David Cummings is the co-founder of the Atlanta Tech Village, Pardot which sold to ExactTarget/Salesforce.com, Hannon Hill, Rigor, SalesLoft (raised over $75M in capital), Terminus (raised over $25M in capital), and several more. Join him for a session on lessons learned over the years through Pardot to Calendly.

1. 7 LESSONS HELPING START
PARDOT, SALESLOFT, AND
CALENDLY
David Cummings
Founder
Atlanta Ventures
@davidcummings
davidcummings.org

2. David Cummings
Founder
Atlanta Ventures
@davidcummings
davidcummings.org
7 Lessons Helping Start Pardot, SalesLoft, and
Calendly

3. Welcome - My Background
• Pardot - CEO/Co-Founder
• SalesLoft - Co-Founder
• Calendly - Sole Pre-Revenue Investor

4. • Stay close to the customer
• Strong opinions, loosely held
• Experiences
Lesson #1 - Pivot Likely Required

5. • Bootstrapping most common, least discussed
• Bank debt works
• Align funding to personal goals
Lesson #2 - Funding Optional

6. • Continual requests to relocate
• Capital is mobile
• C-level talent is challenging
Lesson #3 - Left Coast Not Required

7. • Most price too low
• Double prices every six months
• Find upper limit of reasonable
Lesson #4 - Pricing Must Match Value

8. • Don’t obsess early
• Do obsess later
• Churn is the biggest killer
Lesson #5 - Metrics Mature Over Time

9. • Invest in training
• Seek external candidates
• Ask the hard questions
Lesson #6 - Continually Level Up Talent

10. • Establish core values immediately
• Invest 10x more than you think
• Scale with process
Lesson #7 - Culture Must Be Intentional

11. THANK YOU