Chuck Ganapathi’s Post

Last week we joined forces with our friends from Snowflake, as Marc Wendling, VP of Worldwide Data Cloud Sales & Alliances came in for a roundtable, offering his thoughts on how start-ups can elevate their sales game.   Octopus Ventures backed businesses were welcome to explore the challenges growth stage businesses face and how companies can differentiate themselves. From positioning and story building to customer retention, Marc shared what it really takes to win deals and how it’s never too early to plan your customer journey.  Key takeaways included: 🗝 Make strong hires. When building a sales team consider prioritising characteristics over experience. Are potential recruits coachable? How good is their memory? And, perhaps most importantly, will they be truly comfortable in a start-up environment? 🗝 Deliver consistent messaging. CEOs need to tell a clear story and make sure all functions are on the same page – so much so that if an engineer needed to take a sales call, they could. 🗝 Look to the future. Founders need a clear idea of what they’re building towards – what positive outcomes will their solution offer, and how will the business look? And make sure that internally, everyone climbs onboard. Thanks again to Snowflake and Marc Wendling for a great morning! At Octopus Ventures we’re committed to supporting the pioneers shaping the future. Our dedicated People + Talent team – and their extensive network – are on-hand to help founders and CEOs acquire the talent they need for their world-changing ideas to flourish. #venturecapital #peopleandtalent #octopusventures

7.00am view at the one-way end of my bike ride! With all the beautiful moments of an entrepreneur’s life, there are surely gonna be the “lost” ones. When we are so unsure of that right strategy and yet so “almost obsessed” with figuring it all out, that those exciting sleepless all-nighters get painful in the eyes. If you’ve followed me and my content, you know how fearless I am at being super authentic… so yes, those exciting updates I shared were all a 100% true and so was yesterday when I caught a bit of fever. A definite contributor: not taking a single day off in the past 3 weeks since I left Salesforce, including multiple consecutive “all-nighters” since the Hack MVP day I organized this Saturday. So, I took half-a-day yesterday off and re-continued my 5-am 12 mile bike rides that end in this absolutely gorgeous view (my personal mental/emotional + physical fitness routine)! My team held the fort, knowing very well that I’m always just a call away, and I’m so grateful for that. Moral of the story for me and all my fellow passion-driven gritty founders: Let’s Walk the talk on regular investments in our mental/emotional/ physical fitness, and not be too proud of all-nighters anymore lol… sleep is very very important for our brains to flourish with all the ideas we need, to establish and grow a business! But also, I’ve learnt SO MUCH, met WONDERFUL people who make me feel like I’m not alone in this journey and it fills me with so much contentment and joy. Onwards and upwards, persistently & resiliently, until there’s something to celebrate (with lots of fun)…. And then some more again cause that’s the exciting startup grind, woohoo! 💃 #entrepreneruship #techleadership #productmanagement #innovation #genai

By far, this is the best founder's field guide I've come across—thoughtful, practical, and implementable. Thanks to Jyoti Bansal. It provides a step-by-step process, covering: → Ideation → Customer discovery → Go-to-market → Early paying customers → Fundraising I'm grateful to your team at Unusual Ventures. Founders, if you need help understanding any part of the journey, I'm happy to chat. The link is in the comments. #founders #cofounders #saas #sales #sdrs

Imagine this: A tiny startup born in a cramped apartment, armed with nothing but a big dream and a relentless drive to change the game. That's how Marc started Salesforce. And boy, did he shake things up! What sets Marc apart isn't just his success in building a tech empire; it's his journey from day one. He's not afraid to think outside the box, challenge the norm, and dream big. It's that kind of audacity that turns startups into global giants. But Marc's story isn't just about business. Nope, it's about heart too. He's all about giving back and making a real difference. From the 1-1-1 model to advocating for fair business practices, Marc's out there changing lives, one philanthropic venture at a time. So why does Marc's journey resonate with me? Well, it's a reminder that success isn't just about hitting targets or bagging deals. It's about staying true to your values, making an impact, and leaving the world a little better than you found it. As we navigate the ever-evolving world of SaaS, let's take a page from Marc's playbook. Let's dare to dream, push boundaries, and make waves. After all, if Marc can turn a tiny apartment startup into a global force for good, what's stopping us? Thanks, Marc Benioff, for being the kind of leader we can all look up to – innovative, compassionate, and utterly unstoppable. Here's to dreaming big and changing the game! PS: The nostalgic pictures shared below are from the Salesforce 2023 event, where I felt the past, present, and future enveloped in one place. #SaaS #Inspiration #MarcBenioff #Salesforce #DreamBig #TechLeadership #GameChanger #ImpactfulLeadership

