Play It Smart

Marco Hernandez runs a one-man MSP with 140 clients, gets 100% of his leads from referrals, and closes every deal he quotes. This episode takes apart exactly how. Marco was on his way to becoming a lawyer in Venezuela when a computer repair shop tried to screw him. Thirty years later he runs TEK IT UP IT Services, a deliberately solo MSP in the Greater Toronto Area, and he has turned being small i...

Oliver Kenyon is a UK-based entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of ConversionWise, a company specializing in conversion rate optimization (CRO). Under his leadership, ConversionWise has collaborated with over 3,500 brands, including GFUEL, Lotus Biscuits, and Lamborghini, as well as prominent figures like Lionel Messi and Kim Kardashian. He is also the Founder of AffiliateFix, a leading affiliate mark...

In this episode with Luc Arama, you’ll learn: HSBC Innovation Banking’s acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Luc’s feelings about it. How companies manage a debt facility with SVB in both the UK and the US. Why a founder should consider going down the debt route rather than the equity route. At what stages does HSBC Innovation Banking lend to companies. What terms HSBC Innovation Banking u...

In this podcast episode, Alexej and Rand Fishkin discuss the advantages of angel funding over venture capital for startups, emphasizing sustainable business growth over rapid scaling. Rand shares insights from his experience with Moz and SparkToro, highlighting alternative investment structures and the potential impact of AI on search and SaaS industries. They also explore wealth-building approach...

In this podcast episode, we dive deep into Rizzle's innovative journey from a short-form video platform to a leading SaaS for AI-driven video creation. Discover how Rizzle prioritizes product features, manages challenges, and envisions the future of video editing. Hear personal insights on fundraising, team dynamics, and the entrepreneurial spirit from the co-founder with a rich tech background. D...

In this podcast episode we dive deep into Pegasus, a pioneering SaaS platform transforming the equestrian event management industry. Sam, the founder, takes us through the company's vision of becoming the global operating system for the equestrian economy. Learn about their unique journey from bootstrap beginnings to launching with potential, powered by a strong marketing strategy and deep industr...

In this episode, we sit down with Dipti, the founder of CRSTL, a modern B2B commerce network focused on enabling brands of all sizes to go omni-channel. Dipti shares the journey of launching CRSTL, discusses the challenges faced, and the unique value CRSTL brings in the EDI space. Learn about her background, the importance of customer focus, and the strategic decisions behind building and scaling...

In this episode of the SaaS Minds Podcast, host Alex interviews Ishay Tentser, CEO and founder of Timeless AI. Ishay shares his unique journey of pioneering a business on WhatsApp five years ago, which has now become a trend among VCs. He explains how he runs Timeless AI, which integrates WhatsApp with CRM systems to bring all customer communication into one platform. Ishay also discusses managing...

In this episode of the SaaS Minds podcast, we explore the remarkable journey of serial entrepreneur Chris Baden. Chris, a three-time founder and CEO of Flowchat, shares his experience in transforming his latest startup from an agency tool to a standalone SaaS business, achieving $1M in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in just two years. Discover how Chris balances his entrepreneurial ventures with f...

In this podcast episode, Jeff Whitlock, CEO of Grain, discusses the evolution and innovative strides of Grain, an AI note-taking and conversational intelligence tool. Learn about Grain's unique features, market positioning, growth strategies, and Jeff's insights on navigating the SaaS landscape. Get an inside look at their product's journey, challenges faced, and the importance of innovation in re...

In this episode of SaaS Minds, Alina Vandenberghe, co-founder and co-CEO of Chili Piper, shares her journey of migrating from Romania to building a $30 million SaaS company. She elaborates on her philosophy of leadership, rebranding her title to better reflect her role in guiding her team rather than commanding it. Alina dives into the challenges and strategies of scaling a SaaS company, emphasizi...

In this episode, Alexej hosts Charlie Dolan, co-founder of DSQ Technology, a company specializing in software for the waste and water management industry. Previously, Charlie and his brother built and sold Sequoia Waste Solutions, a tech-enabled service business in the same sector. This episode delves into the entrepreneurial journey of pivoting from a service to a software company, discusses stra...

