Eric Engineer

If you enjoyed our first blog on the metrics that matter for Verticalized SaaS then don't miss on the Part II of the series where my colleagues Devraj Hom Roy and Matt Schaar discuss the strategic and operational choices to improve these operational indicators. https://lnkd.in/g5QkCrcH

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Today, GTMfund’s is excited to announce to launch of Operator, its first incubated company. Max Altschuler (founder of GTMfund) teamed up with co-founder Adam M. (design engineer and 0-1 builder) and co-founder Mark Kosoglow (Outreach employee #1 and former SVP of Global Sales) to create Operator.ai alongside an insanely talented team Pleasant Middelhof, Jeremy Jonas, Carl Gunderson. We've entered a period called “The Great Ignore”. Spam and irrelevant, poorly-automated outbound campaigns are running rampant.   Operator gives you an easy-to-use Growth Engineer that allows you to build and enrich lists with accurate data, and run experiments and queries using AI to generate highly targeted outreach.    Check out their website to get updates, early access, and see how they are taking the world back to 2 touches meant to attract buyers into conversations that convert, instead of 20 touches meant to make sure you hit your activity number: https://www.operator.ai/

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Our Unit Economics Workbook features a spreadsheet to calculate key metrics like retention rates, payback periods, and LTV: CAC ratios by customer cohort. ⬇️ Download it today: https://lnkd.in/dAN4bN4

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Last week, we shared the first part (1/2) of our perspectives on vertical SaaS (vSaaS), more specifically on which metrics define the performance of vSaaS businesses and outlining the benchmarks for each of these metrics. If you have not yet read the piece, give it a read here - https://lnkd.in/d94n2bgN This week we published the second part (2/2) where we call out certain strategies deployed by successful vSaaS companies like Procore Technologies Toast ServiceNow Zenoti and others that can be used to improve the metrics that matter. Read on to layer the numbers with the strats- https://lnkd.in/dPkmWFax Do reach out if you are building in the space or want to exchange notes / feedback on the perspectives. #fintech #verticaSaaS #embeddedfinance #investments

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Big announcement below! 👇 Let's talk about the current state of GP-LP affairs: 🤯Emerging VC managers have absolutely exploded over the past 5 years. 📈 At the same time, more and more data has surfaced that shows that emerging VC firms tend to outperform larger, established firms. 🤔 All of this has made it intriguing but tough for LPs to know where to direct their attention. 🛍 GPs frequently meet LPs at conferences who are window shopping but not committed to the asset class or emerging managers. 🧾 And both crews get overwhelmed by transactional convos. So Sydney Paige Thomas and I created Abundance. Abundance is a private, nomination-based retreat for active LPs and top emerging GPs to form new experiences together and build lasting relationships. Why Abundance? Abundance is knowing that there is more than enough for more than one to succeed. And a single win within a community is a win for the community itself. The journey of an emerging VC manager from 1st close to final close or Fund 1 to Fund 2 is (1) communal and (2) requires an abundant mindset. LPs look for structure and confidence to feel comfortable investing in early VC firms. Yet many of the feeds we scroll and conferences we attend reinforce inherent power dynamics and transactional thinking, which allows scarcity mindset to creep in for emerging GPs. Some of the best events I’ve attended have been intentionally non-transactional, e.g. Camp Hustle, Recast Summit, and other GPs’ AGMs. The fundraising success stories we see usually involve a community (usually of other GPs & LPs) coming together to support and open doors for the emerging GP. We designed Abundance to be an immersive gathering that fosters these connections. Starting tonight, ~100 GPs and LPs are descending upon Seattle for the inaugural Abundance retreat. This has been under wraps for months and I can’t wait to see it come to life! Thanks in advance to our awesome sponsors who were the earliest believers in this vision: Sydecar, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Gunderson Dettmer, & Zelda Ventures. And shoutout to my dad Ed Illig for logo design & Halle Kaplan-Allen being the first sponsor to say yes 🤩 Presented by The Council Capital & Symphonic Capital.

