Clouded Judgement

AUGUST 16, 2024

Today, IT budgets are roughly broken down into: ~50% headcount / personnel, ~25% software, ~15% hardware, and ~10% outsourcing / consultants. As software grows as a percentage, I think we see headcount / outsourcing shrinking. Let’s discuss why this matters. Consider a hypothetical budget scenario.

Outsourcing Services 274

Outsourcing Services Cloud Software Outsourced Development 274

Tom Tunguz

MARCH 1, 2021

Let’s talk about the innovation and then the implications. A company with this architecture will map out the customer journey sufficiently well to develop proxy metrics , leading indicators of customer behavior. A data scientist might develop a churn prediction algorithm. This may be the next shift.

Data 363

Data Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence SaaS 363

SaaStr

MARCH 2, 2022

Use it to develop a hypothesis about what will work and turn it into a data-driven program. A larger business, however, may have less appetite to spend on innovation. Encourage your teams to innovate and give them the space to do so without penalty. Use agencies to outsource your execution, not your thinking.

Outsourcing Services 246

Outsourcing Services Scale Outsourced Development Marketing 246

Tom Tunguz

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

For example, quantifying the number of active wallets, the population of active developers, & other dynamics within the ecosystem. Developers push about 300,000 smart contracts to Ethereum every month, a figure that has been flat for the last five months. My Top 15 Observations from the Data: 2.5m

Data 279

Data Blockchain Software Review Outsourced Development 279

Tom Tunguz

JULY 8, 2021

In the language of the land, the protocol is often called a smart contract. Smart contracts are open-source. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses that span attributes like speed, privacy, cost to write transactions, and developer friendliness. Protocols must decide which chain(s) they will support.

Outsourced Development 266

Outsourced Development Marketplace as a Service Banking Construction 266

SaaStr

JULY 15, 2022

But I almost never see mediocre outsource SEO really work for B2B. One, at every large company, there is an innovation budget. There’s an innovation budget in the CIO’s budget. Literally, they call it an innovation budget. But there is an innovation budget and you need to be tenacious to achieve it.

Scale 286

Scale Outsourcing Services Sales Hiring VP of Engineering 286

SaaStr

OCTOBER 14, 2021

And the engine really never stopped running, evolving into a dominant DevOps Platform for software development. We’re getting used to seeing these super-high NRR numbers from the top developer-focused leaders, in many cases because utility pricing often encourages it (see also Datadog, Twilio, etc). 5 Interesting Learnings: #1.

Outsourced Development 66

Outsourced Development Software Development Innovation Cloud 66

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 14, 2024

But, this point isn’t purely about technical innovation. Nearly 10 years ago, I wrote a post about the minimum viable average contract value to justify a sales team. Imagine a product offerd at a $10k contract value sold by an AE. To break even, this team would need to book 12 contracts per year or one per month.

CTO Hire 214

CTO Hire Outsourced Development Sales Hiring CTO 214

TurnKey Labs

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

In an era of globalized software development, businesses increasingly turn to nearshore solutions to fuel their tech innovations. In the heart of South America, Ecuador has emerged as a dynamic epicenter for nearshore software development.

Outsourced Development 57

Outsourced Development Software Development Development Software 57

TurnKey Labs

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

Silicon Valley, nestled in the heart of California, stands as the epitome of innovation in the tech world. In this dynamic landscape, where companies are constantly striving for technological excellence, the concept of nearshoring software development has emerged as a strategic imperative.

Outsourced Development 57

Outsourced Development Software Development Development Software 57

SaaStr

AUGUST 2, 2021

But developing solid partnerships takes vision, grit, time and patience. Service Providers: Many customers want to outsource specific work and services, so these partners operate in these spaces and can handle what’s needed. Once you hit that $1 billion mark, you innovate and evolve your product portfolio.

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Outsourcing Services Scale Scaling Outsourced Development 278

FastSpring

MAY 20, 2019

There comes a point in your company’s lifecycle when you must decide between outsourcing your ecommerce operations or continuing to keep everything in-house. Keep costs under control — An outsourced agency can mean big bucks, especially if you’re just getting your footing. Outsourced Ecommerce Solution.

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Outsourcing Services Payment Methods Outsourced Development Payment Solutions 103

Tom Tunguz

JUNE 27, 2024

Most leaders wants to inject AI into their business to develop a competitive advantage. The pace of innovation, the early understanding of AI internals, & the non-determinism compound to create doubt. AI adoption is slower than expected in many spaces. Some of the reasons are straightforward, but others are more subtle.

