Dax Dasilva is the Founder & CEO Lightspeed Commerce, one of the most incredible stories in startups. For 7 years they did not raise outside funding and ran a very profitable business. Ultimately they partnered with Accel and Innovia before going public on the Canadian Stock Exchange with just $70M in ARR. Lightspeed also undertook 9 acquisitions over the course of a four year period to consolidate the global market. Today they have a whopping $900M in ARR but are only valued at $2.6BN. Today we ask the question, is Lightspeed one of the public market's most misunderstood companies?
In Today's Episode with Dax Dasilva We Discuss:
1. VC Funding is Distorting SaaS:
- Why did Dax decide not to raise money for Lightspeed in the early days?
- Does Dax believe Lightspeed would have been successful had they have raised a seed round like many do today in SaaS?
- Why does Dax believe venture funding is distorting a generation of SaaS companies today?
- How does Dax advise founders scaling their business today from $0-$1M in ARR?
2. What Went Wrong: The Founder Returns:
- Why did Dax feel he had to come back to the role of CEO in 2024? What was not working?
- What was the single biggest problem that the public markets had with Lightspeed?
- What were some of the biggest challenges that came with the intense amount of M&A?
- What would Dax most like to do that the public market will not allow?
3. What Makes a Great Leader: How it Changes:
- What required skills in leadership change with the changing scale of the company?
- What skill does Dax have that he is slightly ashamed of but has most contributed to his success?
- What did Dax not know when he founded Lightspeed that he wishes he had known?
- What question is Dax never asked that he should be asked more?
