Podcast
#AskAVC with Ryan Floyd
Hosted by Ryan Floyd · EN
Ryan Floyd is a venture capitalist with 25+ years of experience and a penchant for B2B SaaS startups. Ryan co-founded the firm Storm Ventures, and his investments were acquired by companies like Microsoft and Nvidia. Through sharing his own wisdom - and interviewing enterprise industry leaders - Ryan helps startup founders unlock massive growth for their businesses. From sales efficiency to cold emailing investors to surviving as a first-time founder, no topic is left uncovered. New episodes are published bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
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Episodes
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Transforming Customer Success: From Defense to Offense with Mark Stephenson
Feb 10, 202500:33:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode of 'Ask a VC', Storm Ventures Managing Director Ryan Floyd and Go-to-Market Consultant Mark Stephenson discuss the pivotal role of customer success in B2B SaaS companies. They delve into the critical importance of transitioning customer success strategies from a defensive to an offensive mindset, emphasizing the importance of net dollar retention (NDR), and the need for a mentality shift within organizations. Topics covered include the significance of Net Dollar Retention (NDR), aligning customer success with revenue goals, and the value of expanding customer relationships post-sale. The conversation highlights best practices for driving growth and retaining customers, ensuring long-term success in the competitive SaaS market.00:00 Introduction00:51 The Importance of Customer Success02:11 Revenue and Customer Success04:14 Net Dollar Retention (NDR) and Metrics05:42 Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Expansion08:18 Sales and Customer Success Alignment12:09 Customer Success Quotas and Roles21:46 Onboarding and Achieving Value One06:57 Aligning Marketing and Sales with Customer Success27:18 Best Practices and Final ThoughtsMake sure to also:- Follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanFloyd for more content on building SaaS B2B startups, venture capital, and entrepreneurship in general- Subscribe to Ryan’s blog at https://ryanfloyd.org, where he talks about why he invests in certain companies and broader tech industry issues- Connect with Mark on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstephenson-consultant/- Check out the #AskAVC podcast based on this channel - https://anchor.fm/ask-a-vcAbout Ryan Floyd:Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures, where he invests in, and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He's written for TechCrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and regularly contributes to The UK Newspaper. He's the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode, he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as pitching to an investor and tackling sales churn. When he's not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally, he finds time for surfing!About Mark Stephenson:Mark has over 30 years of solution sales GTM leadership experience with high-growth venture backed Series A through E SaaS modern software disruptors such as Evisort, Avi Networks as well as large matrix sales organizations such as HP and Cisco. Mark started sales at Xerox. Over the years as a strategic go-to-market executive, he has developed a four-pronged growth approach to drive consistent exceptional results delivering above quota performance in 24 of 27 operating years. Mark loves building teams that work well together and has a proven ability to lead direct and indirect sales teams at the 3rd and 4th line level as well as Marketing and Customer Success Orgs. He is a high-energy, cross-functional business partner known as a creative thinker with a method for aligning GTM with the business, who has a passion for finding and developing talent, and building repeatable customer engagement and growth process that leverages the team for impact. Great results come from great teams -- Mark can help you hire great GTM team members, put them to work on the right things to scale results.
