
ARRtist on AIR - Meaningful conversations with Software & AI leaders
We talk about building software companies in Europe.
In the ARRtist on AIR podcast, successful B2B SaaS founders, top investors, leading industry partners and experts provide their hard learnings, valuable tips and insights beyond the obvious.
In the interviews, we talk to them about how software founders can increase ARR, how to scale an organisation, and which go-to-market strategies lead to success in the DACH market.
How to improve the most important KPIs in SaaS and for B2B software? What added value do venture capital and private equity investors offer? Or is it worth bootstrapping a SaaS startup?
In short: This podcast will help you scale B2B SaaS companies - informative, entertaining and straightforward.
Latest episodes

Feb 29, 2024 • 3min
181: ARRtist Ecosystem Update
Änderungen in der Frequenz im Podcast und Update zum ARRtist Circus
Ganz liebe Grüsse aus dem ARRtist Headquarter.
Ab jetzt kommt der Pod immer Dienstags zu Euch und wir bauen parallel an spannenden neuen Formaten.
Schaut mal rein auf:
www.ARRtist-Circus.com
und www.ARRtist.net
Es ist schon wieder viel passiert.

Feb 26, 2024 • 1h 1min
🇬🇧 180: Adding 20 Mio. ARR in 3 years - The GTM Motion of Yousign
With Alban Sayag - CEO of Yousign
Gaining traction in a competitive market such as e-signature with players like Docusign seems to be quite a challenge. However, Alban Sayag, his team and Yousign have managed to add more than 20 million in ARR in the last 3 years. In conversation with Julius Göllner, he gives valuable insights into Yousign's current go-to-market motion. In detail you will learn about:
Yousign’s positioning and main differences compared e.g. to Docusign
Joining as a CEO - Alban’s motivation to join in a management role as a serial entrepreneur
Yousign’s Runrate Concept - the natural amount of Net New ARR every month
Leading indicators to understand decelerating growth
The importance of segment analysis to understand your right ICP and motion efficiency
Changing the GoToMarket - From Sales Led to an Indirect Motion
Growing by Cocreation of new revenue streams and business models for partners
How to structure pricing for an indirect motion
Necessary product adaptations to get partner ready
What's behind the “classical S-curve” of growth
Geographic expansion - how to choose the right next market
Where to eat great in Paris
Our Guest:
Alban Sayag
https://www.linkedin.com/in/albansayag/
Our Host:
Julius Göllner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-goellner/
Unser Werbepartner:
Vanta
Restaurant Tipp:
Holybelly - Paris
https://www.holybellycafe.com/

Feb 22, 2024 • 56min
179: Do’s and don’ts beim Go-To-Market für Tech Companies
Peter Ruchatz zu GTM learnings aus 25 Jahren im Software Business
Mein heutiger Gast Peter Ruchatz hat diverse Stationen als Chief Marketing Officer und Chief Revenue Officer durchlaufen.
Er war Senior Vice President Marketing bei Celonis, lange Jahre bei Salesforce und Microsoft. Davor war er Berater bei BCG und hat selbst eine Softwarefirma gegründet.
Er weiß also wovon er spricht, wenn es um den richtigen go to market für Software Produkte geht. Peter unterteilt hier ganz Berater-style in “Strategie”, “Management” und “Execution” und hat uns auch drei Beispiele aus seinen diversen Stationen und seiner Zusammenarbeit mit Startups und VCs mitgebracht.
Our Guest:
Peter Ruchatz
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterruchatz/
Our Host:
Jannis Bandorski
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannisbandorski/
Unser Werbepartner:
Vanta
Related AoA Shows:
164: Partnerschaften im Enterprise Bereich - Best Practices von Miro
126: B2B Enterprise Sales - Wertvolle Tipps von 42 Cap vom GTM bis zur Pipeline Coverage
Restaurant Tipp:
Theresa Grill in München
https://www.theresa-restaurant.com/

Feb 19, 2024 • 57min
🇬🇧 178: 5 Termsheets with just 40 Outreaches - Resourcify's Fundraising Secrets
Mit Gary Lewis - Co-Founder & CEO von Resourcify
Managing 5 term sheets with only 40 outreaches is quite impressive. It becomes even more interesting if none of the initial outreach was done by the founder himself. Gary Lewis talks with Julius Göllner about his secrets and strategies to raise a successful fundraising round even in turbulent times.
In detail you will learn about:
The Resourcify business model
Why fundraising as an impact startup is different from a non-impact startup
The power of using your advisory board in a fundraising process
The secrets behind the WhattsApp whisper game and how to use it
The ideal investor profile - why it matters and how to define it
Fundraising 2024 vs 2022 - What are the key differences and what to look out for today
Resourcify's Series B KPI Target Sheet and how to run an entire company by it
The different meaning of capital efficiency at 400 and 200% ARR Growth
Where to meet Gary for dinner in Munich
Our Guest:
Gary Lewis
https://www.linkedin.com/in/circular-gary/
Our Host:
Julius Göllner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-goellner/
Unser Werbepartner:
Vanta
Related AoA Shows:
174: Erfolgreiches Fundraising in turbulenten Zeiten - Learnings von Deskbird
101: Mastering Fundraising in difficult times
146: Die größten Fehler im Fundraising - Und wie es richtig geht mis Iskender Dirik EQT
Restaurant Tipp:
the spice basar in Munich
https://www.thespicebazaar.de/

