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10 Practical Tips for early-stage SaaS Entrepreneurs
@louicop, Point Nine Capital, HEC SEED, April ‘17
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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
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Disclaimer
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Want more info? Check the last slide for additional resources
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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
![Page 6: 10 Practical Tips for early-stage SaaS Entrepreneurs](https://reader031.vdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022030310/58f9a713760da3da068b5682/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
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
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@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
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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
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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
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Become an animal
Pick a problem you are REALLY passionate about
Why now?
Why you? Find your edge
1.
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2.
Plan accordingly
How will you finance the business? VC or not VC?
Speed vs. Control?
Market size, competition?
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3.
Good tech? Checklist
Don’t underestimate TECH
CTOs are managers
Tech is SaaS’ cornerstone
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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
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4.
Right tech, your developer brand
Don’t reinvent the wheel
Code scalability
Outsource non-core parts
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5.
Don’t go on-premise
Choose your first customers well
Hire AND fire
Do things that DON’T scale
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Pricing
Trials > Freemium, Discount > Free
3 Cs, not 1C
6.
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Pricing
6.
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Pricing
Trials > Freemium, Discount > Free
3 Cs, not 1C
6.
10-15% of the value provided
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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
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Start writing content early
Don’t waste your money on paid marketing
Make your value proposition crystal clear
Build a world-class product
7.
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8.8.
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8.8.
…then about LTV
Start thinking about CAC..
Choose your SaaS model
Don’t end up in the SaaS graveyard
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8.9.
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9.
Focus on the right metrics
1 Role / 1-2 Metrics
1 Stage / 2-3 Metrics
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Questions?
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10.
Get in touch!
@louicop
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Thank you!
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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