Kaveh Rostampor

🎙️ Exciting insights from SaaS Academy's CEO Johnny Page on the Expertise Economy podcast! Johnny breaks down their two-step approach to helping SaaS founders: 1️⃣ The Discovery Call: Uncovering the founder's "why" and long-term vision 2️⃣ The Strategic Game Plan Session: Creating a 90-day action plan to achieve 12-month goals 🔑 Key focus: Identifying and solving business constraints Want to dive deeper on the secrets of building a successful SaaS business? Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dju-Be2u #SaaS #BusinessStrategy #SaasAcademy #ExpertiseEconomy #Podcast

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👨‍🔬David Weiss operated at a $4 billion sales org and has helped over 200 startups with sales in 2023 alone. Tim Ward has worked with KPMG, PIF, Serco and EY. Today we discuss GTM. Both David and Tim are SFGN Heads in our Super Founder Global Network -> sf-gn.com (2025 product launch coming) David is a council member in SFGAC - Our newsletter he writes in is here -> sf-gac.com We just recently launched the SFGN Podcast on Spotify and Youtube yesterday. Daily videos will be posted here and there. We are in the process of launching the worlds largest and best executive/investor media This supports our initiative to build the worlds largest and best executive/investor network Which supports our goal to grow companies better, faster and more reliably than any other entity on the planet. 99% of companies grow without investment so we grow companies with and without investment from pre-revenue to billions $ All to drive impact to 3 billion humans. This is the ONLY thing that matters -> 3 billion+ humans impact Surprise products/services/software/AI in 2025 that supports this mission to impact 3 billion people globally through the vehicle of powerful companies and CEOs (our highly differentiated CEO consulting and other upcoming CEO/team acceleration products/services + SFGN team vetted services) that affect employees and customers at 3 billion+ scale. We hope you enjoy our chat today :-) P.S. A couple new surprise video “types” to release this week :-) 

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In one of my start-up businesses, we hit a critical juncture that really tested our commitment to core values. Honor was a cornerstone for us, and it came under scrutiny when our top salesperson—responsible for almost half of our new revenue—started bending the rules. He’d get to the office early to grab sales leads before they were fairly distributed by the sales manager. When my head of sales flagged this issue, he was torn. “We should let him go, but it might jeopardize our capital raise,” he said. Despite the risk, we knew that keeping him would erode our values. We made the tough call to let him go, and the result? When we shared the news with our team, they rallied around our decision, and not only did they meet our sales goals—they exceeded them by 25 percent. As leaders, our main job is to craft a clear vision rooted in meaningful core values. This vision isn’t just a fancy statement—it’s the compass that guides every decision and action in your organization. Far too often, I see companies wandering aimlessly, lacking the strong direction that a values-driven vision provides. The most successful organizations aren’t leaving their future to chance; they’re charting a course with purpose, driven by a vision that resonates with their core values and mission. A well-defined vision doesn’t just point the way forward; it sparks a fire within your team. It attracts top talent who want to be part of something bigger, and it serves as a touchstone for evaluating opportunities and making key decisions. Most importantly, it energizes your team, giving them a sense of purpose that drives them to exceed expectations and tackle challenges head-on. When your team truly understands and believes in the vision, they’re not just working for you—they’re working with you, united by a shared purpose that propels the organization forward. So here’s my challenge to you: Take a moment to reflect on your leadership. Do you have a clear vision grounded in core values? And, has that vision been communicated effectively to your team? These questions aren’t just for introspection—they’re vital for steering your organization in the right direction. Carve out some time to think about these issues and see how you can align your vision with your values to truly inspire and guide your team. Let’s ensure our actions and words are in sync. Drop a comment or shoot me a message—I’d love to hear how you’re making this happen. #Leadership #VisionaryLeadership #CoreValues #TeamMotivation #StrategicLeadership #InspireYourTeam #LoveYourPeople

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I believe two of the big winners over the next 10 years in the SMB category will be PE who are rolling up the businesses and GenAI powered software that makes running these businesses significantly more turnkey and/or profitable. Thanks for having me on Jay Kapoor. If you want spicy takes fast forward to 25 min mark. If you want to get deep in market analysis buckle in for the whole thing. https://lnkd.in/d8M7Jyrx

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On my way to London to work with a portfolio company at their QBR and annual planning process. Another example where having investors on your cap table that understand how to build companies vs just show up and pontificate at your board meetings will help you to build world class outcomes. Remember why we do this - build world class organizations that drive meaningful economic outcomes for employees, customers, shareholders, and investors. Lead from the Front!!! #vc #growth #venturecapital