Transcribe →An Insider’s Take on Hiring Your First VP of Sales
Oct 17, 202400:45:38Tap to summarizeStorm Ventures Managing Director Ryan Floyd and Go-to-Market Consultant Mark Stephenson discuss how early-stage companies can hire the right VP of Sales using a few essential strategies. #b2bsaas #venturecapital #hiring #salesexecutive #gotomarket Here's what's covered: 0:00 Intros: Ryan & Mark 1:13 Hiring the Right VP of Sales 2:58 Preparing with a Strategic Plan 4:55 Importance of Defining the Spec (Functional Experience, Domain Experience, and Customer Experience) 6:00 Functional Experience 8:02 Domain Experience 10:39 Customer Experience 11:34 Should Be Stage-Appropriate for the Company 12:34 Hypothetical Situation — Business with $1m ARR 14:25 The Interview Process 21:39 Questions to Ask the Candidate 23:06 Sales is a Systematic Process 25:18 Set Objective Criteria — How to See Green, Yellow, and Red Flags 27:13 How Important is Culture? 33:23 What About Diversity? 37:15 Three Es for Top Sales Hires (Ego, Empathy, Energy) 38:57 Take Your Time to Hire Well 40:08 Importance of References 44:55 Thanks! Make sure to also: Follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanFloyd for more content on building SaaS B2B startups, venture capital, and entrepreneurship in general Subscribe to Ryan’s blog at https://ryanfloyd.org, where he talks about why he invests in certain companies and broader tech industry issues Connect with Ajay on LinkedIn / ajayawatramani Check out the #AskAVC podcast based on this channel - https://anchor.fm/ask-a-vc About Ryan Floyd: Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures, where he invests in, and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He's written for TechCrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and regularly contributes to The UK Newspaper. He's the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode, he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as pitching to an investor and tackling sales churn. When he's not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally, he finds time for surfing! About Mark Stephenson: Mark has over 30 years of solution sales GTM leadership experience with high-growth venture backed Series A through E SaaS modern software disruptors such as Evisort, Avi Networks as well as large matrix sales organizations such as HP and Cisco. Mark started sales at Xerox. Over the years as a strategic go-to-market executive, he has developed a four-pronged growth approach to drive consistent exceptional results delivering above quota performance in 24 of 27 operating years. Mark loves building teams that work well together and has a proven ability to lead direct and indirect sales teams at the 3rd and 4th line level as well as Marketing and Customer Success Orgs. He is a high-energy, cross-functional business partner known as a creative thinker with a method for aligning GTM with the business, who has a passion for finding and developing talent, and building repeatable customer engagement and growth process that leverages the team for impact. Great results come from great teams -- Mark can help you hire great GTM team members, put them to work on the right things to scale results.
Transcribe →AI & B2B SaaS: Worth the Hype? - Ask a VC #38
Apr 6, 202300:23:21Tap to summarizeWill every SaaS company become an AI company? Will AI unlock guaranteed ROI? Is the promise of AI real and what’s the hype anyway? Storm Ventures Managing Director Ryan Floyd and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Ajay Awatramani answer these questions and more in the latest episode of Ask A VC! #b2bsaas #AI #venturecapital Make sure to also: - Follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanFloyd for more content on building SaaS B2B startups, venture capital, and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to Ryan’s blog, where he talks about why he invests in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Connect with Ryan & Ajay on LinkedIn - Find prior Ask a VC podcast episodes to listen to! About Ryan Floyd: Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures, where he invests in, and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He's written for TechCrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and regularly contributes to The UK Newspaper. He's the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode, he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as pitching to an investor and tackling sales churn. When he's not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally, he finds time for surfing! About Ajay Awatramani: ✔ 23 years of growth leadership experience at Adobe, Marketo, Siebel, Oracle and Sun. And transformation experience at Cornerstone. Venture capital and Private equity deal and industry advisorship. Board role at 150M+ portco. 4+ buy-side and 3+ sell-side txns experience. ✔ Accelerated Marketo growth under public, Vista and Adobe ownership through enterprise transformation incl. platform retrofit for scale, multi-product evolution and TAM expansion into ABX. The 3B$ equity value creation in 2.5 years is the largest exit for Vista in 18 years of existence. Co-led acquisition of Bizible, and integrated Toutapp. ✔ Expanded the TAM at Cornerstone beyond mandatory training/certifications/compliance into a Talent Experience Platform. Created value through platform transformation, operational excellence and add-on acquisition of Edcast (strategic) and SumTotal (EBITDA). Added content business responsibility in '22. ✔ Build a business around Hyperion apps for Sales within Oracle ✔ Founding member of industry's #1 Field Service Automation enterprise solution at Siebel
Transcribe →Remote Work: Is it a Revolution? - ep. #35
Jan 13, 202300:14:50Tap to summarizeRemote work is here to stay. But it’s not what you think. Storm Ventures’ managing director Ryan Floyd reflects upon the new way people work and what that means for founders and investors going forward. Make sure to also: - Follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanFloyd for more content on building SaaS B2B startups, venture capital, and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to Ryan’s blog at https://ryanfloyd.org, where he talks about why he invests in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out his #AskAVC podcast based on this channel - https://anchor.fm/ask-a-vc About Ryan Floyd: Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures, where he invests in, and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He's written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and regularly contributes to The UK Newspaper. He's the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode, he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as pitching to an investor and tackling sales churn. When he's not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally, he finds time for surfing!
