The Latest from SaaStr: Here's Why VCs Don't Really Ghost You

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VCs Don’t Really Ghost You. They are Just Prospects. Treat Them as Such.

By Jason Lemkin · Friday, April 15, 2022 | Fundraising

One of the most frustrating things for founders is when VCs “ghost” them. I’m guilty of this myself, as much as I wish I wasn’t. I forget. The email box gets overloaded. It’s not an excuse; it’s not right. But the thing is, it happens.

Eventually, your startup may be so hot that you can ghost VCs back. And let me tell you, the top founders do. Constantly. Once you are running a Calendly, a Canva, a whatever, you can’t even keep up with all the in-bounds from investors. You can’t.

Until then, though, you’re in sales — selling stock — and the VCs are prospects. And prospects in sales ghost you all the time.

Read the full article: VCs Don’t Really Ghost You. They are Just Prospects. Treat Them as Such.

WHAT TO DO

The Secrets to Going Big, Going Multi-Product and Going Public with Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates, Part 2

By Amanda Beaty · Friday, April 15, 2022 | Customer Success, Exit Strategy

Spenser Skates is the CEO of Amplitude, one of the leading customer analytics services for enterprises and product makers. But getting customers like Twitter, Instacart, Match, and IBM didn’t happen overnight.

Spenser lays out the mistakes young companies will often make as they grow, and how he positioned Amplitude for growth and success. He found these lessons essential for founders to learn on their way to $100 million ARR and beyond. In this episode, Spenser discusses best practices for adding products and why he recommends direct offerings over IPOs.

Read the full article: The Secrets to Going Big, Going Multi-Product and Going Public with Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates, Part 2 (Pod 547 + Video)

LISTEN NOW

We Just Launched the SaaStr Europa 2022 Agenda. Get a Front Row Seat When the Cloud Comes to Barcelona!

Our Europa agenda is live and you can now reserve your spot for great sessions like this one!

How to Build a Performance Marketing Operation: What Roles, What Scope, How to Start with the Head of SaaS EMEA of Meta (Facebook)

In this session, Jonathan will describe the roles a growth team should hire, the background they need to have, and how to start marketing a SaaS business on discovery channels - across product, data, media, creative and ROI measurement.

Get your ticket now and get a front-row seat when the Cloud comes to Barcelona.

CHECK IT OUT

If You Don’t Think You Need a VP of Product, VP of Marketing, Etc. — Then You Haven’t Worked With a Great One

By Jason Lemkin · Friday, April 15, 2022 | Hiring, Human Resources

I hear again and again from SaaS founders growing to $5m, $10m ARR, or even more, that they don’t need a certain VP — with the exception of a VP of Sales. Everyone gets they need a great VP of Sales. But for the other roles? More and more these days, founders think they can get away with no one in the role, or just a junior person in marketing, in product, in success, in biz dev, etc.

Basically, in SaaS, everyone “gets” that they need a VP of Sales. Even if they’ve never sold anything before. But I’ve found many great SaaS founders take longer, too long, to decide to hire the other VPs.

Read the full article: If You Don’t Think You Need a VP of Product, VP of Marketing, Etc. — Then You Haven’t Worked With a Great One

WHEN YOU SHOULD HIRE VPS