Thoughts on software, AI, and company building, with occasional sneak peeks at P9’s kitchen table.

Summary (80–120 words): Victor Landau outlines five practices for scaling product in hyper‑growth: 1) Hire the first PM when PM:dev strain appears (~1:5–1:9); use a funnel—HR screen, 4‑part written assignment (feature, prioritization, org plan, self‑assessment), then interviews; expect 100+ screens. 2) Transition from founder‑led PM by acting as a GPM, owning key features and mentoring PMs; later promote a GPM or hire a VP Product. 3) Replace interrupts with async Slack Q&A and a separate Jira; enforce Inbox Zero, dedupe, severity triage, and backlog scoring with periodic top‑10% reviews. 4) Begin with a rolling 3‑month, growth‑reactive roadmap; later shift to a 12‑month strategy/resource allocation using a strategy–metric–tactic lock‑up and dev‑sprint budgets tied to ARR/dev. 5) Systematize comms: release notes, epics, showrooms, launch docs, and PMM. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): hiring first product manager, PM to dev ratio, transition from founder-led product, group product manager (GPM), VP Product hiring, customer feedback triage, Slack Q&A channel, Jira backlog management, backlog prioritization scoring model, rolling 3-month roadmap, 12-month strategy roadmap, strategy-metric-tactic lock-up, growth-driven resource allocation, ARR per developer, bug severity classification, product release notes, product showroom demos, product marketing partnership, self-serve/enterprise readiness, activation and retention

Summary (80–120 words): The post outlines investor expectations for B2B marketplaces across Seed, Series A, and Series B. It benchmarks round sizes and pre-money valuations (Seed: $1–4m at $4–12m; A: $7–12m at $20–50m; B: $20–50m at $90–300m) and highlights team needs (domain expertise, technical leadership, hiring experienced VPs). It prescribes market traits (fragmented/opaque, high-friction workflows, $1bn+ addressable revenue) and layering monetization via payments, logistics, and data (e.g., LeafLink trade credit), noting exceptions like cargo.one. Growth targets: Seed 10–50% MoM GMV/revenue; A: 2–3x YoY and ~$1m+ ARR; B: 1.5–3x YoY and ~$5m+ revenue or $25–50m GMV at 10–25% take. Emphasis on improving liquidity, net revenue retention, share of wallet, scalable acquisition, and CAC payback (~12 months; 18-month contribution margin ≥ 2× CAC). Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): B2B marketplace funding benchmarks, seed round size B2B marketplace, pre-money valuation benchmarks, Series A metrics marketplace, Series B metrics marketplace, GMV growth, gross merchandise value growth, take rate, commission rate, net revenue retention, net dollar retention, share of wallet, marketplace liquidity, order fill rate, unit economics, contribution margin, CAC payback, customer acquisition cost payback period, two-sided marketplace network effects, embedded payments, trade credit, logistics and data monetization, European vs US startup valuations, Point Nine Capital funding napkin, LeafLink trade credit, cargo.one air freight marketplace

Summary (80–120 words): The post argues that mainstream video conferencing (notably Zoom) proved indispensable during the pandemic but is ill-suited for certain formats, such as virtual networking dinners, prompting a wave of specialized tools. It cites emerging products tailored to contexts—Toucan for social gatherings, Butter for workshops, and Around for hybrid events—and posits that the next generation must prioritize better user experience. Against this backdrop, it introduces Whereby as a browser-native, no-download, link-based meeting tool designed to reduce friction and improve meeting quality. It briefly notes Point Nine’s investment and the leadership of Øyvind Reed (CEO) and Ingrid Ødegaard (co-founder/CPO), framing the bet on usability and context-specific design in video collaboration. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): Zoom fatigue, Zoom alternatives, browser-based video conferencing, no-download video meetings, Whereby video meetings, link-based meeting rooms, WebRTC video calls, virtual networking dinners, online workshops tools, hybrid event platforms, video meeting UX, remote collaboration tools, SaaS video conferencing, Norway startup Whereby, Point Nine investment, Øyvind Reed, Ingrid Ødegaard, video collaboration software, meeting software usability, frictionless video meetings

