Clouded Judgement

MARCH 21, 2025

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. OR - if earlier stage companies (not startups, but companies in the $5-$20b valuation range) look to inorganic expansion earlier than they would have otherwise in a more M&A friendly environment. Follow along to stay up to date!

Cloud 188

Cloud Pricing Subscription Payment Features 188

Tom Tunguz

JANUARY 26, 2021

There’s a trend in pitch decks and startup pitches I’ve been watching - the commingling of metrics definitions, especially ARR. The valuation multiples on annual recurring revenue are the highest across startup categories. Then, consumer subscription businesses began pitching using ARR. Probably not.

SMB 279

SMB Startup Trends Payment Features 279

Clouded Judgement

MARCH 28, 2025

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Most public companies don’t report net new ARR, so I’m taking an implied ARR metric (quarterly subscription revenue x 4). Companies that do not disclose subscription rev have been left out of the analysis and are listed as NA.

Cloud 184

Cloud AI Scale Scaling 184

Sales Hacker

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

Having the right technology in place is often the difference between success and failure, and this is even more true for startups and SMB, where you have a small team and limited resources. Today, we’re seeing a continuous trend of vendor consolidation across multiple software categories. Vendor Consolidation. The X Factor.

Technical Review 133

Technical Review Scale Trends Startup 133

Stax

JUNE 18, 2024

Subscription models offer companies large and small the opportunity to build predictable revenue and high customer lifetime value. But managing subscriptions effectively and freeing up time and resources for expansion is no picnic. In a subscription business model, customers pay a recurring fee in exchange for a product or service.

Payment Features 88

Payment Features Payment Solutions Payment Services Payments 88

Clouded Judgement

AUGUST 30, 2024

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. In a world without venture capital (or other sources of external financing for startups), each company would have to grow solely based on the merits of their product and sales. ” Competitors could be legacy incumbents or modern startups.

Cloud 274

Cloud Venture Capital AI Startup 274

Clouded Judgement

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Coming out of that, every company from the largest enterprise to the smallest startup started thinking very critically about cost optimizations. Companies that do not disclose subscription rev have been left out of the analysis and are listed as NA.

Cloud 167

Cloud Cost optimization & reporting GCP(Google Cloud Platform) Software Review 167

User Pilot

OCTOBER 19, 2024

Get real-time insights into your survey responses, with visual breakdowns of data, NPS score, and trends. Pricing : Userpilot offers flexible plans tailored to startups and mid-sized SaaS businesses, with pricing starting at $249 per month for the basic plan. Customize the branding of your surveys to match your company’s design.

Software Review 105

Software Review Technical Review Software B2C 105

SaaStr

JUNE 19, 2024

Kelsey joined them as CPO, and they started experimenting with less expensive packages downmarket where customers could go online and set up a subscription. They made a subtle change with the CTAs, and when they launched the new experience: There was a 30% increase in in-product subscriptions because they drove users to the pricing page.

Scale 306

Scale Scaling Underperforming Technical Team User Experience 306

Stax

APRIL 3, 2025

Integration capabilities Since you probably have other tools in your tech stack, you dont want to keep switching tabs or windows to reconcile invoices or transfer data. Look for an eCommerce payment system that offers plug-and-play integrations with your existing tech stack to minimize development costs.

Payment Methods 88

Payment Methods Merchant Services Payment Solutions Payment Services 88

Clouded Judgement

JUNE 9, 2023

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. Subscribe now Consumption Trends We’re now through earning season. Is there any incremental signal on consumption trends reversing? Companies that do not disclose subscription rev have been left out of the analysis and are listed as NA.

Trends 130

Trends Cloud Azure AWS 130

SaaStr

MARCH 1, 2024

TJ Nahigian, co-founder and Managing Partner of Base10 Partners, and Luci Fonseca, Partner, deep dive into the current GenAI landscape, incumbents vs. startups, and the six questions founders should ask themselves to drive value from GenAI. Base10 is interested in mega-trends that change how people live and work in the next ten years.

Generative AI 298

Generative AI Outsourcing Services AI Software Review 298

BrightBack

FEBRUARY 6, 2020

In this report, we've surveyed over 400 subscription businesses to better understand how the industry is approaching and prioritizing customer retention. We found subscription companies have completed a shift in focus toward retention over acquisition, but still struggle to execute and engage their customers across teams and systems.