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To win in the world of AI/ digital disruption, progressive startups are embracing structural change . #1. Right prioritise your planning model ( short vs long).The short game (i.e. short term planning and execution) is critically important until you get to $50 M ish, more important than the long game ( i.e. long term vision) #2. Right size-mix your organization model (i.e. hire special forces vs full time employees / build small teams vs large teams) #startup #scaling #winning #longtermvsshortterm #specialforces #growth

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The key to #prospecting, #discovery, and #customersuccess is rooted in empathy, not pitching what your company's tool or feature does. Most buyers, champions, users, and the 10+ other stakeholders involved in deals (i.e. finance, procurement, leadership, etc.) are trying to understand if they need to address a problem and, if so, how would they go about it? 🤒 An old boss said it well: "I was just going to stay at home with a cough, but you've helped me realize it's '123' and I have to address it, so now I'm going to go to urgent care right away!" Keep in mind you are likely not the only solution they are exploring. They might not have a problem worth solving. They could just be educating themselves should things change. The point is not to 'manufacture' pain but rather, as sellers and providers, our job is to educate prospects and customers; to create an environment where they can make a well informed decision. 🙌 When reps call me with empathy: I'm always happy to say "I'm actually not a fit for this, and I'm not sure if this is a priority for us. I recommend reaching out to this VP of Demand Gen. Feel free to call or text if I can help." 🤮 When reps start talking about their customers, their AI, their integrations, their superior pricing, their xyz...I say "Sorry. Not a fit and won't be for a while. Good luck!" As a seller, you are a tiny percentage of the process. First impressions last and, for existing accounts, outcomes + customer and user experience trump budget every day of the week!

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In Sales, you get delegated to who you sound like. If you focus on features you'll only talk to users with little buying power. If you understand a customer's top business objectives and present a provocative point of view on how to help solve those, you'll find yourself in front of an Economic Buyer. This doesn't happen 100% of the time if you start the conversation at or close to the user level. They might still do their best to gate keep you. But if you never try to attach to the biggest problems, you'll never ever touch the C-level.

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I recently sat down with a group of Forum Ventures founders about to go out to fundraise and the topic of SAFE rounds came up. The context focused on the pros/cons of raising a priced vs a SAFE round and the conversation notably shifted toward the dilution implications of a SAFE round. Founders are keenly aware of the top line dilution of any funding round - ie selling 20% of their startup for $3M at a $15M cap - but very few fully grasp the implications of doing a SAFE round vs a priced round. The universal standard for institutional VC investors is a post money SAFE. This document essentially outlines ownership that an investor will have in a startup just prior to the execution of a priced round. Most importantly though, it is structured so that an investor in that SAFE will not be diluted by subsequent SAFE's that are issued. This is where founder education around the implications of this structure are not fully appreciated. In a situation where a founder continues to stack subsequent SAFEs, they don't actually convert until the first priced round and the net dilution they are taking is actually more than they realize. Here is a practical example - take a situation where a founder has already sold 15% of their business on a post money SAFE in a pre-seed round, and is now choosing to sell another 20% in a seed round. If the founder opts to raise this money on SAFEs, the dilution of that additional 20% will come entirely from common equity holders- meaning they will now own 65%. If SAFE holders were also diluted by that round, as they would be in a priced round, the founder would own 68%. This dynamic becomes more dramatic the more capital a founder raises on SAFEs. Note - this is a high level example and does not include an option pool carve out or other round nuances. Almost universally, when a founder raises their first priced round, there is some degree of sticker shock at the outright dilution on their cap table, particularly when options pools are factored in. This pain is even more acute when a founder has raised a fair amount of capital on SAFEs along the way. There are certainly benefits to raising SAFE round, mainly cash in hand 6-8 weeks faster and not having to decide on board seats too early, but I encourage all of our founders to run through cap table modeling and correctly account for the implications of SAFE rounds before they make fundraising decisions.

