ago. We got smaller by not replacing people or specific roles when people left.
Bear Enables Companies to Gain AI Agent Recommendations
Bear (@usebearai) helps companies get recommended by AI Agents like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Cursor, Claude Code, and more. It's already used by Browserbase, WisprFlow, and 200+ companies to grow traffic from AI Agents. https://t.co/iPaJDMy3ww Congrats on the launch, @janaksunil & @siddhantpa1iwal!
Trucking Firm Adopts Next-Gen Fleet Safety Solution
Trucking Firm Implements A Next-Generation Fleet Safety Solution via @forbes @Samsara https://t.co/9vCM4sH2ZB
Redesign UX for JTBD Doubles Activation Rates
Storytime: Client's trial conversion was hovering around 10%. Users couldn't figure out how to get value at onboarding. When dev redesigned the UX around customers’ JTBD, activation doubled.
OKRs Aren’t Strategy: Align Goals With Real Choices
https://t.co/SWse0SEbKs Are OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) helping your business grow—or are they creating a false sense of strategic clarity? Join Roger Martin, one of the world’s leading strategy thinkers, and Tiffani Bova, bestselling author and growth strategist, for a candid LinkedIn...
Real‑time Voice Will Dominate AI’s Next Interface Layer
Whoever nails real-time voice stands to win the interface layer to AI. Not screens. Not chat bubbles. One of the startups doing great work in this area is @Cartesia (disclosure: I'm an indie investor in the company). Their Sonic-3 low latency models are...
Williams Sonoma Powers 20% of U.S. Home‑
From kitchens to living rooms: @WilliamsSonoma now powers 1 in 5 U.S. home-furnishings customers via #Agentforce. ✅ 200K+ chats/month ✅ 30% auto-resolved ✅ Faster. Smarter. Happier. 20-years of Trust & @Salesforce @WilliamsSonoma collab & AI-fueled for the holiday season. ❤️ #CustomerSuccess #AI 👉 https://t.co/ZWBfClwNWm
Unsexy Contractor SaaS Generates $26K Profit, 84% Margins
SaaS + large unsexy market = gold Live on @acquiredotcom: Referral SaaS helping contractors (plumbing, HVAC, roofing etc) share & track jobs. > $32K TTM revenue > $26K TTM profit > 84% margins Turning WOM into recurring income. Full listing: https://t.co/NqMh8TRUsA https://t.co/hiQW7jDrXJ
Introducing the Future Name for AI-Powered Software
Writing about where AI-powered software is going and I’ve come up with a new name for what we’re all going to end up building. Essay coming later today.
Built SaaStr AI Tool in a Day, Bypassing Vendors
Waited 7 years for our SaaS vendors to build this for SaaStr AI London + SaaStr Annual So today, I built in 1 day on @Replit https://t.co/ymRJa89ima