Bryan Burkhart

That's why it's often very difficult to recognize new leaders – their ideas go beyond the conventional frameworks we're accustomed to. Keep your mind open. Don't let yesterday's templates define your future. #Leadership, #Innovation, #OpenMind, #FutureThinking, #venturethinking,   https://lnkd.in/eASPGsuu

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KNOW YOUR REAL BUSINESS ECONOMICS • GAAP Revenue • Cash Flow • Cash • Contribution Margin • CAC • CAC Payback FUNDRAISING: PRESENT & SUBSTANTIATE FINANCIALS • Investor needs to know what your forecasts are • They need to believe them David Weiden, Khosla Ventures

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💡 Are vertical AI startups the future of industry-specific SaaS? SignalFire's latest blog outlines a compelling case for how AI-enabled vertical SaaS solutions could transform industries, tapping into a $6 trillion market opportunity. By applying seven innovative frameworks, startups can address unique, industry-specific challenges like handling unstructured data, achieving data defensibility, and automating workflows. One standout approach is the “networked SaaS” model, where diverse stakeholders—from end-users to insurers—can connect on a single platform, driving efficiency and deep integration. Curious about these frameworks and examples of companies pioneering this space? Dive into the full article! 📈👇

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With 40+ GTM workshops – where do you start? Here’s an overview of the Centrae PE Revenue Acceleration Framework. Some people call it a “PE Portfolio Company Playbook” or a “Toolkit”. Either way, it’s a proven approach to growing revenue for lower middle market companies. We start with an assessment, then guide the company through a learning plan to leverage the right workshops for their business. Here are just a few: 1.   Market Research -TAM/SAM -Ideal Customer Profile -Buyer Persona -Buying Process Maps -Value Proposition 2.   Sales Fundamentals -Sales Revenue & Budget -Sales Org Design -Talent Hiring & Onboarding -Territory Design -Compensation & Quota -Pricing Strategy -Channel Strategy -Sales Leadership -Customer Success 3.   Marketing Fundamentals -Lead Management -Strategic Brand Direction -Marketing Org Design -Campaign Strategy -Content Strategy -Digital Strategy -Product Naming 4.   Sales Execution -Prospecting -Opportunity Management -Deal Desk -Configure, Price & Quote -Channel Optimization -Sales Operations -Technology Stack -Key Account Enablement -Win Strategies -Sales Plays & Playbooks 5.   Marketing Execution -Buyer & Competitive Positioning -Lead Management -Content Development -Product & Marketing Launch -Campaign Build -Customer Marketing -Account Based Marketing -Field Marketing -Agency Marketing -Marketing Operations Any other Commercial/GTM/Revenue Growth in your toolkit?

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We're launching the inaugural edition of Beyond Benchmarks, a deep dive into the metrics and trends observed across the early-stage enterprise cloud market. This is the first look at some of the business data around GenAI in SaaS. Some initial observations: 1) 60% of SaaS companies have already integrated GenAI into their offerings (60% of these as part of their current product and 40% as a new product), and an additional 20% are planning to do so this year. Almost half aren't monetizing these features. Those that are are primarily experimenting with both usage-based and flat fee pricing models. 2) Most companies are utilizing OpenAI as their primary LLM, but many are experimenting with multiple models - and we are noticing an early trend towards intelligently routing GenAI inference requests to different models based on cost, performance, and security. 3) Though we are in the initial innings of GenAI, we are seeing some positive signals - companies that implemented GenAI had 7% higher NDR than those that did not. Still early days, but we'll be doing this benchmarking report regularly to track and share how things progress in this new era. Link to report in comments.

