Manisha Raisinghani

"A founder needs to sell and be involved in sales until a company reaches $100M in revenue!", that's Srikrishna Swaminathan for you. Our 3rd episode of SaaS stories is out! SaaS stories is a series and an initiative by Revrag.ai TV where we speak to industry leaders and, and understand how the SaaS landscape has evolved over the years, what are the current trends, and where we are heading In this episode Sri shares his entrepreneurial journey from working in FMCG and investment banking to joining InMobi and founding Factors.ai, Sri shares his sales approach focused on problem-solving and storytelling, adapted to target segments. 🎯 He stresses the importance of work-life balance, human respect in sales, and the contrast between working in large organizations and running a resource-limited startup. Sri believes founders should lead sales until reaching $100M in revenue before building a sales team. 📈 He discusses the challenges of building a SaaS product in a competitive space, the role of AI, and the need for founders to validate ideas through customer feedback. 🔁 Watch or listen to this episode today while you commute and voila! Your week will be as productive as ever! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/dysDiJ8R #SaaS #ai #technology #sales #founder #startup #entrepreneur #leadership

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An interesting read from Aarti Nair where she walks the evolution of Conversational Automation and how early AI implementations are making way for empathetic and personalized conversations. When done at scale, this enables brands to achieve up to 96% automation and a 20 points higher CSAT 🎉 Single-user cohorts and personalization are the most powerful ways to establish loyalty and trust. AI is helping brands do it at scale, 24x7, and at efficiencies unimaginable with contact centers. Reach out to her to learn proven strategies and how they can be applied to your use cases. Verloop.io

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I am happy to announce that Pepsales has closed pre-seed funding led by Chiratae Ventures 🙌 🙌 🙌 As a founder, you’re often told that it’s a lonely road—filled with long days, tough calls, and countless challenges. But with the right people, it doesn’t have to be like that. Throughout my career, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with visionary leaders who believed in me before I even believed in myself. Along the way, I’ve been inspired by teammates from around the world who pushed me to do better every day. But when it comes to building a company, that’s a whole different game. It’s about embracing uncertainty and hoping you’ll find the right partners who share your vision. When Abhinandan Sahgal and I started Pepsales just six months ago, in a challenging macroeconomic climate, finding those partners felt like an uphill climb. Then one day, Venkatesh Peddi, Naimil Shah and the team at Chiratae Ventures came along. Their conviction in us was truly a game-changer. Every conversation with them has been insightful, and when they offered to invest in Pepsales, it was one of those “pinch me” moments that founders dream about. But let me be clear—this is Day 0. The road ahead is long, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. We’re laser-focused on continuing our mission to empower sales teams with AI that transforms how they sell. There’s so much more to build, more problems to solve, and more milestones to hit. That said, the right partners make all the difference. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas or navigating the challenges of scaling a company, having that support is invaluable. Here is to everyone who believed in us—thank you. We’re beyond grateful, and even more excited for what’s ahead. This is just the beginning. And now, a shameless plug: if you’re a B2B SaaS company looking to empower your sales team to drive and deliver a world-class experience with every demo—without the hassle of digging through mountains of data to find that one key insight—we’d love to have a conversation. We’re here to help you add real value to your sales funnel. #FounderJourney #SaaS #AI #Pepsales #Gratitude #DayZero #B2BSales Link to our announcement - https://lnkd.in/g5V7j2Nh

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🔥🔥🔥 AWS is back on the solid growth track - $25b revenue in Q1 with 38% operating margin! That makes it officially on track for $100b annualized revenue runrate. With highest operating margin ever, it makes it also a cashcow segment for Amazon - contributing 1.5x operating income that Amazon core e-commerce business contributes. Overall we saw a healthy growth in the cloud market in the last quarter - could be partially driven by AI but IMO it is mostly effect on constantly ongoing cloud migration and rising cloud usage, alongside growing data volumes. This market just won't stop growing so easily :) #aws #cloud #ai

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Today, I had the privilege of attending a meeting with Omer K and HASSAN AYUB and the incredible team at Maida.Co. The conversation was packed with actionable insights on app growth strategies that I’m excited to implement. Here are two key takeaways: 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Retention is just as important as acquisition—delivering value consistently keeps users coming back. 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Understanding user behavior and iterating quickly is the key to staying ahead in the competitive app market. At NextSalution, these strategies align perfectly with our mission to innovate and scale our apps, which are already serving millions of users. As we prepare to launch our upcoming solutions, these insights will be invaluable. Grateful for the knowledge shared by Omer K and HASSAN AYUB—conversations like these fuel progress. What’s one app growth strategy you’ve found effective? Let’s share ideas in the comments! #AppGrowth #Innovation #Leadership #NextSalution #Networking

