SaaS Half Full

This special Fireside Chat edition brings together two SaaS VCs to discuss the current investment landscape vibe. Tackling everything from the technologies they are bullish on to the importance of burn efficiency in defining financial health, the current sitch is both conservative and optimistic.

Sara Omohundro, Principal at Elevate Ventures, and David Kerr, Managing Director of Allos Ventures, are two experienced SaaS investors who joined Lindsey in-office for an agency discussion. Tune in to hear the unscripted conversation from the boots on the ground in SaaS investing.

• Connect with Sara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-omohundro-cfa-2a104181/
• Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kerr-9b0b501/
• Learn more about Allos Ventures: https://allosventures.com/
• Learn more about Elevate Ventures: https://elevateventures.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Media companies like Netflix create content to make money, plain and simple. If it doesn't perform, it isn't renewed or promoted. With this idea in mind, why are B2B marketers creating video content without expecting performance?

Jennifer Griffin Smith, CMO of Brightcove, wants marketers to think and act more like a media company. In this episode, Jennifer explains how a successful video strategy isn't contained to large companies with high-production capabilities, the role of user (customer) generated content, and why she believes B2B has a place on TikTok. Are you ready to think more like Netflix? Press play.

• Connect with Jennifer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifergriffinsmith/
• Learn more about Brightcove: https://www.brightcove.com/en/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

When looking to exit through acquisition, what makes one SaaS company stand out from the others? The answer is...nothing definitively. It's all subjective, according to Thomas Smale, CEO and Founder of FE International, an M&A advisory firm.

In this episode, Thomas and Lindsey discuss the benefits and drawbacks of a strong founder brand, common mistakes he sees companies make when positioning for an exit (like cutting the wrong expenses), and the "analysis paralysis" that prevents buyers from making an offer.

• Connect with Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomassmale/
• Learn more about FE International: https://feinternational.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

What a ride 2022 has been! Another year with fantastic guests has come to an end, but we're not closing out the season until we review our most downloaded episodes. We've talked about gaining alignment with your C-suite, how to get the most out of your PR agency relationship, when to sell your SaaS business, and even how to make your brand un-bland. Whether you've listened to the full episodes or not, enjoy this recap of 2022's best, and feel free to revisit the conversations in the archives.

• Connect with Lindsey:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

It's that time of year again! Marketing industry predictions are one of our favorite topics, and we're sticking with the tradition. To share 2023 B2B SaaS marketing predictions, we have Kazuki Ohta, CEO and Co-founder of Treasure Data, a leading customer data platform. In this episode, Kaz and Lindsey discuss predictions like the rise of Chief Customer Officers, what will replace cookie-driven strategies, and the trend of proactive data governance. Tune in to hear Kaz unpack all of his predictions for 2023.

• Connect with Kazuki Ohta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazukiohta/
• Learn more about Treasure Data: https://www.treasuredata.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

If you sell into the enterprise or are thinking of swimming upstream, this is the episode for you.

Alberto Cantor is the Senior Director of Demand Generation and Corporate Marketing at ArisGlobal, and its SaaS product is sold to big-honkin' pharmaceutical companies. Yes, large, conservative buying teams in a super-regulated industry with long sales cycles. Can ABM work in this environment?

Yes, but not if you give up easily. In this episode, Alberto talks about the three pillars he had to master before he got ABM for enterprise right (after two failed attempts) and how to set expectations for ABM performance across the entire organization.

• Connect with Alberto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-cantor/
• Learn more about ArisGlobal: https://www.arisglobal.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

The face prospects and partners make when someone mentions your company name says a lot about your brand. But, who is responsible for creating brand perception? According to Tara Pawlak, Head of Marketing at GetAccept, it's a responsibility extending beyond marketing into the sales org.

In this episode, Lindsey Groepper speaks with Tara about the sales teams' role in carrying out brand and how lack of alignment presents a danger to hidden stakeholders. Listen in as she shares insights to obtain this alignment and advice on how to measure initiatives not directly tied to ROI.

• Connect with Tara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-pawlak/
• Learn more about GetAccept: https://www.getaccept.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

In a shaky economy, when costs need to be cut, most companies look immediately to marketing to reduce spending. And, for the marketers who lived through 2020 budget cuts, this year's budget reductions amid a recession shouldn't have come as a surprise.

In this episode, Lindsey Groepper talks with Lisa Ames, the CMO of Norwest Venture Partners. As the marketing expert advising dozens of B2B SaaS portfolio companies and as a tenured, in-house SaaS marketer, she knows her way around operating lean marketing budgets. In this discussion, Lisa shares the question she believes every marketing leader should be able to answer at any time and how to assess where the budget should be allocated when spending is reduced.

• Connect with Lisa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaames/
• Learn more about Norwest Venture Partners: https://www.nvp.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

How well do you know your brand differentiators? No, not your product features, but the REAL secret sauce of why your customers love you. In this episode, Carly Brantz, CMO of DigitalOcean, discusses how to find your true brand differentiators and what needs to be done across the entire organization (yes, outside of marketing!) to reach its full potential. Listen as she shares best practices for uncovering the unique fabric of your SaaS business, when experimentation can be your greatest ally, and how to maximize your differentiator across all channels.

- Connect with Carly Brantz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlybrantz/

- Learn more about DigitalOcean: https://www.digitalocean.com/

- Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/

- Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/

Imagine this. Instead of customers hitting your e-comm website and looking for a product to solve a business problem, your online marketplace comes to them and prescribes a solution to their problem. Sounds magical, but is it realistic for B2B companies?

Lindsey Groepper sits down with Ari Kahn, the CEO of Bridgeline Digital, to discuss all things B2B eCommerce. In this episode, you'll learn why having an "If you build it, they will come mentality" will ultimately lead you to a slow eCommerce demise and why it's time to fundamentally shift the cultural relationship between a B2B vendor and its customer.

• Connect with Ari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikahn/
• Learn more about Bridgeline Digital: https://www.bridgeline.com/
• Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseygroepper/
• Learn more about BLASTmedia: https://www.blastmedia.com/