Summary (80–120 words): Practical guidance for founders scaling hiring after Series A: diversify sourcing beyond LinkedIn by activating employees, PR, founder voice, and networks; avoid founder time drain by adding experienced recruiting capacity (interim or permanent), with realistic expectations of 3–6 weeks ramp and roughly 2–4 hires/month; audit recruiter quality and pipeline metrics with emphasis on candidate quality over volume; formalize a structured interview loop (motivational, skills/behavioral, work sample, culture add, people manager) plus references; set standards early (role rationale, success metrics, scorecards, compensation bands, interviewer responsibilities, decision ownership); embed DEI from the start; rigorously improve candidate experience; keep processes authentic; use small, high-impact touches (video updates, team emails, handwritten notes); founders must role model hiring behaviors. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): Series A hiring, post-Series A recruiting, startup talent acquisition, scaling hiring strategy, recruiting operations, structured interviews, behavioral interviewing, work sample assessment, hiring scorecards, recruiter ramp-up time, recruiter productivity, candidate experience, DEI in hiring, hiring manager alignment, ATS and pipeline metrics, employer branding for startups, interim recruiter, founder role modeling

Summary (80–120 words): Hiring a VP Marketing between Series A and B is critical and often mishired. The post advises anchoring the role in either demand generation or product marketing rather than seeking a generalist across brand, PR, SEO, content, and PLG; consider hiring two “Heads” instead of a unicorn and avoid CMOs at seed stage. Evaluate candidates for proven MQL ownership and growth, analytical rigor, martech fluency, conversion optimization ideas, and resourcefulness. Interviews should probe brand research, KPIs, campaigns, steering KPIs, attribution models, and channel depth, insisting on concrete examples over theory. After 3–6 months, assess strictly on results and act decisively if impact is insufficient. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): VP Marketing hiring, B2B startup marketing leadership, demand generation vs product marketing, hiring Head of Demand Generation, hiring Head of Product Marketing, CMO vs VP Marketing (seed stage), Series A marketing hire, MQL targets and pipeline growth, marketing attribution models, steering KPIs, martech stack evaluation, conversion rate optimization (CRO), product-led growth (PLG), account-based marketing (ABM), pricing and packaging strategy, interview questions for marketing leaders, evaluating marketing candidates, lead nurturing and qualification, early-stage SaaS hiring

Summary (80–120 words): The piece distills three computer vision trends: (1) Earth observation shifting from weather-dependent electro‑optical imagery to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), enabling reliable day/night, all‑weather imaging and new use cases as resolution improves; notable operators include Capella Space, Synspective, and ICEYE. (2) Favoring camera/scenery‑specific models over generalized ones in fixed‑view contexts (e.g., traffic intersections, constrained drone delivery), with the key requirement being a scalable pipeline to fine‑tune per‑camera models in days and automate labeling-to-deployment. (3) Applying CV to “old” industries (agriculture, health and safety compliance), where success hinges on pairing ML expertise with deep domain knowledge; examples include Intenseye, Connecterra, and Intellinair. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): synthetic aperture radar, SAR imagery, radar satellite imaging, all‑weather earth observation, remote sensing computer vision, Capella Space, ICEYE, Synspective, electro‑optical vs SAR, per‑camera model fine‑tuning, camera‑specific overfitting, fixed‑camera computer vision, traffic analytics CV, drone delivery vision, data annotation platform, model deployment pipeline, industrial safety computer vision, agritech computer vision, crop monitoring AI, SuperAnnotate