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Pirate metrics (AAARRR) is a framework I often use to identify and fix bottlenecks in business processes. This framework is flexible and can be applied to many industries. However, it's important to understand that it might not be the perfect fit for every situation. For SaaS companies, the AAARRR funnel can be very helpful, but remember that different businesses, even within the same sector, can have unique funnels. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. While AAARRR works well for many, I suggest experimenting with it alongside other funnel models. Customize these models to meet your company’s specific needs. Many businesses, especially in e-commerce, use multiple funnels at once. For example, a business might have separate funnels for social media, content marketing, and general sales, each with its own stages and goals. Try using the AAARRR funnel to see how it benefits your business, but make sure to adapt it to fit your unique needs and don't rely on it as the sole solution for all your business funnels.

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Meeting SaaS leaders at SaaStr has been an enriching experience, Growth projections for SaaS look very promising - Global market projections → US $908B by 2030 Projected CAGR → 18.7% SaaS spending → US $232B by the end of 2024 This will mark a 17.7% increase from the previous year. By 2025, 85% of business applications will be SaaS-based, up from 70% in 2023 What’s behind these changes? → AI Integration: AI is now integral—transforming user experiences and operational efficiency across SaaS platforms. → Power of Personalization: 75% of leaders link personalization with better performance, and 90% of customers are willing to pay more for tailored experiences. → Focus on Customer Success: With the customer success market expected to reach US $31B by 2026, 72% of businesses are prioritizing this area. → Cybersecurity Imperative: As cloud adoption expands, securing data is increasingly critical - more than just a best practice, it's essential. → Commitment to Sustainability: 44% of consumers are now favoring brands with clear ESG commitments - sustainability is key. What’s on the horizon? → Vertical SaaS Growth: Specialized services for niche markets are set to expand, offering more precise solutions. → Low/No-Code Platforms: Expected to drive 65% of app development by 2024, these platforms are democratizing technology creation → Micro-SaaS Expansion: Niche solutions with low entry barriers are booming, fostering innovation at a granular level. → Regulatory Compliance: As data privacy and network security become crucial, adherence to regulations is non-negotiable. → AI as a Catalyst: Projected to reach US$ 1,811B by 2030, AI is poised to revolutionize operations and drive significant innovation.  Here’s the bottom line - The future of SaaS is filled with both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. Navigating these waters requires agility and foresight - Today's challenges are indeed shaping the leaders of tomorrow. #SaaS #AI #Innovation #FutureOfSaaS

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Benjamin Lauzier has been building and scaling marketplaces for almost 15 years. He was the VP of product and growth at Thumbtack, where he rebuilt the product team and Thumbtack’s growth levers, re-architected their revenue model, and helped double the company’s growth within three years. Prior to Thumbtack, Ben was at Lyft for six years, where he led the supply side of the product organization to a point where 1% of U.S. workers were driving for Lyft every month. Currently, he advises marketplace teams and founders, teaches a Reforge course on marketplace growth, and has recently launched a health tech company called Nurra, which connects users with care advocates to navigate the healthcare system. In our conversation, we cover: 🔸 What defines a marketplace business 🔸 Strategies for growing supply and demand in the early stages 🔸 How to measure liquidity and other key marketplace health metrics 🔸 How to evaluate if a marketplace model is right for your idea 🔸 Lessons from Lyft, Thumbtack, and other successful marketplaces 🔸 The differences between product management in the U.S. and Europe Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g9G4sTt3 - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gxQ9sC9T - Apple: https://lnkd.in/ga8DhCuX Some key takeaways: 1. Your first priority in building a marketplace business should be to concentrate on achieving product-market fit for the hardest side of your marketplace first. Identify which side is the hardest (aka most valuable), and grow that side first. 2. Once you get started, focus on liquidity—how efficiently your marketplace matches supply and demand. High liquidity results in better user experiences and increased retention. A simple way to gauge this is to analyze your fill rate: the percentage of demand that successfully translates into transactions. The higher your fill rate, the better your marketplace is performing. 3. Signs that a marketplace model is the right model for your idea: a. High fragmentation on both sides b. Relatively uniform set of needs c. High barriers in matchmaking or transaction creation 4. A few reasons marketplaces fail: a. Not maintaining a high bar for quality b. Failing to achieve liquidity (efficiently matching buyers and sellers) c. Ignoring one side of the marketplace for too long 5. Product management practices in Europe can differ significantly from those in the U.S. Due to a less liquid job market in Europe, employees have more job security but potentially less autonomy. Founders and managers in Europe might struggle to let go of control, leading to a more micromanaged environment. Conversely, U.S. companies often emphasize equity and ownership, giving product teams more responsibility and autonomy.

