Eugenia Dunaeva’s Post

Where's the Update? ____ The quarter ended last week. Have you sent out your investor update yet? The vast majority of founders we back at PHX Ventures are great at this, but if you are a startup founder and you have chosen to take money from an investor - any investor - you owe them some form of regular update. It doesn't have to be much but it has to be something. Here are 4 tips on what makes a great investor update from my perspective: 1 - Consistency. Be consistent with key metrics; put them front and center. Be consistent with cadence - monthly for early-stage companies and quarterly for later stage. Be consistent with the format; bullets and graphs are best. 2. Highlights. Don't oversell but briefly highlight customer wins, new hires, product releases, key metrics, and any relevant market developments. Investors want to see what you are doing with their money. 3. Lowlights. Everyone likes good news but don't be afraid to disclose the things you are concerned about. Disclosing bad news builds trust, especially when you communicate how are you addressing the problems. 4. Asks. Make an ask in every investor update. You can't activate your investors if you don't ask for help. Your investors know there will be needs and problems and they want to help. Keeping your investors updated on the progress of your startup - the good, the bad, the ugly - is not just a good thing to do. It's what you signed up for when you took investor money. Updates can also be a powerful tool to activate and mobilize your investors in ways that can help your startup win. ____ #saas #b2b #founder #vc

YES! If you've taken on investment of any kind, a regular update is CRITICAL to your continued relationship with your investor. And if you're having trouble keeping up, you may need someone on the operations side to develop some systems for grabbing these updates and sharing them. We'd love to help! Thanks for the wisdom as always, Gregg Scoresby! #investing #angelinvesting #venturecapital #saas #startup #businessoperations

Is your startup's growth hitting a ceiling? 📊 The key might be in your Total Addressable Market (TAM). 🔑 🚀 Understanding and expanding your TAM isn't just a theoretical exercise—it's crucial for sustainable growth and attracting investment. 💰 Here are 3 quick insights on TAM: 🧭 It guides your growth trajectory and helps assess business viability. 🎯 A large TAM signals significant potential, making your startup more attractive to investors. 🔍 It helps prioritize product development and market entry strategies. But knowing your TAM is just the start. The real magic happens when you expand it strategically. ✨ Want to learn how to calculate your TAM and implement strategies for expansion? 📈 Check out our latest blog post for a deep dive into: 🧠 Demystifying TAM, SAM, and SOM 🧮 3 methods to calculate your TAM 💡 5 proven strategies for TAM expansion 📱 Real-world case study: How Slack grew its TAM from $3.8B to $50B+ Don't let your startup's potential remain untapped. Expand your horizons, and watch your business soar! 🚀 What's your experience with TAM? Has it influenced your business decisions? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #StartupGrowth #TotalAddressableMarket #BusinessStrategy #ScaleUp #SaaS #StartupAdvice #B2BGrowth #TechStartup

A new article with my insights on "What Metrics are overlooked when assessing a Startup's Potential" just went live. Please check it out at: https://lnkd.in/gsTEGmUf

All Business Development is NOT Created Equal. In business development, knowing how to separate the serious from the curious isn’t just helpful—it’s critical. It’s both an art and a science of identifying the right partners, not just signing deals. ✨ Early-stage startups: Focus less on squeezing every dollar and more on finding the right partners who will go the distance with you. The value of a strategic relationship is often greater than immediate margins. 💼 Later-stage companies: It’s a different game. Here, margins matter. You want partners who bring both value and scale to the table. A good combination of growth and financial sustainability keeps the engine running smoothly. I’ve had the opportunity to witness both the early scrappy days and the later-stage scaling efforts firsthand. Business development isn’t just about closing deals—it’s about curating the right ones for where your company stands today. Curious or serious? Partner wisely. Have I missed anything? Let me know how you're navigating the art and science of business development. basys.ai #BusinessDevelopment #Partnerships #StartupLife #Scaling #Strategy

Whether you're pitching to Dragons Den, VC's or an Angel syndicate they're going to ask a lot of questions. Critically, they want to know that there's a life blood within the business that in the future this venture will stand on its own two feet. Hense the efficiency metrics below. 6 out of 10 SaaS founders agree: efficiency isn't just important—it's essential. But what metrics truly matter? Notion Capital has delved deep into the success behind the 100 Top Emerging Startups in Europe, as highlighted in their "Cloud Challengers Report." 33 successful founders from this elite group were asked about the efficiency metrics they track. Here’s what they said: 1. Burn Multiple (36%): Your growth engine's fuel efficiency. 2. CAC Payback (25%): How quickly your marketing dollars come back home. 3. Burn Rate (25%): How long before your runway ends? 4. EBITDA (7%): The core of your operational health. 5. ARR per FTE (4%): The productivity powerhouse. 6. Gross Profit (4%): The heart of your business profitability. Why focus on these metrics? Because they're not just numbers. They're the pulse of your SaaS venture. The difference between thriving and barely surviving. Remember: Efficiency isn't just a buzzword. It's the backbone of your success. Visual from Chris Tottman