Summary (80–120 words): The episode analyzes how Point Nine partner Ricardo Sequerra Amram evaluates pre–v1.1 B2B SaaS products for seed investment. He prioritizes evidence of a specific, acute market need and probes founder decision-making via a live product walkthrough: why certain features shipped first, what trade-offs were made, and how these choices reflect accumulated industry insight. The conversation outlines attributes of a “backable prototype,” signals of founder–market fit, and Point Nine’s due-diligence “magical moment” when product rationale becomes explicit. Context includes Point Nine’s pattern recognition from investments such as Delivery Hero, Zendesk, Typeform, Clio, and Vend, and the “SaaS Napkin” as a heuristic for early fundraising expectations. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): early-stage B2B SaaS investing, Point Nine Capital, Ricardo Sequerra Amram, Seedcamp Podcast, backable prototype, pre-v1.1 product, MVP prioritization, founder–market fit, B2B SaaS due diligence, product walkthrough diligence, feature trade-offs, European B2B venture capital, SaaS Napkin, seed-stage metrics, pre-seed VC, enterprise SaaS, identifying customer pain, pattern recognition in VC, rough prototype evaluation, diamond in the rough startups

Summary (80–120 words): The post outlines nine practical steps for building a seed-stage talent acquisition capability aimed at reaching Series A milestones. It recommends planning hires from target outcomes backward, hiring a (possibly part-time) Talent Acquisition Manager once 4+ roles are open, and writing clear, outcomes-based job descriptions. It advises benchmarking “high bar” expectations via expert conversations, adopting an ATS for efficiency, and structuring interviews around three questions: Can they do the job, Will they do the job, Do we want them to do the job—using brief skills tests and value-based prompts. It stresses rigorous references (“Would you hire again?”), continuous candidate closing tactics, and disciplined compensation: market benchmarking, remote pay policy, simple OTE for sales, and early leveling/bands to avoid “human capital debt.” Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): talent acquisition function, startup recruiting, seed to Series A hiring, hiring plan, applicant tracking system (ATS), recruitment process design, candidate assessment scorecard, structured interviews, reference checks, closing candidates, compensation benchmarking, remote pay policy, sales OTE plans, job leveling and bands, in-house recruiter vs agency, talent sourcing strategies, product manager hiring, early-stage hiring best practices, people operations for startups, human capital debt

Summary (80–120 words): Point Nine Capital outlines why it co-led CloudTalk’s €7.3m Series A. Despite broad cloud adoption, about 70% of contact centers still run on legacy on‑premise systems within a ~$50B market; the pandemic accelerated cloud migration. CloudTalk offers cloud call center software with automatic call routing, call transcription, and integrations with major CRMs and help desks. A key differentiator is owning its telephony infrastructure rather than relying on third parties, enabling tighter control over call quality. The investment thesis cites a large under-penetrated category, a strong product built with limited capital, 25x customer growth since 2019 (e.g., Glovo, OYO, Fujitsu, DHL, Mercedes‑Benz), and founders Martin and Viktor’s 12‑year partnership. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): call center software, contact center software, cloud call center, contact center as a service (CCaaS), cloud telephony, VoIP phone system, automatic call routing, automatic call distribution (ACD), call transcription, speech-to-text for calls, CRM integration for call centers, help desk integration, on‑premise to cloud migration, remote contact center (work‑from‑home agents), call quality management (QoS), SIP trunking, PSTN connectivity, legacy PBX replacement, CloudTalk, Talkdesk, Aircall, Series A funding, venture capital SaaS, Point Nine Capital, HenQ

Summary (80–120 words): Article explains why Point Nine invested in Intenseye, an applied AI computer-vision platform that uses existing IP cameras in industrial facilities to monitor EHS compliance and hazards, send real-time alerts, and generate analytics on infringements and KPIs. It frames manual inspections as inadequate given factory complexity and cites 2.8M annual U.S. injuries costing $171B and ~2,100 OSHA inspectors for 130M workers. During COVID-19, Intenseye added social distancing, temperature, and mask detection. The post positions Intenseye as a new category with proprietary real-world datasets, a “turn it on and see everything” dynamic (akin to Darktrace), and founders with Sony manufacturing experience; early traction includes deployments across 30 cities and Fortune 500 sites. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): EHS software, HSE software, workplace safety AI, computer vision safety, industrial safety compliance, OSHA compliance monitoring, video analytics for safety, IP camera analytics, PPE detection, hard hat detection, social distancing monitoring, mask detection, near-miss detection, incident analytics, safety KPI tracking, factory floor monitoring, Industry 4.0 safety, occupational safety automation, predictive safety analytics, real-time safety alerts

