500 Global is a venture capital firm with over $2.7B in Assets Under Management that invests early in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth. 500 Global has backed over 5,000 founders representing more than 2,600 companies operating in 80 countries. Our portfolio includes 51 companies valued at over $1 billion and 140 companies valued at over $100 million. Our 140+ plus team members are located in more than 15 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies.

500 Global

As the global startup investment slowdown begins to show signs of turning around, Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem should prepare for a new fundraising landscape. A new report released this month by , Bain & Co, and Temasek, an investment firm owned by the government of Singapore, that investment into digital companies in Southeast Asia had reached its lowest level in six years. Google revealed Factors, including the global investment slowdown following the high-profile collapse of US-based , have played a role. In March, just after the bank’s implosion. Silicon Valley Bank Singapore Monetary Authority Chief Fintech Officer Sopnendu Mohanty , “Accessing capital will be the single biggest challenge” facing startups in the short term. said However, as the dark cloud that has hung over markets for the past year begins to of clearing, and the coffers of regional and global investors fill once more, Southeast Asia is poised as a region ripe for investment. Founders, though, should be aware of the changing fundraising landscape. show signs Founders should be laser-focused on profitability I have worked with Asian companies and governments for over a quarter century, organizing summits attended by heads of state, captains of industry, and entrepreneurs — most recently, the Horasis Asia Meeting being held in Binh Duong, Vietnam on December 3-4. My familiarity with the region gives me every confidence that Asian entrepreneurs will be able to emerge from the so-called “funding winter.” The region embraces a business culture of maximizing efficiency and profit — a mindset that will serve technology entrepreneurs courting tight-fisted investors who are increasingly worried about profitability over valuation. According to , Asian organizations have “pioneered many of the approaches that define world-class business practices today, from lean manufacturing to global business services.” McKinsey & Company Even as VC firms such as and are closing new, multi-million dollar funds for Southeast Asian startups, founders should be prepared to show a clear path to profitability and exit. During an investor conference in September, a general partner at Singapore-based Qualgro that the firm “passed one investment where founders were very good, the market was great … but we couldn’t see where the exit would be.” 500 Global Vertex told the audience Startups should keep sustainability at heart In recent years, some Southeast Asian countries have emerged as bright spots in the push toward sustainability. In 2021 Vietnam, a nation of just 97 million, became the world’s producer of solar power, and in August, Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) company VinFast was than Ford and General Motors when it debuted on the NYSE. tenth-largest trading higher It is imperative that the next generation of startup unicorns coming out of the region keep sustainability at heart. Not only will this keep Southeast Asian countries on track to hit their goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, but it’s also likely to give them a leading edge in the current investor climate. While some startup sectors lagged during Q3 2023, late-stage companies in select industries such as semiconductors, AI, EVs and sustainability, received larger investments, according to from Crunchbase. And last year, global public and private investment into green energy hit $1 trillion for the first time, up from $32 billion in 2004, to BloombergNEF data. data according A recent of digital economy companies across Southeast Asia showed that while 85% of respondents showed interest in sustainability, less than 50% had actually implemented sustainable practices in their organizations. Startups must go beyond intention and act on sustainability practices, or risk being left behind in the global funding push towards sustainability. survey An end to the current global funding drought will come sooner than later, and Asian startups must remain poised to hit the ground running when the investment tides shift. *, Chairman, Horasis.* - Frank-Jürgen Richter Originally published on The Tech Panda.

Charting a Course: Strategic Priorities for Southeast Asian Startups in the Face of Funding Revival

