Firas Raouf

Catch up on Adam Robinson's journey on The Force & Friction Podcast as he discusses scaling a SaaS company from $20M towards $50M ARR. Watch the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3YzjaBH "It’s a game of different rules at each stage". #ForceAndFrictionPodcast #RevOpsLife #GTM #SaaS #B2BGrowth #EntrepreneurJourney #ScalingUp

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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 are seeing a tremendous amount of dialogue around replacing SaaS solutions with AI. Elementum is helping lead the way with easy to build AI Workflow apps that can be deployed in weeks. Cloud replaced On-prem. SaaS replaced traditional software. AI is rapidly replacing SaaS. Buckle up.

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Check out this survey from our friends TSIA

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I think the most interesting data companies are super niche verticals. Go deep vertically before you go horizontal. Something random like- Rubber pricing and demand. Insights on the automotive industry have always been in high demand. Deep insights into the storage facility space. A market that has publicly traded companies or a futures contract is where I see the biggest upside. What are some of your favorite companies with deep sector or industry specific datasets. I think J.D. Power is interesting. Aggregate Intelligence, Inc. is another one with a bunch of super specific industry datasets.

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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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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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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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𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀! We're conducting a benchmarking study to define success metrics specifically for vertical software companies. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Existing SaaS benchmarks just don't cut it for your unique industry needs. This research will provide the data-driven insights to measure and optimize your vertical software business. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽? A few minutes of your time can make a big difference.

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What’s the hardest hurdle you've overcome on your path to greatness? In today’s episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius is joined by Joshua Pellicer and Peter Cobabe to discuss how AI is transforming business operations. They delve into the advantages of task automation, the essential role of a Chief AI Officer, and the mindset shift needed for successful AI adoption. Joshua and Peter highlight the importance of having a clear vision to maximize AI’s impact and share the barriers they had to overcome to get to where they are right now.

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As we dive deeper into this new way of SaaS project development we’ll see how AI is not just speeding up the discovery phase but also the quality and depth of insights available to founders Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AW0qT #B2BSaaS #SaasTool #SaasStartup

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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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Incorporating Generative AI into Vertical SaaS solutions...it's not just plug-n-go. Read: "Vertical-specific Generative AI: Overcoming challenges and unlocking industry growth" https://lnkd.in/dHT7XJJr

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Tech companies are feeling the heat in the post-ZIRP era, as high-interest rates push investors to prioritize profitability over speculative growth. Gone are the days of 'growth at all costs'—now, the focus is on reducing spend, cutting high-cost acquisition tactics, and doubling down on existing customers. But with SaaS markets increasingly commoditized and transactional, is customer loyalty a thing of the past? Explore why getting closer to your customers could be your company’s best path forward. Check the comments for link to full article for insights into navigating this new reality. 👇 #customersuccess #nrr #saas #postzirp #gtmstrategy

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I spent some time diving into the Foresight Data offering and the platform they are building for private investors across VC & PE. Worth reading! Foresight has built a platform that unifies the increasing volume and variety of third-party data, documents in shared drives, cap table data, and fund accounting data into a single source of truth about companies, funds, and portfolios, while also giving you the modeling and workflow tools you are looking for.

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Regain control of your SaaS applications to better understand your risk exposure and expense management.

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We live in a rapidly evolving SaaS era—the shift from Software as a Service to Service as Software is happening. Outcome-based pricing will replace traditional agreements. Early-stage companies are leveraging technology to gain significant advantages quickly. Now is the time to act. On that note, I'm stoked to join a panel on GTM strategies with Founders Bay in SF on December 12th. This prompts me to reflect on critical insights from a report by ICONIQ Capital I presented earlier this year. Revenue growth is slowing across all company sizes despite ongoing AI investments. Startups with ARR under $25M face significant drops, while larger firms show stability with minor declines. Deals are less frequent, take longer, and close for lower value. Budget tightening and vendor consolidation pose challenges, especially for early-stage orgs. To succeed, startups must focus on de-risking strategies and emphasize their core strengths to stand out from larger vendors. On December 12th, I'll discuss these trends and their implications for GTM strategies and provide actionable insights on overcoming challenges and seizing market opportunities. I’d love to hear your thoughts and hope you'll join me at https://lu.ma/ovvid1x6. 

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Glenmede Joins SUBSCRIBE to Digitally Transform and Centralize Alternative Investment Workflows #esubdocs We are proud to announce that The Glenmede Trust Company, N.A. (“Glenmede”), one of the nation’s leading investment and wealth management firms, overseeing $45.5 billion of assets under management, has joined SUBSCRIBE to enable digital onboarding and subscription document workflows for their clients who invest in private market funds. The implementation will help the firm consolidate alternative investment products, processes, and data onto a robust alts operating system. “Glenmede’s commitment to digitalization of our private markets program is significant, and this partnership is a testament to our strategic vision to provide our clients with unparalleled efficiency,” said Brian Smeddy, CFP®, Director of Investment Management Solutions at Glenmede. “Through the integration of SUBSCRIBE, we aim to redefine industry workflow standards and empower our clients with enhanced capabilities to navigate the operational complexities of private funds with ease.” “The SUBSCRIBE operating system for alternative investments reduces the manual burden of managing an institutional private markets program,” said Rafay Farooqui, Founder and CEO of SUBSCRIBE. “Since 2015, our state-of-the-art technology has been an industry leader helping organizations digitally transform and gain control over their alternative investments. We are further excited by the growing adoption of our unified alternative investments solution within the Bank & Trust segment of the industry.” Read More: https://lnkd.in/en9ppp3p Alexander L. Woodson #alternativeinvestments #wealthmanagement #financialadvisors #OCIO #digitaltransformation #fintech #privatemarkets #privateequity #bankandtrusts

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PE - How to Use AI to Unlock Growth in Portfolio Companies All PE firms and portfolio companies should be thinking about unlocking GTM and growth via AI (i.e. not merely ChatGPT or other LLMs but actually implementing apps that are "AI Agents"). 1. What are "AI Agents"? - AI agents are autonomous systems powered by ML and natural language processing, designed to perform tasks with minimal human intervention - They can interpret data, determine the workflow & direction (i.e. make decisions), and execute actions across various functions, continuously improving through self-learning 2. Examples of using AI Agents in PE portfolio companies: - For Sales: AI agents handle lead qualification, respond to inquiries, book meetings, and provide personalized product recommendations, ensuring no opportunities are missed - For Marketing: Generate campaign briefs, segment audiences, create tailored content, and analyze performance to optimize outreach efforts - For Customer Success & Support: Provide 24/7 support, resolve customer issues autonomously, escalate complex cases to human agents with full context, and ensure consistent, brand-aligned responses 3. How PE portfolio companies benefit: - Efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks, enabling teams to focus on high-value activities - Scalability: Handle growing customer volumes without increasing headcount - Personalization: Deliver tailored experiences using real-time data insights - $ Cost Savings: Reduce operational costs by streamlining workflows 4. Business Impact for PE Portfolio Companies: - Accelerate GTM Execution: Faster lead conversion, better customer retention, and enhanced marketing ROI - Improve Metrics: Boost Customer NPS, CSAT, and efficiency - Enable Growth: Scale operations seamlessly while improving team productivity. 5. How PE Firms Must Think About Adoption - Define clear portfolio objectives to use AI agents (not just LLMs) - Ensure integration with existing CRM and data systems - Prioritize high-quality data and ongoing performance monitoring - Use AI agents to complement existing GTM teams, focusing them on automation ------------------ #pe #privateequity #investing #ai

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