In this podcast episode, Alexej interviews Dennis Hu, a chemist-turned-founder who launched Drug Hunter, a B2B subscription service for drug discovery professionals. Dennis discusses his academic background, including a fast-tracked PhD from Stanford and work in the biotech industry, before founding Drug Hunter. He shares insights on the initial challenges, such as pricing strategies and deciding...

In this podcast episode, Alexej interviews Jean Baptiste (JB), the French founder of EvaBoot, a LinkedIn scraping tool. JB shares his entrepreneurial journey, detailing how he and his co-founder scaled EvaBoot from zero to 2 million ARR in two years without external funding. He discusses the importance of talking to customers before building a product, the strategic use of no-code tools for fast d...

In this podcast episode, Alexej interviews Cody McGuffie about his transition from a recruiter at Qualcomm to establishing successful e-commerce brands and ultimately founding a SaaS business, Everbee. Cody shares his journey of scaling Everbee from zero to $5 million ARR in just over two years through bootstrapping. The discussion covers Cody's insights on identifying a market need despite existi...

Rob Smith is the co-founder of Slick, a salon management SaaS tool. He explains how Slick, which is catering to hair and beauty salons, aids in managing bookings, payments, website and marketing, and has seen expansive growth with over 2000 customers. Rob also highlights the importance of their quality product which has an 85% NPS and less than 1% churn. In the interview, he provides insight into...

Alexej interviews Sam Shepler, the founder of Testimonial Hero, a company specializing in creating impactful video testimonials for SaaS and professional services firms. They delve deep into the significance of social proof in today's business world and discuss the unique value video testimonials bring to the table. Sam shares his entrepreneurial journey from starting a video production agency to...

From leading a medical cannabis testing software company to venturing into the private equity industry, Tony Lewis shares his experiences, tips, and lessons. He discusses his perspectives on co-founding, scaling up a software business, understanding the evolving SaaS market, finding the right fit between AI technology and potential clients, and the importance of values in business. He also shares...

Hannah Forbes is the CEO and co-founder of Lima, a SaaS business for communities. We discuss insights on how to launch a SaaS business in the community space and how to leverage an accelerator to find a co-founder. We also cover strategies for achieving product-market fit, dealing business challenges, defining pricing strategies, managing investor relations, and the importance of taking breaks for...

Vadim Rogovskiy is a three-time founder, and a partner at an early-stage tech fund in New York. He is the Founder of 3D Look, an AI enterprise SaaS which raised $16m.  We delve into Vadim's journey of scaling a body scanning enterprise SaaS business that sells into Fashion and Fitness. He also discusses the challenges he faced, the changing perspective about fundings, and the importance of patienc...

Jenny Wolfram is the CEO and Founder of Brand Bastion, a MarTech SaaS business that works with prestigious clients like Uber, Netflix, and North Face.  Jenny shares her journey from studying law in Finland to moving to LA two years ago and starting her successful business. She also talks about the challenges and strategies of building a SaaS business without a technical background, the evolution o...

Einar Vollset is the founder of Tiny Seed (over $40m assets under management), a leading B2B SaaS accelerator, and Discretion Capital, an M&A boutique for SaaS founders.  Einar shares insights as an entrepreneur with experience in different sectors, discussing why he decided to launch TinySeed over a venture studio. He provides an insightful view into how TinySeed operates, comparing it to YC,...

Matteo Grassi is a five-time founder backed. He grew Popup to over 40 people in the team, and it successfully raised $3.5 million from many backers including Accel, 20VC, and Seedcamp Unfortunately, the business encountered difficulties and, in January 2024, Popup was shut down.  The episode dives into the challenges Grassi faced in the competitive world of content management systems, the importan...

Simon Hay is the founder of Firefly, one of the UK's top EdTech SaaS businesses.  We discuss Firefly’s 17-year journey, from its humble beginnings when Simon was still in school to its notable exit. Simon shares insights into the formation and growth of Firefly, the challenges faced during funding rounds, their growth strategies, their mergers and acquisitions, and their subsequent successful exit...

Jordan Shlosberg is the founder and former managing director of ProSapient - a leading expert network platform.  Jordan shares his experience of successfully raising £10 million and scaling ProSapient to an impressive 300 staff and £40 million in revenue.  In addition to this, we delve into Jordan's decision to embark on two new businesses - a recruitment and an HR tech company.  We discuss the un...