SaaStr

MARCH 19, 2025

And now it’s transitioning to its third phase, investing big in its more AI focused business offering, Dash, while managing its classic but mature file sharing business efficiently. ” Drew Houston has been CEO since Day 1 in 2008 and we’re super excited to have him speaking at 2025 SaaStr Annual, May 13-15 in SF Bay !

AI Search 176

AI Search Scale AI B2B 176

Andreessen Horowitz

MARCH 30, 2021

Banks are heavily regulated, more so in the wake of the 2008 global financial … The post Investing in Capitolis appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.

Investment 140

Investment Banking Enterprise SaaS 140

Tom Tunguz

MAY 24, 2023

Ten years ago, Nvidia’s market cap hovered around $4b, down from its previous high of $13b in 2008. Nvidia has more than doubled its capex in 2023 & the latest earnings release suggested the business plans to invest more. In a decade, the business increased in value about 250x, compounding at about 74%.

Machine Learning 298

Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence B2C AI 298

SaaStr

MAY 20, 2020

Started Twilio in January 2008, just as the last downturn happened. They wanted to invest in apps, not APIs. And they had to go months with no money at all. “If you are in survival mode, you need to think through ever investments you make now, weighted toward survival first, but the best outcome after the crisis is over second.”

CTO Hire 355

CTO Hire New CTO CTO Airlines 355

Tom Tunguz

MAY 5, 2020

In March, I published analysis of the fundraising market in 2008. Second, investors are learning how to diligence investments without human contact. It showed that the later rounds, the series B and series C were the most impacted. The early data from March 2020 shows a different pattern. Later rounds are unblemished.

Marketing 298

Marketing Trends Startup Investment 298

SaaStr

JANUARY 17, 2023

I sold a sales tool in 2008-2009 when the global economy was in total meltdown, and I’ll tell you, we sure didn’t stop selling. So are a number of my top VC investments. We had a great conversation on how much harder it is now with Gong’s incredible CRO here: But is that an excuse to sort of quiet quit? I say No.

Sales Hiring 273

Sales Hiring Sales Startup Investment 273

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 18, 2022

Since 2008, the US experienced an unabated 12 year bull market fueled by four waves of money printing which increased US money supply by 30%+. Venture capitalists have continued to invest at similar prices & similar round sizes in the most sought after companies. The slides are embedded above & linked here.

Pricing 270

Pricing Startup Investment Technology 270

Tom Tunguz

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

In the mid-2000s, many startups invested their excess cash reserves in instruments called Auction Rate Securities. In February 2008, the ARS market seized. VC investment fell 40%, nearly halving another source of oxygen. ARS produced a steady stream of interest payments, like savings accounts, with a higher return.

Venture Capital 231

Venture Capital Banking Startup Investment 231

SaaStr

MARCH 7, 2024

What’s your most recent disclosed investment? What’s your sweet spot for investing — check size, stage, type of deal? For over two decades, Creandum has specialized in early-stage investing, Seed and Series A. Some of our most notable investments include Spotify, Klarna, Bolt, Neo4j, Pleo or Factorial.

Payments 278

Payments Payment Services Payment Solutions Scale 278

Tom Tunguz

JULY 19, 2019

The same dynamic is occuring at most stages of venture investing. The previously fixed financial products that existed in 2008 of a $4-6M Series A and a $10-12M Series B are gone. Series A investors must choose to move earlier into the new seed rounds, or play later in bigger Series As (the Series Bs of yore).

Finance 270

Finance Innovation Startup Investment 270

Tom Tunguz

APRIL 1, 2019

In the analysis, I created a metric, the return on invested capital (ROIC). The era after 2006 and through the 2008 financial crisis was a different time to raise capital. In 2014, I published a post called Do Startup Require Less Capital to Succeed than 10 Years Ago ? It’s been five years and time to see how things have changed.

Startup 279

Startup Software Review SaaS Acquisition 279

SaaStr

JULY 10, 2024

It was founded in 2008 but took a while to get going, hitting $1m in revenue in 2011 selling to Utah schools — and then scaled from there. Instructure is one of the leading learning management systems for education with its Canvas product. Your kids may well use it. You may have in college, too.

Scale 299

Scale SaaS Payments Payment Services Payments 299

Tom Tunguz

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

The US venture capital ecosystem has grown 40x in dollars from $8b to $320b invested in 10 years. I remember joining in 2008, a green product manager out of Google who had just landed his dream job. After more than 14 years at Redpoint, I’m starting a new chapter. I’m filled with optimism for the future.

