Run the Numbers

E8: The Ultimate Guide to TAM (Total Addressable Market) with Lightspeed Partner Sebastian Duesterhoeft

Jan 3, 2024
Sebastian Duesterhoeft, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures, shares insights on Total Addressable Market (TAM) in investment decisions, challenges with high-valued unicorns, models for TAM quantification, expanding TAM through strategic product growth, customer expansion metrics, and balancing quantitative with qualitative perspectives in business decisions.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

TAM Is A Backwards Math For Returns

  • Investors work backwards from required fund returns to judge if a startup's market can generate that outcome.
  • TAM matters because the potential exit size must plausibly return the fund given ownership and fund size.
ADVICE

Model Outcomes From The Next Buyer's View

  • Work backwards from target exit and likely revenue multiple to size required revenue and market.
  • Also consider the next buyer's expectations when modeling exit multiples and market needs.
ADVICE

Raise To Match Realistic Outcome

  • Decide fundraise cadence by being realistic about your likely ultimate outcome and ownership.
  • Prefer being more capital efficient if the market's ceiling makes huge raises dilution-unhelpful.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app