The Software Equity Group’s Q1 2021 M&A Update & SaaS Public Market Update show continued record valuations for both on-premise and SaaS firms. Median EV/Revenue multiples for public SaaS companies reached 14.2x. Once again, private equity drove more than 50% of the transactions.
Once a product reaches over $100 million in revenue product managers can run into the “Big Revenue Growth Problem”. Fortunately there are a lot of short and long term strategies that can be used to conquer this challenge.
There is a ton of information from thought leaders about product managers build/buy/decision making. Do product managers really have a choice?
Today’s modern SaaS companies face significant challenges in growing their revenues, profits, and enterprise value. Fortunately, they have the benefit of learning lessons from products, like Mark IV, that have been around for decades.
There are hundreds of suggested formats for product management business cases – from Lean Startup to private equity inspired Harvard Business School case studies. Every software company has their own approach to product management business cases. Experience has shown that the process ofbuilding the business case is more important than the models it contains.
Product managers of products in the late majority/laggard stages of the TALC face additional challenges that early stage product managers don’t. This post describes 10 principles product managers can use to maximize the success of middle age products.
Tech M&A and valuations are at an all-time high. There are many different styles used by acquirers – some are friendlier than others. This post describes the spectrum of approaches form the harsh Borg style to the friendly Hippie style employed by FAANG companies. Product managers need to understand the differences between these approaches so they are well prepared in the event of an acquisition.
Product managers should have basic financial literacy, but the implications of new accounting policies like ASC 606 and ASC 606-340 exceed most product manager’s finance capabilities. Instead product managers should become best friends with the Finance organization who can help them navigate this new, complex world. And they might save their products and jobs in the process.
The pace of mergers and acquisitions is accelerating due to the record valuations in today’s market. The chance that your organization could be acquired is greater than ever. Prudent product management leaders should understand how M&A execs analyze and assess product management organizations. This could not only help maximize the valuation of their company, but help them preserve their own role in a merged enterprise.
I talk with SaaS companies that are looking to buy other SaaS companies or sell their own each month. For the past year their comments have been the same. The buyers lament the high valuations sellers expect, and sellers, especially private companies, bemoan the low valuations they are offered. They want to know why private SaaS companies are valued less than their public company peers?