# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending January 20, 2023

Published: 19 January 2023
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-january-20-2023

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK

a16z has [the top 16 startup metrics](https://a16z.com/2015/08/21/16-metrics) that, from their VC perspective, are the most valuable to measure.

Link: https://a16z.com/2015/08/21/16-metrics

## 2. GROWTH

Silicon Valley has an obsession with growth. The [40% rule](https://twitter.com/PointNineCap/status/1108374783262158849) and the [Mendoza line](https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/09/understanding-the-mendoza-line-for-saas-growth/) are examples of that. Tomasz Tunguz takes a view this week of [growth rates and why they matter so much](https://tomtunguz.com/why-growth-matters-so-much) (it relates to the future values of a business and when that is created).

Link: https://twitter.com/PointNineCap/status/1108374783262158849

## 3. CYBER

With all kinds of cyber attacks happening lately, it's time to hammer this home: Regardless of the size of your SaaS business, for 2023, security should be [part of your dev cycle,](https://www.heavybit.com/library/blog/what-teams-should-know-about-devsecops/)but also know your weak spots. Founder Institute discusses [6 points of vulnerability in a tech stack](https://fi.co/insight/keep-your-startup-safe-from-cyber-attacks-know-your-weak-spots) that may be a bit leaky. Security needs to be rolled up into the process: [DevSecOps](https://www.heavybit.com/library/blog/what-teams-should-know-about-devsecops/) being the new port-portmanteau, [or is that SecDevOps?](https://www.cspi.com/devsecops-vs-secdevops-blog) - anywhoooo……beyond the DevSecOps article, [Heavybit also has a great article](https://www.heavybit.com/library/blog/navigating-cloud-infrastructure-security-challenges/) discussing cloud security challenges (as apparently, if we extrapolate this out, [88% of SaaS](https://dskok-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/img_5d9cb4f575998-e1570551047347.png) is now sitting on public cloud).

Link: https://www.heavybit.com/library/blog/what-teams-should-know-about-devsecops/

## 4. EMAIL

In the middle of last year, [Mailmodo](https://www.mailmodo.com/) launched a list of [SaaS-specific Email flows and tips](https://www.mailmodo.com/email-flow/saas-email-flow/saas-welcome-email-sequence/) across customer flow from cold nurture to Churn prevention. It's a great article, and they are wasting no time this year by launching the [State of Email 2023](https://www.mailmodo.com/ebook/state-of-email/2023-ced7-1cef-5331-193c-907d/) Report - a 4 chapter report covering myths, benchmarks (SaaS has a higher open rate than average), and top tips for 2023.

Link: https://www.mailmodo.com/

## 5. M&A

As mentioned last week, Crunchbase forecasts that [M&A activity in startups could pick up in 2023](https://news.crunchbase.com/ma/startup-forecast-2023-fundraising-venture-valuations). Now is an excellent time to understand what's in an acquisition offer via [this essential guide](https://medium.com/reformation-partners/whats-really-in-an-acquisition-offer-a-basic-guide-to-m-a-736766ba662e) covering key terms and common issues.

Link: https://news.crunchbase.com/ma/startup-forecast-2023-fundraising-venture-valuations

## 6. RECESSION

Many of us are forecast to enter[a recession in 2023](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/global-recession-economic-outlook-2023/). The good news is [that software thrives during recessions](https://www.indiehackers.com/post/software-thrives-during-recessions-16115ffc72) because companies do a lot of optimization.

Link: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/global-recession-economic-outlook-2023/

## 7. MARKETS

JP Morgans's [Q1 2023 Guide to the Markets](https://am.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpm-am-aem/global/en/insights/market-insights/guide-to-the-markets/mi-guide-to-the-markets-ce-en.pdf?utm_source=SaaS+Roundup+by+ChartMogul&utm_campaign=d6c70634a7-SaaS_Roundup_349&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_985dd3c6ea-d6c70634a7-497648157) is now out, and they are noting that inflation and interest rates are peaking in the US. This is a good indicator that the slide in SaaS valuations is over - As they are inversely correlated to rising inflation (MRR gets less valuable as inflation increases).

Link: https://am.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpm-am-aem/global/en/insights/market-insights/guide-to-the-markets/mi-guide-to-the-markets-ce-en.pdf?utm_source=SaaS+Roundup+by+ChartMogul&utm_campaign=d6c70634a7-SaaS_Roundup_349&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_985dd3c6ea-d6c70634a7-497648157

## 8. PLG

Kyle Pola from OpenView has [a roundup of four PLG growth tactics](https://openviewpartners.com/blog/four-plg-tactics-to-grow-faster/) they have been excited about over the last two months that could help you grow faster.

Link: https://openviewpartners.com/blog/four-plg-tactics-to-grow-faster/

## 9. MOBILE

Last year, consumers downloaded over 255B mobile apps and spent over $167B on them. In response, brands spent over $336B advertising on mobile platforms. This year, people will spend over 5 hours per day on their mobile devices. This and many more nuggets can be found in [Data.ai's](http://Data.ai's) (formerly App Annie) [State of Mobile report for 2023](https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckaim1vc0i9qnny/dataai__state_of_mobile_2023__en.pdf?dl=0).

Link: http://Data.ai's

## 10. CASE STUDY

Grammarly - I'm a big fan, daily active user, and paid subscriber - but most users are on the freemium plan. So how did this product get to $90 million in revenue and [last valued at $13 Billion](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/11/23/grammarly-founders-become-billionaires-from-fixing-your-sloppy-writing)? [Here](https://shorts.growthx.club/p/how-did-grammarly-reach-90-million) is the short version behind their growth, but here is the deeper [case study on SEO, engineering, great content, and an embedded and rewarding product experience](https://bettermarketing.pub/teardown-how-grammarly-became-a-13billion-grammar-app-ae6e57524ff).

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/11/23/grammarly-founders-become-billionaires-from-fixing-your-sloppy-writing

## POD OF THE WEEK

Expanding on #10 above with [Yuriy Timen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuriytimen), former Head of Marketing and Growth at Grammarly, [discusses the ever-changing world of growth, emerging growth tactics](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/transform-your-subscription-growth?utm_source=podcast-email&utm_medium=email#details), and how to find your growth engine.

**BONUS**: [The fastest way to deliver the right software is to deliver the wrong software sooner.](https://twitter.com/jasongorman/status/1612353027863883776)

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuriytimen