The SaaS Growth Lab

How I Reframed HackerRank for AI Buyers and Launched a High-Impact ABM Motion

A behind-the-scenes look at how I repositioned HackerRank for the AI era, rebuilt the narrative for enterprise buyers, and launched a tightly scoped ABM motion to penetrate high-value accounts. Covers the systems, tradeoffs, and execution that turned positioning into pipeline while strengthening long-term exit readiness. ======================== 📒 RESOURCES ======================== 🚀 PRE-REGISTER: THE UBIQUITY ENGINE The new playbook on how breakout SaaS companies become everywhere at once ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ubiquityenginebook/ 📩 SUBSCRIBE: CONTENT CAPITALIST (SUBSTACK) Breakdowns on SaaS growth, GTM systems, and content-driven revenue ↴ 🔗 http://contentcapitalist.substack.com 🎓 WORK WITH ME: B2B SAAS ADVISORY I build pipeline, conversion, and expansion systems for SaaS companies — from early-stage to $100M+ ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ 📖 GET MY 1st BOOK, CONTENT CAPITALIST How to turn content into a revenue engine that compounds ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/product/content-capitalist-how-to-create-a-content-business-so-exclusive-customers-beg-to-buy-and-never-want-to-leave/ 🌐 CONNECT 🔗 IG: https://www.instagram.com/officialmbecker 🔗 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjbecker ◉ Subscribe. Share with someone building. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Channel Inflation: How Attention Got Repriced Across the Internet

This piece breaks down a shift I call channel inflation — attention across the internet has been repriced, and every format now carries higher expectations than it did even a few years ago. Content types have traversed across platforms. What used to live in paid courses, blog posts, or polished media now shows up inside feeds — Reels, threads, newsletters, landing pages — with the same level of depth and clarity expected. That raises the baseline. People judge everything against the best thing they’ve seen recently, so average content blends in immediately. The edge comes from understanding the expectation of each channel, then going past it. There’s also an arbitrage layer — some formats lag behind others, so bringing a higher standard into those environments creates a gap that attracts attention. The practical takeaway is simple: study the format, track the current ceiling, and deliver more value than the format typically holds. Volume increases attempts, and over-deliverance determines which ones actually move. ======================== 📒 RESOURCES ======================== 🚀 PRE-REGISTER: THE UBIQUITY ENGINE The new playbook on how breakout SaaS companies become everywhere at once ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ubiquityenginebook/ 📩 SUBSCRIBE: CONTENT CAPITALIST (SUBSTACK) Breakdowns on SaaS growth, GTM systems, and content-driven revenue ↴ 🔗 http://contentcapitalist.substack.com 🎓 WORK WITH ME: B2B SAAS ADVISORY I build pipeline, conversion, and expansion systems for SaaS companies — from early-stage to $100M+ ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ 📖 GET MY 1st BOOK, CONTENT CAPITALIST How to turn content into a revenue engine that compounds ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/product/content-capitalist-how-to-create-a-content-business-so-exclusive-customers-beg-to-buy-and-never-want-to-leave/ 🌐 CONNECT 🔗 IG: https://www.instagram.com/officialmbecker 🔗 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjbecker ◉ Subscribe. Share with someone building. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Playbook for Viral Adoption through Ubiquity (Webflow, Figma, Calendly)

#BusinessGrowth #SaaSGrowth #B2BMarketing #GoToMarketStrategy #DemandGeneration ======================== 📒 RESOURCES ======================== 🚀 PRE-REGISTER: THE UBIQUITY ENGINE The new playbook on how breakout SaaS companies become everywhere at once ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ubiquityenginebook/ 📩 SUBSCRIBE: CONTENT CAPITALIST (SUBSTACK) Breakdowns on SaaS growth, GTM systems, and content-driven revenue ↴ 🔗 http://contentcapitalist.substack.com 🎓 WORK WITH ME: B2B SAAS ADVISORY I build pipeline, conversion, and expansion systems for SaaS companies — from early-stage to $100M+ ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ 📖 GET MY 1st BOOK, CONTENT CAPITALIST How to turn content into a revenue engine that compounds ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/product/content-capitalist-how-to-create-a-content-business-so-exclusive-customers-beg-to-buy-and-never-want-to-leave/ 🌐 CONNECT 🔗 IG: https://www.instagram.com/officialmbecker 🔗 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjbecker ◉ Subscribe. Share with someone building. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Emarsys' Journey to $175M ARR & Sale to SAP for $500M (3x Multiple, 14% CAGR)