AI 226

AI Outsourced Development compliance Innovation 226

SaaStr

JUNE 14, 2023

From its humble beginnings as a one-click dictionary solution to becoming an industry leader in RPA program development, UiPath’s story offers valuable insights for SaaS entrepreneurs looking to scale their own automation initiatives. They went to India for a few months to develop a prototype and realized this was where the market was.

Scale 246

Scale Artificial Intelligence Technical Review Software Review 246

SaaStr

DECEMBER 1, 2022

With the world’s most distributed compute platform — from cloud to edge — we make it easy for businesses to develop and run applications, while we keep experiences closer to users and threats farther away. That’s why innovative companies worldwide choose Akamai to build, deliver, and secure their digital experiences.

Merchant Services 269

Merchant Services Payment Solutions SaaS Payments Payments 269

SaaStr

JUNE 29, 2023

Contract values are up nearly 30% from two years ago, representing massive growth in company SaaS spend, which is already a top five line item.” As a result, we’re seeing SaaS companies develop new pricing strategies.” Demand for Sophistication and Innovation. They want to maximize dollar value and limit contracts to renew.

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VP of Engineering Trends Cybersecurity Sales Hiring 286

Sales Hacker

DECEMBER 3, 2021

Taking the time to properly develop your international business strategy will benefit you greatly in the long run. Franchising is a surefire way to develop brand awareness in a new market. The post 5 Innovative Strategies for Business Expansion appeared first on Sales Hacker. Expand your business using these 5 strategies.

Innovation 118

Innovation Strategy Business Outsourced Development 118

Tom Tunguz

AUGUST 28, 2021

If you would like to create switching costs, per seat pricing with annual contracts establishes some lock-in. Michelin developed a much more durable tires. In chapter 4 of Monetizing Innovation, Madhavan prescribes the questions to ask, the kinds of customers to solicit, and the analyses to be done to drive to the right conclusion.

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Pricing Strategy Startup Scale 279

SaaStr

MAY 12, 2022

Offering its services as a freemium-based model, CircleCI recognizes driving trials as the cornerstone of a go-to-market strategy for any developer tool. . Jim Rose, CEO of CircleCI, leverages his experience marketing to software developers to discuss the merits of moving from a subscription-based to a usage-based business model.

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Tom Tunguz

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Data Teams are Becoming Software Teams : DevOps created a movement within software development that empowers developers to run the software they wrote. Executive teams and boards are demanding innovation with LLMs and data. Data contracts encode the data interchange between two different departments (Gable).

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Artificial Intelligence Trends Data Software Review 220

SaaStr

APRIL 27, 2022

The mobile ecosystem was and still is moving quickly, so it was an “innovate-or-die” situation for us. When I was learning about the software development kit (SDK) concept, I realized that I could integrate CRM software into a mobile app. I began building the mobile developer community around 2018. Recognition.

Outsourced Development 246

Outsourced Development Mobile Pricing Software Development 246

Sales Hacker

JUNE 14, 2018

A viable and proven option is handing over some or all of your sales efforts to outsourced sales professionals. It’s true that outsourcing your sales to a third-party provider can yield favorable results. There are many outsourcing companies, but which of them can actually hold a sales quota and get results?

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Outsourcing Services Sales Hiring Sales Outsourcing Outsourced Development 81

Andreessen Horowitz

APRIL 11, 2024

Currently, we face a critical challenge: our electricity demands — expected to nearly double by 2040 due to factors like AI compute, reshoring , and “electrification” — are soaring, but our grid infrastructure and operations struggle to keep pace. Of course, such evolutions breed new challenges, and we need innovation to bridge the gap.

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Outsourced Development Technical Review Systems Review Scale 140

Sales Hacker

JANUARY 7, 2025

We’re always in a rush to get to the outcome or the next step, but like, you know, it sounds cliche, but like that journey and that progression is where you’re actually developing all of the skills that will in turn serve you for that next chapter. Because there is a chapter after the outcome or the promotion or whatever.

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Outsourcing Services Scale Outsourced Development AWS 117

SaaStr

MARCH 22, 2023

They asked themselves, “what if we moved to some motion of licensing contracts?” By developing a deep understanding of the customer journey within different segments, you’ll know how to start them on the journey and help them through the various steps. This changed the conversations with customers. Otherwise, it won’t work.

