SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups, Founders

From $500K to $1.5M ARR: Bootstrapping VR SaaS for Trade Skills


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Sabari Nair, co-founder and CEO of Skillveri, joins Nathan to break down how he's scaling a VR-powered vocational training platform to $1.5M ARR today, serving 100+ schools in the U.S., with $350K enterprise contracts — and why he believes immersive training plus SaaS pricing is the future of skilled labor education.

In this episode, Sabari explains how Skillveri combines VR software subscriptions, hardware add-ons, and a reseller-led GTM motion to win in a category traditionally dominated by $30K+ one-time simulation vendors.

You'll learn:

— How Skillveri sells VR training software starting at $4K/year per school

— Why their largest customer pays $350K annually (and how they plan to reach $1M contracts)

— The SaaS + hardware hybrid model driving 60% recurring revenue

— Why schools (not industry) are the wedge into a massive skills market

— How reseller partnerships replaced direct sales across the U.S.

— The commission structure that motivates resellers without killing margins

— Why in-person demos beat cold pitches for immersive tech

— How VR + mixed reality creates objective skill grading (welding, painting, more)

— The COVID pivot that forced a full reset — and buying out investors at a discount

— Why Sabari turned down a $4M all-cash acquisition offer

— The roadmap to $10M ARR by expanding to 2,000+ schools

Sabari started the company in 2012 building hardware, pivoted hard into software during the pandemic, bought out early investors in 2021, and rebuilt the business into a capital-efficient SaaS with hardware upsells. Today, Skillveri runs on a lean team, supports Meta Quest and Pico headsets, and is redefining how skilled trades are taught globally.

Whether you're a B2B SaaS founder, hardware-plus-software operator, investor exploring edtech, or operator designing reseller GTM motions, this episode is a masterclass in enterprise pricing, channel strategy, and scaling immersive technology without burning cash.

Connect with Sabari:

Skillveri.com

Connect with Nathan:

FounderPath.com

...more
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SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups, FoundersBy Nathan Latka

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