Retention 120

Retention Subscription Payment Features Payment Methods 120

Sales Hacker

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

The Startup Stage: Finding Product-Market Fit The startup stage is the foundation of any SaaS companys journey. At this stage, startups face significant uncertainty. Flexibility: Companies offer a range of subscription options to cater to diverse customer preferences, including hybrid models and value-add services.

Pricing 113

Pricing Scale SaaS Technical Review 113

SaaStr

MARCH 8, 2024

Should it be subscriptions, usage, solutions, or something entirely different? So we asked the expert, Sandhya Hegde, General Partner at Unusual Ventures to share her best practices and trends for pricing and packaging AI products. The cost of engineering and shipping products is a moving target for startups.

AI 273

AI Artificial Intelligence Pricing SaaS 273

Clouded Judgement

JUNE 19, 2024

My hope is that this analysis can provide startup entrepreneurs with a framework for how to manage their businesses around SaaS metrics (e.g., To calculate implied ARR I take the subscription revenue in a quarter and multiply it by 4. net retention and CAC payback). Subscribe now What Happened in Q1?

Cloud 318

Cloud GCP(Google Cloud Platform) Software Azure 318

FastSpring

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Merchant of record and payment services provider platforms may each offer varying levels of additional features, such as integrations and API connections, subscription management functionality, customer support, and more. Pricing starts low per transaction, but it will add up quickly if you’re looking for a more robust service.

Payments 160

Payments Payment Methods Payment Services Merchant Services 160

Neil Patel

APRIL 12, 2021

They offer some of the best-known subscription boxes around, reflecting an increasingly popular (and potentially lucrative) business model. Why Should You Launch a Subscription Box? According to MarketsandMarkets , the subscription and recurring billing market will grow to around $7.8 Recurring Business Revenue.

Outsourcing Services 123

Outsourcing Services Payment Methods Subscription Payment Features 123

Chart Mogul

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

When and how to launch sales and marketing is a tough topic for most startup founders. But sales and marketing are the backbone of every successful go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and getting them right can be the difference between … When and how to launch sales and marketing is a tough topic for most startup founders.

Scale 52

Scale VP of Engineering Sales Hiring Startup 52

FastSpring

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Current market trends in Asia that can affect expansion and the challenges associated with those market trends. The payments landscape and how it affects businesses trying to grow in Asia. I’m curious what trends are you seeing in China and sort of the overall Asia Pacific region right now?

Merchant Services 192

Merchant Services Payment Services Payment Methods SaaS Payments 192

Intercom, Inc.

AUGUST 27, 2020

?. The subscription model has revolutionized virtually every industry. Success in the subscription economy isn’t about having the best product; it’s about having the strongest customer relationships. From legacy business to subscription service. To navigate the current minefield of growth, businesses need to shift their focus.

Scale 211

Scale Payments Subscription Payment Features 211

Stax

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Here’s an interesting stat: 70% of businesses consider subscription and membership models indispensable for future commercial growth and expansion. They must engineer a well-rounded solution that makes handling subscriptions a breeze (and yes, it is as hard as it sounds). However, only 10% of them currently employ these models.

Payments 88

Payments SaaS Payments Payment Services Merchant Services 88

Intercom, Inc.

FEBRUARY 6, 2020

This is Season Two of Scale , Intercom’s podcast series on moving from startup to scale-up. She’s also identified a much bigger trend happening in the world of work that plays to the business unit’s strengths. Yvonne is able to tap into a sophisticated feedback loop, designed to monitor topic and skills trends by market.

Marketplace as a Service 243

Marketplace as a Service Scale Sales Recruiting Business 243

Stax

AUGUST 29, 2024

The question is: how do payment service providers work and how can you choose the right one for your business? PSPs offer joint merchant accounts and flat-rate processing fees that make them ideal solutions for small businesses that only process payments occasionally. Read on to find out.

Merchant Services 88

Merchant Services Payment Services Payment Methods Payment Solutions 88

Subscription Flow

MAY 16, 2024

In this blog, while understanding more about CardPointe and why it still works for so many businesses, we will take you through a guide on managing Cardpointe recurring billing with SubscriptionFlow to ensure that you do not miss out on collecting recurring payments just because CardPointe has dropped it. What is CardPointe?

