Alexander Theuma

Founder and Editor-in-chief

SaaStock

Our purpose is to make a real difference to the lives and companies of the SaaS community

Most SaaS companies fail within the first three years due to lack of runway, lack of product market fit and lack of founder experience in managing a business.
SaaStock helps B2B SaaS Founders on the journey to $10mill ARR supercharge their growth by connecting founders with VCs to help extend runway, learn from industry experts and build pipeline.
We do this through or Physical and virtual conferences, our founder membership program, SaaStock local community gatherings and media.
We are the only media and events business that focuses on SaaS founders scaling to $10mill ARR. This focus enables us to provide the highest quality events, content and connections
For founders in this stage of their journey.

Founder

SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM)

A Private Members Organisation of SaaS Founders , on the journey to $10MM ARR, helping each other scale faster together through supportive peer groups, network and workshops

The SaaS Revolution Show

The SaaS Revolution Show is a weekly podcast for SaaS Founders who are on their journey to $10MM ARR+ We interview those that are doing it or have done it to share their lessons and advice.

Podcast Host

SaaScribe

SaaScribe is an online publication for the SaaS Startup Community by the SaaS Startup Community. The vision is to provide a forest of awesome content around B2B SaaS that will help those within the SaaS Startup community learn every day in the hope that we all become SaaS experts.

I also host a weekly podcast, The SaaS Revolution Show, talking SaaS with the leading lights of the SaaS Industry.

SaaScribe organises local SaaS Meetups and a larger event is in the works. Watch this space

Odin

Odin (Formerly Parallels Service Provider Business) is a worldwide leader in hosting and cloud service enablement. Odin enables service providers to rapidly launch and efficiently deliver the most profitable Cloud services by automating the delivery of the broadest set of solutions demanded by small businesses.

I was the Sales lead for our Odin Service Provider Automation platform, focusing on new strategic opportunities, within Northern Europe.

Key Account Manager - Strategic Accounts - EMEA

SIPhon Networks

SIPHON focuses solely on Unified Communications (UC) technology and specifically addresses innovative new solutions that deliver significant value to our customers in terms of increased revenues, improved efficiency and cost reductions. We do this by combining world class solutions from key technology vendors in the advanced VoIP and UC marketplace and by delivering a very comprehensive Consultancy and Services package with each product delivered. We have developed strong relationships with our technology partners and each partner is a leading player in their technology domain allowing SIPHON Networks to offer multiple best-in-breed solutions. 

SIPHON = Unified Communications Innovation & Delivery

I was responsible for multiple core network products and service sales (Acme Packet, Broadsoft, IPTEGO, Leonid Systems)

Sales Manager

Applied Communications

Applied Communications offer Business Development and Professional Services to Vendors and Carriers who wish to establish or enhance sales presence in EMEA. Applied has a proven team in starting new vendor business in Europe and has specific expertise in IP and SIP based technology. We offer flexible work packages and have competence across sales, technical sales, engineering, project management, training and recruitment. Our commercial model is directly linked to performance and results and we are already adding value to several technology vendors and carriers, today.

Covergence

Sales Manager for Northern Europe for Access Edge Session Border Controller Vendor, Covergence Inc

Sales Manager Northern Europe

NexTone

NexTone were a Session Border Controller Vendor at the vanguard of VoIP peering. I was responsible for Inside Sales for EMEA.

Inside Sales Manager

Connect Support Services

Business Development Consultant

Helping SaaS Founders grow their businesses to $10M+ ARR

After 11 years of sales experience in IT, Telecoms & Cloud, I started a blog on SaaS called SaaScribe. This soon caught on and I built a powerful network across the SaaS founder and investor community. The blog soon led to the creation of the first ever podcast on B2B SaaS, called The SaaS Revolution show, and that led to the first exclusively SaaS themed meetups in London, Dublin and Berlin. 

That was 2016 and since then SaaStock has grown to be the biggest B2B SaaS Conference in Europe with five major conferences a year in five countries and many more local events.

As an entrepreneur I know the value of shared knowledge from those in a similar sector so it's my mission to share the newest ideas and connect the brightest minds in SaaS so everyone can benefit. 

Our purpose is to make a real difference to the lives and companies of the SaaS community

Most SaaS companies fail within the first three years due to lack of runway, lack of product market fit and lack of founder experience in managing a business.
SaaStock helps B2B SaaS Founders on the journey to $10mill ARR supercharge their growth by connecting founders with VCs to help extend runway, learn from industry experts and build pipeline.
We do this through or Physical and virtual conferences, our founder membership program, SaaStock local community gatherings and media.
We are the only media and events business that focuses on SaaS founders scaling to $10mill ARR. This focus enables us to provide the highest quality events, content and connections
For founders in this stage of their journey.


