The SaaS CFO

Welcome to another episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today's episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Charles Brecque, founder and CEO of Legislate. Charles shares his insights on the inefficiencies of dealing with contracts and the need for a better solution.   He explains how Legislate's contract creation and management platform is aimed at people operations and finance, rather than legal teams. Charles also discusses their unique approach of using Knowledge Graph technology to track and analyze contract data.   We delve into the challenges CFOs face with contract management and the value that Legislate brings to the table. So, join us as we dive into this fascinating conversation with Charles Brecque on The SaaS CFO Podcast!  Show Notes  [00:01:52] We offer a contract management platform for people operations and finance. Our key differentiators are user-friendly features and accurate contract tracking using Knowledge Graph technology.  [00:05:53] Early stage company pivoting to focus on larger clients and empower businesses to create contracts without legal involvement.  [00:08:45] Impressive growth, novel approach using knowledge graph, securing patents, ready for market after funding rounds.  [00:11:13] Fundraising is distracting and stressful for founders, but it's important to minimize distractions and focus on investors who understand the business.  [00:14:11] Contact us at legislate.AI for more information.  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Story: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/legislate-secures-3-6-million-in-funding Charles Brecque’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-brecque/ Legislate LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legislate/ Legislate Website: https://legislate.ai/ Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today's episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Paul Foster, founder and CEO of OnePlan. With a background in crowd science, Paul has extensive experience in managing large-scale events, including the Olympics.  Frustrated with the traditional methods of event planning, Paul embarked on a mission to revolutionize the industry with OnePlan. This innovative platform offers 2D and 3D mapping technology that not only streamlines the planning process but also optimizes risk management and enhances operational efficiency.   Join us as we dive into the world of event planning and discover how OnePlan is transforming the way we think about mapping and simulation.  Show Notes  00:01:36 Paralympic journey led to managing diverse events.  00:05:25 3D models used in operational planning, security, and commercialization.  00:08:56 Subscription model for event site plans.  00:11:55 Startup partner of Olympic Games, advertising methods.  00:14:12 Sustainable fundraising strategy, milestone-based growth, experienced investors.  00:17:06 Lessons learned in fundraising and investor strategy.  00:20:31 Focusing on target markets for progress and success. Links  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/oneplan-raises-5-3-million-in-funding OnePlan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/one-plan-events/ OnePlan Website: https://www.oneplanevents.com/ Paul Foster’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fosteroneplan/ Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, I have the pleasure of hosting Max Brentzel, co-founder and CEO at Spoke AI. Max, hailing from Germany and now based in Berlin, shares his journey in the tech scene and how the city's startup ecosystem has evolved over the years.   With a background in economics and international expansion, Max brings a unique perspective to the table. Tune in as he discusses Spoke AI's privacy-first AI products that help users streamline and prioritize their communication across various tools, ultimately saving time and increasing efficiency.   Discover how Spoke AI's standalone app within Slack and web app cater to the needs of product managers, summarizing and organizing their busy channels and threads.   Max also delves into the importance of user control and the future plans for Spoke AI's premium tier.   Don't miss this insightful episode packed with valuable insights for SaaS founders and tech enthusiasts alike.  Show Notes   [00:01:54] AI products prioritize and summarize communication.  [00:03:53] User controls communication data processing for privacy.  [00:08:22] Limited company onboarding to ensure reliable Summarization.  [00:10:13] Early core team, AI expertise = success.  [00:15:27] Launching new product, enclosed beta in May. Exciting features coming to Slack app.  Links  SaaS Fundraising Story: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/spoke-ai-raises-2-million-in-pre-seed-round Max Brenssell’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-brenssell/ Spoke.ai’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spoke-ai/ Spoke.ai’s Website: https://www.spoke.ai/ Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

Welcome to another episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today's episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Ratnesh Verma, founder and CEO of Pidge. Ratnesh shares his diverse background, which includes working in seven different countries and holding prominent positions at companies like Whitbread and Hyatt.   Despite not having a tech background, Ratnesh ventured into the world of SaaS startups and founded Pidge. He discusses the timing and opportunity that led him to start the company in India's booming ecommerce ecosystem. Ratnesh also delves into the state of SaaS in India, highlighting the low digital adoption and legacy systems prevalent in the market.  He then provides an in-depth look at the unique products and services Pidge offers, emphasizing its end-to-end logistics solution with a focus on cash on delivery, customer experience, and demand aggregation. We learn about Pidge's self-serve and low code approach, as well as its pay-as-you-go pricing model.   Lastly, Ratnesh reveals that Pidge caters to anyone who delivers, regardless of the channel or industry, making it a versatile solution for various businesses. Stay tuned as we dive into the world of SaaS and logistics with Ratnesh Verma on this exciting episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast!  Show Notes: [00:02:12] Timing and opportunity fueled explosive growth in Indian ecommerce. It will reach a trillion by the end of the decade. The delivery ecosystem is fragmented and unorganized, which our solution is digitizing.  [00:04:32] Pidge offers unique end-to-end logistics solution.  [00:09:00] Keep it simple and understood by all.  [00:13:16] Raise enough capital for successful deployment; continue rapid growth; launch additional services; expand nationally.  [00:14:27] Fundraising is challenging, time-consuming, but rewarding.  [00:18:05] Pidge In: One-stop source for all things  Links:   Saas Fundrasing Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/pidge-raises-3-million-in-funding Ratnesh Verma’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ratnesh-verma-8418a1a3/ Pidge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pidge-mobility/ Pidge Website: https://pidge.in/ Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

Luba Chudnovets, Co-founder and CEO of Cordless, discusses their telephony platform that uses AI-driven conversation intelligence for customer support. They focus on sentiment analysis, call categorization, and 100% visibility in support conversations. They predict conversation analysis will be used by all companies in the future.

