Podcast
The SaaSiest Podcast
Hosted by Daniel Nackovski & Thomas Sjöberg · EN
Do you want to know what the secret sauce is of the most successful SaaS companies? This show follows founders and leaders of the most prominent European SaaS companies on their way to global success. Learn from their GoTo-Market strategies, how they scale, build winning teams and great products. If you are a SaaS founder or leader looking for tips and tricks from the best in class founders and companies then this is a show for you. Direct, informal and to-the-point discussions with a great level of hands-on advice for the listeners. The show is brought to you by two experienced SaaS professionals, Daniel Nackovski, and Thomas Sjöberg, founders of SaaSiest !
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
211. Massimo Arrigoni, CEO of Beefree - The SaaS Apocalypse? Massimo Arrigoni Says No
Apr 1700:56:10Summary readyIn this episode, we’re joined by Massimo Arrigoni, CEO of Beefree, the content creation platform behind thousands of SaaS products and one of the companies with a uniquely broad view of what’s actually happening across the software landscape. With customers embedding Beefree into products across industries, Massimo sees the SaaS market from the inside out. And his take is clear: SaaS is not dead. But parts of the model are being challenged, valuations are being reset, and AI is forcing every company to rethink where real value lives. This is a conversation about what is actually changing, what is not, and why the future likely belongs to companies that understand the difference. We spoke with Massimo about why people often mix up SaaS valuations, SaaS delivery, and SaaS business models when they talk about “the death of SaaS.” He explains why software sold to non-technical businesses is far less vulnerable than some people think, why “just build it yourself” is often a misleading argument, and why the real opportunity with AI is not replacing humans, but giving them back a better version of their jobs. Here are some of the key questions we address: Is SaaS actually dying, or are we just seeing a market correction? Why are people confusing valuation resets with a broken business model? What parts of SaaS are most exposed to change, and which parts remain highly defensible? Why is “companies will just build it themselves” often the wrong assumption? What do you learn about the future of software when your product is embedded in thousands of SaaS applications? How are SaaS companies actually approaching AI right now: innovating, reacting, or just sprinkling it on? What kinds of products and use cases are most likely to stay sticky in an AI-first world? Why should leaders think of AI as something that may take your job and give you back a better one? What happens to entry-level jobs, and what should the next generation prepare for? 🎧 Tune in to hear Massimo’s thoughtful and grounded take on the future of software: SaaS isn’t disappearing, but the rules are changing fast. The winners will be the companies that understand where the real headaches still are, where humans still matter, and where AI can genuinely create leverage instead of just noise.
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210. Jens Levin, Founder & CEO of Sitoo - No Overnight Success: 22 Years of Focus, Teamwork, and Playing the Long Game
Apr 100:50:04Summary readyIn this episode, we’re joined by Jens Levin, Founder & CEO of Sitoo, the retail SaaS platform powering in-store experiences for leading brands across the world. Today, Sitoo has 20M Euro in ARR, 40%+ growth, 300+ retailers, and deployments across 40+ countries. But this is not a story about overnight success. Jens shares the reality behind building a company over 22 years, including 10 years of work before finding the real breakthrough. It’s a conversation about longevity, resilience, and why SaaS is not a sprint, but a long-distance team sport where focus and trust increase your chances of success. We spoke with Jens about what changed when Sitoo found its “Holy Grail,” why saying no became more important than saying yes, and how the company evolved from founder-led hustle into a scalable global SaaS business. Here are some of the key questions we address: Why did it take 10 years for Sitoo to find true product-market fit? What changed when the company went all-in on one product and one focus area? Why does saying yes to everything keep you local, while focus helps you scale globally? How do you build a strong partner ecosystem without becoming a competitor? What happens when you scale from 3 people to 135+ employees? Why do so many SaaS companies hit a major shift around 80–100 employees? How do you move from founder-driven heroics to a scalable operating model? How do you keep motivation, culture, and momentum alive over two decades of building? 🎧 Tune in to hear Jens’ honest take on what it really takes to build something lasting: there is no overnight success, only years of iteration, the right people around you, and the discipline to stay focused long enough for the flywheel to start turning.
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209. Elena Verna, Growth at Lovable - How to Grow When Everyone Can Copy Your Product
Mar 2601:02:33Summary readyIn this episode, we’re joined by Elena Verna, growth expert and currently leading growth at Lovable, one of the fastest-growing companies in tech. Elena shares why the old growth playbooks are breaking down, what growth means in an AI-native world, and why companies can no longer rely on features alone as their competitive advantage. We talk about how growth has shifted from pure funnel optimization to trust, speed, and human connection. Elena breaks down the difference between growth loops and funnels, why Lovable products need to feel alive and constantly evolving, and what companies in crowded categories must do if they want to stay relevant when software is easier than ever to copy or rebuild. Here are some of the key questions we address: What does growth actually mean in an AI-native company like Lovable? Why are traditional growth playbooks becoming less effective in today’s market? Why can features no longer be your only competitive advantage? How should companies think about retention, expansion, and resurrecting users in this new environment? What can B2B SaaS companies in crowded categories do to become more lovable and trusted? Why does speed to market matter more than perfection right now? How do you build teams that can operate in a world where AI changes customer expectations every month? What does Elena look for when hiring people into a fast-moving AI company? 🎧 Tune in to hear Elena’s take on modern growth, why trust and humanity matter more than ever, and how companies can rethink distribution, retention, and defensibility in a world where software is no longer hard to build.
