BUILD
Listen to Season 2

It’s season 2 of BUILD (catch up on season 1 here) and we’re dedicating every episode to a different SaaS benchmark – think growth rates, unit economics, the Rule of 40 and so on.

But don’t worry, this season isn’t just all about numbers. Each week on BUILD, our host, Kyle Poyar, will speak with VCs to find out what they’re looking for in a new investment as well as operators to get the inside track on how to actually hit those lofty benchmarks.

Enjoy the show!


New this Week

Listen on iTunes



Listen on Spotify



Featured this Week

As Season 2 comes to a close, it’s only natural to examine the exit landscape. OpenView’s VP of Corporate Development, John McCullough, discusses the current exit landscape and the importance of creating relationships with strategic buyers well before a deal is done. Then Darren Abrahamson, Managing Director at Bain Capital, talks through the merits of private equity as an exit option and how a CEO can choose between several buyout offers.

Upcoming Guests
Who's on BUILD

These operators have been where you are and know what you need to do to build a successful team, business model, pricing structure, office culture…you name it. Hear from key leaders in SaaS every week as they walk you through some of their most trying times in business and how they managed to not only make it to the other side – but to truly thrive.

Episode Guide
Dan Demmer
<p style="line-height:2">Managing Partner<br>OpenView</p>
John McCullough
<p style="line-height:2">VP, Corporate Development<br>OpenView</p>
Ricky Pelletier
<p style="line-height:2">Partner<br>OpenView</p>
Patrick Campbell
<p style="line-height:2">Co-founder & CEO<br>Price Intelligently</p>
Blake Bartlett
<p style="line-height:2">Partner<br>OpenView</p>
Craig Harris
<p style="line-height:2">COO<br>Deputy</p>
Darren Abrahamson
<p style="line-height:2">Managing Director<br>Bain Capital</p>
Episode Guide
BUILD: Episode 11
BUILD: Episode 12
BUILD: Episode 13
BUILD: Episode 14
BUILD: Episode 15
BUILD: Episode 16
BUILD: Episode 17
BUILD: Episode 18
BUILD: Episode 19
Meet the host
Dan Demmer<br>Christoph Janz
<p style="line-height:2">Growth: When is a Startup Ready to Scale?</p>

The first episode of BUILD season 2 is all about growth – how fast your company should be growing, how to build the right foundation for growth, and how to jumpstart growth when it starts to slow down. Listen along as Kyle Poyar chats with Dan Demmer, Managing Partner at OpenView, and Christoph Janz, Managing Partner at Point Nine, an early stage venture capital firm.


Liz Cain<br>Dave Grow
<p style="line-height:2">Sales & Marketing Spend: How Lucidchart Scaled to 10M Users with Zero Burn</p>

Sales and marketing spend is and should be top of mind for sales leaders. On the BUILD pod, Liz Cain, Partner at OpenView, discusses how and why companies waste resources. Later on we chat with Dave Grow, President & COO at Lucidchart, to learn from his experience scaling the company to 10M users with few wasted resources.


Mackey Craven<br>Max Yoder<br>Conner Burt
<p style="line-height:2">Retention: How Lessonly Built an Insanely Loyal User Base</p>

While most startups are laser focused on customer acquisition in the beginning, customer retention should always be top of mind. Mackey Craven, Partner at OpenView, explains what “good” retention looks like and how to measure it. Later on we hear from Lessonly's CEO & COO about how they built (and retained) a loyal user base.


Adam Marcus<br>Nick Romito
<p style="line-height:2">Burn: VTS' Story on Driving Efficiency During a Merger</p>

How much or how little should a company burn? Adam Marcus, Managing Partner at OpenView, discusses the role of burn in a startup and how to determine the right time to raise a next round. Then we'll hear from Nick Romito, Founder & CEO of VTS, on the tactics he used to find efficiencies after merging with their closest competitor.

Ginny Fahs<br>Kate Glazebrook
<p style="line-height:2">Diversity: How to Create Open and Inclusive Workplaces</p>

Building diverse and inclusive teams is a goal we should all strive towards. But how do you actually create an environment that fosters diversity? Ginny Fahs, co-founder of #MovingForward, explains how VCs can create a plan to foster diverse, inclusive and harassment-free workplaces. Applied's co-founder & CEO Kate Glazebrook also joins us to discuss actions startups can take to remove hidden biases in the hiring process.


Blake Bartlett<br>Marc Morin
<p style="line-height:2">CAC Payback: How Continuous Experimentation Can Drive Down Costs</p>

OpenView's Blake Bartlett discusses how a company's go-to-market model can impact CAC Payback and if there is indeed a magic number to hit for this metric. Then we hear from Marc Morin, Founder & CEO of Auvik, about the importance of experimentation in efficiently acquiring new customers to drive down CAC.


Ricky Pelletier<br>Zak Hemraj
<p style="line-height:2">Fundraising: Loopio's Journey from Bootstrapped to Funded Outside the Valley</p>

Fundraising is an essential part of running a startup these days. OpenView's Ricky Pelletier breaks down the fundraising process and what to be aware of when negotiating with a VC. Then we hear from Zak Hemraj, Loopio Co-founder & CEO, about how his company went from bootstrapped to funded outside the Valley and the lessons learned along the way.

Patrick Campbell<br>Craig Harris
<p style="line-height:2">Pricing: ProfitWell’s Patrick Campbell on Monetizing Your Customer Base</p>

SaaS pricing, every business thinks about it, but the majority rarely act. In this episode of BUILD, hear from Patrick Campbell, Co-founder & CEO of ProfitWell, on the importance of pricing, the impact of freemium, and the metric you should use to drive value for your customers. Plus, Deputy COO, Craig Harris, weighs in on his business’ go-to-market model and how it impacted the company's big pricing initiative.


John McCullough<br>Darren Abrahamson
<p style="line-height:2">Exits: Bain Capital on the Right Time to Exit</p>

As Season 2 comes to a close, it's only natural to examine the exit landscape. OpenView's VP of Corporate Development, John McCullough, discusses the current exit landscape and the importance of creating relationships with strategic buyers well before a deal is done. Then Darren Abrahamson, Managing Director at Bain Capital, talks through the merits of private equity as an exit option and how a CEO can choose between several buyout offers.


Kyle Poyar

As Senior Director of Market Strategy, Kyle helps OpenView’s portfolio companies accelerate top-line growth through deep insights into their market landscape and customers. He leads segmentation, positioning, channel/partner strategy, new market entry and packaging/pricing initiatives, partnering closely with portfolio leadership teams. He also covers OpenView’s SaaS metrics and benchmarking research.

Connect with Kyle on Twitter @poyark.

More from OpenView
Get Even More OpenView

Can’t get enough great OpenView content? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the best of OpenView Labs delivered right to your inbox every Saturday morning.


Subscribe