Cloud Returns | A SaaS Investing Podcast

Our Guest: Pat McGovern is a Principal at Bowery Capital , an early-stage B2B fund investing primarily at pre-seed. He focuses on vertical AI and writes the newsletter Capital Efficient. Episode Topics: How Bowery approaches pre-seed in 2026 and what “first institutional capital” looks like today. The shift from “SaaS contracts” to outcome-driven and services-driven models. Pat’s vertical AI playb...

In this episode, host Matt Harney speaks with Joey Brookhart , Co-Founder of AlphaRepo and a longtime long-short software investor, as Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager of Sandbrook Capital.  Joey explains the SaaS metrics that matter most, the overrated ones investors should avoid, and why earnings day volatility often comes down to “bogeys” and positioning rather than guidance. He also intr...

Our Guests: Marissa Moore , and Taku Murahwi of OMERS Ventures , an early-stage venture capital firm investing in Series A-C companies with a first cheque size between $5-25M.  Episode Topics: OMERS Venture’s investment criteria. Type of founders Marissa and Taku prefer. How does OMERS Ventures conduct due diligence on a company founder? Overview of Marissa’s “ The Green Room ”, a “safe space for...

Our Guest: Diamond Innabi is a Principal at Software Equity Group (SEG), a boutique M&A advisory firm headquartered in San Diego that focuses on B2B vertically focused software and SaaS companies. Episode Topics: Understanding the full cycle - from prep to closing - of selling your company. When should CEOs engage with an investment banker or consider an M&A path? Common mistakes that foun...

Our Guest: Paul Stansik is the Private Equity Operating Partner at ParkerGale Capital , a B2B focused private equity firm, buying profitable technology companies from founders. Episode Topics: Paul and PartnerGale Capital's investment criteria. What does an operating partner do? A brief overview of Paul's weekly sales playbook at PartnerGale Capital. Approach to gaining a deeper understanding of a...

Our Guest: Dave Yuan is the Founder of Tidemark , a growth equity firm focused on helping companies scale. With over 20 years of experience, Dave has invested in twelve companies that have gone public, eight that have been acquired. Episode Topics: Dave and Tidemark’s investment criteria. Ideal qualities for vSaaS founders. Dave's viewpoints on overspending in R&D, product risk, and product de...

Our Guest: Akash Bajwa is an investor in fintech and B2B SaaS at Earlybird Venture Capital , a European venture capital firm with 2 billion Euros in assets under management (AUM). Episode Topics: Akash and Earlybird’s investment criteria  Areas in early-stage native AI that Akash and Earlybird are excited about Akash discusses the unique skill sets needed for native AI founders. Is building an AI-...

Our Guest: Nick Tippman , former Chief Marketing Officer at Greenlight Guru , a category-leading provider of regulatory software for the MedTech vertical. He is now an angel investor, investing in exceptional Vertical/SMB SaaS, AI, Fintech, and B2B Marketplace founders and companies at the pre-seed/seed stage alongside other leading investors. Episode Topics: Nick’s current investment criteria for...

Our Guest: Brian Parks is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bigfoot Capital , a non-venture debt lending firm, that provides growth and bridge debt facilities to SaaS companies with $2+ million in annual recurring revenue.  Episode Topics: Current access to capital environment - “ 2/3 of equity investors and lenders expect to be more active over the next 12 months” Disconnects after the failure of Silicon...

Our Guest: Patrick McGovern from Bowery Capital ,  an early-stage venture capital firm focused exclusively on founders looking to modernize business through technology.  Episode Topics: Common patterns emerge when seed-stage companies sell into enterprises. Pat's insights on investment criteria for early stage vertical SaaS - can you reach $50m in ARR in a short period of time Pat's viewpoints on...