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208. Lisen Zethraeus, CMO at Stratsys - How to Make Your Experts the Face of Your Brand
Mar 1900:50:39Summary readyIn this episode, we’re joined by Lisen Zethraeus, CMO at Stratsys, to talk about how B2B SaaS companies can turn internal expertise into thought leadership that builds trust and creates demand. Stratsys has grown to 30M+ Euro in ARR, serves 600+ customers across and has built a strong position in areas like compliance, risk management, ESG, and governance. We discuss how Stratsys puts real subject-matter experts at the center of its go-to-market strategy instead of relying on generic brand messaging. Lisen shares how they use expert-led webinars and studio events, how marketing works closely with sales and product, and why thought leadership only works when the whole company is committed to it. Here are some of the key questions we address: What does thought leadership actually mean, beyond just publishing content? How do you identify the right internal experts to become trusted external voices? Why do people follow people more than brands, and how do you use that without “building personal brands” at the expense of the company? How does Stratsys use studio-style webinars and events to create authority and reach the right audience? How should marketing, sales, and product collaborate to create thought leadership that actually resonates? What metrics matter most when you want to know whether thought leadership is working? How do you keep subject-matter experts visible and relevant between the big event moments? How can AI help accelerate thought leadership production without losing authenticity? 🎧 Tune in to hear how Lisen and the Stratsys team have built a repeatable thought leadership engine, one that combines expertise, consistency, and strong collaboration to become a trusted voice in a complex B2B market.
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207. Adam Dorrell, CEO & Co-Founder of CustomerGaige - Founder-Led Sales vs Scaling: The Hard Transition Nobody Talks About
Mar 500:52:56Summary readyIn this episode, we’re joined by Adam Dorrell, CEO & Co-Founder of CustomerGaige, for a candid conversation about one of the hardest founder transitions: when, and how, to step out of the sales seat without losing the magic that makes founder-led selling so effective. Adam shares the real story behind building CustomerGaige over 16 years, growing it into a recognized international player with a lean global team. We dig into: Why founders often try to hire a sales leader too early, and what confidence has to do with it The painful lessons of cycling through sales leaders who took over the process too aggressively, and what it cost The unsexy truth: you can’t scale sales before you’ve truly nailed ICP + story + value prop How Adam and his co-founder ultimately found the right model: Where a Co-founder adds the most value to the salesprocess at this phase of the business If you’re a founder trying to scale sales, or a sales leader working with founders, this is a practical and honest take on where founders should stay involved, and where they absolutely shouldn’t.
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206. Rahul Yadav, CEO of Paligo - The CEO Blueprint for High-Impact Executive Offsites
Feb 2600:50:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we sit down with Rahul Yadav, CEO of Paligo, for a practical conversation on leadership alignment - and how to run executive offsites that drive real clarity, trust, and follow-through. Rahul is only a few months into the role, but he’s already implemented a strong leadership rhythm: quarterly leadership offsites, annual full-company gatherings, and a surprisingly effective habit, daily 15-minute C-suite standups to keep priorities aligned and momentum high. If you’ve ever left an offsite feeling energized, just to watch that energy fade in two weeks, this episode is for you. We cover: Why most offsites fail: turning them into a “backlog dump” of unresolved operational issues Rahul’s simple offsite structure: Champagne goals → Risks → Commitments How to keep the agenda light to guarantee openness The “parking lot” technique to prevent rat-holing while still honoring important topics The rule-of-thumb cadence: Quarterly = strategic, Monthly = operational, Weekly = tactical How to create real candor with a new leadership team Why psychological safety is built through daily reps, not big speeches Rahul’s approach to transparency: sharing offsite outcomes immediately in all-hands + weekly CEO reflections A smart meeting role: introducing a Yoda who calls out time, airtime, and when the team is drifting off track Rahul also shares how he thinks about leadership environments: fewer laptops, more reflection, more walking time, and more room to breathe because offsites aren’t just about decisions, they’re about building the trust that makes decisions stick. 🎧 Tune in for a tactical blueprint on how to run executive offsites that create alignment and action that will move your business forward.
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205. Roeland Delrue, Co-Founder of Aikido Security - Why joining the buyer’s journey beats forcing MEDDICC-style sales processes
Jan 2800:55:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re joined by Roeland Delrue, Co-founder of Aikido Security, the fast-growing application security platform that just became a unicorn in under 4 years. Roeland shares what it really takes to scale a company at breakneck speed, from going 5× year-over-year, to balancing startups and enterprise in one GTM motion, to raising a Series B with a single goal: becoming “unignorable.” We unpack how Aikido uses product-led growth, brutal revenue focus, and buyer-first sales mentality to win in one of the most competitive markets in SaaS. We spoke with Roeland about building for continuous wins, why revenue clarity beats buzzwords, and how Aikido joins the buyer’s journey instead of forcing rigid sales methodologies. Here are some of the key questions we address: How did Aikido grow from $5M to $20M+ ARR in one year? What does it mean to build an unignorable company? Why brutal focus on revenue simplifies product, hiring, and prioritization decisions Why joining the buyer’s journey beats forcing MEDDICC-style sales processes How product-led trials reduce churn and increase win rates What it takes to scale from unicorn to decacorn (and why $100M ARR is the next real milestone) 🎧 Tune in to hear how Roeland is building one of Europe’s fastest-scaling security companies and why speed, product, and revenue discipline beat category buzzwords every time.