Summary (80–120 words): Christoph Janz of Point Nine Capital presents the “SaaS Funding Napkin,” a stage-by-stage view of what it takes to raise pre-seed through Series C, based on yearly surveys and market data. He outlines how metrics evolved from 2016 to 2021, shifting focus from MRR to ARR, and gives benchmark ranges for round size, valuation, and ARR (e.g., Series A ARR ≈ $0.5–$4M; Series B ARR ≈ $3.5–$12M), with bigger checks and higher expectations across the board. Investor focus varies by stage: founder–problem fit (pre-seed), early PMF signals via happy users (seed), team and product velocity (A), and increasingly quantitative proof (B/C). Top decile companies can break stage norms. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): SaaS funding napkin, SaaS fundraising benchmarks, pre-seed metrics SaaS, seed round valuation SaaS, Series A readiness SaaS, Series B ARR benchmarks, SaaS ARR thresholds, SaaS round size ranges, product-market fit signals, Point Nine Capital fundraising, Christoph Janz metrics, SaaStr fundraising talk, venture capital for SaaS, SaaS valuation ranges by stage, SaaS growth metrics for investors, ARR vs MRR benchmarks, raising Series A in SaaS, SaaS investor expectations

Summary (80–120 words): Explains what Sales Operations entails and why early-stage B2B founders should formalize it. Defines three pillars: Strategy, Planning & Analytics (quota, comp, forecasting, pipeline, territory/capacity), Sales Systems & Tools (CRM selection/implementation, integrations, data/reporting), and Operations & Enablement (process communication, collateral, quote-to-cash, discount approvals, data hygiene). Argues to hire once ~3+ reps and scaling, to shift reps to selling and managers to coaching, and avoid operational debt. Profiles the first hire: analytical Excel/data mastery, tech-savvy with CRMs, sales-environment experience, project management, structured yet flexible; suggests part-time start and adjacent titles when sourcing. Success signals: higher sales velocity, tool/process adoption, clean reporting, forecast visibility. Includes a template JD link. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): sales operations, sales ops, SOPs, revenue operations, RevOps, B2B SaaS sales operations, early-stage sales ops, sales enablement, CRM implementation, Salesforce administration, sales process design, quota and compensation planning, territory and capacity planning, pipeline analysis and forecasting, quote-to-cash process, discount approval workflow, sales tech stack, sales analytics, go-to-market operations, hiring sales ops

Summary (80–120 words): Point Nine explains its investment in Soda, a platform for monitoring and ensuring data quality for enterprise “data products.” The post situates Soda within a historical pattern where each evolution of the IT stack creates category-defining observability companies (e.g., Splunk, New Relic, Datadog). As enterprises automate decisions with data, monitoring reliability becomes critical; a car-pricing example shows how bad inputs can damage P&L. The piece highlights the emergence of the “data steward” role, who performs data quality checks, and positions Soda as a collaboration layer for technical and non-technical stakeholders. It notes Soda’s €11.5M Series A (led by Singular) and prior seed backing by Point Nine, Hummingbird, and Data Community Fund. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): data observability, data quality monitoring, data reliability engineering, data products, enterprise data monitoring, data pipeline monitoring, data validation checks, data stewardship, data governance, data incident management, data SLAs, data contracts, data freshness and completeness, schema drift detection, modern data stack monitoring, Head of Data and Analytics, Soda (Soda.io), Collibra, Datadog for data, Soda Series A funding