Transcribe →Startup Funding: How Venture Investors Make Decisions - ep. #34
Jul 8, 202200:30:22Tap to summarizeThe venture capital world is notoriously elusive - even for the founders seeking investments. But the process isn't intended to be secretive. Venture Capital investor Ryan Floyd and fellow partner at Storm Ventures, Pascale Diaine take you behind the scenes, revealing their firm's process step-by-step. Find out what happens after your initial pitch, what to note when talking to different VC firms, and the importance of culture & aligned values. Ryan and Pascale will leave you ready, confident and ready to impress at your next investment meeting. Make sure to also: - Follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/RyanFloyd) for a lot more content on building SaaS B2B startups, as well as venture capital and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to my blog at http://ryanfloyd.org/, where I talk about why I invest in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out my #AskAVC podcast based on this channel (https://anchor.fm/ask-a-vc) About Ryan Floyd Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures where he invests in, and works with, early stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He’s written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and is a regular contributor to The UK Newspaper. He’s host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as how to pitch to an investor and how to combat sales churn. When he’s not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally he finds time for surfing!
Transcribe →
Navigating Uncertain Times in SaaS - ep. #33
Jun 6, 202200:16:41Tap to summarizeThe only certainty in business is uncertainty! No founder or investor could have predicted events like the Covid-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine - both of which had profound effects on the economy, and therefore SaaS and the venture capital investment trends. But there are ways that startups can prepare for unforeseen ups and downs. Venture Capital investor Ryan Floyd shares his advice on how SaaS starutps specifically can plan for, adapt to and thrive in times of economic uncertainty. Make sure to also: - Follow me on Twitter - for a lot more content on building SaaS B2B startups, as well as venture capital and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to my blog, where I talk about why I invest in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out my #AskAVC YouTube channel this podcast is based on About Ryan Floyd Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures, where he invests in, and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He's written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and regularly contributes to The UK Newspaper. He's the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode, he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as pitching to an investor and tackling sales churn. When he's not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally, he finds time for surfing!
Transcribe →Customer experience 101 - ep. #32
Feb 9, 202200:26:30Tap to summarizeNet dollar retention and customer experience are highly critical for the success of your SaaS business. I had a chance to connect recently with Gaby Moran, director of customer experience at Workato. Before her current role, Gaby spent quite a few years at Medallia, customer experience management software with a world-class NPS of 60+. Our conversation turned out to be a fantastic "customer experience 101" overview, with key terms defined; and many burning questions I get from entrepreneurs all the time - answered. How do you collect and use data to inform your customer experience function? How to account for possible bias in the customer feedback - both positive and negative? How to get started with customer experience as a SaaS startup founder? Listen to the episode to get the answers to all these questions - and more. Make sure to also: - Follow me on Twitter - for a lot more content on building SaaS B2B startups, as well as venture capital and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to my blog, where I talk about why I invest in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out my #AskAVC YouTube channel this podcast is based on About Ryan Floyd Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures, where he invests in, and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He's written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and regularly contributes to The UK Newspaper. He's the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode, he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as pitching to an investor and tackling sales churn. When he's not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally, he finds time for surfing!
