# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending March 17, 2023

Published: 16 March 2023
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-march-17-2023

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK

**FINANCIAL MODELING**: Fun fact: SaaS financial modeling is uniquely complex and requires careful thought and expertise. Luckily, there is a boatload of helpful content on the web to help with financial modeling. Baremetrics are incredible at this and have 1. An overview of [why SaaS metrics are different](https://baremetrics.com/blog/what-makes-tracking-saas-metrics-different); 2. [A deep Dive on a usable model](https://baremetrics.com/blog/saas-financial-model)for you; 3. A [Google Sheet that is ready to go](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nj0LtyG6Q9HhXk-iaj9-3taT9gwWpF8XnxYahpn--to/edit#gid=268326096) (make yourself a copy).

Link: https://baremetrics.com/blog/what-makes-tracking-saas-metrics-different

## 2. SILICON VALLEY BANK

This week started with absolute chaos in the startup world, and hopefully, [the crisis has been diverted](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/12/silicon-valley-banks-depositors-will-be-fully-protected-according-to-the-federal-reserve/), as it would have been a global GFC-style event. For an accurate unit economics breakdown of what caused the run on SVB leading to its demise in under 48 hours, read[this post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rich-falk-wallace_silicon-valley-bank-unit-economics-clarify-activity-7040705652658208768-GO00) - or [here for a longer Twitter version](https://twitter.com/compound248/status/1634105371198644224?s=20). I can't wait for the movie. (note this is written as of Wednesday this week, leaving plenty of room for more chaos before publication). Tomasz Tunguz has some wise words though "[Take a Breath](https://tomtunguz.com/take-a-breath/)."

Link: https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/12/silicon-valley-banks-depositors-will-be-fully-protected-according-to-the-federal-reserve/

## 3. DILUTION

I didn't mean to scare you with that word. It's one of the most feared words a founder can hear. So here we go - let's make it a benchmark. What is the average ownership percentage by SaaS Founders at the time of IPO? [Sammy Abdullah takes a review](https://blossomstreetventures.medium.com/saas-founders-owned-14-at-ipo-85556724dff1), and the median level of founders' ownership is 14% while the average is 23%, with VCs owning about 54% on median. Obviously, there is a significant difference in Bootstrapped vs. not in this dataset.

Link: https://blossomstreetventures.medium.com/saas-founders-owned-14-at-ipo-85556724dff1

## 4. SPEND

I can't report all doom and gloom this week. For startups that sell B2B, good news, the [Q1 2023 Cloud Software Spending Survey](https://www.battery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Battery-Ventures-State-of-Cloud-Software-Spending-Report-March-2023.pdf) from [Battery](http://www.battery.com) details a robust software spending budget. 46 % expect to increase budgets in 2023.

Link: https://www.battery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Battery-Ventures-State-of-Cloud-Software-Spending-Report-March-2023.pdf

## 5. EXPENDITURE

Rounding out above with some opposite state stuff: We all know running a SaaS business is basically a [Ponzi Scheme](https://twitter.com/top10intech/status/1460448403326844933?s=20) of having to spend a bunch of money on other SaaS Products. So in these operationally critical times, what are ways to cut some spending, especially as SaaS pricing inflation is [five times higher than market inflation](https://www.vertice.one/inside-saas/reports/saas-inflation-index-2022)? TechCrunch has [an article promising to cut your spend by 30%](https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/31/how-to-cut-your-saas-spending-by-30-in-2023/).

Link: https://twitter.com/top10intech/status/1460448403326844933?s=20

## 6. SHERLOCK HOMEBOY

Crack open your Tech Dictionaries so you can add this awesome phrase. The [Sherlock Homeboy Technique](https://foundationinc.co/lab/sherlock-homeboy) is a way to reverse engineer your Content Marketing strategy for the rest of the year.

Link: https://foundationinc.co/lab/sherlock-homeboy

## 7. CHURN

Churn is not a Customer Success problem- it's a business one. Check out [eight ways to move the needle on churn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kyle-poyar_retention-customersuccess-leadership-activity-7035952896135331840-gz0R) in this current economic environment.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kyle-poyar_retention-customersuccess-leadership-activity-7035952896135331840-gz0R

## 8. DEVS

What are the [tools du jour for Devs](https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#most-popular-technologies-platform)? According to a StackOverflow survey, when it comes to Cloud, AWS is the most used cloud platform (51%), followed by Azure (29%) and Google Cloud Platform (27%). Node.js and React.js are the two most common web technologies; JavaScript is the most popular language, and unfortunately, according to the survey, it's a 91.88% dominated man's world.

Link: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#most-popular-technologies-platform

## 9. AI

Sample size of 1 - NetDragon Websoft, a Hong Kong-based online gaming firm ($2.1B in annual revenue), [has appointed an AI CEO](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netdragon-appoints-its-first-virtual-ceo-301613062.html) (Ms. Tang Yu). Check out [how Ms. Tang Yu outperforms the Hong Kong Stock Market](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/hongkongchart.png) by working 24/7 for $0 in salary. Not too bad considering that at Fortune 500 firms, the average CEO pay is now about [$16m per year](https://www.zippia.com/answers/what-is-the-average-fortune-500-ceo-salary/) - time to take another look at #5 above.

Link: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netdragon-appoints-its-first-virtual-ceo-301613062.html

## 10. CASE STUDY

Moving [into the Enterprise](https://www.bvp.com/atlas/moving-upmarket-and-the-ascent-of-smb-saas) is no mean feat. Here are the [top 5 Lessons from Howie Liu, the CEO of Airtable](https://www.airtable.com/newsroom/events/saastr-annual-2022-five-lessons-learned-from-airtables-upmarket-journey), on their upmarket mission. Bonus content: [how Airtable also leverages SEO](https://foundationinc.co/lab/airtable-seo-strategy).

Link: https://www.bvp.com/atlas/moving-upmarket-and-the-ascent-of-smb-saas

## POD OF THE WEEK

Complimenting #10 is from Lennys Podcast on [Lessons from Airtable's unconventional growth strategy](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-airtables-unconventional#details) and how Airtable found its first super-users.

Link: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-airtables-unconventional#details