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10 Practical Tips for early-stage SaaS Entrepreneurs
@louicop, Point Nine Capital, HEC SEED, April ‘17
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling
Disclaimer
Want more info? Check the last slide for additional resources
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling
Tech studies
Business studies
VC
Startup
Tech & Business studies
VC
MS in Applied Maths & Computer Science Telecom Paristech 2011-2013 | Paris, FR
Master in Management HEC Paris 2013-2014 | Paris, FR
Analyst Alven Capital 2014-2015 | Paris, FR
Entrepreneur in Residence OptioPay 2015 | Berlin, GER
Master of Science in Management Studies MIT Sloan School of Management 2015-2016 | Cambridge, MA, USA
Associate Point Nine Capital 2016-Present | Berlin, GER & Paris, FR
@louicop
@PointNineCap
SaaS - Data & ML
SaaS - Dev Tools
SaaS - App. Layer
@PointNineCap
Other
Marketplaces
Early-stage (100k-1m), +150m in funds 80 portfolio companies, 20 countries Berlin-based
SaaS?SaaS: Software-as-a-Service
- No installation - Continuous deployment & update - Accessible everywhere
Why it’s great? Why VCs like it?- Zero marginal cost - High margin - Recurring revenues + Up-sell - Global scale from Day 1
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling
Become an animal
Pick a problem you are REALLY passionate about
Why now?
Why you? Find your edge
1.
2.
Plan accordingly
How will you finance the business? VC or not VC?
Speed vs. Control?
Market size, competition?
3.
Good tech? Checklist
Don’t underestimate TECH
CTOs are managers
Tech is SaaS’ cornerstone
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling
4.
Right tech, your developer brand
Don’t reinvent the wheel
Code scalability
Outsource non-core parts
5.
Don’t go on-premise
Choose your first customers well
Hire AND fire
Do things that DON’T scale
Pricing
Trials > Freemium, Discount > Free
3 Cs, not 1C
6.
Pricing
6.
Pricing
Trials > Freemium, Discount > Free
3 Cs, not 1C
6.
10-15% of the value provided
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling
Start writing content early
Don’t waste your money on paid marketing
Make your value proposition crystal clear
Build a world-class product
7.
8.8.
8.8.
…then about LTV
Start thinking about CAC..
Choose your SaaS model
Don’t end up in the SaaS graveyard
8.9.
9.
Focus on the right metrics
1 Role / 1-2 Metrics
1 Stage / 2-3 Metrics
Questions?
10.
Get in touch!
@louicop
Thank you!
Resources1. Point Nine loves Animal by @chrija: http://christophjanz.blogspot.fr/2012/04/point-nine-loves-animals.html
2.
1. Speed vs. Control by Noah Wasserman, HBS: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/14-090_9901a957-a740-47b2-abce-4f93070d21fe.pdf
2. SaaS Funding Napkin by @chrija http://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2017/01/saas-funding-napkin-2017-edition.html
3. A Technical Due Diligence Framework for Early Stage Startups by @decodingVC: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/a-technical-due-diligence-framework-
for-early-stage-startups-c24d5408256e
4. How APIs are eating the Product Stack by @clemt : https://medium.com/point-nine-news/how-apis-are-eating-the-product-stack-914a3d6e1216
5.
1. On Hiring and Firing Customers by @DecodingVC: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/on-hiring-and-firing-customers-in-saas-63550687b215
2. Do things that don’t Scale by Paul Graham: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html
6. 7 DOs and DONTs for Seed-stage SaaS Pricing by @DecodingVC: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/7-dos-and-donts-for-seed-stage-saas-
pricing-911acf88ca2
7. What’s the Lead Generation Profile of Fast Growing SaaS by @clemnt: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/whats-the-lead-generation-profile-of-fast-growing-
saas-7df3d8c86e43
8. SaaS: Three Checklists to Choose your Sales Model by @clemnt: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/saas-three-checklists-to-chose-your-sales-
model-17da9680df4b
9. The 8th DO for SaaS startups: Stay on top of your KPIS by @chrija: http://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-8th-do-for-saas-startups-stay-on.html