Summary (80–120 words): Christoph Janz evaluates how persistent and predictable SaaS growth is by testing ScaleVP’s “Mendoza Line” heuristic that annual growth is ~80–85% of the prior year. Using 218 growth pairs from 75 public SaaS companies and 96 pairs from 29 Point Nine portfolio companies, he finds moderate correlations (0.54 public; 0.49 early) and median persistence of 89% (public) and 75% (early), with wide dispersion. Over one-third of observations show re-acceleration, challenging a universal decay rule. The heuristic helps late-stage forecasting (e.g., estimating paths to $100M ARR and IPO readiness), but variability is high, especially at $1–20M ARR; teams should analyze causes of slowdown and levers to reignite growth. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): SaaS growth persistence, growth decay in SaaS, Mendoza Line for SaaS, ARR growth predictability, SaaS forecasting model, ARR to $100M projection, IPO readiness metrics SaaS, escape velocity growth SaaS, growth re-acceleration, early-stage SaaS metrics, public SaaS benchmarks, Scale Venture Partners analysis, T2D3 growth pattern, year-over-year ARR growth, linear regression of growth rates, growth persistence 80 percent, SaaS growth heuristic, Point Nine analysis

Summary (80–120 words): The article decomposes B2B marketplaces into four functions: supplier curation, transaction orchestration, fulfillment support, and value-added services. Curation covers credentialing, catalog normalization/search, and leveraging aggregated demand for pricing. Transaction orchestration includes matchmaking/price discovery models (double commit, buyer-pick, marketplace-picks), payments with invoice/net terms and credit risk management, and admin via ERP integration and consolidated invoicing. Fulfillment adds logistics/returns, after-sales guarantees and returns, and dispute resolution via escrow and credit insurance. Value-added services span data/analytics (attribution, price indices) and industry-specific workflow tools (SaaS-enabled) to capture complex B2B flows. Examples include Metalshub, Rekki, ManoMano, Shippo, Laserhub, Faire, Ankorstore, Privateaser, AdQuick, JOOR, Hectare, Lantum. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): B2B marketplace stack, SaaS-enabled marketplace, supplier credentialing, vendor vetting, product catalog normalization, taxonomy and search, demand aggregation, group purchasing (GPO), price discovery models, RFQ and RFP workflows, managed marketplace matchmaking, net terms and trade credit, invoice financing and factoring, credit insurance and collections, ERP integration for suppliers, fulfillment logistics and returns, escrow and dispute resolution, marketplace data and analytics, embedded workflow tools, B2B wholesale marketplace

Summary (80–120 words): The post presents a five-part methodology for B2B SaaS sales forecasting and pipeline reviews. It argues forecasting matters for operational alignment and investor confidence via CAC payback and unit economics. The method: (1) enforce a CRM-driven sales system and measure activity KPIs to build operational excellence; (2) manage top-of-funnel with explicit SDR commitments (sequences, discovery, demos) to predict outputs; (3) define strict stages, monitor cohort flow, and move stalled deals to closed-lost to shorten cycles; (4) use a taxonomy—closed won, commit, in-play, upside—where forecast = closed won + commit + upside, best case adds all in-play, and exclude atypical “swing” deals; (5) treat reviews as audits to surface coachable moments and drive peer coaching. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): sales forecasting, pipeline reviews, CRM hygiene, operational excellence in sales, top-of-funnel (ToFU) metrics, SDR KPIs, sales stages and definitions, stage conversion rates, deal hygiene, closed-lost discipline, sales cycle time reduction, pipeline throughput, quota attainment, upside vs commit forecast, best case forecast, revenue predictability, cohort flow analysis, CAC payback and unit economics

Summary (80–120 words): The post announces Point Nine’s 2020 update of the SaaS Funding Napkin and requests input from founders and investors to build a broader dataset on what it takes to raise capital in SaaS. It explains the evolution of the methodology: early editions were based on Point Nine’s observations and limited investor feedback; 2018–2019 used a wider Typeform survey to strengthen the data. For 2020, the goal is to extend beyond their network to capture a more comprehensive market view. The post provides an alternative Typeform link due to a beta mode issue and references prior napkins (2016–2019) and related variants (AI-first, Marketplace). Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): SaaS funding napkin, raising capital in SaaS, SaaS fundraising benchmarks, Series A metrics SaaS, seed stage SaaS metrics, ARR thresholds for fundraising, growth rate benchmarks SaaS, retention and churn benchmarks, CAC payback SaaS, venture capital criteria SaaS, startup financing requirements, B2B SaaS fundraising, investor survey SaaS, Point Nine Capital napkin, Christoph Janz SaaS, 2020 SaaS benchmarks, AI-first SaaS funding napkin, marketplace funding napkin