Transcribe →Cybersecurity for a small business: latest threats - ep. #31
Oct 21, 202100:22:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I talk about the latest cybersecurity threats you should be aware of as a founder of a small business (what your startup essentially is). Alastair Paterson, Co-founder and CEO of a cybersecurity company Digital Shadows, joined me to answer your questions about the dark web and more. How has the global pandemic affected the cybersecurity landscape? How security threats can impact your success as a startup? What are the latest phishing techniques you should be aware of as a founder? Watch the video to get the answers to all these questions - and make sure you are better equipped to tackle the latest cybersecurity threats your business is facing. Make sure to also: - Follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/RyanFloyd) for a lot more content on building SaaS B2B startups, as well as venture capital and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to my blog at https://ryanfloyd.org/, where I talk about why I invest in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out my #AskAVC YouTube channel this podcast is based on About Ryan Floyd Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures where he invests in and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He’s written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and is a regular contributor to The UK Newspaper. He’s the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as how to pitch to an investor and how to combat sales churn. When he’s not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally he finds time for surfing!
Transcribe →How to master net dollar retention - ep. #30
Sep 23, 202100:15:35Tap to summarizeNet dollar retention (NDR) is critical to your SaaS startup's success. I talked quite a bit about churn in the early days of this channel. Mastering NDR is the next logical step you should consider as you continue to grow your startup. In this episode, I am sharing 4 tips that will help you take control of your net dollar retention metric - and take it to the next level: What is the difference between gross churn and net dollar retention? Can your startup have negative churn? What can you learn from Salesforce when it comes to NDR? Listen to the episode to get the answers to all these questions - and get the complete list of 4 tips that will surely help you master your net dollar retention. Make sure to also: - Follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/RyanFloyd) for a lot more content on building SaaS B2B startups, as well as venture capital and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to my blog at https://ryanfloyd.org/, where I talk about why I invest in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out my #AskAVC YouTube channel this podcast is based on About Ryan Floyd Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures where he invests in and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He’s written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and is a regular contributor to The UK Newspaper. He’s the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as how to pitch to an investor and how to combat sales churn. When he’s not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally he finds time for surfing!
Transcribe →Understanding diversity and inclusion - ep. #29
Sep 9, 202100:38:33Tap to summarizeIn the latest #AskAVC episode, we talk about understanding and the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity in startups. I am joined by Aubrey Blanche, Director of Equitable Design at Culture Amp, The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), and a startup investor and advisor. Aubrey is a recognized thought leader when it comes to building more equitable businesses - and our conversation is full of actionable insights that any startup founder can utilize right away. Why using the word "diversity" might be counter-effective? Why you as a startup founder should care about equity (and no, we are not talking about ownership)? How to go about creating an inclusive culture at your company? In the episode, we give answers to these questions - and much more. If you are ready to level up your understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity, and learn how you can apply it in your business today - tune in! Make sure to also: - Follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/RyanFloyd) for a lot more content on building SaaS B2B startups, as well as venture capital and entrepreneurship in general - Subscribe to my blog at https://ryanfloyd.org/, where I talk about why I invest in certain companies and broader tech industry issues - Check out my #AskAVC YouTube channel this podcast is based on About Ryan Floyd Ryan is a founding Managing Director of Storm Ventures where he invests in and works with, early-stage enterprise SaaS startups. His primary focus is applications and cloud infrastructure-related companies. He is always interested in hearing from passionate technology entrepreneurs. Ryan is a skilled writer and commentator on all things SaaS. He’s written for Techcrunch, Sifted, Thrive Global and is a regular contributor to The UK Newspaper. He’s the host of the recently launched #AskAVC YouTube channel aimed at enterprise entrepreneurs. In each episode he tackles a different issue relating to building and scaling B2B startups - topics such as how to pitch to an investor and how to combat sales churn. When he’s not working with his portfolio founders, Ryan is active with Code2040, a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. And occasionally he finds time for surfing!
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