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We've created a newsletter just for founders of VC backed B2B tech companies. Written by Matthew Codd, the first issue tackles some of the most common challenges we see founders facing. 🚀 The SDR vs AE Dilemma. What's right for you? 🚀 Why you need to build a sales culture early 🚀 How to turn objections into opportunities Read more and subscribe to the newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gp8QakDa

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In vSaaS, sustainable growth beats hypergrowth. The real winners are built on strategies that compound over multiple years. I've put together integrated GTM strategies for vSaaS that helped our portfolio achieve sustainable, scalable growth. Start narrow but envision scale from day one. Your initial focus sets the foundation for future growth. If you want to learn more about acquiring and operating Micro SaaS, please follow my Substack: https://lnkd.in/grAv-RgD For the love of the game 🏴‍☠️ ⚡ #Growth #Strategy #Marketing #Sales #Startups

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Due to the wide acceptance of #AI trends in numerous industries, it might seem as though everyone in the #corporate world collectively agrees that artificial intelligence is the best way forward — but even in these exclusive spaces, #digitization is more of a fraught topic than you’d expect. According to National Mortgage News, generative AI is raising many questions and concerns, especially from #mortgage professionals. According to research from Arizent, mortgage professionals are way more hesitant to engage in AI platforms or implement AI into their workplace. Some major causes for concern are a “loss of #personal touch,” concerns over job loss, and potential erosion of #individual thought, #ethics, and human #skills that come with relying on convenience. As predicted by many industry leaders, AI has far too many advantages for it to be ignored completely — so how do we reach a compromise with these mortgage professionals? Is it possible for their jobs to co-exist with AI technology, and consumers can opt for “human” quality services as a speciality service? What does this say about other industries that have quickly latched onto AI?

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Great time on the Embracing Erosion podcast w/Devon O'Rourke! We talked about: 🚀 How to scale a company from concept to 9-figure exit 🔄 How to break away from the traditional consulting model and apply product approaches ⏩ Why it’s important to iterate quickly and often with messaging 💸📈What signals are important to pay attention to when investing in startups and much more!

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For all emerging managers out there who are trying to understand the world of LPs: This 10X Capital episode on "How to Pick Top Decile Venture GP’s" is awesome. Albert Azout of Level Ventures candidly shares some amazing insights on how LPs evaluate emerging managers, what separates the best GPs from the rest, common pitching pitfalls etc. Thanks David Weisburd for hosting this. Link in comments!

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Rolling into another day of the Primary Summit. Hit me up if we should connect onsite. Kudos to the Primary Ventures team so far, as yesterday’s Pre-Seed Summit was on point. Mar Hershenson, Benjamin Sun, Chris Douvos, Zach Weinberg, and Graham Pingree all dropping helpful nuggets for fund managers. Some paraphrased highlights: - Chris Douvos (AHOY Capital) - Most fund decks are terrible. Start with your people (not your strategy) and know you have about 6 slides of his attention. - Zach Weinberg (Curie.Bio ) - beleives SF’s AI talent is a significant advantage over NY, wouldn’t build AI in NY. Also questions if VC exits can keep up with VC expansion (generally hilarious and smart Twitter follow) - Mar Hershenson (Pear VC) - VC is so much more competitive now. It’s not enough to be an ex-founder with a great network and domain expertise. Have a better “why you are different” or do something else! - Benjamin Sun (Primary Venture Partners)- still sees arbitrage in going long NY venture (vs. SF). Do the work to keep various influential networking nodes aware of what you’re doing and how you think.

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Drop In Venture Funding To Black-Founded Startups Greatly Outpaces Market Decline Chris MetinkoGené Teare February 27, 2024 Venture funding to Black-founded U.S. startups last year totaled only $705 million — marking the first time since 2016 that the figure failed to even reach $1 billion, Crunchbase data shows. The decline in capital to Black-founded companies greatly outpaces the overall decline in startup funding. While total venture dollars in the U.S. fell 37% last year, funding to Black-founded startups dropped a staggering 71%, according to Crunchbase data. Last year’s total investment in Black-founded startups in the U.S. marks the lowest amount since such startups raised only $582 million in 2016. The drop in total dollars also meant Black-founded startups received their lowest share in the venture market since at least 2016, per Crunchbase. Black-founded startups received less than 0.5% of the $140.4 billion in venture funding all U.S.-based startups received last year. In 2021, Black-founded startups received 1.4% of all U.S. venture funding. In 2022, it was 1.1%.