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VC Market Update: Riding Out the Post-Boom Bumps. 2021's high-flying valuations and growth have given way to a more complex reality. With longer private timelines, tough exit markets, and capital tightness, startups face unique challenges—but also fresh opportunities. For those navigating today’s VC landscape, strategic planning is key. Whether it's balancing growth with capital efficiency or exploring secondaries smartly, there’s a path forward. And with boosts from AI and future rate cuts, brighter days could be ahead!

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Worth reading: Situationsl Awareness by Leopold Aschenbrenner PDF : https://lnkd.in/gkxQ3yMD Web site: https://lnkd.in/gyJUCBhb Interesting perspective, time of course will tell.

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In Part Two of our series on Verticalized SaaS, Accion Venture Lab's Matt Schaar, Devraj Hom Roy, and Michael Wolfe identify the key strategic and operational steps a vSaaS can take to improve its "north star" metrics. If you're an early-stage investor or founder seeking guidance on the tried-and-true methods that successful vSaaS companies like Toast, Mindbody, Procore Technologies, and others implemented on a pathway to long-term growth, this piece is for you! https://lnkd.in/g5QkCrcH

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🧬 This week's Austin Bio & Health Roundup highlights exciting exits, partnerships, insightful conversations, & updates from across Texas Bio Triangle 🧬 💸 Venture Exits SuperTruth has acquired imaware, the at-home testing and infrastructure platform, marking a significant step forward in catalyzing better health outcomes with data and AI. Huge congrats to Jani Tuomi, Brodie Flanders, and the entire imaware team! 🤝 Partnership and M&A KdT Ventures has licensed NGM313, a Phase 2-ready asset, from NGM Biopharmaceuticals. KdT formed a NewCo around the asset, with Managing Director Cain McClary, MD stating, “We believe this drug has the potential to alleviate suffering in a large patient population who currently have no disease-modifying treatments.” Babson Diagnostics expanded its partnership with BD, integrating BD’s MiniDraw System with Babson’s Betterway technology. This expansion now includes health systems and larger provider networks. Keep up the momentum, David Stein, Eric Olson, and the rest of the Babson team! 💡 Insights from Local Builders and Innovators It’s always inspiring when two smart friends share ideas. Micha Y. Breakstone 🇮🇱🎗️ joined Taylor Capito on The GenBio Podcast to discuss cell engineering and the future of biotech. I sat down with Ian Wendt and Na-Ri Oh on The RealPharma Podcast to discuss TechBio, business model disruption, and Austin's role in this shift. 🤠 Texas Bio Triangle Dallas-based SpinSci Technologies LLC secured $53M to expand its AI-enhanced patient engagement platform. Congrats Rajit Kumar! Rice University and Houston Methodist announced the launch of a Digital Health Institute “showcasing the transformative potential of combining medicine and engineering to shape the future of health care” What’s Next?

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🎙️ SaaS Growth Secrets from Miro’s CFO, Justin Coulombe, CFA How does Miro drive retention and growth? By blending data, predictive modeling, AI, and a human touch—all underpinned by a robust Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategy. In this episode, Justin shares: The secret to avoiding internal channel conflict in sales. Why per-seat pricing still thrives at Miro. How CFOs can navigate business model transitions effectively. His bold take on SaaS practices that need rethinking. 🔥 Whether you're scaling a SaaS business or fine-tuning PLG, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Check it out and redefine your strategy! 👉 Listen here: [https://lnkd.in/e6_vQKUT] #SaaSLeadership #PLG #CustomerExperience #GrowthStrategies #CFOInsights

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Conventional wisdom says bigger deals equal bigger returns. But does the math back it up? Our analysis shows Micro SaaS firms can outpace larger players re ARR/FTE and EBITDA/FTE, which translates directly to valuation. The key is high-leverage operating models and ruthless efficiency. What’s your take on return on effort in sub-scale SaaS firms?