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When I first started investing in AI a decade ago, enterprise software meant digital filing cabinets. Salesforce built a $35B business on this simple premise: Humans input data, Software organizes it. Sales reps who focused on closing deals rarely updated their CRMs. When they did, the data lived in rigid structures, missing the rich context of actual sales activities happening in the wild. 2020 marked a turning point. By 2020 LLMs were enabling software to process unstructured data—no more waiting for manual inputs. These systems started processing emails, calls, and documents on their own. They made decisions. They took action. Now, software has hit an inflection point: AI is working together in a System of Agents. These AI teams mirror elite human organizations, with specialized members handling distinct functions. Software becomes the worker itself, capable of understanding, executing, and improving upon traditionally human-delivered service. Think about the money at stake here. Most software companies fight over IT budgets. But Systems of Agents can tap into something much bigger—the $4.6T companies already spend on their workforce. Here's what gets me excited: technical founders who build AI teams (aka Systems of Agents) that never sleep, get smarter with every interaction, and nail real business metrics are going to capture an entirely new wave of enterprise value. I can tell you confidently—the scale of this shift is unlike anything we've seen in software. 💬 What do you think? LMK in comments.

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Cap Table guidance from Cake Equity and my former colleague Chris Hoffmann, ECA 🚀🧢 VALUATION & EQUITY MANAGEMENT: Companies should aim for balanced equity plans that are fair yet practical, involving vesting schedules to ensure employees earn their shares. Giving employees sufficient time to exercise options post-vesting can also prevent punitive exercise costs. This approach encourages loyalty and values employee contributions without overwhelming the cap table. HIGH ADMIN DEMAND IN LATER STAGES: In growth phases, especially Series C and D, managing cap tables becomes complex, with frequent hires, exits, and equity grants. Software platforms (e.g., Cake) are essential to keep cap tables organized, as manual systems like Excel can't handle the volume and complexity efficiently. IMPORTANCE OF DAILY & MONTHLY AUDITS: Regular audits are crucial to keep track of terminations, new grants, and board consents. Errors in terminations and grants can lead to costly issues during audits, financial reporting, or funding rounds. SECONDARY TRANSACTIONS & LIQUIDITY OPTIONS: Allowing limited liquidity for employees and early investors, such as through tender offers or company-facilitated secondary transactions, is valuable. These mechanisms offer flexibility without requiring a full exit or IPO, which has become less common due to the IPO market slowdown. CAP TABLE ERRORS CAN BE COSTLY: Historical errors in cap tables can create major headaches. Two examples highlight this:    - In one case, a series D company had to spend $100,000 to $150,000 on cap table corrections, which delayed planned transactions by six months.   - Another company had converted multiple financing rounds incorrectly, requiring a year and a half of back-and-forth with attorneys and investors to correct the errors. These situations emphasize the need to organize and verify cap table data from the outset to avoid costly fixes later. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOUNDERS: Early-stage companies should seek expert help in setting up and maintaining cap tables, even if through fractional CFOs or specialized attorneys. Organizing all equity-related documents digitally, using reliable software, and conducting regular audits can save time, money, and stress in the long run.

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The talent market is about as disjointed right now as I’ve ever seen it... There is a incredible amount of tier 1 venture talent (multiple exits - real enterprise value creation and outcomes) opting for advisory, fractional or time on the “Beach” or “bench” right now. It’s not that they don’t want to find their next thing that they can sink their teeth into and go all in - many do - and candidate sentiment on the market has taken a 180 degree turn from Q1 2023 from negative to positive. It’s that the right next thing is incredibly hard to find right now. Messy cap tables, egregious valuations, lopsided preference stacks, limited run way, unclear ways to drive consistent growth (or even if product market fit exists) in a world that rode tailwinds for years, complex cultures, and more. Many of the “Clean” opportunities are still in seed / early series A. Many of the growth stage opportunities are plagued with cultural challenges or require a hard reset across the board. If I was in PE, or a large company looking for innovative talent, I would be doing my best to capitalize on this market. If I was in a clean VC backed company, I’d be going hard at courting the creme of the crop right no. If I was in a complex VC backed company, I’d get creative on management carve outs, outsized offers, and do what it takes to move the ball downfield. I think we’re about 9-12 months away from tech/tech enabled findings it’s way back to being at the top of tier 1 candidates list. It won't be 2021 again.... But I do think the market is going to be way less available. Move now.

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Imagine you’re meeting a VC today and pitching your company. Now, also imagine the VC goes home tonight and tells his or her spouse about the meeting with you. How do you think the VC would (or should) describe your product to the spouse? Remember, this is for someone who doesn’t have any context, and probably doesn’t have time to listen the whole story. If you can think of a story version that's plain and simple -- how you want the VC to describe your product to the spouse -- perhaps that version should be your pitch in the first place?