Feb 15, 2024 • 55min
177: Strategische Markterweiterung für die EdTech Platform AMBOSS
Mit AMBOSS Co-Founder Dr. Sievert Weiss
With the support of medical students, a developer, and some business angels, Sievert and his future co-founders then built software for exam preparation for the medical state exam. Since then, the company has evolved significantly, continuously tapping into new markets. In our interview, we discussed how they got there, strategically increased customer lifetime value, expanded internationally, and their plans for the future.
How the experience of exam preparation led to the founding of a software company
The challenges and obstacles in developing software for medical exam preparation
Strategies for increasing customer lifetime value and accessing new markets
The contribution of medical students, developers, and business angels to the company's development
The importance of innovation and adaptability in a constantly changing market
Future plans of the company and how it prepares for upcoming challenges
Our Guest:
Sievert Weiss
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sievert-weiss/
Our Host:
Jannis Bandorski
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannisbandorski/
Restaurant Tip:
Ritrovo
https://ritrovo.de/

Feb 12, 2024 • 57min
176: Winning the US - Wertvolle Learnings von anyline
Mit Christoph Braunsberger - Managing Director von anyline
Der Schritt in die USA ist mit vielen Fragezeichen und Herausforderungen verbunden. Christoph und sein Team von anyline haben diese sehr erfolgreich gemeistert und sind seit 2019 auf einem starken Wachstumskurs in den Vereinigten Staaten. Mit Julius Göllner spricht er über seine Learnings und Erkenntnisse aus den letzten 5 Jahren, im Detail:
Anyline´s Beweggründe zur Expansion in die USA in 2019
Was ist in 2024 anders und was gibt es heute zu beachten
Das perfekte Setup für einen Start in den Vereinigten Staaten
Team on the ground von Tag 1 - Ist das wirklich nötig?
Die Wichtigkeit eines “engen Marktes” zum Start und sehr scharfer ICPs
Unterschiede im Pricing - was solltet Ihr berücksichtigen
Referenzkunden als wesentlicher Hebel beim Markteintritt - so richtig leveragen
Sales Cycles, Budgetgrenzen und Risikobereitschaft - Die größten Unterschiede in den USA und DACH
Our Guest:
Christoph Braunsberger
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoph-braunsberger-435939199/
Our Host:
Julius Göllner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-goellner/
Unser Werbepartner:
Vanta
Related AoA Shows:
094: Expansion in die USA - Erfahrungen und Best Practices von Daniel Barke mit WorkGenius (>100 Mio NetRev)
014: Enterprise Sales und USA Expansion mit Alexander Buchberger, Managing Partner bei Senovo & JG
Restaurant Tipp:
Nestroy Gasthaus in Wien
https://www.gasthausnestroy.at/

Feb 9, 2024 • 57min
175 Der richtige Fokus beim Go-to-market nach der Seed Finanzierung
Co-Founder und CEO von Gyde - Lukas Heinzmann
Lukas kommt aus der Stuttgarter Gründerszene und hat mit sich mit seiner Firma Gyde das Thema "Learning & Development" neu vorgeknüpft.
Hier meine Highlights:
1 Mio Funding in 2022 - daher extrem Cash effizient
20% monatliches Wachstum, super Retention und 194% Net Revenue Expansion
aktuell ca 15 Mitarbeiter
Größte Herausforderung: komplett unterschiedliche ICPs, die aber alle profitable und happy sind, und damit drohen, weitere Umsätze zu bringen.
Kernfrage im Podcast: wie fokussiert man richtig? Wann lässt man mal Umsatz bewusst aus? Wie bringt man das Team dahinter? Und wie geht man mit Unsicherheit als Founder um?
Podcast Gast:
Lukas Heinzmann
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukas-heinzmann/
Podcast Host:
Matthias Ernst
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mr-matthias-ernst/
Ad Partner
www.vanta.com/arrtistonair
Restaurant Tipp:
Valle (echt italienisch)
Stuttgart
https://www.ristorante-valle.de/

