At this year’s SaaS Palooza event, Jennifer Smith (Partner, Bain & Company) and Katherine Zhang (CEO, OPEXEngine), explored what sets top-performing SaaS companies apart in today’s tech private equity market. From emerging deal trends to how investors define an “A” software asset, their discussion offered actionable insights for SaaS operators and investors alike.
We’re excited to make this live session available as a special podcast episode! Drawing on OPEXEngine’s proprietary benchmarking data and Bain’s deep expertise in tech investing, Jennifer and Katherine dive into the evolving dynamics of deal flow, valuation trends, and the balance of growth and profitability that define leading SaaS businesses.
Whether you’re preparing for a sale, raising capital, or benchmarking performance, this episode delivers clear takeaways on building sustainable value and driving operational excellence.
The full episode transcript and video recording are available on our website. You can also download the presentation slides here.
In this episode of SaaS Conversations, Tori Danforth, Senior Director of FP&A at Relativity, shares how her team approaches annual planning at scale. From integrating long-range strategic goals to setting departmental targets and navigating trade-offs, Tori offers a detailed look into how benchmarking with external data strengthens both the planning process and cross-functional alignment.
We cover:
How to connect long-range strategy to annual financial planning
The role of finance business partners in driving bottom-up alignment
Using benchmark data to inform investment decisions and trade-offs
Key metrics and frameworks for plan validation
Evolving planning processes while maintaining flexibility and trust
Practical approaches to embedding external data into internal workflows
For finance and operations leaders navigating today’s environment, this conversation offers actionable insights on how to use benchmarking to build better plans and ultimately achieve better outcomes.
Although Revenue Operations (RevOps) is still an evolving function in SaaS, its role is critical to driving go-to-market efficiency.
At its core, RevOps ensures that go-to-market teams like Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success function as a unified, efficient system to enable the ideal customer journey.
One of the biggest challenges for RevOps leaders is managing resource allocation – making high-stakes decisions about structure, strategy, and investment. How do you allocate resources for maximum impact? When is the right time to scale? Which strategic focus areas will drive long-term success?
In this episode of SaaS Conversations, Katherine Zhang, CEO and General Manager of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company, shares expert insights on building a high-impact RevOps function. We cover:
Listen in to gain actionable insights on optimizing RevOps, aligning go-to-market teams, and setting the right strategic priorities for sustainable growth.
This episode is essential listening for anyone responsible for R&D investment, cost management, or strategic planning in SaaS. In today's conversation, we sit down with Ryan Kuchova, Head of Customer Strategy and Operations at Jellyfish, to explore frameworks for measuring and managing R&D ROI in SaaS.
We discuss strategies for optimizing R&D investment and how to encourage alignment between finance and engineering teams.
Moderator: Andy Rooks (Marketing, OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Guest speaker: Ryan Kuchova (Head of Customer Strategy and Operations at Jellyfish)
Learn how to maximize the value of benchmarks in this special podcast episode featuring Lauren Kelley’s SaaS Metrics Palooza ‘24 presentation.
In a new episode of SaaS Conversations, we explore benchmarking strategies that drive growth, profitability, and operational excellence. Lauren dives into the Rule of 40, critical efficiency metrics, and actionable steps SaaS leaders can take to uncover inefficiencies, align resources, and enhance EBITDA. The episode includes references to key data visuals from her presentation, available on-demand at https://www.opexengine.com/post/saas-conversations-podcast-benchmark-enabled-decision-making-at-saas-metrics-palooza-24.
Listen now to gain insights that can transform your operational strategy.
Speaker: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Moderator: Ray Rike (Benchmarkit)
How can SaaS companies drive operational excellence, maximize exit success, and create lasting value in today’s market?
In today’s conversation, we’re joined by Lauren Kelley, CEO of OPEXEngine, and Dania Shaheen Gutterson, General Manager at DealEdge and Senior Director of Private Equity at Bain & Company.
The experts discuss the Rule of 40, key efficiency metrics, and specific operational levers investors can use to drive value creation, addressing how successful SaaS companies optimize for both growth and profitability. As market conditions shift and the demand for efficiency intensifies, SaaS leaders are finding new ways to scale while remaining resilient.
Listen in to learn how top SaaS players are enhancing their operational playbooks and maintaining a competitive advantage in today’s challenging market.
