1.
10 Practical Tips
for early-stage
SaaS Entrepreneurs
@louicop, Point Nine Capital, HEC SEED, April ‘17

2.
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling

3.
Disclaimer

4.
Want more info? Check the last slide for additional resources

5.
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling

6.
Tech studies
Business studies
VC
Startup
Tech & Business studies
VC
MS in Applied Maths & Computer Science
Telecom Paristech
2011-2013 | Paris, FR
Master in Management
HEC Paris
2013-2014 | Paris, FR
Analyst
Alven Capital
2014-2015 | Paris, FR
Entrepreneur in Residence
OptioPay
2015 | Berlin, GER
Master of Science in Management Studies
MIT Sloan School of Management
2015-2016 | Cambridge, MA, USA
Associate
Point Nine Capital
2016-Present | Berlin, GER & Paris, FR
@louicop

7.
@PointNineCap
SaaS - Data & ML
SaaS - Dev Tools
SaaS - App. Layer
@PointNineCap
Other
Marketplaces
Early-stage (100k-1m), +150m in funds
80 portfolio companies, 20 countries
Berlin-based

8.
SaaS?
SaaS: Software-as-a-Service
- No installation
- Continuous deployment & update
- Accessible everywhere
Why it’s great? Why VCs like it?
- Zero marginal cost
- High margin
- Recurring revenues + Up-sell
- Global scale from Day 1

9.
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling

10.
Become an animal
Pick a problem you are REALLY passionate about
Why now?
Why you? Find your edge
1.

11.
2.
Plan accordingly
How will you finance the business? VC or not VC?
Speed vs. Control?
Market size, competition?

12.
3.
Good tech? Checklist
Don’t underestimate TECH
CTOs are managers
Tech is SaaS’ cornerstone

13.
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling

14.
4.
Right tech, your developer brand
Don’t reinvent the wheel
Code scalability
Outsource non-core parts

15.
5.
Don’t go on-premise
Choose your first customers well
Hire AND fire
Do things that DON’T scale

16.
Pricing
Trials > Freemium, Discount > Free
3 Cs, not 1C
6.

17.
Pricing
6.

18.
Pricing
Trials > Freemium, Discount > Free
3 Cs, not 1C
6.
10-15% of the value provided

19.
Agenda
Short intro
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs during the ideation phase
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs in their first 6 months
3 tips for SaaS entrepreneurs who start scaling

20.
Start writing content early
Don’t waste your money on paid marketing
Make your value proposition crystal clear
Build a world-class product
7.

21.
8.8.

22.
8.8.
…then about LTV
Start thinking about CAC..
Choose your SaaS model
Don’t end up in the SaaS graveyard

23.
8.9.

24.
9.
Focus on the right metrics
1 Role / 1-2 Metrics
1 Stage / 2-3 Metrics

25.
Questions?

26.
10.
Get in touch!
louis@pointninecap.com
@louicop
submit@pointninecap.com

27.
Thank you!

28.
Resources
1. Point Nine loves Animal by @chrija: http://christophjanz.blogspot.fr/2012/04/point-nine-loves-animals.html
2.
1. Speed vs. Control by Noah Wasserman, HBS: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/14-090_9901a957-a740-47b2-abce-4f93070d21fe.pdf
2. SaaS Funding Napkin by @chrija http://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2017/01/saas-funding-napkin-2017-edition.html
3. A Technical Due Diligence Framework for Early Stage Startups by @decodingVC: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/a-technical-due-diligence-framework-
for-early-stage-startups-c24d5408256e
4. How APIs are eating the Product Stack by @clemt : https://medium.com/point-nine-news/how-apis-are-eating-the-product-stack-914a3d6e1216
5.
1. On Hiring and Firing Customers by @DecodingVC: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/on-hiring-and-firing-customers-in-saas-63550687b215
2. Do things that don’t Scale by Paul Graham: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html
6. 7 DOs and DONTs for Seed-stage SaaS Pricing by @DecodingVC: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/7-dos-and-donts-for-seed-stage-saas-
pricing-911acf88ca2
7. What’s the Lead Generation Profile of Fast Growing SaaS by @clemnt: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/whats-the-lead-generation-profile-of-fast-growing-
saas-7df3d8c86e43
8. SaaS: Three Checklists to Choose your Sales Model by @clemnt: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/saas-three-checklists-to-chose-your-sales-
model-17da9680df4b
9. The 8th DO for SaaS startups: Stay on top of your KPIS by @chrija: http://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-8th-do-for-saas-startups-stay-on.html