Industry Insights

Introduction

In the context of evaluating SaaS platforms, it is essential to leverage industry experience and insights to identify promising entrants. This article focuses on the evaluation criteria and strategic advice for companies participating in the SaaS60 2025 event.

Evaluation Criteria

Entrants should focus on demonstrating proof of concept rather than promises. Key areas of emphasis include:

• Providing concise case studies with quantified outcomes such as cost savings, revenue increases, and risk mitigation.
• Highlighting time-to-value, adoption/retention rates, and the payback period.
• Showcasing implementation simplicity, reliability at scale, and a strong security posture.
• Including customer testimonials and data-driven results to substantiate claims.

Strategic Advice for Entrants

Participants are advised to:

• Anticipate change and build AI-native capabilities where they provide clear customer value.
• Focus on achieving sustainable unit economics and embedding customer success into product development, pricing, and onboarding processes.
• Consider specializing in vertical or micro-SaaS solutions where expertise and workflow depth are advantageous.
• Maintain flexible pricing strategies, such as usage- or outcome-based models, and facilitate easy path for expansion.
• Design with security, compliance, and data stewardship in mind from the outset.

Conclusion

Companies should critically assess whether they are solving problems in the most effective way possible, both today and in the future. The path from a great product to a successful business must be clearly defined, with evidence that is compelling and difficult to ignore.