You can download the accompanying white paper here: Driving Exit Success: Operational Excellence and Value Creation in SaaS Investments
Moderator: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company) Guest Speaker: Dania Shaheen Gutterson (General Manager at DealEdge and Senior Director of Private Equity at Bain & Company)
What are the key strategies that SaaS companies are using to fine-tune growth efficiency and cost management in a challenging market? In today's conversation, we dive into the strategies that SaaS companies are using to improve EBITDA margins in 2024.
Lauren Kelley – CEO and Founder of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company – breaks down how companies are navigating a slower-growth environment by tightening cost management, refining the balance between new customer acquisition and account management by using benchmarks to identify the greatest opportunities for improvement.
As the market remains uncertain and sales cycles have lengthened for many, top SaaS players are still finding ways to optimize resources while maintaining growth, profitability, and strong valuations.
Lauren shares actionable insights on how successful SaaS companies are staying competitive – from enhancing sales productivity to aligning R&D efforts with your GTM strategy and shifting customer demands.
What are the technology frameworks that investors are using to evaluate SaaS companies in 2024?
In today's conversation, we cover technology due diligence. Lauren and an expert consultant discuss how tech due diligence works, AI’s impact on R&D investments, and frameworks for understanding the quality, scalability, and sustainability of an asset that an investor is buying. Hear the latest on the tech frameworks that investors are using in 2024 to evaluate SaaS companies.
Moderator: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Guest Speaker: Hank Chen (Partner, Bain & Company)
In today’s conversation, we cover leadership and diversity in the tech space. Lauren answers a round of questions about the founding of OPEXEngine, her decision to pursue SaaS benchmarking, leadership, and diversity in SaaS.
Speaker: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
What’s the operational playbook when a SaaS company is preparing for an IPO?
In today’s conversation, Lauren speaks with two experts about key considerations and best practices before proceeding with an IPO. They discuss the common challenges faced, having standardized metrics and efficient systems in place, creating a unified company narrative, and setting up for success beyond. They also touch on key operational metrics, team alignment, and the cultural shift a company goes through when transitioning from private to public.
Moderator: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Guest Speakers: Jonathan Neitzell (Founder and Managing Partner at Anduril Partners) and Eric Mersch (Partner at FLG Partners)
Learn how to get the most value from benchmarks in this recording of Lauren’s presentation at SaaS Metrics Palooza ‘23.
In today’s conversation, Lauren discusses the importance of standardizing metrics, the changing dynamics of the SaaS, and the industry shift from growth at all costs to profitable growth. Throughout the presentation, Lauren references a set of infographics, which are available on our website via the on-demand video recording of her presentation: www.opexengine.com.
Speaker: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Moderator: Ray Rike (Benchmarkit)
Listen to an expert session about how benchmarking can help improve your go-to-market strategy.
In today’s conversation, Lauren is joined by a seasoned go-to-market operator. They discuss the importance of benchmarking KPIs in the SaaS sector and the benefits of benchmarking as an investor. They speak to benchmarking as a means of measuring growth and cost issues, aligning internal and external stakeholders, and inspiring investor confidence, as well as identifying opportunities for improvement in go-to-market strategies.
Moderator: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Guest Speaker: Kunal Mehta (Partner at Bain & Company)
An expert take on the significance of data quality, transparency, and operationalizing metrics to drive efficient growth.
In today’s conversation, we’ll cover metrics-based planning. Lauren and two experts discuss a range of key topics: how to measure the effectiveness of operations like sales and marketing, what investors are looking for, the key SaaS metrics to track, and how companies can operationalize these metrics to drive efficient growth. They also speak to this idea of keeping a “North Star” to guide decision-making and strategic thinking.
Moderator: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Guest Speakers: Alok Goel (CEO of Drivetrain) and Amit Sharma (Senior Finance Director at Whatfix)
Lauren Kelley – Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company – has her finger on the pulse of the SaaS industry. Over the past year, she has hosted finance leaders, technology experts, investors, operations professionals, and more for conversations about metrics, benchmarking, and the state of SaaS. In the inaugural episode of SaaS Conversations, we are looking back at some audio highlights from 2023.
Learn how to execute a planning process during times of organizational change.
In today’s conversation, Lauren speaks to two CFOs about the ever-changing landscape of SaaS finance, current operating plans, how to use benchmarking to reduce risk, and the latest on the role of AI in finance. The speakers discuss managing organizational change, balancing between evolving priorities, financial consistency, and go-to-market efficiency.
Moderator: Lauren Kelley (Founder and CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company)
Guest Speakers: Evan Meagher (CFO of CoreWeave) and Brian Weisberg ( CFO of Tidelift)
