SaaStr 808: AI and Cybersecurity: Scaling Rubrik to a Billion Dollar Enterprise with Rubrik's Co-Founder and CTO

Joining us today, I am delighted to welcome Mark Woodward CEO @ Invoca - software that helps marketers drive revenue with call intelligence. Invoca has built a platform that addresses the top concern for enterprise CMOs today — delivering personalized customer experiences across devices and channels. They have backing from the likes of Upfront Ventures who wrote this on Invoca's recent $30m raise (http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2016/03/30/inside-scoop-funding-environment-might-mean/)  and in today's show with Mark we discuss: Question from Mark Suster: How does Mark feel taking the contrarian approach that phone calls are alive and growing? How was Invoice's journey to raising $30m in funding? What were the challenges? What was unexpected? What all new CEOs must know coming into a new role? How can a new CEO implement a new company culture and management style without disrupting the existing one? What does IPO ready look like in a company? What are the requirements before you consider that newt step? In a round we call the 60 Second Saastr, we also hear: The most crucial characteristic of all good CEOs? Biggest lesson from being a 3 time CEO? If Mark could start the process again, what would he do differently? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Mark Woodward

15 Apr 201625min

Joining us today, I am delighted to have Daniel Chait, Founder & CEO @ Greenhouse - software that gives people the power to build great companies. Greenhouse automates and simplifies the best practices for recruiting top talent, continuously monitors your recruiting activity, and automatically suggests improvements. They have backing from the likes of Social Capital, Benchmark and Felicis Ventures and in today's show with Daniel we discuss: How Daniel views the hiring funnel and how you can get a consistent stream of high quality incoming candidates? How can individuals breach the knowledge gap of not knowing what to look for in a iOS developer, for example? How important is a strong company culture when interviewing candidates? How can recruiters test candidates to ensure that their culture and skills align with the company? When did Daniel hire his first Head of Sales and what was the catalyst for causing this hire? In a round we call the 60 Second Saastr, we also hear: The Candidate Experience: How Can We Optimise It? Who Does Daniel Most Respect & Admire With Regards To Their Recruitment? What Is Daniel's Fave Hiring Blog Resource or Newsletter? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Daniel Chait

11 Apr 201622min

I am thrilled to welcome, Ajay Agarwal, Managing Director @ Bain Capital Ventures, where he focuses on early stage application software and SaaS investing. Included in his immense portfolio are the likes of Optimizely, SendGrid and GainSight, just to name a few and prior to crushing the world of investments, Ajay was an early employee at Trilogy, where as Head of Sales and Marketing he was instrumental in growing their annual revenue to $300m.  Discussed In Today's Show: What is the difference between SaaS and Enterprise Software? (there is one!) How does the introduction of cloud software affect the sales cycle for startups? How can startups know when is the right time to release their MVP without having significant issues with churn? What does product market fit really look like for SaaS startups? Once product market fit is achieved, is it merely a case off during money into the machine?  Why has customer success become such an integral part of SaaS and what can startups do to optimise customer success? In a round we call the 60 Second Saastr, we also hear: Why is the system of record the easiest way to build a $bn company? The $10bn opportunity in marketing?  The future of zenefits? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Ajay Agarwal

8 Apr 201621min

Welcome to Episode 10 of The Official Saastr Podcast. To celebrate this milestone, we have a very special guest: Mathilde Collin. Mathilde is the CEO and Co-Founder of Front, one of the world's most innovative young SaaS startups working in the space of email collaboration and in today's show with Mathilde we discuss: Mathilde's experience as a young founder and CEO in the enterprise space? How did Mathilde manage to attract some of the world's top talent and hire effectively? What were her biggest takeaways from her time at YC?  Why did Mathilde decide to raise US funds rather than European? How has the evolution of content marketing altered Front's sales strategy?  In a round we call the 60 Second Saastr, we also hear: Hiring Your First VP of Sales: When and What Questions To Ask? Mathilde's favourite SaaS resource? Compare UK to US investor mindsets? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Mathilde Collin

4 Apr 201621min

This episode was recorded at Saastr Annual 2016 featuring Jason Lemkin, Founder @ Saastr and Josh Stein, Partner @ DFJ. For those that do not know, Josh is arguably one of the most successful investors in the SaaS space having backed the likes of Box, Twilio, Yammer and many more from the very earliest of stages. In Today's Show We Cover: What is the fundamental differing between a great and a good CEO in SaaS? Is it possible to learn to become a great CEO? What did Aaron Levie do to enable Box to scale so successfully? How can startup founders determine whether they have the ability to go the distance as CEO? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Josh Stein If you enjoyed the conversation with Keith today and want to save your space at what promises to be the best Saastr Annual ever, Saastr Annual 2017! You can buy early bird tickets here!

1 Apr 201617min

This episode was recorded at Saastr Annual 2016 and it is an incredible conversation whereby Jason Lemkin deep dives into the career and wisdom of Keith Rabois. For those that do not know, Keith is a legend of the tech industry having helped build some of the most important companies in Silicon Valley including Paypal, Square and Linkedin. He is also a very prominent VC with Khosla Ventures and has recently rejoined the world  of operations, looking to disrupt the world of property with OpenDoor. For your chance to win a signed copy of Jason's new book 'How Hyper Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue', we would be so grateful for you to upvote the episode on ProductHunt! In Today's Show We Cover: Why Keith rejoined the world of operations having been a VC with Khosla? Is domain expertise a good or a bad thing to have when entering an industry? When hiring, how do you achieve the balance of experience and potential? When is the right time to hire a COO? What are the signs? How Did Keith approach hiring in high growth rocketship companies? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Keith Rabois If you enjoyed the conversation with Keith today and want to save your space at what promises to be the best Saastr Annual ever, Saastr Annual 2017! You can buy early bird tickets here!

28 Mar 201633min

I am thrilled to welcome, Doug Pepper, Partner @ Shasta Ventures to the show today. Doug is a master when it comes to SaaS investments with his companies generating over $500m in revenue in 2015, having funded the likes of Marketo, Optimizely and Flurry. In today's show with Doug we discuss:  How Doug made his approach into investing? What metrics are required for startups to get Series A investors interested? What are the guidelines for a startup to manage their burn rate? In future tough markets, we will see greater consolidation? How can startups stand out when selling to CIO, CEO's and VPs?  In a round we call the 60 Second Saastr, we also hear: What has been the scariest moment of Doug's VC career? Why Doug is so excited for the future of mobile SaaS?  What the main effects are of the rise of bottoms up sales strategies? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Doug Pepper

25 Mar 201624min

Joining us today, I am delighted to have Russell Fujioka, US President at Xero, the world's fast growing SaaS company making accounting software beautiful. Prior to joining Xero, Russ was the Global Vice President of Marketing at Dell, EIR at Bessemer Venture Partners and held executive roles at the likes of Adobe. In today's show with Russ we discuss: How Russ came to be US President at the world's fastest growing SaaS company? How has Russ seen the SaaS industry change over his 25 years? Why does Russ believe all the SaaS best companies are founder led? What were the determinants that allowed Adobe to go from 40m to $1bn? How does Russ view the current competitive landscape for accounting software?  What were the main benefits of experiencing the VC industry with Bessemer? In a round we call the 60 Second Saastr, we also hear: Which pubic markets SaaS company does Russ most respect? Russ' favourite SaaS resource? Is accounting software a winner take all market? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings Saastr Russ Fujioka

21 Mar 201627min