Welcome to the latest SaaS weekly roundup, where we curate the top picks from the week that went by. As always, the space has continued to see some significant news announcements, and notable fundraises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Table of Contents<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\nNews of the week<\/a><\/li>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/a><\/li>Must reads<\/a><\/li>Listen to<\/a><\/li>Watch<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/span>News of the week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSalesforce enters the streaming wars<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCRM pioneer<\/a> Salesforce<\/a> has always been a step ahead of the curve, and Salesforce+ seems to be a step in that direction only. As the name suggests, it’s a streaming service, but instead of focusing on entertainment content, it’s for business professionals. It’ll be a free service, and launch at Salesforce’s annual conference, Dreamforce in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWix launches a no-code app builder for $200 per month<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWebsite builder software<\/a> Wix<\/a>\u00a0is bringing the ability to make apps in a simple manner. Dubbed Branded App by Wix, it’ll let one create native apps without writing code. It’s not affordable though, as it’d cost $200 per month, plus an annual fee of $99 for iOS App Store listing, and a one-time fee of $25 for listing on Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBox raises revenue outlook for fiscal year, says business is accelerating<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Salesforce enters the streaming wars<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCRM pioneer<\/a> Salesforce<\/a> has always been a step ahead of the curve, and Salesforce+ seems to be a step in that direction only. As the name suggests, it’s a streaming service, but instead of focusing on entertainment content, it’s for business professionals. It’ll be a free service, and launch at Salesforce’s annual conference, Dreamforce in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWix launches a no-code app builder for $200 per month<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWebsite builder software<\/a> Wix<\/a>\u00a0is bringing the ability to make apps in a simple manner. Dubbed Branded App by Wix, it’ll let one create native apps without writing code. It’s not affordable though, as it’d cost $200 per month, plus an annual fee of $99 for iOS App Store listing, and a one-time fee of $25 for listing on Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBox raises revenue outlook for fiscal year, says business is accelerating<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
CRM pioneer<\/a> Salesforce<\/a> has always been a step ahead of the curve, and Salesforce+ seems to be a step in that direction only. As the name suggests, it’s a streaming service, but instead of focusing on entertainment content, it’s for business professionals. It’ll be a free service, and launch at Salesforce’s annual conference, Dreamforce in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWix launches a no-code app builder for $200 per month<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWebsite builder software<\/a> Wix<\/a>\u00a0is bringing the ability to make apps in a simple manner. Dubbed Branded App by Wix, it’ll let one create native apps without writing code. It’s not affordable though, as it’d cost $200 per month, plus an annual fee of $99 for iOS App Store listing, and a one-time fee of $25 for listing on Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBox raises revenue outlook for fiscal year, says business is accelerating<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Wix launches a no-code app builder for $200 per month<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWebsite builder software<\/a> Wix<\/a>\u00a0is bringing the ability to make apps in a simple manner. Dubbed Branded App by Wix, it’ll let one create native apps without writing code. It’s not affordable though, as it’d cost $200 per month, plus an annual fee of $99 for iOS App Store listing, and a one-time fee of $25 for listing on Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBox raises revenue outlook for fiscal year, says business is accelerating<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Website builder software<\/a> Wix<\/a>\u00a0is bringing the ability to make apps in a simple manner. Dubbed Branded App by Wix, it’ll let one create native apps without writing code. It’s not affordable though, as it’d cost $200 per month, plus an annual fee of $99 for iOS App Store listing, and a one-time fee of $25 for listing on Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBox raises revenue outlook for fiscal year, says business is accelerating<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Box raises revenue outlook for fiscal year, says business is accelerating<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Cloud storage service Box<\/a> has increased its revenue estimation for the fiscal year 2022. It has raised the outlook by $7million… keeping it in the range of $856 to $860million. Its Q2 revenue was $214million, which is 11 percent y-o-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>SaaS companies that got the funding this week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Cloud data backup and recovery platform OwnBackup raises $240million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBackup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Backup<\/a> and recovery service provider OwnBackup<\/a> has received $240million Series E funding. With a valuation of $3.35billion, it’ll now be adding support for other cloud services such as Dynamics 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Gusto secures a $10billion valuation tailwind as its HR software sails toward IPO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Gusto<\/a> has become one of the most valuable HR and payroll software<\/a> companies with its latest funding round of $175million. Led by T. Rowe Price, it values the company at $9.5billion. Despite the challenges during COVID-19, it has continued to grow and expects to go public by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTalkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Talkdesk\u2019s valuation jumps to $10billion with Series D for smart contact centers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Cloud-based contact center software<\/a> Talkdesk<\/a> has nabbed $230million Series D funding that values it at $10billion. The amount will be used towards hiring in product and engineering teams, along with increasing the customer support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
FreshBooks reaches $1billion+ valuation with $130.75million for its SMB-focused accounting platform<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Cloud-based accounting software<\/a> FreshBooks<\/a> has gotten $80.75million Series E funding. Additionally, it has received $50million in debt financing. This has propelled it to the coveted unicorn status, though the exact valuation isn’t known.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Mubadala backs software startup People.ai in new funding round<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
The latest unicorn in the SaaS space is People.ai, a sales software startup. Its CEO Oleg Rogynskyy mentions that the company didn’t need funding, but when Mubadala Investment and Akkadian Ventures came knocking, they couldn’t say no. Additionally, he highlighted that this $100million round could be the last raise before their eventual IPO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sales meeting booking platform Kronologic nabs $20million<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCalendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
Calendar<\/a> monetization is an interesting term, and that’s what Kronologic<\/a> promises by focusing on revenue-focused meetings. It has raised $20million in additional seed funding. It’ll be utilizing the fundraise for expanding its employee base by 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSo first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>
So first 3 venture investments (and 4 out of first 5) are now all decacorns or unicornsTalkdesk $10B (first VC, $25 pre)Algolia $2B (first U.S. VC, $12m pre)Pipedrive $1B (first U.S. VC, $16m pre)A few reflections and learnings:<\/p>— Jason \u2728\ud83d\udc7eSaaStr 2025 is May 13-15\u2728 Lemkin (@jasonlk) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>