We’re thrilled to share that we’ve been named one of the RevGenius Top 50 GTM Startups for 2024! While my natural state is mostly to ignore recognition like this and put my head back down to focus on building, I couldn't help but reflect a bit on our own GTM journey. In the early days, pitching Koala felt like an insane task. First off, we were always up against giant ABM players growing like 📈📈📈. I had to explain why first-party data was important, why the "dark funnel" isn't real, and was a bit shocked that sales reps were actually using such low-quality products. Fast-forward two years and everything feels different. By and large, the market understands that first-party data is your true competitive advantage and I've learned that sales reps are indeed highly suspicious of the dark funnel (and mostly don't use it - it's a marketing purchase that becomes shelfware for reps). And this year, it's begun to feel that these ABM providers have entered the dreaded realm of "stuck" legacy software. Can't wait to see what the next few years will bring! A massive thank you to Jared Robin ⏭, Joanna Kasprzak-Kajder, and the RevGenius team for the recognition! PS Very excited to be included alongside so many companies I look up to: Clay, Dock, Default, UserEvidence, Copy.ai, etc. Full list of the cool kids on the block in the comments. 👇

Remember streaming before the Ads? We used to have it good. I cant save you from being water boarded by insurance commercials, but I can help you avoid the process of: -> filling out a talk to sales form -> getting hunted by an SDR -> qualification call Before you can just see the damn product. I'll personally show how revenue teams are surfacing quality prospect data to uncover more sales opportunities. If you want to join tomorrow-> https://lnkd.in/dcdfQ4QQ

Last week, I checked off a MAJOR bucket-list item by hosting an incredibly rewarding and meaningful #NYTechWeek event for 100+ founders, execs and operators in attendance. My co-host, Tushar and I had a clear vision from the start. Not only did we want the fireside chat to be highly relevant for those navigating today's resource-challenged environment, but also be ruthlessly authentic and shed light on the not-so-glamorous aspects of being a founder or exec over the past two years. Here's the truth – no matter your role, you've likely felt the impact from the broader economy on you, your team, or your business. With that in mind, we assembled an extraordinary panel of founders and C-level execs, featuring: Steven Wang – Founder and CEO of dub (Harvard dropout backed by CEO of Uber and co-founder of Robinhood). Angela Crossman – Chief People Officer at multi-billion dollar startups like Dragos, Inc., Brex, and Noom. Michael Landsberger – Chief Product and Growth Officer at Pumpkin (pet insurance startup acquired in 2023) Cyrus Karai – Co-founder and CEO of CoverForce (backed by Nyca Partners, QED Investors, and co-founder of Plaid) And covered topics such as: 1) maneuvering co-founder breakups 2) pivoting business strategy under investor pressure 3) building and nurturing a resilient company culture 4) hiring and promoting high-value talent in a competitive job market The reaction from the crowd? "That was one of the most uniquely genuine and resonating discussions I have ever been part of." For those of you who joined us in person, thank you for cheering us on at our debut event sponsored by TECH WEEK by a16z. I can't wait to host more of these for you! Please follow me and The Beyond Network (where I'm building a community and resources for immigrants) for more events to come! Cheers and see you soon!

Bandages on gunshot wounds! The Journey to Strategic RevOps: Beyond Quick Fixes Let's cut to the chase: Tech and SaaS organizations despite their need to pivot and adapt fast....hate quick fixes. Its like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. Sure, it might cover the problem, but it doesn't solve it. It is a situation I see over and over again and that's exactly why Strategic RevOps isn't about overnight success or temporary patches. Lets get to the 'Real' talk and be bold enough to state that RevOps is: - the deep dive - the long game - the strategic overhaul your startup actually needs - the 'real conversation' in the war room that needs to be had Its the solution to achieving positive NRR and all the other SaaS metrics regardless of the ones you choose. Why? Because not focussing on the client / users experience and building to solve and solve with ease = Reduced revenue and for many failed start ups, no revenue! Theres no shortage of failed SaaS Tech start ups who have raised hundreds of millions of $, just read CB Insights August 29th report showing 278 of the biggest, costliest start up failures of all time - top of the list zume the robot pizza delivery startup with disclosed funding of over $446m It all starts with getting your data right, this will align your teams like never before, and fine-tunes your operations for the kind of growth you've been chasing. Learn more about how we do Performance Analytics as a Service with Databox and Insycle here https://bit.ly/48LIsOx By embracing a strategic RevOps framework, you can unify your data sources, automated lead nurturing processes, and synchronized marketing and sales efforts. Remember, this isn't a sprint. If you're looking for instant results with minimal effort, RevOps might not be your jam. But if you're all in for setting up a system that scales with you, driving sustainable growth and making every part of your business work smarter, not harder, then you're in the right place. The payoff is huge. We're talking about transforming your operations from a scattergun approach to a laser-focused growth engine. If you are ready to ditch the quick fixes for something that actually sticks? Dive into our full conversation on making strategic RevOps work for you: https://bit.ly/3wNRUn6 #RevOps #NoQuickFixes #StrategicGrowth