I was just in Austin at SaaSOpen (great event, Thanks Nathan) and I got asked a few times about how I think about competition.

I embrace it.

Generally I don't think about competition too much. I prefer to focus on SaaStock.

But there are a lot of SaaS conferences, usually regional, that have sprung up over the last few years. 

For me it's a good sign and benefits for the SaaS ecosystem.

Attending other SaaS conferences allows me to speak with delegates if they want to know more about SaaStock.

At SaaSOpen I witnessed a good number of folks advocating for the upcoming SaaStock USA event.

I met potential new partners.

I caught up with old friends and customers.

I discussed strategy with Nathan Latka who put the show on.

Competition helps me and SaaStock.

I'm grateful for them and it makes sure we are not complacent.

How do you view competition in your space?

#competition #saas

I’m going to be out of office until Monday.

I’m going to (attempt) to ride my first camel.

I’ll be quad biking over the Agafay desert.

I’ll be sampling some fine Moroccan teas and
Savouring the local cuisine.

But I won’t be alone.

I’ve brought 40 SaaS Founders with me from (SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM) )

Whilst we won’t be working in our businesses, we’ll be working on the business.

Talking about stuff that really moves the dial.

Hearing from exited founders.

GTM, Retention, hiring senior execs, managing boards, fundraising, M&A are amongst the topics being discussed. Conversations going from dusk til dawn.

We’re just doing it in a really cool location with no distractions.

I expect everyone to get significant ROI that will provide transformation.

We’ll also have a lot of fun.

And I don’t really need the camels, the quad bikes or the tea drinking as I’ve 40 amazing founders to hang with.

A great community of ambitious founders that are just great human beings building amazing businesses.

They’ve got out of their bubble to make the journey less lonely to be part of a community for SaaS founders that collectively supports one another as they scale.

If you want to feel less lonely at the top and get the right support, network and education with an amazing community of SaaS founders to help you scale to $100M ARR and join us at our next retreat then check out the link in the comments and apply if you meet the criteria.

#saasfoundersretreat #saastockfoundermembership #founders #community #saas #scaling #morocco

40 DAYS to a tee until we kick off #SaaStockUSA 2024 - man oh man do we have a sizzlin' attendee lineup for y'all 🔥

This event will go beyond basic conference networking. It'll be all about fostering genuine relationships that inspire, support, and propel you and your SaaS to new heights.

From peer-to-peer connection building, to introductions between startups and investors, to facilitated speed networking and more, the likelihood of walking away from #SaaStockUSA with your next potential hire in mind, a thriving pipeline, and a breakfast in the calendar with a future (co-)investor is not just highly likely; it's pretty much guaranteed 👀😏 

What direction will you steer your SaaS this May? The choice is yours. 

We'll see you there! https://buff.ly/4alsBaZ

#SaaS #event #startups #attendees #austin #founder #VC #SaaSevent #entrepreneur #attendeesnapshot

Relationships is currently and will be one of my favourite words of 2024.

It's something I built the business on.

Being connected to the customer. 

Responding to emails. Engaging on linkedin. Meeting them at events. Taking them for lunch. Even being on the dance floor with them.

But I must admit that customer relationships took a hit over 2020 and 2021 during covid. The in person side of relationships disappeared for two years.

And 2022, the post covid rebound, when we were still mostly working from home, saw fewer events, less lunches and not many dance floors.

We proved we could do 6 figure customer deals without that and maybe complacency sat in.

But it's no longer 2020/2021. Events are back. Restaurants are open. More and more of us are working in the office and relationships can't be built over zoom.

I've been banging the drum and hopefully leading by example by getting out of the office and meeting customers.

I even had coffee with one at his house.

We're hosting breakfasts. Hosting and attending dinners. Taking a group of SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM) to a camp in the Agafay Desert next weekend.

And i'll be there. Being present. Being in person. Giving my time because we at SaaStock care.

It makes a difference.

Relationships. My keyword for 2024. Whats yours?

#relationships #customers #events #founders #saas #saastock

Can you imagine an eight year old SaaS company with the same features as year one?

Would you stay with that customer?

Well in events, of course a very different beast to fast moving SaaS, it's an industry that is slow moving and fast/big innovation doesn't come around that often.

I've read trade shows are one of the oldest industries. The Great Exhibition was held in 1851! Some trade shows are probably still using that playbook 👀 

During covid, we did see and got excited about virtual events, but with the recent sale of Hopin and currently lack of interest in virtual, it's sadly seemed to be short lived.