In 2019, SAP acquired lifecycle personalization provider Emarsys for $500M. At the time, Emarsys had grown from $135M ARR in 2017 (when I joined) to $175M ARR in 2019, a ~14% CAGR that valued the deal at roughly a 3x revenue multiple. In this episode, I break down why SAP made the move, how Emarsys fit into the CX portfolio, and what perspective investors like Summit Partners and Vector Capital (likely) had in pushing for the exit. I’ll also explain why the price reflected Emarsys’ mid-market growth ceiling. On a personal note, I share what it felt like inside the company — from the chatter about what might change, to the reality that almost nothing did — and how watching that exit firsthand sparked my obsession with M&A as the higher-level game behind SaaS. Disclaimer: None of this is private or insider information. Everything shared can be found in, or reasonably inferred from, publicly available sources. #BusinessGrowth #SaaSGrowth #B2BMarketing #GoToMarketStrategy #DemandGeneration ======================== 📒 RESOURCES ======================== 🚀 PRE-REGISTER: THE UBIQUITY ENGINE The new playbook on how breakout SaaS companies become everywhere at once ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ubiquityenginebook/ 📩 SUBSCRIBE: CONTENT CAPITALIST (SUBSTACK) Breakdowns on SaaS growth, GTM systems, and content-driven revenue ↴ 🔗 http://contentcapitalist.substack.com 🎓 WORK WITH ME: B2B SAAS ADVISORY I build pipeline, conversion, and expansion systems for SaaS companies — from early-stage to $100M+ ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ 📖 GET MY 1st BOOK, CONTENT CAPITALIST How to turn content into a revenue engine that compounds ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/product/content-capitalist-how-to-create-a-content-business-so-exclusive-customers-beg-to-buy-and-never-want-to-leave/ 🌐 CONNECT 🔗 IG: https://www.instagram.com/officialmbecker 🔗 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjbecker ◉ Subscribe. Share with someone building. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How Twilio Hit $60B: Usage-Based Pricing, 170% Net Expansion, and the Mechanics of Negative Churn

Twilio is one of the clearest examples of expansion revenue driving enterprise value. In this episode, I break down how Twilio’s developer-first GTM, usage-based pricing, and broad product catalog produced dollar-based net expansion rates of 170% in its early years, held 120–130% at scale, and sustained net negative churn for over a decade. We’ll look at the mechanics behind usage-aligned billing, why a $20 free trial could scale into $10M+ accounts, how cross-sell into email and data shifted margins, and how Twilio’s valuation swung from $60B at peak to 3.5x forward revenue as net retention cooled. If you’re building SaaS, this is a clear case study in how pricing models and retention metrics dictate growth and market cap. #BusinessGrowth #SaaSGrowth #B2BMarketing #GoToMarketStrategy #DemandGeneration ======================== 📒 RESOURCES ======================== 🚀 PRE-REGISTER: THE UBIQUITY ENGINE The new playbook on how breakout SaaS companies become everywhere at once ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ubiquityenginebook/ 📩 SUBSCRIBE: CONTENT CAPITALIST (SUBSTACK) Breakdowns on SaaS growth, GTM systems, and content-driven revenue ↴ 🔗 http://contentcapitalist.substack.com 🎓 WORK WITH ME: B2B SAAS ADVISORY I build pipeline, conversion, and expansion systems for SaaS companies — from early-stage to $100M+ ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/ 📖 GET MY 1st BOOK, CONTENT CAPITALIST How to turn content into a revenue engine that compounds ↴ 🔗 https://michaelbecker.org/product/content-capitalist-how-to-create-a-content-business-so-exclusive-customers-beg-to-buy-and-never-want-to-leave/ 🌐 CONNECT 🔗 IG: https://www.instagram.com/officialmbecker 🔗 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjbecker ◉ Subscribe. Share with someone building. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.