Summary (80–120 words): The post analyzes how to structure employee equity plans under tax and governance constraints, favoring options or virtual shares to avoid “dry income” and noting US/UK specifics (ISOs, EMIs), early exercise, 83(b)/Section 431 elections, and 409A valuations. It outlines core commercial terms: exercise price to reflect pre-grant value; standard 48-month vesting with a 12-month cliff; and exit acceleration (single- vs double-trigger). For leavers, it argues against “negative vesting,” questions company fair-market-value buybacks, and highlights post-termination exercise windows with a trend to lengthen them (sometimes to ~7 years). On leaver status, it supports forfeiture for cause or enforceable non-compete breaches, but treats voluntary resignations as good leavers: vested is earned, unvested is not, with deviations only in extreme cases. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): employee incentive schemes, employee share option plan (ESOP), employee stock options, vesting schedule, 4-year vesting, 1-year cliff, single-trigger acceleration, double-trigger acceleration, leaver provisions, good leaver, bad leaver, post-termination exercise window (PTE), early exercise, virtual shares, fair market value repurchase, non-compete breach, 83(b) election, ISO stock options, EMI options, 409A valuation

Summary (80–120 words): The post explains pro-rata rights as shareholders’ ability to invest in new rounds to maintain ownership, outlines how dilution works, and notes ESOP top-ups aren’t typically covered. It identifies two friction points: (1) middling companies where founders want existing investors to participate to avoid negative signaling (Point Nine’s “Series A pledge” addresses this), and (2) hot rounds where new investors’ ownership targets and founders’ dilution caps squeeze existing investors, leading to requests to waive pro-rata and creating adverse selection and fairness issues. The proposed compromise is a “decay” model: full pro-rata in the next round after initial investment, then 50%, 25%, etc., to balance predictability, investor protection, and allocation flexibility despite practical challenges. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): pro rata rights, pro-rata participation, preemptive rights, pre-emption rights, follow-on rights, follow-on investing, dilution math, cap table dilution, ESOP expansion dilution, round allocation, ownership targets, negative signaling, pro-rata waiver, investor reserves, term sheet pro-rata clause, decaying pro-rata rights, half-life pro-rata, late-stage financing allocation, Series A pledge, venture capital pro rata

Summary (80–120 words): Explains methods to estimate LTV for subscription businesses and when each breaks. Starts with LTV = gross profit / churn (customer or revenue), warns to use gross profit, avoid mixing monthly and annual churn, and segment by ACV. Shows limits with negative revenue churn and non-linear/early-skewed churn; models negative churn as positive customer churn plus expansion on original contract and discounts future cash flows. For steep initial drop-off, suggests redefining customers to survivors, adjusting CAC. Recommends cohort-based NPV of revenue retention as most robust. Illustrates with Fit.ly (consumer, simple formula underestimates), Cario (SMB, simple ≈ cohort), and Acmentir (enterprise, negative churn breaks simple; cohort yields realistic LTV). Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): SaaS LTV calculation, customer lifetime value, CLTV, churn rate, revenue churn, negative churn, gross profit margin, ARPA, ASP, ACV, net revenue retention, NRR, cohort analysis, cohort-based LTV, discounted cash flow, DCF, net present value, NPV, CAC to LTV ratio, annual vs monthly churn, retention curve, smiling cohort chart, expansion revenue, customer segmentation