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Pl do register for this very interesting session!

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RaStartup Metrics You Can't Afford to Ignore In the fast-paced world of startups, tracking key metrics is essential for sustained success and growth. Ignoring any of these can significantly hinder a startup's ability to thrive. Here are 16 crucial metrics every startup must focus on: 1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) 2. Lifetime Value (LTV) 3. Churn Rate 4. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) 5. Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) 6. Gross Margin 7. Burn Rate 8. Runway 9. Conversion Rate 10. Customer Retention Rate 11. Net Promoter Score (NPS) 12. Active Users (DAU/MAU) 13. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) 14. Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) 15. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) 16. Rate User Acquisition Rate Each of these metrics offers vital insights into different aspects of your startup's health. Ignoring any of them can disrupt your growth trajectory and make it challenging to survive in a competitive market. Focus on these metrics to ensure your startup not only survives but thrives in the long run. https://lnkd.in/davJ4Pzw #Startups #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Metrics #Success #CAC #LTV #ChurnRate #MRR #ARR #GrossMargin #BurnRate #Runway #ConversionRate #CustomerRetention #NPS #ActiveUsers #CSAT #GMV #ARPU #UserAcquisition

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Thrilled to add 🔀 Fallback support for Content policy violations with default fallbacks - https://lnkd.in/dsz8FtqW s/o Oz Elhassid (+4 more updates 👇) 🎉 Model Cost - pricing update for openai + claude s/o David Manouchehri + Emerson Gomes 👋 Deepseek - handle content list/str conversion 💪 OTEL - remove sdk requirement on cli proxy s/o Jerome Roussin 🛠️ OTEL - close span on success completion

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My experience building products for startups and companies and where they fall short “Software is eating the world”, is a famous line from Marc Andreessen. Despite software eating the world many startups and companies fail to launch new products for their business. After building close to 100 products for various companies, this is what I observed as reasons for failure. - The initial idea was built off of an opportunity they spotted in their customer's business without fully understanding the issue. - They usually do some funny math when conducting market research about how big the problem space is. Or no market research at all. - They are not focused on outcomes for their client, instead purely on the software. - They honestly don’t speak to enough customers - Their feedback loop is usually a close circle of friends who always agree with them - They don’t clearly understand the product related to the use cases the customer wants to see now. - They cannot articulate what success for the product will look like in 12 months. - They want to do everything themselves, even rebuild an existing tool with all of its features in one go. - They don’t invest enough money post-development stage. - They have no go-to-market strategy for their product. These are just some of the mistakes we have noticed when companies try to build their platform/product. And it usually is not close to the usual checklist you will see being shared online when trying to Google how to build a software product. Technology can help grow your business, but it’s not just about listing features and speaking to people about the features that matter. Keen to hear what others have experienced along their journey? Drop it in the comments #software #productdevelopment #growth 

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🔥 Silicone Valley is a mindset, not a location - R. Hoffman 🔥 Being an entrepreneur is a journey filled with excitement, sleepless nights, and countless challenges. For founders with a big vision, a tech-savvy partner, and a little friends and family money in the bank, the road ahead often feels both promising and uncertain. You might think you have the next unicorn 🦄 —and you just might. But getting from idea to execution is where the real work begins. Here are some of the critical challenges that founders in this position often face: 🎯Translating Vision into Strategy Having a groundbreaking idea is just the start. The challenge lies in turning that vision into a clear, actionable strategy. 👥 Building the Right Team Your tech partner may be a genius, but a unicorn needs more than great code. It would be best to surround yourself with people who complement your sales, marketing, operations, or finance strengths. Build a team! 💸 Fundraising Beyond Friends and Family Raising initial funds from friends and family is an important milestone, but the next stage is often more daunting. Securing seed or Series A funding requires a compelling pitch, a solid business model, traction, and a clear path to profitability. 🔍 Product-Market Fit Believing in your product is one thing; proving there’s a market for it is another. Identifying and validating product-market fit is crucial. 📈 Scaling and Growth Scaling becomes the next big hurdle once you’ve found your product-market fit. This involves ramping sales and ensuring that your operations, customer support, and technology can rapidly grow. 💪 Staying Resilient Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. There will be highs and lows, moments of doubt, and unforeseen challenges. Staying resilient and focused on your vision while being flexible enough to pivot. To all the founders out there who are in this phase—know that you’re not alone. It’s okay not to have all the answers right now. The most important thing is to keep moving forward. I would love to hear from fellow entrepreneurs. What were your biggest challenges in the early stages, and how did you overcome them? #Entrepreneurship #Startups #TechFounders #VisionToReality #Challenges #UnicornsInTheMaking #xZactlyai #ai #technology