Venture Capital 221

Venture Capital Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Innovation 221

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 16, 2021

David Sacks: SaaS Background and Investments. In 2008, he founded Yammer, an enterprise software company that David grew to 500 employees and $60 million in sales. In 2008, he founded Yammer, an enterprise software company that David grew to 500 employees and $60 million in sales. Subscribe Please do not fill in this field.

CTO Hire 284

CTO Hire Sales Hiring Sales Recruiting CTO 284

Tom Tunguz

MAY 10, 2022

AAA gaming titles arrive two to three years later because of their development lifecycles and studio risk aversion to invest tens of millions into a new platform. Each Basel Accord was authored in response to a crisis Basel I - the crash of 1989; Basel II - the dotcom crash, and Basel III - the GFC of 2008. Money pours into web3.

Banking 262

Banking Government Construction Startup 262

Tom Tunguz

MAY 5, 2020

In March, I published analysis of the fundraising market in 2008. Second, investors are learning how to diligence investments without human contact. It showed that the later rounds, the series B and series C were the most impacted. The early data from March 2020 shows a different pattern. Later rounds are unblemished.

Marketing 207

Marketing Trends Startup Investment 207

SaaStr

JANUARY 12, 2023

Since 2008, investor preference has largely been growth-oriented due to the artificially low cost of capital and stimulus. The key to product efficiency isn’t moving many investment resources or adjacencies but rather having the right mix of product portfolio and proven cost structures. Shifting focus in a new era.

Consulting 49

Consulting Underperforming Technical Team Management Marketing 49

SaaStr

JULY 2, 2024

For the most part, it has leveled out in the 8-10x forward revenue multiple range and is largely consistent with where things traded from 2008 to 2018. You can see that dollars invested by these non-traditional investors grew at 31% CAGR from 2011 to 2021, which is kind of astounding. The tourists, a.k.a.

Venture Capital 300

Venture Capital Management Scale AI 300

SaaStock

JANUARY 30, 2019

One of those was 2008/2009 when 5 funds were started. Its partners boast diverse venture experience and have previously invested in more than 70 companies. SaaS Investments: Pipefy, HeyDoctor. SaaS Investments: Gupy, idwall, meetime, Qulture rocks, Social Miner, and Teravoz. Founded: 2017. Size of fund: $20M. Stage: Seed.

Venture Capital 155

Venture Capital SaaS Healthcare Finance 155

The Angel VC

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

The first date When I stumbled on Zendesk in 2008 I knew absolutely nothing about enterprise software, B2B or SaaS. Today the “consumerization of the enterprise” has become mainstream, but in 2008 it wasn’t. The investment from this seed round inspired a new mindset and created a big change in pace.

Scale 155

Scale Sales Hiring Venture Capital Software Review 155

The Angel VC

MAY 31, 2016

When we invest in a SaaS startup, which almost always happens at the seed stage, the next big milestone on the company’s roadmap is usually a Series A. If you carry this thought further and assume that the biggest goal after the Series A is to get to the Series B (and so on, you get the idea) it sounds like turtles all the way down.

SaaS 193

SaaS Finance Mobile Enterprise 193

SaaStr

JUNE 19, 2024

The three core areas to focus on are: Evolving your growth engine Building and solving for when to become a multi-product platform Investing in your people and team #1: Evolving Your Growth Engine Let’s start with some context for Bitly’s journey. Bitly began in 2008, right around the time that other link-shortening companies were starting.

Scale 300

Scale Scaling Underperforming Technical Team User Experience 300

SaaStock

MARCH 8, 2019

Before getting into the investment world, she started and sold two successful companies in edutainment, and made a prominent name in the tech field around the world. At the beginning of 2019, she became an ambassador of Moxie Future, an initiative for women investors that facilitates investment in a responsible and sustainable future.

VP of Engineering 264

VP of Engineering CTO Coach Venture Capital SaaS 264

The Angel VC

MAY 17, 2017

In our weekly investment team call earlier this week we decided to pass on two early-stage SaaS startups that were both on track to grow from zero to $100k in MRR in their first 12 months of going live. And chances are that it would have been a good investment. I’ll keep you posted.) What does it mean for SaaS founders?

Business Model 180

Business Model Venture Capital SaaS Underperforming Technical Team 180

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

They were aware of it, but startups that I work with closely or invested in, if they got all the way to 25 million with 75% NRR, I would tell them to quit today. VCs can only invest in outliers. I want to invest in her.” Because the YC companies I’ve invested in, it… Look, YC’s expensive.

