There is no dataset explicitly outlining salary levels at early stage companies, but we can see salaries from tech companies prior to IPO… — There is no dataset explicitly outlining salary levels at early stage companies, but we can see salaries from tech companies prior to IPO. The data below shows the salaries of 196 tech company CEO’s at IPO. A few observations stand out:

Weave is a software company that went public in 2021. Below are some of the highlights and learnings from their prospectus. — Weave is a software company that went public in 2021. Below are some of the highlights and learnings from their prospectus. What they do. “We are a leading all-in-one customer communications and engagement software platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Our cloud-based software platform streamlines the day-to-day operations of running…

Entrepreneurs are always looking for “Strategic Investors” — corporate VC such as Intel, Verizon, SAP, Microsoft, Salesforce, Cisco… — Entrepreneurs are always looking for “Strategic Investors” — corporate VC such as Intel, Verizon, SAP, Microsoft, Salesforce, Cisco, InQTel, etc. The view is that these investors provide not only capital, but also guidance on the product roadmap, engineering/dev resources, critical introductions, and they’re often customers themselves. Demand for strategic investors…

Expensify is a software company that went public in 2021. Below are some of the highlights and learnings from their prospectus. — Expensify is a software company that went public in 2021. Below are some of the highlights and learnings from their prospectus. What they do. “Expensify is a cloud-based expense management software platform that helps the smallest to the largest businesses simplify the way they manage money. Every day, people from…

Nicholas Carlson wrote a fantastic book about Yahoo entitled “Marissa Mayer and The Fight to Save Yahoo.” Below I have paraphrased what I… — Nicholas Carlson wrote a fantastic book about Yahoo entitled “Marissa Mayer and The Fight to Save Yahoo.” Below I have paraphrased what I found to be valuable sections, verbatim; the full book is definitely worth the read. Allow employs to give feedback, anonymously. The questions were submitted during the week…

Average Contract Value is an important metric in SaaS, but don’t obsess over it as retention, cash efficiency, and growth should come first… — Average Contract Value is an important metric in SaaS, but don’t obsess over it as retention, cash efficiency, and growth should come first (in that order). The last 73 SaaS companies to IPO had a modest median ACV of $49,263. A few observations:

We’ve had the good fortune of learning from and investing in SaaS businesses with excellent customer retention and upsells. Below are some… — We’ve had the good fortune of learning from and investing in SaaS businesses with excellent customer retention and upsells. Below are some of the key learnings we’ve gathered over time. The Customer Success Team is not the only group in charge of customer success. Preventing churn is everybody’s job, so…

Recently, we got a hold of an investor letter from one of New York’s finest late stage venture funds. The letter shared insights into what the fund looks for in a management team, which resonated with us. Below we share these points, verbatim. We like CEOs that are patient with…

A lot of companies that feel like they must be ‘first to market’. There is a belief that if you’re not the first and biggest in a market… — A lot of companies that feel like they must be ‘first to market’. There is a belief that if you’re not the first and biggest in a market right away, you won’t be successful. If anything, history shows that the first mover and land grabbers always loses to the ‘first…