# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending May 17, 2019

Published: 17 May 2019
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-may-17-2019

## 1. SALES

When on-boarding a new sales leader into your organization, [here are six things to focus on](https://saasx.com/2019/04/20/what-should-a-new-sales-leader-focus-on) for the first few months

Link: https://saasx.com/2019/04/20/what-should-a-new-sales-leader-focus-on

## 2. VENTURE

At the Seed stage, founders often ask “how much money should I raise?”. [This article from The Startup proposes the MVR](https://medium.com/swlh/how-much-should-you-raise-at-seed-e550c2b9072b), or Minimum Viable Raise, which is the smallest amount of money that can get a business to Series A metrics in 18 months.

Link: https://medium.com/swlh/how-much-should-you-raise-at-seed-e550c2b9072b

## 3. SAN FRANCISCO

. [Check this map](https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/client/snv?noteGuid=e7a8a3e5-758e-4f78-942b-ffd97f5aff54&noteKey=a34cd1f03ad50830&sn=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evernote.com%2Fshard%2Fs1%2Fsh%2Fe7a8a3e5-758e-4f78-942b-ffd97f5aff54%2Fa34cd1f03ad50830&title=US%2BGDP) for a clear reason why San Francisco is such a magnet for new business (all the states in blue have smaller economies than the Bay Area). The team at the [Founder Institute](https://fi.co/) have compiled a [San Francisco Startup Ecosystem Canvas](https://fi.co/insight/san-francisco-startup-resource-list-550-accelerators-investors-and-more) which is a list of local resources available to help early-stage entrepreneurs based in the Bay Area. It’s a fantastic list!

Link: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/client/snv?noteGuid=e7a8a3e5-758e-4f78-942b-ffd97f5aff54&noteKey=a34cd1f03ad50830&sn=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evernote.com%2Fshard%2Fs1%2Fsh%2Fe7a8a3e5-758e-4f78-942b-ffd97f5aff54%2Fa34cd1f03ad50830&title=US%2BGDP

## 4. PITCH

Seed fundraising is hard and competitive. Having a great pitch is critical! [Here is a great article on how to make a good pitch great](https://hackernoon.com/seed-fundraising-how-to-make-a-good-pitch-great-6aaa7131f21).

Link: https://hackernoon.com/seed-fundraising-how-to-make-a-good-pitch-great-6aaa7131f21

## 5. RETENTION

SaaS revenues are amazing only if retention in subscriptions (and corollary cash flow) remain high. The team at ChartMogul [take a deeper look at this from their own books](https://blog.chartmogul.com/compounding-subscription-cashflow). In 2018 the majority of cash came from customers who signed up in 2017.

Link: https://blog.chartmogul.com/compounding-subscription-cashflow

## 6. PRODUCT.

[My Billion Dollar Mistake](https://producthabits.com/my-billion-dollar-mistake) by [Hiten Shah](https://hitenism.com/). This is a fascinating and honest read for anyone who may be overly product-focused (and who may need a reality check by someone who learnt this the hard way).

Link: https://producthabits.com/my-billion-dollar-mistake

## 7. TELCO

From Business Insider the full [telecoms and technology forecast book for 2019](https://nztradeandenterprise-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/jon_davies_nzte_govt_nz/EYhbnjRCEClHvTt3JHM4PQcBI1P7bVwyNzJrexMettUNPw?e=Gd8FA9). Includes 5G, AI and home-mobile-work integrations.

Link: https://nztradeandenterprise-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/jon_davies_nzte_govt_nz/EYhbnjRCEClHvTt3JHM4PQcBI1P7bVwyNzJrexMettUNPw?e=Gd8FA9

## 8. CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION

Another phrase for your tech dictionary. Did you ever notice how apps or software just update incrementally these days? Well this is in-part due to a process called Continuous Integration and [this blog post has a great breakdown of what that actually is](https://blog.chartmogul.com/the-continuous-saga) (and why it’s a great practice).

Link: https://blog.chartmogul.com/the-continuous-saga

## 9. VIRALITY

What is it about some products that make them viral? Point Nine capital [take a look at some of the best](https://medium.com/point-nine-news/understanding-viral-growth-in-saas-45eea50d8900).

Link: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/understanding-viral-growth-in-saas-45eea50d8900

## 10. AGILE

In past newsletters we referenced a road map for [implementing a more agile organization.](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/planning-in-an-agile-organization) The transformation journey to an agile organization is [tough and touches strategy, structure, people, process, and technology.](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-journey-to-an-agile-organization)

Link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/planning-in-an-agile-organization

## POD OF THE WEEK

"If it ain’t blue, I can’t be friends with you". [This is all about how iPhone users judge other people with green text bubbles](https://megaphone.link/VMP8403191955). A great podcast about how technology forces us to make specific choices.

**BONUS:** Missed the Alexa Live Online conferences last month? No problem, just [replay recordings of all sessions](https://developer.amazon.com/alexa/alexa-live-resources) plus resources shared during the sessions.

Link: https://megaphone.link/VMP8403191955