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If you missed key insights from Matt McIlwain(Madrona) at Seattle Venture Day I took some time to summarize a few of the key points! How should small startups or emerging companies think about partnering with enterprises? Enterprises are very motivated to have better solutions, Early stage startups have to think differently and think outside the existing structure silos that the current SaaS applications represent, think outside the generally structured data that lives in databases. Think more about data lakes and unstructured data and crossflows, flows that live across current Saas and structure application. Matt thinks its in the crossflows with the differently structured data that’s where some of the big breakthroughs are going to come with breaking into working with big enterprises at the agentic layer. Overlaps between the current AI boom and the .com boom in Seattle? Less GTM talent than Engineering talent here in Seattle. A lot of corporate capital here, Microsoft and Amazon market cap is over 5T today so a lot of the experts that helped build these companies and worked on cloud technologies, applied AI, Robotics, etc.. have helped grow the startup ecosystem here in Seattle. What is Matts framework for selection companies that are investable in this AI boom? The chip layer is saturated with capital from big cloud and harder to return capital. Matt thinks the agentic and enabling layer there will be a lot more winners. Functional and domain specific solutions are great – Gradial is an example on the marketing side. Madrona wants to see founders who infatuated with the problem they see and are better suited to solve that problem than anyone else. Matts thoughts on the M&A and IPO markets? IPO markets have pretty much stayed soft this year, but M&A is going to pick up a good bit.  There is pressure on the Mag 7 and larger companies from the FTC but a lot more happening in the middle market like Atlassian and Docusign, etcc. Companies that are between 20b and 100b in market cap have to figure out how to increase their market position/AI talent through acquisitions. PE is also hungry to put their capital to work and very aggressive at putting their capital to work. Matt believes he will see VC groups getting bought up by PE groups in different forms. They may allow VCs and founders to keep some of their capital and to re-up in some of those deals. What should founders look for from investors? Matt believes having a consortium of investors is largely a good thing and having great early investors are important in helping you grow. It’s also valuable to have someone who is your lead champion and will roll up their sleeves with you every week. Madrona loves founders who are coachable but not too coachable – If the investor has all the best ideas something is not right. The founder should be leading the way! Pablo Casilimas Justis Mendez OneSixOne Ventures

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Many SaaS solutions resonate most with directors/VPs/department heads. For the past 5+ years the approach for selling to these folks was to get them very excited about your solution and price in such a way that they could get a deal done with minimal sign off. In enterprise this could run as high as 500k. Now, there is scrutiny on 25k deals. Smart sellers realize this and are running a totally different play. A little different flavor of the traditional top down model. These folks are still doing well. Folks running the old playbook? In struggleville. P.S. - when times are hard it’s actually easier to do big deals…if you know how to sell transformations.

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Check out the latest #TheGTMPack episode below 👇🏾 Al Sargent is a tenured #ProductMarketing leader who gives us leadership insights. It's never easy taking over an existing team as a new leader, figuring out how to measure PMM effectiveness, & creating an environment that gets the best out of your team. #gtm #b2b #pmm

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Today at Tropic we’re announcing a 40-person reduction in force and a restructuring. Our vision is to make technology a buyers’ market, and the changes below will accelerate a period of rapid growth in the SaaS product we built to enable this vision. At the same time, we need to somberly acknowledge the importance and incredible quality of the impacted people that helped us get to this point. The world should know that these headcount changes were in no way performance-based. Every company would be incredibly lucky to hire someone who worked at Tropic. We will do everything we can to help the impacted employees land somewhere great. Here is some context on the decision and the changes we’re making. We have been in the midst of an evolution from a service-led business to a SaaS business. The approach we took allowed us to gain a large data advantage with compounding benefits that will help our customers for years to come. After debuting our standalone SaaS platform early last year and building around it, we have seen the platform revenue growth required to enter our second act with both feet. We are now positioned to operate as a leaner, more focused team, which requires a variety of changes in how we operate. The result will make us nimbler, faster and more effective in our ability to deliver value to the market. But turning this corner comes at the cost of 40 extremely talented people. We never could have gotten to this moment without them, and all of their fingerprints will be on this business forever. We are grateful. Later I will publish more of our learnings gathered on the journey of transitioning from services to SaaS. In the meantime, I can recommend 100% of the people impacted - and I would be happy to put you in touch with any of them if you are hiring.

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Perfecting your product and GTM strategy are surely important. But Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie argues there's one factor that outweighs all others in startup success: recognizing and capitalizing on tech and macro tailwinds. Fighting against them? You're setting yourself up for failure. Our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gEAPFR-A

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