On this episode, Mary D'Onofrio, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners discusses how to build an enduring $100M ARR business.   Specifically, Mary covers:   Why $100M (“Centaur”) is the new milestone to strive for and why the term was coined.   What companies that reach Centaur status all have in common.   What companies that fall off their projected growth path have in common.   Defining a cash conversion score and what it means for a company.   How research and development spending changes over the lifespan of a $100M ARR company.   Top 3 tips for founders to grow operationally-efficient businesses today.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Mary D'Onofrio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-d-onofrio-a125b2154/   Learn more about Bessemer Venture Partners at https://www.bvp.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get six months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to https://zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #saas #startup #centaur

On this episode, Tomasz Tunguz, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures discusses fundraising in today's environment, which is radically different from his past 14-year experience in venture capital.    Before joining Redpoint Ventures, Tomasz was the product manager for Google’s AdSense social-media products and AdSense internationalization. In total, he's worked with six unicorns from when they were very small till they became massive.   Specifically, Tomasz covers: How public and private markets are changing and how founders perceive these changes. How software companies today are valued in the public markets. Why private markets are slowing down, and what will give private markets a boost over the next four years. Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Tomasz Tunguz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasztunguz   Learn more about Redpoint Ventures at https://www.redpoint.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech

On this episode, Shadi Rostami, Senior/Executive VP of Engineering at Amplitude discusses the tell-tale signs companies should look for before expanding their product suite and three major considerations before doing so.   Expanding beyond your first-ever product offering is a huge moment for any company. Unfortunately, it is also a moment that is very difficult to get right.   Specifically, Shadi covers: The right time to go multi-product. How to set your organization up to go multi-product. Horror stories. Managing new and existing customers with new products. This episode is moderated by Frederic Lardinois, Senior Enterprise Editor at TechCrunch.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Shadi Rostami: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shadi-rostami-b6a636/   Learn more about Amplitude at https://amplitude.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #startup #innovation 

On this episode, Kate Ahlering, Chief Revenue Officer at Calendly shares best practices for implementing a highly effective revenue strategy to improve the funnel and accelerate bottom-line growth across your organization, as well as insights into how her team is applying a combined PLG-SLG strategy to acquire more customers upmarket.   Specifically, Kate covers:   Why joining Calendly was the right opportunity. The first 30 days at Calendly as the first CRO. Tactics to accelerate revenue growth and scale faster. How do you prioritize accounts? The most common failure points to be mindful of. Tracked metrics that are leading indicators of success. Tips for people thinking about how to pair sales with PLG.   This episode is moderated by Kyle Poyar, Partner at OpenView.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Kate Ahlering: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ahlering/   Learn more about Calendly at https://calendly.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Loom is the video messaging platform for work. Teams use Loom to reduce meetings, share institutional knowledge, and get work done faster — because “quick syncs” are never that quick. Complete projects 53% faster with 29% fewer meetings—even across multiple teams and timezones. So cancel that meeting. Record a Loom instead. Head to loom.com/traction for a 14 day free trial.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #plg #sales #startup #growth  

On this episode, Edith Harbaugh, CEO at LaunchDarkly and Jonathan Heiliger, Partner at Vertex Ventures discuss the highs and lows of entrepreneurship from bootstrapped to billions.    Taking that first step to being a founder is the first difficult decision for many. After that comes decisions about hiring your teams, picking your partners and investors, and creating a scalable product for a category that doesn’t exist yet.   Edith shares how she beat the status quo for founding a company by tackling problems she experienced firsthand and how she is leading an entirely new category for B2B.   Specifically, Edith and Jonathan discuss:   Tangible steps to take to become a founder How to challenge the notion that companies are built from well-known problems Validating the idea, getting to product-market fit, and navigating to hypergrowth and scale The elements of category creation: the challenges, mistakes, and bumps along the way Who to turn to along your founder journey Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Edith Harbaugh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edithharbaugh/   Learn more about LaunchDarkly at https://launchdarkly.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex, and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Anu Bharadwaj, Chief Operating Officer at Atlassian.   Anu believes building connection and engagement in a distributed world is Atlassian's best strategy for growth and retention.   Too many companies are wasting resources on navigating return-to-office strategies instead of investing in employees and improving their ways of working.   Anu shares the playbook for building meaningful connections across a distributed workforce.   Specifically, Anu covers:   1:46 - The powerful lesson that Anu learned after being hospitalized unexpectedly.  4:36 - What are the key factors to building strong connections. 6:53 - The difference between remote work and distributed work. 9:43 - How to create shared experiences in a distributed work environment instead of wasting resources on return-to-office strategies. 16:05 - How to leverage communication to drive engagement. 20:34 - The results of Atlassian's Team Anywhere initiative to build stronger bonds in a distributed world.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Anu Bharadwaj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anutthara/   Learn more about Atlassian at https://www.atlassian.com/   This episode is brought to you by: Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex, and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com  