Summary (80–120 words): Defines share of wallet as the percent of a buyer’s category spend (or a supplier’s earnings) captured by a marketplace and explains why it drives pricing power and retention. Measurement: profile typical spend/earnings (reports, onboarding, surveys, shadowing, integrated tools), compute SOW per user, then aggregate, cohort, and segmented views to remove skew. Focus on the constrained side (often supply). Measure serviceable available SOW within current scope; monitor total available SOW for expansion. Proxies: unique buyer–supplier pairings, orders per user, net revenue retention, and supply utilization. Benchmarks vary: SMB contexts can reach 80–100% SOW; with large enterprises, 5–10% at department/subcategory level may suffice. Examples: cargo.one, Material Bank, Preply. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): share of wallet, wallet share, SOW, share of earnings, supplier share of wallet, buyer share of wallet, marketplace SOW measurement, cohort analysis for marketplaces, GMV cohort analysis, net revenue retention (NRR), utilization rate (supply utilization), supply-constrained marketplace, demand-constrained marketplace, buyer-supplier pairings, active user segmentation, serviceable available share of wallet (SASOW), total available share of wallet (TASOW), category spend capture, marketplace retention and expansion, marketplace liquidity

Summary (80–120 words): An interview explores AMMP’s SaaS platform for operating decentralized renewable energy fleets, providing hardware‑agnostic, portfolio‑level monitoring and control. It shows how software enables hybrid PV‑battery‑diesel systems, rural mini‑grids, and urban backup power to displace diesel via remote O&M and mobile money. Point Nine invested after tracking traction, citing rapid market growth, low electrification, and economics (in some cases grid power reportedly 10× cost, making distributed renewables competitive). AMMP’s markets include Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Chad, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, with South Africa in view; co‑investors include Raba Partnership and Musha Ventures. Fundraising lessons emphasize persistence, investor–founder fit, regular updates, and team quality. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): AMMP Technologies, distributed energy Africa, decentralized renewable energy, decentralised renewable energy, mini-grid operations platform, hybrid solar battery diesel, remote monitoring and control, SCADA for solar and storage, energy asset management SaaS, hardware-agnostic IoT telemetry, C&I solar backup power, Nigeria mini-grids, energy digitization, energy digitalisation, SDG7 universal electrification, Point Nine seed funding, venture capital for energy SaaS, Raba Partnership, Musha Ventures, mobile money energy payments

Summary (80–120 words): Post distills interviews with 20+ B2B marketplaces into three success imperatives: shift professional buyer behavior, handle B2B trade complexity, and prevent platform bypass. Tactics include facilitating existing buyer–supplier relationships (e.g., Faire waived fees to onboard known suppliers), starting with surplus/excess demand to wedge in (Graindex), and targeting sectors with intermediaries or buyer information gaps (metals/chemicals). To tame complexity, map workflows, ship SaaS that makes transacting far easier (Rekki’s chat-like ordering; cargo.one’s simplified booking), and use a managed marketplace model for logistics/vetting. To reduce leakage, price below brokers or mix take rate with SaaS, and add services like insurance/credit (Hokodo), faster payouts, data, and logistics. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): B2B marketplace strategy, business-to-business marketplaces, wholesale marketplace, buyer behavior change, supplier onboarding, managed marketplace, platform leakage, platform bypass, disintermediation, take rate, workflow SaaS, embedded trade finance, trade credit, logistics integration, industrial marketplaces, Faire wholesale, cargo.one, Rekki, Graindex, Hokodo

Summary (80–120 words): The post outlines why and how Point Nine (P9) is launching a week‑long, fully virtual P9 Family Summit to scale portfolio learnings and networking after COVID-19. Drawing on past community efforts (SaaS Founder Summit since 2012, CTO meetups, Café Hours, European tour) and 24 portfolio-only virtual sessions (sales roundtables, Friday finance, crisis AMAs), P9 argues that virtual events must compensate for the lost “cocktail effect.” The plan: afternoons only, one theme per day; short keynotes with Q&A; expert‑led roundtables; 15‑minute 1:1 office hours; and topic-based networking rooms with dedicated time to foster serendipitous discussions. Limited external founder slots are available, with priority for diverse and underrepresented communities. Search Terms & Synonyms (10–20 total): P9 Family Virtual Summit, Point Nine Capital, virtual summit, online founder conference, startup community building, B2B SaaS and marketplaces, venture capital events, interactive webinars, expert-led roundtables, keynote plus Q&A, virtual office hours, topic-based networking rooms, “cocktail effect” in virtual events, event design for engagement, COVID-19 event pivot, diversity and underrepresented founders