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Who are the leading GTM experts in VC that you know? Think Jason Gelman who is GTM operating partner at Primary Venture Partners or Max Altschuler at GTMfund!

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Great article from PitchBook on why domain expertise amongst VCs matters. TL;DR -- in verticals like healthcare, having investors with high amount of domain expertise can result in up to 40% higher odds of achieving an IPO, 20% higher chance of being acquired and 30% higher chance of an overall successful exit. Importantly, the marginal value of having investors with domain expertise varies by sector and stage, and is not uniform, so your mileage may vary, and generalist investors still have a very important role to play in the venture ecosystem. https://lnkd.in/dXpi8gzm Curious to hear from founders: Do you have examples of seeing specialist investors be helpful in unique ways that you can share? Or alternatively, do you have an experience with a generalist investor who has been more helpful than the specialists?

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🚀 Scaling New Heights: Cribl's Strategic Growth 🚀 In a remarkable stride within the competitive market of data infrastructure, San Francisco-based startup Cribl has recently clinched a substantial $319 million in its latest Series E funding. This momentous investment spearheaded by GV (Alphabet’s venture arm) pushes Cribl to a towering valuation of $3.5 billion. 🌟 🔍 Here's Why This Matters for Startups and Small Businesses: 🔹 Innovation and Expansion: Cribl's trajectory illuminates the potent impact of innovative solutions in data management amidst an ever-expanding corporate data environment. 🔹 Significant Growth Potential: With the company boasting an impressive portfolio including 25% of the Fortune 500, the journey reflects significant growth potential and scalability that startups can aspire to. 🔹 Strategic Partnerships: The involvement of heavyweight investors like GV and others underscores the importance of strategic partnerships in accelerating business growth. Key Takeaways: - 🌐 Adapting advanced data solutions is crucial in leveraging the voluminous data generated today. - 📈 Embrace growth by seeking impactful investments and forming strategic partnerships. - 🚀 Aim for scalability by continuously innovating and expanding your solution offerings. Stay updated, engage with current trends, and continuously seek to innovate. The path Cribl is carving out highlights the robust possibilities within tech and data management sectors. For a deeper dive into Cribl’s funding news: https://lnkd.in/gQhmrYUK #DataManagement #StartupGrowth #Innovation This post was generated by an AI. Please contact us for more information.

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🚀 Exclusive Event: Inside the Mind of a Top VC - Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners Are you ready to unlock the secrets of what investors *really* want? Don't miss this game-changing opportunity! Join us for an electrifying evening with Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, one of the world's most successful venture capital firms. With his current role at the forefront of VC decision-making, Jeff brings unparalleled insights into the investment landscape. 🗓️ Date: 10/24/24 🕒 Time: 6:30pm 📍 Location: Palo Alto Why attend? - Gain insider knowledge on what top VCs look for in startups - Learn how to make your pitch irresistible to investors - Network with fellow entrepreneurs and industry leaders - Q&A session: Get your burning questions answered by Jeff himself! Jeff's impressive background includes: - Current role: Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners - Former CFO of Oracle - Board member of Kaiser Permanente, Twilio, and Poshmark - Decades of experience in tech, finance, and venture capital As an Operating Partner at Bessemer, Jeff is at the cutting edge of investment trends and startup evaluation. This is your chance to learn directly from a key player in one of the most influential VC firms. Seats are limited, and they're filling up fast! Don't let this chance slip through your fingers. 🎟️ Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/gKFEN4gP #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #EntrepreneurshipTips #BessemerVentures

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Advisory boards have been pivotal throughout my career, and this new report from the Boardstream team is a must-read. It’s packed with actionable insights on how to build and leverage an advisory board that truly drives impact and growth. Well done, Evan Kraut and Marina Ilishaev! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dPTAS4-Y #AdvisoryBoards #CAB #Leadership #Boardstream #WhitePaper

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