Feb 5, 2024 • 51min
174: Erfolgreiches Fundraising in turbulenten Zeiten - Learnings von Deskbird
Mit Ivan Cossu - Co-Founder und CEO von deskbird
Fundraising in schwierigen Zeiten - darüber spricht Julius Göllner mit Ivan Cossu. Das Team von deskbird hat es geschafft, im turbulenten Marktumfeld von 2023 rund 13 Mio. USD in einer erfolgreichen Series A einzusammeln. Wie Ihnen das gelungen ist und was Ihr für Eure nächste Finanzierungsrunde mitnehmen könnt, erfahrt Ihr in der heutigen Folge. Im Detail gibt es spannende Insights zu:
Dem Geschäftsmodell von deskbird
Erkenntnisse von Ivan zu den Fehlern im Fundraising in der Seed Runde
Den daraus abgeleiteten Verbesserungen für die Series A Akquise
Der Wichtigkeit eines strukturierten und zeitlich vorgegebenen Prozesses
Reduzierung der Gespräche vor Start des Prozesses - Fokus auf das Business so lange es geht
Warum ein kontinuierlicher Beziehungsaufbau mit Investoren nicht immer Sinn macht
Wie Ihr ein erstes Term Sheet im weiteren Prozess ideal leveragen könnt
Warum ein ausgewogenen KPIs Set in 2024 eine hohe Relevanz besitzt
Fundraising ist und bleibt eine persönlich harte Zeit - was könnt Ihr tun um Eure innere Mitte nicht zu verlieren
Our Guest:
Ivan Cossu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivancossu/
Our Host:
Julius Göllner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-goellner/
Unser Werbepartner:
Vanta
Related AoA Shows:
Iskender Dirik
Malte Kosub
Restaurant Tipp:
Restaurant Roberto
http://www.restaurantroberto.ch
Recommendations:
https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/tag/series-a

Feb 1, 2024 • 60min
🇬🇧173: Demo Automation - where product and sales meet! (Pawel Jaszczurowski CEO Demoboost)
Pawel Jaszczurowski Co-Founder and CEO demoboost
Pawel, Anna and Kamil founded Demoboost out of Salesforce. They wanted to make the Demo process easier and more intuitive. Now they have been recognized as the easiest to use Demo Automation Software by G2 in 2023 and Pawel shares his insights in demos in general, the current competitive landscape and key milestones in building Demoboost.
Highlights:
Learnings from the early days - why Pawel founded his first company "our office" and also, why he is not there anymore
How working at Salesforce leads to founding his second company
Insights on demos - what to do and what not to do
The market for demo automation - whats the sweet spot
Competitive landscape clustered in 3 different categories:
video solutions (e.g. consensus - https://goconsensus.com/)
static content solutions (e.g. arcade https://www.arcade.software/)
interactive demos (e.g. demoboost https://demoboost.com/)
How to use G2 to build trust and create incoming leads
Current status of demoboost, #employees, #customer
Revenue expansion strategy
Change in the markte - pre-sales and sales engineers. Pre sales collective and SE rockstars (https://serockstars.com/) as examples of a fast growing segment
demoboost current hurdles - ressource allocation, market education
Current funding state and runway, grants, revenue based finance
Our current ad partner:
VANTA
https://www.vanta.com/arrtist
ARRtist Circus
www.arrtist-circus.com
Podcast guest:
Pawel Jaszczurowski
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paweljaszczurowski/
Podcast Host:
Matthias Ernst
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mr-matthias-ernst/
Restaurant Tipp:
Peaches Gastro Girl
Vegan Restaurant Warsaw
https://www.instagram.com/peaches_gastrogirls/?hl=en

Jan 30, 2024 • 55min
🇬🇧172: The power of brand positioning
With Niclas Lilja - Founder and CEO at Younium
In the fast-paced world of SaaS, where competition is fierce and innovation is relentless, the power of brand positioning cannot be overstated. Join us as we speak with Niclas Lilja, thought leader and visionary, who has mastered the art of brand positioning in SaaS, about the challenges, his tips and direct advice. Get hands on insights about:
What are subscription management systems and why to use them
Why it makes sense to think about positioning very early
How to choose and work out the right positioning
Taking the competitive landscape into account and finding your own spot
Differentiating between simple and complex subscription models - the complexity of different products, add ons, individual negotiated terms and many more
The difference between tactical and strategic positioning
How to use positioning in marketing our product and guaranteeing a clear PMF
Winning in sales with small or big XXL customers due to a clear positioning (European brand/Purpose built)
How to use positioning in competition handling
Our Guest:
Niclas Lilja
https://www.linkedin.com/in/niclas-lilja/
Our Host:
Julius Göllner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-goellner/
Unser Werbepartner:
ARRtist Circus
Restaurant Tipp:
Asian Post Office
https://www.asianpostoffice.se/