SaaS Startup Resources from Office Hours Montréal
SaaSCan for Startups is on a mission to help Canadian SaaS founders hit the ground running from Day 1, focusing on the right metrics at the right time, and knowing what great looks like through SaaS metrics benchmarking. This helps SaaS startups:
- Be better prepared for fundraising and financing
- Set better internal goals and KPIs informed by what best in class results for companies similar to their own
- Hold more informed conversations with their Board, when they get to the point of having a Board
SaaSCan for Startups meets Canadian SaaS startup founders remotely all year long, but nothing beats a face-to-face connection. So once I decided to attend the McRock Digital Industrial Symposium in Montréal, it was only natural to set up in-person SaaSCan for Startups office hours there as well.
Hosted by Isaac Souweine, Partner at Pender Ventures, and a SaaSCan for Startups Advisory Board member, I hung out my shingle for the morning in the swanky Espace CDPQ in downtown Montréal.
Without spilling any trade secrets, here are a few of the people we connected with in the Canadian SaaS startup ecosystem, and links to some of the resources we talked about, so you can benefit too.
SaaS Metrics and Benchmarks
Office Hours Montréal enjoyed a visit from Abdoulaye Koïta and Maggie Li Hong of BDC, who work with many SaaS startups.
They had excellent questions and we had a productive coffee chat on benchmarks for SaaS startups, data quality, and year over year SaaS metrics trends.
Here are the 3 SaaSCan resources we looked at together:
1) Ultimate guide to SaaS benchmark reports for Canadian startups
2) B2B SaaS Benchmark Report from 2022 study (2023 data releasing soon!)
3) Live, Anonymous, Free, Benchmarking engine at SaaSCan.ca
Pitching for Angel Investment
Office Hours Montréal also welcomed Walid Baba – Moussa, P. Eng. co-founder of Montréal based startup OneTrip.io.
Had a great chat about pitching for angel investment, market size, and co-innovating with customers.
Here are a few of the resources we looked at together:
1) How to Build a Better Pitch Deck by Raymond Luk
2) The Capital Angel Network (CAN) Apply to pitch to CAN HERE
If you’re an angel investor interested in digital transformation of the independent grocery market, check out OneTrip.io and reach out to Walid Baba – Moussa, P. Eng.
Surprise Visitor
I expected to see Montréal-based Isaac Souweine as he had graciously arranged the space and popped by for a chat.
But what a great surprise that Edmonton-based Ashlyn Bernier stopped by also. She’s COO at samdesk, and also on the SaaSCan for Startups Advisory Board. She was in town for the McRock Capital Digital Industrial Symposium.
And this surprise was especially great because it was the first time Isaac and Ashlyn had the chance to meet in person.
What’s Next?
While remote meetings increase access and reduce geographic barriers, I was reminded once again how much meeting face to face increases connection and energy exponentially. SaaSCan for Startups will continue to follow a hybrid approach and we look forward to hosting office hours in other Canadian cities in the months to come.
Reach out if you’d like to bring SaaSCan for Startups Office Hours to your city!
About SaaSCan
SaaSCan for Scaleups helps scaling North American SaaS companies increase revenue and improve the customer & employee experience through our MRR Optimizer and Customer Journey Mapping services. Book an info chat.
