The SaaSiest Podcast

155. Anthony Roux, Head of Product Developer Platform, Miro - How do you build a Developer Platform and Ecosystem around your core product?

In this episode, we speak with Anthony Roux, Head of Product Developer Platform at Miro, the AI-powered visual workspace that brings teams together to collaborate and make faster decisions, with over 500M in ARR and millions of users all over the world! 

We talked with Anthony about what it takes to build a Developer Platform around your core product and how to acquire, enable, and incentivize external development resources to build on top of your product.

Here are some of the things we talked about: 

- What is the meaning of a Development Platform? Why build one in the first place?

- What are the key components of a successful Development Platform?  

- How do you identify your IDP (Ideal Developer Profile)?

- Which metrics shall you use to measure the impact and success of your Development Platform initiative?

 

Make sure to tune in to learn how Miro is building their ecosystem with a development program that takes care of the onboarding, enablement, and incentives for developers to continuously extend the core product!

154. Johan van Mil, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Peak - What does it take to raise capital today for an early stage SaaS?

In this episode, we chat with Johan van Mil, Co-Founder and managing partner at Peak, a venture firm specializing in seed and pre-seed investments in software companies and marketplaces.

Johan shares insights from his journey as an entrepreneur and investor, diving into what makes Peak’s investment strategy unique. We discuss the approach to evaluating seed investments, including the crucial role of team dynamics, resilience, and investor-founder fit.

These are some questions that are answered in this episode:

• What criteria do investors use to assess the potential of early-stage software companies?
• What are the most common reasons deals fall through during due diligence? How can a company proactively address those potential issues?
• Sometimes deals die right away - What red flags or “deal-breakers” are you seeing more often when evaluating startups now?
• How can companies build a competitive fundraising process that creates urgency and drives better terms from investors?
• What should founders consider when choosing investors to ensure a successful partnership?

Tune in to catch all of Johan’s insights on what it takes to raise capital today for your early stage SaaS.

153. Kevin Goeminne, CEO, CHILI publish - How to win the Fortune 500 game!

In this episode, we speak with Kevin Goeminne, CEO of CHILI Publish, an AI-powered creative platform that integrates into your MarTech stack to help brands and agencies create designs at scale with reduced operational costs.

We talked with Kevin about what it takes to win the business and trust of Fortune 500 companies, from the process of getting in front of them, winning and finally growing these accounts to $1m ARR accounts.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

- What proven strategies and channels have you leveraged to get in front of the right decision-makers in these Fortune 500 companies?

- What strategies or tactics have been most effective in navigating the lengthy and complex procurement processes typical of Fortune 500 companies?

- Which organizational requirements do you need to fulfill working with a Fortune 500 company?

- What is the ideal team structure internally that will actively manage the relationship with a Fortune 500 customer?

- What are the most costly pitfalls and mistakes one can make when doing business with Fortune 500 companies?

These are some of the many questions we address with Kevin. Please tune in to learn more about how CHILI Publish is having success winning the trust and business of the likes of Coca-Cola, Mars, Roche, and many other Fortune 500 companies.

152. Daniel Eisenberg, Head of Expansion, Deel - How data-driven growth strategies are accelerating Deel’s path to $1 billion ARR!

In our latest episode, we’re catching up with Daniel Eisenberg, Head of Expansion at Deel, to dive into how the company is shaking up the global HR space. Deel has been on a fast track, expanding rapidly across businesses of all sizes and eyeing that big $1 billion ARR milestone within a year.

We also chatted about Deel's growth playbook—how they’re fueling the pipeline with smart growth marketing, an agile SDR/BDR setup, and tight-knit collaboration between AEs and SDRs. Daniel also shared some golden insights on why events and networking are key to building strong relationships and driving Deel’s growth forward.

Here’s a few key takeaways from the conversation: 

• What’s behind Deel’s rapid rise, and how will they keep up the momentum to hit $1 billion ARR?
• How does the SDR team nail global outreach with a personalized touch and local language expertise?
• What role do events and networking play in Deel’s pipeline strategy, and how do they keep these efforts aligned with their overall growth goals?
• Which metrics matter most in measuring success, and how does Deel balance automation with the personal touch in their sales and marketing?

Tune in to hear more about how Deel is navigating the challenges of global HR and using innovative strategies to fuel their impressive growth.

151. Jonas Jonsson, CEO, 4C Strategies - How a bundling of services and software can increase long term Software ARR!

In this episode, we speak with Jonas Jonsson, CEO, 4C Strategies, the leading provider of organizational readiness and military training management solutions through their Exonaut® software and advisory services. Founded in 2000, 4C Strategies today serves military, public, and private clients in more than 70 countries around the globe. 

We talked with Jonas about how a strong Service & Consulting arm within the organization can be an accelerator for long term ARR growth. We talked about the opportunity this provides them, but also the challenges that come with a setup of this kind with a relatively large Service & Consulting arm.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

- How does your service arm contribute to your company's overall value proposition, especially in an industry where software solutions are often seen as sufficient?

- In what ways has having a significant service arm helped you differentiate from competitors who primarily focus on product alone?