I’ve been diving deep into some industry talk lately and stumbled upon something in Lenny Rachitsky’s newsletter that really struck me. It was about the massive hurdles B2B SaaS startups face as they try to level up from servicing smaller businesses to taking on the enterprise giants. It’s quite complex, intense, and challenging. Here’s what’s really going down: ▸ From Rapid Fire Features to Focused Products Initially, startups pump out features to grab market share. But guess what? This sprint turns into a crawl as they hit the enterprise level. The whole "feature factory" approach? Unsustainable. ▸ Big Leagues, Bigger Challenges Stepping from SMB to enterprise isn’t just about scaling up—it's a whole new game. We’re talking about catering to more complex needs that demand a fundamental shift in how products are built and managed. ▸ The Tech Debt Trap Oh, and those early MVPs? They come with huge tech debt, turning into a major roadblock that nobody can afford to ignore when it’s time to scale. ▸ Team Transformation Troubles As these startups grow, those initial product teams just don’t fit anymore. They need to evolve fast to support sustainable growth and continuous product improvement. So, what’s the game plan? ▸ Revamp the Teams It’s time to rethink product teams. Tailoring them around specific product segments or user personas could be the key to driving continuous improvements. Ownership matters. ▸ Find the Balance Teams need to strike the right balance between chasing new features for growth and nurturing existing users with better engagement and support. ▸ Strategy is Everything Without a clear, well-articulated company strategy, you’re basically navigating without a map. This strategy determines how teams are structured and how products evolve. 🔍 Why We Need to Dig Deeper? All this chaos highlights a critical need—to truly understand user feedback. As complexities increase, the ability to gather, analyze, and act on user insights becomes more crucial than ever. 🌐 Don’t Miss Our Upcoming Event: We’re bringing this conversation to the big stage at our global virtual conference, “Unveiling the Playbook to User Research,” happening May 16th-17th. It’s all about mastering the art of user research to develop that deep user understanding you need to excel. 🤔 Why you should join: ▸ Expert Insights: Learn directly from the front-runners in product management and user research. ▸ Actionable Strategies: Walk away with strategies you can immediately put into action. ▸ Network Like a Pro: Meet and mingle with other product pros tackling the same challenges. 📅 Save the date, hit that register button, and gear up to transform how your team leverages user research for better product decisions. Let’s unlock the full potential of your products together! Register now 🙌 Link in the comments 👇

🚀 Celebrating Two Years of System-3! 🎉  As we conclude an extraordinary second year at System-3, I want to pause for a moment to reflect on our journey, express gratitude, and share some pivotal milestones and lessons learned. It has been an incredible ride so far, and I'm immensely proud of what our team has accomplished. 🌟 Key Milestones and Achievements:  • Raised our Seed Financing Round: Securing funding in 2023 was no small feat. Brahm Klar of Round13 Capital has been an exceptional partner and advisor, playing a crucial role in our success.  • Increased Impact for Clients: Learning how to maximize impact has been a fundamental aspect of our journey. We have learned a lot, and our growth reflects the strong dedication and creativity of our team and innovative early adopters. • Enhanced Product: Mid-year, we implemented strategic shifts that significantly enhanced our product and client experience. Steering the ship through our product refinement was both challenging and rewarding, and I take great pride in our team's commitment. • Added Exceptional People and Board Members: As an HR tech provider, we think about the impact of people on companies every day, but seeing the value of our internal team has been remarkable.  Welcoming a few new talented and dedicated individuals to our small team has had an outsized impact. • Product Market Fit Has Begun to Resonate: For clients that value assessing and predicting executive behavior and potential and not just personality traits. When clients need a solution that is scalable, fast, and accurate, System-3 resonates. 🚀 What's Next:  We're thrilled about what is coming up in 2024. I look forward to sharing more about several innovative projects and partnerships we will be launching in the new year. The solid foundation we've built over the past two years positions us for even greater success in the future. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our remarkable team, clients, investors, and supporters. Your belief in System-3 has been our driving force.  Here's to an amazing two years and to the many more ahead!