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Sara Hicks, CPO at Mailchimp.   Developing a product strategy starts with understanding the customer problems that your business can solve–which, in turn, creates a long-lasting competitive advantage.   A compelling product strategy prioritizes key initiatives that will have the biggest impact for customers and the business while also navigating unknowns such as team velocity and other constraints.   Sara walks through the framework for a successful strategy; she also addresses business goals, technical and operational needs, customer feedback, and competitive differentiators.   Specifically, Sara covers:   2:30 - Her backstory and role at Mailchimp. 3:58 - Product strategy vs. vision vs. roadmap. 6:33 - Quick glossary of important terms. 8:05 - Customer-driven innovation. 9:57 - Customer analysis and market opportunity.  11:42 - Connecting goals to customer benefits and initiatives. 15:20 - Why you shouldn't surprise your team with a new strategy. 17:02 - Different approaches for different altitudes. 18:40 - How to continually refine and focus. 20:55 - The most important piece of advice.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Sara Hicks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralouhicks/   Learn more about Mailchimp at https://mailchimp.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Anu Muralidharan, Chief Operating Officer at Expensify.   Expensify is one of the few profitable, multibillion-dollar tech companies out there, and went from 0 users to IPO by staying true to its vision.   Anu shares how she stepped off the well-traversed path along with Expensify to create her own rocket launcher by ignoring detractors, challenging the norm, and trusting her ideas.   More specifically, Anu covers:   1:49 - Not taking no for an answer without a fight  6:02 - Anu’s journey from an individual contributor to COO 9:19 - 3 core principles for growth 13:13 - Doing your own homework 15:52 - Having conviction in your renegade ways 18:20 - Why Expensify has only 140 employees, how to scale your team and key qualities to look for when hiring   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Anu Muralidharan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuradhamuralidharan/   Learn more about Expensify at https://www.linkedin.com/company/expensify/   This episode is brought to you by:   Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex, and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo at Boast.AI welcomes Anne Dwane, Co-Founder & Partner at Village Global.   Most investors spend only 1-3 minutes looking at a pitch deck, so how can you make sure that your pitch deck stands out from the crowd?   It all starts with a great startup story when delivering your pitch. It isn't just a marketing tool: your company's startup story is—your mission, your goals, and the problems you're here to solve.   It's a powerful resource that will help you find and build connections with the people who will help your startup grow; from the right investors to stellar team members, co-founders, advisors, and customers.   Today, Anne shares insider tips on fundraising pitches and running an efficient, effective fundraising process.   Specifically, Anne will cover:   6:21 - The best people to talk to when you're fundraising  11:24 - The most important things for an investor pitch 15:15 - How to pique curiosity 17:30 - How to give clarity on what you're doing 24:06 - The number one job of an investor meeting 27:39 - Modifying your pitch strategy based on time allocation 29:30 - The best pitch she's ever heard 33:38 - Pitch deck tactics 38:02 - Should you send your pitch deck before a meeting? 40:36 - Feedback on audience pitches   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Anne Dwane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwane/   Learn more about Village Global at https://www.villageglobal.vc/   This episode is brought to you by:   Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Jim Morris, the Founder of Product Discovery Group.   There's no point in creating something that no one wants, yet so many teams skip the product discovery process.   Even the most efficient process can’t make a bad idea good. Building untested ideas is risky and can cause lost time, wasted money, and low morale.   Jim presents concrete techniques you can start using immediately to weed out bad ideas and focus on the good ones.   Specifically, Jim will cover:   9:11 - Tailoring your roadmap to fit customer needs 13:56 - How to bring the discovery process to the forefront 15:10 - How to get your team to contribute to the product discovery process 21:46 - Defining success metrics 32:03- Best practices for designing experiments 37:50 - Where are your users? 43:13 - Velocity over perfection 46:50 - Addressing customers who want very specific features 51:03 - How many interviews are enough? 51:12 - The recommended framework for product prioritization when it comes to features 1:02:20 - How to onboard potential customers for discovery interviews   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Jim Morris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmorrisstanford/   Learn more about Product Discovery Group at https://productdiscoverygroup.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Extend your company’s hiring budget with VanHack’s pool of 400,000 remote engineers at a lower cost than local hires. Join companies like Dapper Labs, 1Password, Brex, and Dooly who hired great engineers with VanHack. Mention “Traction Remote” when you sign up today to get 10% off your first hire at https://VanHack.com.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com