We’ve been exploring to what extent top startup accelerators like Y Combinator, Techstars, and 500 Startups are contributing to the top of the venture capital funnel. According to Mattermark data,… Read Full Article
Investors often refer to startup accelerator programs like Y Combinator, TechStars, and 500 Startups as a way to “index” the startup investment market. But how dramatically does this set of… Read Full Article
tl;dr: In this final installment of our Chicago series, we explore the sustainability and growth potential of the startup ecosystem in the windy city. What is there to “get” about… Read Full Article
Mattermark uses publicly available data to provide objective signals for company growth. Tracked over time, these data give a directional indication of a company’s progression in building a brand, connecting with… Read Full Article
tl;dr: Here’s what one founder discovered when she blocked herself from social media. I built my early career off my ability to master social media, public relations, and the Internet. Then,… Read Full Article
Convertible notes and SAFE docs have become standard for pre-seed and seed rounds in Silicon Valley, but not enough startups are using them to their full potential. Back in 2010,… Read Full Article
tl;dr: Unless something crazy happens with funding announcements in December, U.S. venture capital activity is on pace to end the year down from 2015 highs. As the year comes to… Read Full Article
For any VP of Sales, increasing a company’s run rate from $300K to $3MM over the span of six months is an impressive feat. But when Mark Roberge attempted to… Read Full Article
Editor’s Morning Note: In mere hours, you will be off. A prelude. Little known fact: A group of two (2) or more turkeys is called a “delicious.” Happy Nearly Off… Read Full Article
Marketplaces are incredibly powerful. They are taking every aspect of our economy by storm and changing how goods and services are discovered, priced and delivered. They work for everything from… Read Full Article
Dreamforce is an annual conference that draws sales, marketing, and other business professionals from around the world to San Francisco. In 2015, Salesforce reported more than 160,000 registered attendees for… Read Full Article
Saying that Salesforce is just a CRM is like saying that the Titanic was just a boat. Its pre-packaged features power marketing, sales, and support at all kinds of companies,… Read Full Article
Meet Peter. He’s your ideal customer. He also happens to be the CMO of an early-stage company that just closed its first round of funding. Poised for employee headcount growth,… Read Full Article
Sales teams are obsessed with lead gen. We always want more leads and in less time than ever before. But the relentless appetite for leads might actually be doing more… Read Full Article
Yesterday and today, Y Combinator’s Demo Day for the Summer 2016 batch is taking place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. The startups will pitch to an audience of Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors,… Read Full Article
There’s a lot of information out there for sales and marketing professionals. In fact, as my friend Erik Devaney at Drift points out, a quick search of the term “sales… Read Full Article
Although I’m familiar with Mattermark, I only recently started using the service. As I got to play around with the functionality, I gravitated towards the metrics around number of employees… Read Full Article
When it comes to calculating SaaS business metrics, there’s a lot of ambiguity. Companies don’t know how to factor in unknowns like ‘churn’ or ‘upsells’, so they mess with numbers… Read Full Article
In an early-stage company, all leads are precious. They’re proof of product-market fit. They’re your route to revenue. They’re a great predictor of your company’s success. And if you’re like… Read Full Article
Ali Powell is a senior account executive at HubSpot. When she brings on a new customer, there’s a 99% chance that they’re going to love the software and become a huge fan… Read Full Article
The next-generation of sales reps won’t be chromed out. They won’t have laser eyes or super-computer brains. The next-generation sales rep won’t be a robot or have artificial intelligence. So… Read Full Article
Think about the way you shop. If you’re anything like me, you like to look around for yourself. Maybe scour reviews on Amazon, comb through new products on Product Hunt,… Read Full Article
Startups are taking over the world, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. However, you would have to be living under a rock to not see that the ground… Read Full Article
tl;dr: Read the darn thing. I often reach out to venture capitalists to get their take on the current state of the market, what they are excited about, and what is… Read Full Article