And we have been guilty of slow innovation also.

Last years SaaStock in Dublin was not a different product from 2022.

And it's been an iteration of the first ever SaaStock in 2016. Just 471% bigger.

And we recognise this. And have started to really look at the product and see how we improve on our startup program, our SaaS.City program, the main conference, our side events, our Founders retreat SaaSociety & how we connect those attending, the use of AI.

And, what new innovations we can bring in that will drive more value and ROI.

So this SaaStock years SaaStock in Dublin this October, we are calling SaaStock 2.0

A new(er), bigger, better SaaStock than ever before.

I'm excited.

Pre-reg coming soon. You'll want to be there to connect with the best and thrive.

#innovation #events #saastock2024 #saas

Rockstars and Unicorns and VCs - oh my! 

We're officially in the 50 day countdown to #SaaStockUSA 2024, meaning the time to let your SaaS shine, to build valuable connections and network with industry peers, and to learn from the best in the biz is just around the corner ⚡️

With that in mind, it's time to feast your eyes on the SaaS magic that is our 75% agenda release. Between speakers like Marcelo Lebre, Christine Esserman, AJ Eckstein, Steve Rowland, Chris Walker, April Dunford, Kevin "KD" Dorsey, Jake Dunlap and more, we're set to have some truly game-changing content sessions on stage this May. To celebrate, we're coming in hot with a 25% discount- because 75% agenda plus 25% discount = 100% happy SaaStockers 🤑

Sale is live for 48 hours only, so don't wait! Grab your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/edfbVzrh

🤠 See you in Texas! 

#SaaS #agenda #speakers #founders #entrepreneur #stagesession #AI #SaaSmarketing #foundertoolkit #growth #futureofSaaS #livedebate

SaaStock USA 2024 | 75% Agenda Released

🦄's Speaking at #SaaStockUSA on May 13-15th:
President of Klaviyo (only SaaS to go public in 2023)
CRO Xero
Founder & CTO Remote
CMO GitLab
Founder & Chairman BetterCloud
Founder & CIO WP Engine

Book your tickets to learn from the best, connect with 1500 SaaS Founders, Execs and Investors and help your SaaS company thrive in 2024 and beyond!

SaaStock USA on May 13-15th in Austin Texas will have 1500 attendees, from established unicorns like Atlassian, Klaviyo GitLab and the top Investors Accel, Bessemer Venture Partners, Battery Ventures to the newest startups and everyone in between, SaaStock USA on 13-15th May in Austin Texas is shaping up to be the place to be to connect and thrive for your SaaS. 

41 tickets registered yesterday alone. At this pace it will sell out, so book your ticket today!

#saastockUSA

I always remember my first.

My first sponsor - ChartMogul and Nick Franklin
The first ever ticket purchased for SaaStock by David Tuck
My first team member Chris Murphy
The first SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM) member Björn Hall
My first investor Tim O'Shea

Without them taking a bet, there may not have been a second.

#firstcustomers #earlyvangelists #saastock #founders #sponsors #customers #team


Another question I get asked all the time, is 'Why Austin'? (For SaaStock USA)

I can tell you it's not because of the amazing Taco's.
It's not the world famous BBQ and my favourite, Terry Blacks.
Its not the great weather.
It's not because it's the capital of music in the US.
It's not because of the comedy clubs.
It's not the 1.5 Million bats.
It's not because of the amazing nightlife.
Not even, but you'd think possibly, that it's fast becoming the new capital for startups.
It's also not the weird and wonderful people with good vibes all around.

It's because we asked our customers.

We did 6 months of customer development and all roads led to Austin.

Not sure why they chose it though.

Come and find out yourself. Join us at SaaStock USA in May 13-15th with 1500 SaaS Founders, Execs and Investors to help you and your SaaS connect and thrive.

#saastockusa #austin

Recently Radka Jančíková celebrated 5 years at SaaStock.

Very soon Will Brightling will be doing the same. Jessica R. just celebrated her 4 year anniversary as has Joe Byrne, although it was almost only one day, but i'm glad it wasnt.

Almost half the team are at nearly three years and it's something i'm proud of.

Yet goes against what I say to most people when they join.

As we welcome a SaaStocker to the team, all I ask and recommend is that they give us two exceptional years and then should they move on somewhere else or start their own business, I can't ask for anything more.

But seemingly our team members prefer to stay.

And whilst we are a team and not a family, the culture that's been built means I look forward to Mondays. I look forward to seeing my colleagues. I enjoy being in the office with them and going out for lunch. I look forward to and enjoy running our events with them. You'd think they would be stressful but we try to have fun.