- How do you manage the potential risks and challenges associated with maintaining a large service arm, such as scalability and profit margins?

- What metrics or KPIs do you use to measure the success of your service arm, and how do these metrics align with your company’s long-term strategic goals?

- What organizational structures do you recommend for a Product and Service organization to operate as one?

These are some of the many questions we address with Jonas. Please tune in to learn more about how they have managed to leverage Services & Consulting to ultimately grow their software ARR!

150. Stijn Smet, Head of Customer Success, Whale - How the CS team can leverage product usage data to unlock future revenue!

In this episode, we speak with Stijn Smet, Head of Customer Success at Whale, the AI-powered software for documenting processes and training employees. It helps companies systemize and scale by aligning employees with procedures and processes and boosting compliance with policies and regulations.

We talked with Stijn about how CS teams can leverage product usage data to unlock future revenue customer revenue, reduce churn, and create more stickiness.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

- What are the critical types of product usage data that CS teams should focus on?

- How can CS teams utilize product usage data to drive additional revenue?

- How do you measure the return on investment (ROI) of your CS initiatives using product usage data?

- What tools and technologies do you recommend for integrating and analyzing product usage data to ensure the insights are both reliable and actionable?

These are some of the many questions we address with Stijn. Please tune in to learn more about how your CS team can leverage your product usage data to accelerate upsells.

149. Bas Willems, VP Corporate & Product Marketing, DataSnipper - The Role of Product Marketing in Early-Stage Growth!

In this episode, we speak with Bas Willems, VP of Corporate and Product Marketing, DataSnipper, the Intelligent Automation Platform within Excel that accelerates the speed and quality of your audit and finance procedures.

We talked with Bas about product marketing, and the importance of product marketers to understand the customer and translate their needs into marketing material. 

Here are some of the things we talked about:

- Should you use memes when marketing your product?

- What are the key metrics to measure product marketing effectiveness?

- How can you connect with the audience on an emotional level and thus build a stronger brand? 

- What makes an excellent product marketer? 

These are some of the many questions we address with Bas. Please tune in to learn more about how DataSnipper leveraged product marketing on their journey to $1 billion, and how you can strengthen your brand by applying effective product marketing.

148. Joliene van Grieken, Founding Partner, The Growth Syndicate - How to Create Demand!

In this episode, we speak with Joliene van Grieken, Founding Partner, The Growth Syndicate, a collective of experienced growth leaders focused on helping B2B software companies develop their in-house capabilities to ensure unprecedented, sustainable growth.

We talked with Joliene about Demand Generation, how it differs from lead capturing, and most importantly, how you can create demand for your offerings.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

- Why does a successful Demand Generation Strategy start with understanding the information consumption patterns of your ICP, rather than their purchasing behavior?

- What is the role of sequencing touchpoints in this strategy?

- Short-term vs long-term play, how do you find the balance?

- How do you include your existing customers in your demand generation strategy?

- How to report and motivate investment internally in the organization?

These are some of the many questions we address with Joliene. Please tune in to learn more about how a demand generation strategy done right can accelerate your revenue expansion.

147. Erwin van der Vlist, Founder, Speakap - Founder-Led Expansion: The Game-Changer for Successful U.S. Market Entry!

In this episode, we speak with Erwin van der Vlist, Founder of Speakap, the employee experience platform that improves communication, facilitates better onboarding and learning experiences, and helps you take meaningful action on employee feedback to improve productivity, coordination, and engagement.

We talked with Erwin about the expansion and success of Speakap in the US, particularly looking into how they had to pivot their initial market entry, absorb the lessons learned, and eventually find the key growth levers to win in the US.

Here are some of the questions we addressed: 

- What is the role of a founder in the US expansion?

- What are the reasons why your initial attempt at US expansion might not work out as planned?

- What signs and KPIs indicate it's time to invest in a full-scale local revenue team?

- Which converting channels are best to leverage to build top-of-funnel pipe as a newcomer to the States?

- How do you build external customer trust during the early phase?

These are some of the many questions we address with Erwin. Please tune in to learn more about his journey to the US, and all the steps taken to establish a fast and profitable operation over there! 

146. Lise Tangen Hansen, Managing Director, Annalect Norway - How to get SaaS customers to accept price increases - 6-step formula!

In this episode, we speak with Lise Tangen Hansen, Managing Director, Annalect Norway, the marketing prediction and consumer insight company helping clients boost campaign ROAS using cutting-edge AI predictive Analytics.

We talked with Lise about how to do a price increase that sticks! She walks us through her 6-point checklist that covers all internal and external key decisions and communication points to deliver a pricing increase project that is well received by the market.

Here are some of the things we talked about: 

- What does it mean to have a Pricing Narrative?

- How do you harmonize the price increase with the narrative?

- Which customer variables are key to identifying to help you define a priority list for the price rollout to existing customers?

- How, in practice, do you execute an overarching pricing increase?

- How do you bring this message to your customer?

- How can you leverage A/B testing in the rollout process? 

These are some of the many questions we address with Lise. Please tune in to learn more about her 6-step formula to deliver a successful price increase project, where customers not only accept the price increase but also understand the value you provide to them.