Payment Features 52

Payment Features Merchant Services Payment Solutions Payment Services 52

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

And, like every software startup, their small team had a million other things to worry about. Early on, Basecamp had to deal with banks that were wary of their subscription plans. When the company first began web app development and selling software-as-a-service in 2004, their business model wasn’t even called SaaS.

New CTO 232

New CTO SaaS Sales CTO 232

Baremetrics

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Fast forward to today when most software companies use a Subscription as a service (SaaS business model , and things aren’t as simple. You have to deal with recurring payments, multiple pricing plans, annual vs monthly payments, add-ons, variable payments and the list goes on. SaaS analytics tools fill that gap.

Payment Solutions 105

Payment Solutions Merchant Services Systems Review SaaS Payments 105

Subscription Flow

DECEMBER 10, 2024

Changing customer expectations, digital advancement, and transforming market trends call for a price discipline. Dynamic pricing SaaS is a strategy for businesses to adjust their prices in response to the changes in market trends. That is because SaaS businesses increasingly run on a subscription-based model.

Pricing 52

Pricing SaaS Customer Lifetime Value Subscription 52

FastSpring

JUNE 20, 2024

Immerse yourself in a diverse array of programs, workshops, and presentations, where industry experts will share their wisdom and cutting-edge trends will be unveiled. In recent times, Edinburgh has become a thriving hub for tech startups and innovation, attracting talent from all over the world.

Merchant Services 147

Merchant Services Payment Solutions Payment Methods Payment Services 147

Subscription Flow

APRIL 23, 2024

A robust recurring billing software can make all the difference for your subscription business but win 2024 we are taking no gambles. Invest in the right billing and subscription-management software to automate your workflows after carefully assessing three of the best options in the market.

Payment Solutions 104

Payment Solutions Payments Payment Services Payment Features 104

FastSpring

JUNE 22, 2022

We talked about one of the biggest trends playing out in the software industry: the convergence of B2B and B2C. For example: Are you making your quoting and invoicing experience as efficient and flexible as possible? This iterative nature is built into startup culture. What does that mean exactly? Prepare to Be Iterative.

B2C 148

B2C Payments SaaS Payments B2B 148

SaaStr

MAY 4, 2024

SaaStr Fund manages almost $200,000,000 to invest in Seed and Late Seed B2B startups, from $10k-$200k in MRR. First off, a micro-trend: small up-rounds from existing investors. First off, a micro-trend: small up-rounds from existing investors. RevenueCat powers mobile subscriptions in over 30% of all mobile apps (!)

AI 173

AI Mobile B2B Investment 173

Casey Accidental

JULY 17, 2023

I was recently on Lenny Rachitksy’s podcast again, and one of the topics we discussed was consumer subscription business. Don’t worry I got more marketplace content on the way as well Shortly after I got into tech, investors started to fall in love with subscription business models, mostly on the B2B side. In short, everything.

Payment Solutions 98

Payment Solutions Payments Subscription Payment Features 98

Clouded Judgement

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Every week I’ll provide updates on the latest trends in cloud software companies. SBC / Dilution SBC goes in and out of being a hot topic of conversation, but it’s something every startup founder should always be thinking about. For startups, dilution from employee hiring isn’t always top of mind.

Cloud 201

Cloud Pricing Startup Revenue 201

Stax

JULY 9, 2024

Going digital reduces paperwork and manual processing for businesses by automating payment reconciliation, invoicing, and record-keeping processes. Businesses can also streamline accounting tasks by integrating digital payment systems with their financial software, which improves accuracy and efficiency in financial reporting.

Payment Methods 163

Payment Methods Payment Services Merchant Services Payment Solutions 163

SaaStock

JANUARY 23, 2019

Many SaaS companies such as Hong Kong’s Talkpush , Singapore’s Near and Philippines’ Lifetrack Medical have done just that but for this to be more ubiquitous a trend, rather than one-off examples, external help and guidance are needed. That starts with honing go-to-market strategies, improving pitches, and offering matchmaking with investors.

Scale 229

Scale Subscription Payment Features SaaS 229

Intercom, Inc.

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

As with many of the habits and trends we’ve seen so far in S.H.O.P., But while companies like Amazon have played a major role in legitimizing online shopping, until relatively recently there was still a barrier for entry for smaller companies and startups to get in on the trend. If you build it, they will shop.

Payment Methods 239

Payment Methods Payment Solutions Payment Services Scale 239