We are in this together. They are behind the mission and I would say that a big reason for the longevity and success is that we mostly hire mission driven people.

I think the odd mercenary is OK and sometimes essential, but they wont be the ones who stay for longer than one or two years.

Also I heard a long time ago someone say when hiring, 'think about whether you'd want to be stuck at an airport with this person when hiring'. And I guess I do. 

I'd be more than happy to be stuck at an airport with every member of our team.

As we come up to a busy period with our annual SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM) retreat starting on Thursday in the Agafay Desert in Morocco with 40 Founders and then 3 weeks later #SaaStockUSA returning in Austin with 1500 SaaS Founders, Execs and Investors (100% YoY growth), i feel lucky to be working with a great bunch of people that give their all and really care about the company and our mission.

#saastock #team #culture #events #hiring

Recently I had Martha Bitar CEO of Flodesk on SaaStock's podcast, The SaaS Revolution show.

Martha has bootstrapped Flodesk to $25M ARR in about 5 years.

And she told me whilst recording that she attended SaaStock in Dublin in 2019 and had a great experience and learned and applied what she learned to help her in her journey, which was great to hear.

Here's an excerpt from the podcast, from the quick-ish fire round:

What one thing has moved the needle the most for you in your career?

Building genuine relationships…A huge part of Flodesk’s success has been built based on personal connections with customers, partners, and co-founders. 


What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Someone told us not to build code for our solution until we had a customer interview that made someone cry (in a good way!)... And we did. At first when I heard it, I was like, no one is going to cry because this isn’t a problem that makes people cry. But we eventually did get someone who cried in a demo, and that's when we knew they were ready to build the code.

What’s the biggest failure you’ve made and the lesson learned?

Our first Black Friday, three months after launching, we didn't properly scale our platform. We crashed and Flodesk was down for a couple of hours [and] our customers were depending on us to run time sensitive campaigns.

We apologized and made sure that that would never happen again…It was horrible ... but since it already happened, we can only get better from here. So it helped us get super, super strong in our planning for high season and scaling.

What’s the hardest thing about being a CEO?

The weight of the responsibility of knowing how your decisions can affect your team and your customers, especially when you're targeting small businesses… So the highs are highs, but the lows are lows.

What’s your favourite book on business?

Blink by Malcom Gladwell. It tells you how our unconscious mind is equipped to make very, very accurate snap judgments…

So while getting the hard data is super important, it's also important to listen to your body and understand that there's a lot of data behind your gut instinct.



Have you ever had someone cry on a demo? Link to the full episode in the comments

#SaaSRevolutionshow #bootstrapping #SaaS #CEO #Demos #relationships

The countdown is ON: We're officially less than thirty days until we kick off #SaaStockUSA at Palmer Events Center in Austin 🔥

Attendees are in for a truly unforgettable three days, leaving having:
✅ Forged meaningful relationships within the SaaS community (relationships that might result in their next executive hire, a game-changing merger, or a new partnership...!)
✅ Met their next investor or co-investor, with 100 B2B SaaS investors in attendance, looking for the next SaaS unicorn 🦄
✅ Learnt how to scale to $50M ARR and beyond, with lessons from SaaS leaders like April Dunford, Jake Dunlap, Kevin "KD" Dorsey, Ashley Kramer, Jason Fried, and Steve Rowland

Ticket prices go up on Friday, book yours before then - or better yet, bring a colleague for free by grabbing one of the limited FIFTEEN 2for1 tickets available:  https://lnkd.in/eCy3qJBu 🤑

#SaaS #limitedtimeoffer #network #community #startups #scale #growth #founders #BOGO #BOGOF #buyonegetone

On the second to last All In Podcast, something Chamath said resonated with me:

'I think people are so tired and bored of everything online. I think offline experiences will be a huge value add in peoples lives'.

I hear this a lot. More in person is needed. 

But are we actually getting away from the zone of comfort, and our daily routines and getting the value from in person? 

Im not so sure. 

I think there's still a slight covid hangover where we are still doing less in person in 2022/2023 then we were pre covid.

But I think this will change a lot in 2024 and 2025.

Every time we run a SaaStock Local event. Run our SaaStock Founder Membership (SFM) retreat (upcoming in the Agafay Desert this week. Run our Founder dinners or breakfasts. Run our conferences, SaaStock USA and Europe. Meet customers in person. Attend other conferences.

This is when I see a huge value add.

Every single time.

Thank's for the reminder Chamath and I 100% agree.

What do you think?

#inperson #events #community #allinpodcast #saastock

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