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204. Madhav Bhandari - VP Marketing, Storylane - How to Win in a World of 150,000 SaaS Tools: Pattern Interruption is your real mote
Jan 2300:56:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re joined by Madhav Bhandari, VP Marketing at Storylane, the demo automation platform helping B2B teams show their product before prospects ever talk to sales. Storylane is a profitable, fully remote SaaS with 50 employees, and a clear path toward $20M+. Madhav shares how Storylane broke out of the “race to average” in an insanely crowded martech and sales tech market, not by spending more, but by building a repeatable system for pattern interruption. We unpack how they used unconventional SEO, brand plays, and GTM experiments to grow brand searches from 1,500 to 12,000 per month, drive massive inbound, and turn marketing into a true growth engine. We spoke with Madhav about why great products aren’t enough anymore, how to become the first vendor prospects discover, and how to build a marketing portfolio that consistently produces breakout ideas instead of chasing one-hit wonders. Here are some of the key questions we address: Why visibility, not budget, is the real advantage in crowded SaaS markets What pattern interruption actually means and how to systematize it How Storylane grew brand searches 8x and created an unfair inbound advantage Why traditional SEO and blog strategies are too slow, and what replaced them How to build a marketing portfolio instead of chasing viral one-offs Where pattern interruption should live and why leadership must own it 🎧 Tune in to hear how Madhav turned differentiation into a repeatable muscle and why, in a world where products are easy to copy, GTM creativity is the real moat.
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203. Kate Sygrove, Director of CS & Support, Mouseflow - Speak CFO: How CS Leaders Earn an Equal Seat at the Table
Jan 900:49:28Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re joined by Kate Sygrove, Director of Customer Success at Mouseflow, the SaaS platform for website behavioral analytics. Mouseflow is a $10M+ ARR business with 3,500 customers, 51 employees, and a CS org balancing enterprise white-glove with digital CS at scale. Kate shares a practical playbook for one of the biggest CS challenges in SaaS right now: getting heard at the exec table. We unpack what it actually means to “speak the language of the CFO,” how to turn CS insight into predictive numbers the business can plan around, and why CS leaders need to pair hard data + soft data to drive decisions on churn, retention, and roadmap priorities. Here are some of the key questions we address: What does it mean to “speak CFO” as a CS leader and, why does prediction matter so much? How do you convert customer sentiment into a forecast model that the exec team can use? Why is hard data + soft data the only reliable way to judge account health? How do you reframe CS initiatives into business outcomes like revenue protected, time-to-value, and scalability? What should CS leaders demand from Sales/Marketing/Product to make collaboration actually work? What changes when you transition from CSM → CS leader, and how do you prepare for the jump? 🎧 Tune in to hear Kate’s concrete frameworks for making CS visible, measurable, and influential and how to show up in leadership meetings with a clearer business case than ever.
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202. Youssef Hounat, Head of Product, ComplianceWise - From Search Tool to Teammate: How Product Teams Should Really Use AI
Dec 1800:49:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re joined by Youssef Hounat, product leader, ex-auditor, and (unexpectedly) freestyle-rap-ready builder of tools for accountants. He went from training at Ernst & Young to helping scale DataSnipper into one of the Netherlands’ unicorns, and now he’s building again as Head of Product at ComplianceWise. We unpack what’s actually changing inside product teams: AI stops being a rewrite/search tool and becomes a teammate that takes real work off your plate. Youssef shares how the best teams reduce context switching, turn customer research into a habit, and use agentic workflows + MCPs to connect tools like email, Jira, Figma, and docs without becoming a “fleshy meat puppet” copy-pasting between 10 tabs. Here are some of the key questions we address: Why do 99% of teams still use AI wrong, and what mindset shift fixes it? How do you turn customer research into a continuous habit using transcripts + automated pipelines? What’s a real example of AI helping product push back on “build this to close the deal” and finding the true request underneath? How do top teams use MCP + coding agents to move from idea → PRD → Jira tickets without leaving the terminal? What’s the difference between a prototype you build to learn vs a product you build to earn — and why vibe-coded output can’t go straight to production? How do you avoid reinventing the wheel and start with small weekly automations that compound? What’s the real risk behind shadow AI usage and how do you get IT onside instead of blocked? 🎧 Tune in to hear Youssef’s practical playbook for building an AI-enabled product org—where humans do the high-leverage thinking, and the machines handle the busywork. Plus: a freestyle rap that might be the strongest case for accounting tech you’ve ever heard.
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