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Stigg has announced a $17.5 million Series A round led by Red Dot Capital Partners, with participation from Unusual Ventures, Emerge Ventures, Redseed, and Cerca Partners. The company, co-founded by Dor Sasson and Anton Zagrebelny, offers a scalable monetization platform designed for the modern SaaS billing stack, helping businesses rethink pricing with tools tailored for both engineers and go-to-market teams. Frederic Lardinois | TechCrunch https://lnkd.in/dzDC7dXy #AI #ArtificalIntelligence

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Great analysis by the AGC team on SaaS public company comps. It's worth a look as we recalibrate mid-way through earnings season. The analysis aligns with the broader Nasdaq equity performance, where the Mag 7 (or fab 4 now :-)) have shown more resilience than the rest of the market. #AGC #SaaS #EarningsSeason #Nasdaq #EquityPerformance

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ex Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke at Stanford this week. Lots of nuggets here, but most interesting for the near term, Schmidt believes in the next year AI is set to make a big leap forward. He predicts AI will combine three important features: 1. Vast knowledge retention (1 million token models) 2. Text-to-action capability 3. Personal AI agent fleets While the full impact is unknown, everyone may soon command their own AI teams. Here's an example: Imagine you're developing new quantum computing algorithms. Your AI assistants could: - Continuously scan and synthesize global quantum research papers - Generate novel algorithm ideas based on this knowledge - Simulate and test these algorithms across various quantum architectures - Automatically document findings and prepare draft papers - Identify potential collaborators and draft outreach emails All initiated by a command like "Advance our quantum algorithm research." This could dramatically accelerate R&D cycles and scientific breakthroughs.. https://lnkd.in/eJbg6cnD #frontiertech #AI #futurefrontier

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𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗩𝗖 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀! As #platform roles continue to grow in #VC, providing critical value in areas like #talent, #ESG, #PR, #Marketing, and founder #community building, it’s essential to understand how these roles are evolving. The VC Platform, the largest global network for platform professionals, is running its annual #CompensationSurvey. This is your chance to contribute valuable insights into the compensation landscape for platform roles. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eFyk9Mmj Results will be shared later this year by Joshua Goodfield and 💫 Dan Holahan

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Well-written and sourced article describing what's going in seed-stage venture market. At 9point8 Collective we tend to orbit the seed-stage (both ideating and developing companies to reach seed and helping post-seed companies refactor and scale in anticipation of A) and for many companies it's a critical inflection point which determines their long term success or failure. The main takeaways I was able to gather: 1️⃣ Many startups that raised seed rounds in 2021-2022 are struggling to secure Series A funding due to tighter market conditions and increased investor expectations. 2️⃣ Seed investors are becoming more cautious, leading to longer diligence processes and a preference for startups with strong traction or experienced founders. As a result, valuations have stayed relatively high even as deal flow reduces. 3️⃣ Startups are adopting various strategies to navigate this challenging environment, including cutting costs, raising bridge rounds or convertible notes, and M&A/acqui-hires. 4️⃣ Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for both startups and investors in this new landscape, particularly for those who can adapt to the changing market conditions. Investors are accumulating dry powder -- and with rates on the decline -- will be looking to deploy into companies with stronger fundamentals than their 2021-2022 counterparts.

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Since early 2021, VC quarterly exit values have plummeted to $50B or below, a stark contrast to the six consecutive quarters of $100B+ exits before then. With IPOs dwindling and M&A activity slow, the future of venture industry exits appears uncertain. Will we see a surge in private venture-backed company acquisitions? This could be a crucial and innovative strategy to boost VC exits. Increased private acquisitions might offer a much-needed lifeline, providing a creative solution to the current exit drought in the venture capital market. #venturecapital #inspireglobalventures

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That’s right. You keep control over your SaaS company while still accessing the funds you need for scaling. This type of financing offers flexible terms that align with the growth trajectory of SaaS businesses. Explore benefits and options from River SaaS Capital. https://lnkd.in/e3wraWK9 #VentureDebt #SaaSFunding #BusinessGrowth

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