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Janis Vavere, the co-founder of Trace Space. Janis shares his journey from starting as a Sales Development Representative to becoming a sales leader and eventually starting his own company. He discusses Trace Space's mission to empower and support innovators in the field of systems engineering. Janis explains the importance of requirements management in building complex products and how Trace Space aims to provide a purpose-built solution for engineers and innovators. We dive into the industries that Trace Space focuses on, their team size, and their recent pre-seed funding round. Join us as we learn from Janis's experiences and dive deeper into the world of SaaS and engineering solutions. It's an episode you don't want to miss!   Highlights: [00:00:18] Typical background, promoted, managed accounts, scaled company. Empowering innovators at Trace Space. [00:03:32] Managing large accounts for systems engineering products; organizing user conferences; passionate about the founder persona; working with companies building future products to improve efficiency. [00:09:11] Validating need, building team, obtaining practitioner validation. [00:11:31] Early validation, luck, and market analysis key. [00:15:42] LinkedIn is the best place to learn. Links: Saas Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/trace-space-raises-1-5-million-in-pre-seed-round Janis Vavere’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b2bsaas/ Trace Space LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trace-space/ Trace Space Website: https://trace.space/ Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

Welcome to another exciting episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today's episode, we have very special guests who will reveal the secrets to seamless billing in usage-based pricing in the SaaS industry. Joining Ben are Griff Parry and John Griffin, co-founders of M3ter, a groundbreaking platform that is revolutionizing the way companies handle pricing, billing, and revenue operations. Get ready to dive deep into the world of SaaS finance as Griff and John, along with our host Ben, discusses the challenges of traditional pricing models, the power of usage-based pricing, and how M3ter is empowering CFOs to take control of their pricing strategies. Whether you're a SaaS company looking to optimize your revenue streams or a finance professional seeking innovative solutions, you won't want to miss this episode. So grab your headphones, sit back, and get ready to unveil the secrets of successful SaaS invoicing on The SaaS CFO Podcast! Highlights: [00:01:13] Early engineering career led to big data. Sold and built systems, worked with Griff. Specialized in complex IT systems for media companies. Expanded to work with Disney, AT&T, Liberty. Used basic tools like IBM, WebSphere, Oracle. [00:04:32] Usage based pricing pain points inspired Meta. [00:06:48] M3ter helps CFOs control pricing decisions, billing, and revenue through their platform, which consolidates data sources and provides real-time billing and revenue information. [00:13:29] Billing is difficult, revenue leakage is common, customer experience and continuous pricing are important. 00:15:47 Pricing agility and automation saves time, money. [00:20:15] M3ter excels at complexity, billing, and usage-based models. Ideal customers are mid-sized software companies. Key decision-makers are CFOs or product leaders. Primarily focused on North America and Western Europe. Rapidly expanding customer base in APAC. [00:24:34] Seed stage company, not established product-market fit. [00:28:40] Easier the second time around for founders. [00:29:34] Choose partners carefully; UK and US VCs helpful. [00:33:29] Customer case studies showing platform impact. Links: Griff Parry’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffinparry/ Founder and CEO John Griffin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpgriffin/ Founder and CRO m3ter’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/m3ter/  m3ter’s Website: https://www.m3ter.com/ SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/m3ter-raises-17-5-million-in-seed-round Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, Ben sits down with Vlad Podolyako, founder and CEO of Folderly. Vlad shares his background in entrepreneurship and his journey from running a successful B2B sales agency, Belkins, to creating Folderly, an email deliverability platform.    Vlad dives into the problems they faced with email marketing at Belkins and how that led to the creation of Folderly. He explains how Folderly helps improve email performance metrics by fixing and monitoring issues with mailboxes, domains, templates, and content. Ben and Vlad also discuss the target audience for Folderly, which includes entry-level and advanced users in sales, marketing, and email analytics.    Finally, Vlad shares some impressive revenue metrics and gives insights into the growth and remote team structure of Folderly. Tune in for an insightful conversation with Vlad on this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast! HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:15] In 2019, email marketing faced a problem with low open and reply rates. The solution involved addressing domain infrastructure and using the right ESP provider. This led to the creation of Folderly, a service to help clients with similar issues.  [00:05:28] Three customer profiles: beginners, knowledgeable, and advanced in sales and marketing. The most important is understanding email outreach consequences.  [00:11:00] Our brand focuses on lead generation email marketing. We have successful outbound processes and also generate around 30% organic traffic. We educate customers on various acquisition channels and aim to expand our customer base.  [00:13:46] Google for startups offers funding, mentorship, and camps for entrepreneurs. Applicants fly to Silicon Valley or Europe to share their background, experience, and technology. Interviews and data sharing determine acceptance.  [00:15:51] Start with an MVP, gain traction with clients and case studies to attract partners and investors. Show progress, don't fake it.  [00:19:07] Expressing gratitude and reciprocity. Links SaaS Fundraising Story: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/folderly-receives-funding Vlad Podolyako’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiefdata/ Folderly’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/folderly/ Folderly’s Website: https://folderly.com/ Follow Ben Murray on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray/ 

James Gasteen, co-founder and CEO of Unaric, discusses the importance of cross-selling, bringing together different products under one vendor, and their unique approach of acquiring ISVs. He also shares their investment thesis and criteria they use for acquisitions.

Caitlin MacGregor, CEO of Plum, shares insights on bridging psychology and technology in talent assessment. The importance of accurate data, challenges faced by enterprises in talent competition, navigating procurement committees, and fundraising to find believers and derisking are covered. Plum focuses on empowering individuals and serving enterprises through expanding their team and amplifying customer voices.