Exponential growth in startups is a myth. VCs are looking for hyper-growth but what does that mean? Take Slack and HubSpot, for example. They embody investor-friendly growth, but did they achieve exponential growth? No. So, what should founders showcase in historic growth and projections when raising capital? ▶ SUSTAINABLE GROWTH ◀ How do you do that? 1️⃣ Focus on winning market share with your first product  2️⃣ Launch new products and/or markets when you reach scale 3️⃣ Rinse and repeat 💡 Hyper-growth companies that become 🦄 show quadratic growth. So look at your financial model and check if your projections make sense before sharing it with a potential investor. Follow me for more tips and become that CEO who attracts 💰 even when you don’t need it.

Six months ago, we launched Attained. Here is what happened next: First, a wave of support... Nathaniel Rottenberg, Tyler McIntosh and I were blown away by the messages and goodwill we felt as we began this venture. We wanted Attained to be something unique in a market full of fractional leaders and sales advisors - a unified team who had built together before providing our collective experience and frameworks to fellow founders and revenue leaders. The support from our networks and the immediate interest from potential clients was a shot of adrenaline. Once the dust settled, the real work began... Creating and re-creating marketing assets, refining how we delivered our services, finding our voice on LinkedIn, establishing our internal operations etc etc etc. I even made our original website which is... not my calling. Thank goodness for Dan Ioanitescu who helped us re-launch this month. We felt (and feel) the strain and thrill of being founders. At the end of the day, it is all on us, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Then, there was experimentation... We were fortunate to surpass our internal goals and assemble a dozen excellent clients within a few months, but learned quickly that we had to be adaptable for each unique circumstance. Are we moving up-market? Are we doubling-down on outbound? Do we have untapped expansion opportunities? Our early work was a mix of coaching and strategic projects. We found that clients were looking for objective partners they could trust, and a fast method of identifying GTM adjustments that could make a real difference. This led us to develop our sales engine assessment - a unique framework designed to highlight opportunities and prioritized actions to accelerate growth. Think of it like an actionable GTM diagnostic report. So what's next? Startups evolve and we are no different. There are big things happening at Attained, and for me personally, that I'm excited to share soon. Whether you've worked with us, provided feedback, made an intro, 'liked' a post, or anything in between - thank you!

 5 Essential Tips for Pitching to Investors in the SaaS Space When pitching your SaaS startup, keep these five essential tips in mind to make a lasting impression: 1. Clearly Define Your Value Proposition: Articulate the unique problem your SaaS solution addresses and why it’s the best choice for your target market. 2. Show Your Revenue Model and Customer Acquisition Strategy: Demonstrate how your SaaS generates income and provide a clear plan for scaling your customer base efficiently. 3. Highlight Traction and Growth Metrics: Share key performance indicators like user growth, churn rates, or revenue milestones to prove your startup’s potential. 4. Address the Competitive Landscape: Show you understand your competitors by explaining how your solution differentiates itself and can maintain an edge. 5. Prepare for Questions and Challenges: Anticipate investor concerns and have well-thought-out responses ready, covering aspects like market risks, scalability, or technical feasibility. By mastering these elements, you’ll build credibility and significantly enhance your chances of securing investment. #StartupPitch #SaaSInvesting #InvestorAdvice #B2BStartups

VCs see their fair share of exciting startups. But how do we separate the future unicorns from the... well, ponies with party hats? 🦄 It all comes down to rigorous #duediligence. By the time of a Series A round, a company is expected to have a proven product-market fit, some level of revenue, and operational traction. Compared to earlier rounds, the focus shifts from potential to performance and execution.   So expect to report on what you were bragging about during your pitch – in particular: 1. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) Growth: is it strong and consistent? 2. Net Dollar Retention: how's your ability to retain and expand revenue from your existing customer base? 3. Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC): how much does it take to acquire a new customer and how long does it take to make that same amount back as revenue (payback period)? 4. Burn Rate: can you demonstrate efficient cash flow management and a clear path to profitability? 5. Product Metrics: Depending on your business model, key product usage metrics like active users, engagement, retention, and conversion rates will be crucial. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Depending on your industry and business model, VCs might dive into dozens more metrics. We're thorough like that. 👀 Ready for show time?