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Day 3: #30DaysOfStartups Rocketlane is a cloud-based software specifically designed to smoothen the customer onboarding process for professional services companies. They provide a one-stop shop for managing tasks, documents, communication, and budgets related to onboarding new clients. Led by a team of accomplished founders Srikrishnan Ganesan, Deepak Bala and Vignesh Girishankar and backed by VC giants like Matrix Partners India, Nexus Venture Partners and 8VC they are disrupting the Customer Onboarding Software industry. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:- 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺: Provides a single workspace for managing all aspects of customer onboarding, eliminating scattered information and emails. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 and 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Repetitive tasks can be automated, saving valuable time for teams and ensuring nothing gets missed during onboarding. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯: Facilitates seamless communication between internal teams and new clients. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Enables companies to track budgets and expenses associated with onboarding projects, ensuring cost-effectiveness. 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Some versions might offer risk assessment tools to identify potential problems during onboarding and mitigate them proactively. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: May provide insights into onboarding performance, allowing companies to identify areas for improvement. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲:- 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁: As a subscription-based service, Rocketlane might not be suitable for all budgets, especially for smaller businesses. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: It's crucial to ensure Rocketlane integrates seamlessly with existing software already used by the company. A lack of smooth integration can create additional work and disrupt workflows. Rocketlane faces stiff competition from many companies like:- 𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗰𝘅 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗨𝗽 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Adding to that Rocketlane's features hit the sweet-spot for companies that need smoothness in their customer onboarding process.

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WSQ Entrepreneurship Business Strategy Highlights Reel 🎥 🎞️ 📽️ - Day 2 Day 2- AM Frame and Forecast Phase • Translate Insights to Key Drivers • Frame and Forecast Future Scenarios • Map into Future Matrix Strategize Phase • Brainstorm Strategy Tactics from Future Matrix • Drive Consultation with Stakeholders • Create Strategy Action Poster Day 2- PM Decide and Implement Phase • Extract Feedback using Decision Criteria • Product and Rollout Plan • Marketing Plan • Management and Ops Plan • Financial Plan • Presentation to Stakeholders of Strategy 🤩 🤩 🤩 "A practical application alone can save a lot of headaches later on." 🤩 🤩 🤩 "It is a good start from my zero business strategy mindset" Dr David Lim EuGhee Clarice Tan (CA, PMP ®) Dwight Fonseka Kwang Yu Hang Grace Zhang Karin Chew

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A common failure mode of technical founders is thinking that if you build a cool product, everyone will want it, i.e. distribution and GTM will take care of itself. A great product earns you the right to compete and is a necessary but (by itself) insufficient requisite for building a successful company. Why? Because you can have an amazing product but if people aren’t aware of it, they won’t use it. Distribution trumps product. This is counter-intuitive for many founders. It’s essential to think early on about how you'll drive distribution. This is especially critical in markets where there is a strong incumbent. Entrenched vendors have the high ground and will leverage it when they need to. Just consider this anecdote from a customer in the cloud security market as one of many examples.

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In the latest episode of ‘The Modern DevGTM Brew’ podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with the dynamic sales leader Kanika Pandey Co-founder and VP of Sales at HyperTest. One of the primary challenges while setting up a GTM engine for developer-focused companies is identifying the economic buyer, particularly because CTOs often delegate the initial evaluation phase to developers. If developers don’t see the value in solving the problem your tool addresses, you might find yourself chasing a dead end. Kanika and I discussed how to address this along with the best practices for establishing a Devtool GTM engine from scratch, exploring foundational strategies and key insights. Key points we covered during the discussion: ✅ Why is it crucial to accurately define the ICP at an early stage for a devtool company? ✅ What are the foundational strategies for devtool startup founders who are setting up their GTM? ✅ Which channels has HyperTest invested in at an early stage to secure quick wins? ✅ How does one identify champions within an account and nurture them to effectively advocate for the product to the economic buyer? For more insights, check out the full episode in the comments below.

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Had a great time on Sasha Bernier webinar for family offices, hosted by Hestia Holdings LLC. We covered some interesting topics including the power of multimodal models and how SaaS margins differ from ML AI margins. Plus, we discussed where the moat is with AI. Thanks to Sasha and Hestia Holdings LLC for having me! #AI #SaaS #ML #multimodalmodels #webinar #familyoffices

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