Outsourcing Services 243

Outsourcing Services Banking CTO Hire New CTO 243

Hitenism

JANUARY 6, 2017

It was 2008, and I was having a classic founder moment. Back in 2008, “content marketing” wasn’t a thing. We founded KISSmetrics in 2008.). We ruled out all contending marketing channels that required us to invest a large amount of cash upfront. It was 2008! Twitter in 2008 was pretty limited.

Startup 182

Startup Marketing Engagement Content Marketing 182

Sales Hacker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

In May 2008, I graduated college — with 1.56 million of my peers — directly into the 2008 recession. Basically: Today’s economic climate looks very different from 2008. Signs of recession we’re seeing now vs. 2008. And finally, Mike pointed out, in some important ways, today’s “uncertain times” aren’t like 2008 at all.

Sales Hiring 106

Sales Hiring Marketplace as a Service Payment Services Banking 106

Sales Hacker

DECEMBER 5, 2023

What You Will Learn: May’s perspective on the economy now compared to that of 2008/2009. Highlights: (6:12) May’s learnings from Lehman Brothers and the economic crisis of 2008/2009. (14:11) Writer’s decision to make PLG table stakes and how they leverage their motion to secure enterprise customers.

Sales Recruiting 125

Sales Recruiting Enterprise AI Banking 125

SaaStock

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Meet Our Speakers… Patrick Arippol, Managing Director of Early Stage Investments, DGF Investimentos. He is leading DGF Investimentos’ specialized early-stage investment group – DGF Inova. However, her path changed in 2008 when she took on a new challenge: an MBA in Business and Management. Business Consultancy.

Technical Review 207

Technical Review Scale Entrepreneurship Sales Hiring 207

Clouded Judgement

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

Microsoft launched Azure in 2010, and Google launched GCP to the public in 2011 (they launched a preview of Google App Engine in 2008, but made it publicly available in 2011). This is for information purposes and should not be construed as an investment recommendation. Altimeter is an investment adviser registered with the U.S.

Cloud 176

Cloud GCP(Google Cloud Platform) AWS Azure 176

The Angel VC

DECEMBER 1, 2014

While I do think that there are differences between how VCs work in Europe vs. the US, I think it wouldn’t be fair to blame European investors for missing Zendesk: With hindsight Zendesk looks like a clear winner, but back in 2008 it wasn’t that clear. It was still very early.

Investment 149

Investment Business Model Software Marketing 149

SaaStr

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Christoph Janz, General Partner of Point Nine Capital, shares what it takes to raise capital in SaaS, overall investment activity in 2023, and how to develop a convincing AI strategy. Overall Investment Activity in 2023 We all know there has been a massive shift in the number of rounds and capital raised.

AI 205

AI Underperforming Technical Team Cloud Strategy 205

Tom Tunguz

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Seed investments are booming. The top quartile seed rounds have expanded by 44% in 8 years, and by 75% since 2008. The expansion in seed investments spans the top 3 states for venture capital (CA, MA, and NY), which collectively account for 70% of seed investment dollars raised. as much in aggregate as they did in 2008.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Startup Investment Data 100

SaaStock

MARCH 1, 2019

According to Mike Laven, CEO of Currencycloud, the one thing necessary for any company to succeed in China – or in any of the Asian countries – is to get local investment. It has more than 100 investments since its founding in 2001. SAIF is also one of the biggest funds, investing in Hong Kong, China and India.

SaaS Payments 190

SaaS Payments Venture Capital Payment Services Telecommunications 190

Clouded Judgement

AUGUST 2, 2024

Wayfair CEO compared the drop in spend to home goods to the 2008 financial crisis: “Customers remain cautious in their spending on the home and our credit card data suggests that the category was down by nearly 25% from the peak we saw in the fourth quarter of 2021. Altimeter is an investment adviser registered with the U.S.

Cloud 157

Cloud Azure GCP(Google Cloud Platform) AWS 157

The Angel VC

JANUARY 4, 2011

was founded in 2008 by two extremely sharp students of the Cracow University of Science and Technology who wanted to build a simple, easy-to-use, web-based invoicing and billing application for small businesses in Poland. I invested in the company together with Team Europe Ventures early last year.

Payment Solutions 104

Payment Solutions Payments Payment Features Software Review 104

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 15, 2013

When I started at Redpoint in 2008, I wanted to find every way of analyzing companies I could. At the beginning, the business must invest in the project, then if successful, the project grows and makes money, and last the project reaches maturity and declines. Credit: Karl Scotland. Each project within a business follows an S-curve.

Consulting 113

Consulting Startup Investment Management 113