Scale 255

Scale Scaling AWS Sales Hiring 255

Intercom, Inc.

JULY 18, 2019

So what’s the key to having happy developers? A joyful, transparent development experience. As we keep building out our own platform so teams can customize Intercom for their own needs, we’ve loved getting to know the great group of developers and partners building apps for our customers and for themselves.

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Outsourced Development Development Innovation DevOps as a Service 110

SaaStock

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

It is a logistics and multi-selling platform which innovates how e-commerce can grow in the region. The online platform has a range of functionalities, including e-signature, e-contract, and digital evidence presentation, among others. It provides smart hardware self-development and cloud service. Funding to Date : $25.5M

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SaaS Payments Payment Solutions Merchant Services Payment Methods 225

Payrix

JANUARY 28, 2025

This shift presents opportunities for innovative companies to leverage changes for growth. Those that fail to adapt risk losing market share to more innovative players. This episode reinforces the importance of innovation, adaptability, and long-term vision in the ever-evolving payments industry.

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Payments Payment Solutions Merchant Services Payment Methods 130

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Let’s deep dive into how combining innovative demand gen strategies with a modern tech stack and specific team setup can provide a winning formula for scaling B2B growth, even with low budgets of greater than a 2x burn multiple. First, they built a product advocates team instead of a traditional inbound SDR team. Let’s discuss an example.

Scale 268

Scale Sales Hiring Strategy Marketing 268

FastSpring

MARCH 3, 2023

When you’re using a DIY payment solution like Stripe, making it work for your business falls on your developers. What if, instead of spending so much time making your payment stack work for you, your developers could focus on your product? And this leads to our third point.

Merchant Services 148

Merchant Services Payment Services Outsourcing Services SaaS Payments 148

TurnKey Labs

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Nowadays, the quest for growth and innovation is perpetual. Scaling your development team to meet the demands of your next big project is a strategic move that can catapult your organization to new heights. Outsourcing, long heralded as a solution, has been the default choice for many, but is it truly the right path to […]

Outsourced Development 57

Outsourced Development Innovation Development Scaling 57

Totango

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Hit that, and you aren’t even really selling , you’re simply fielding contracts. When the company is focused on customer ROI, Marketing can develop campaigns around that ROI, and sales can qualify prospects based on their need for that return. A dated focus For years, getting to “product-market fit” was the holy grail.

Scale 71

Scale Marketing Finance Outsourced Development 71

Neil Patel

OCTOBER 25, 2020

Digital agencies are companies that help other businesses perform a specific function such as marketing, development, or design. Other ways to think about digital agencies are as an outsourced team or in some cases a group of freelancers working together. For instance, if you rely on government contracts or seasonal cycles.

Sales Hiring 145

Sales Hiring Outsourcing Services Underperforming Technical Team Sales Recruiting 145

SaaStock

MARCH 1, 2019

Ceyuan Ventures selects entrepreneurs who show promise in crafting leading technologies, backed by powerful teams and innovation. Fresco Capital focuses on businesses developing new solutions in the enterprise, education, infrastructure, healthcare, consumer goods and entertainment. China Development Industrial Bank (CDIB).

SaaS Payments 190

SaaS Payments Venture Capital Payment Services Telecommunications 190

Nimble - Sales

APRIL 17, 2020

To remain competitive in the current global business scene, entrepreneurs need top-notch product development and marketing teams supported by innovative technology. Entrepreneurs have found a solution in outsourcing the required skills from independent remote teams that […].

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Outsourced Development Innovation Technology Development 98

Intercom, Inc.

APRIL 19, 2018

It also helps us when we start thinking about outsourcing on undifferentiated heavy lifting. Who do we outsource to? How do we think about the companies we outsource to? We have a team dedicated to continuous delivery and developer productivity. Not every startup is able to handle our throughput or reliability needs.

Outsourcing Services 192

Outsourcing Services Part-Time VPE Software AWS 192

Aaron Beashel

MARCH 9, 2018

They target professional marketers at medium-sized companies and sell their product for an average of $300 per month ($3,600 Annual Contract Value). They are focused on acquiring large enterprise businesses and sell their product for several thousand dollars per month (meaning the Annual Contract Value is likely north of $50,000).

Scale 192

Scale SaaS Payments B2B Strategy 192