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great boom in VC funding in the biotechnology sector. According to , VC companies increased their investments in biotech startups from 2,200 globally in 2016 to 3,100 by 2021. a study This highlights the growing importance of investing in science, especially in the biotech industry. Although VC biotech funding slightly declined since 2022, the number of industry-driven startups only keeps growing. shows that the number of biotech businesses increased  by 4,8% in 2023. A study Having a biology degree and working in a biotech startup, I am sure that those numbers will become more and more each year — such companies contribute to society by finding solutions to granular issues in the spheres of health or even ecology. So, here's a list of biotech startups I find useful and innovative as hell: Eagle Genomics Eagle Genomics is a biotech startup that drives and aligns emerging big data, AI, and microbiome data standard frameworks to deliver scientific insights and innovations. Food and Nutrition, Beauty and Personal Care, AgBio, and Biopharma Key markets: Since its founding in 2016, the company has raised $39.9M Investments: In 2021, the company won as AI Champion in Business Weekly Awards and was ranked within the top 60 of 500 global food tech companies Awards: Eagle Genomics helped a global Unilevel company that sells over 400 brands (food, personal and household care, etc.) to find a scalable solution in enabling data-driven product development and providing parallel computing capabilities to keep up with R&D demands. Success story: The company decided to transform Ulilevel`s biological research activities to bring innovative products to customers faster. In order to do so, a biotech startup created a cloud-based system architecture that provided an opportunity for limitless expansion and enabled parallel analysis. Given that, Unilevel reached the following results: Enabled the digital transformation of life sciences R&D Increased productivity, reduced product time to market Boosted innovation and turned data into product and IP Enabled effective collaboration around data assets Enabled the first-of-a-kind microbiome scientific product claim, for a Unilevel toothpaste product Ginkgo Bioworks Ginkgo Bioworks is working to program cells and make everything from therapeutics to materials or edible food. It uses custom microbes and proprietary processes to develop an array of cutting-edge biological engineering products and even custom microbes. One of the problems the company is eager to solve is the possible lack of food in the future, caused by a rapidly growing population on a warming planet. At Ginkgo, specialists are working towards a future, where genetic engineering can help make sustainable, healthy, delicious, and accessible foods to everyone. Agriculture, Biopharm, Governments, Industrials, and Nutrition & Wellness. Key markets: The company has raised $800.4M since its founding in 2008 and had 1 exit. Investments: The company is highly recognized in the world. Ginkgo Bioworks got the Rosalind Franklin Award in 2019, the Online Audience Reward at the Fiction Science, Art and Film Festival in Vienna in 2011, and DARPA Award with $9.5M in 2018 Awards: The global biotech community has come together during the pandemic to develop and deliver multiple effective and safe vaccines for COVID-19. Success story: However, more than two-thirds of the global population had not been vaccinated — one way to reach the rest was by enabling more scalable production of the raw materials needed to make vaccines. Ginkgo Bioworks collaborated with Aldevron, a world leader in manufacturing mRNA vaccines and raw materials, to optimize the production of an important component often required to manufacture mRNA vaccines and therapies: the vaccinia capping enzyme (VCE). Through this collaboration, Aldevron is now able to produce over 10 times more VCE per batch than the previous process. Bionaut Labs Bionaut Labs uses a precision-targeted method to transform the way brain disorders are treated. The company develops microscale robots to deliver biologics or small molecule therapies locally to targeted disease areas. It allows the treatment of such diseases as neuro-oncology, brainstem glioma, neurodegeneration, and some others. Health Key market: The company has raised $63.2M in total since it was founded in 2016. It was funded by prominent companies like Khosla Ventures, Gaingels, Upfront Ventures, Bold Capital Partners, etc. Investments: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the company orphan drug designation for BNL-101 for the local treatment of all malignant gliomas. Awards: Currently, the Bionaut Labs team keeps raising financing to fund the first clinical trials of the tiny, drug-carrying robots. Success stories: Gelesis Gelesis is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to safely treat obese, overweight, and diabetic patients. Health, Biopharm Key markets: Gelesis has raised $312.8M in total since 2006. Investments: Gelesis got a €2.9 Million Award from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development Awards: With the use of biomimicry, the company developed 2 products to help people change their diet, lifestyle, and health: Success story: Plenity It is indicated to aid in weight management with a safety and efficacy profile. According to a pivotal study, 59% of adults had a clinically meaningful response to Plenity, losing on average 10% of their weight. Overall, it helped over 200,000 people on the weight loss journey since its launch. The Gelesis Platform The proprietary Gelesis platform is the first and only superabsorbent hydrogel made only from naturally-delivered building blocks. It stimulates the fullness of users` stomachs to help them eat less. Motif FoodWorks Motif Foodworks is a biotechnology company that helps to make plant-based foods with improved taste, texture, and nutritional values. Food & Nutrition Key markets: The company has raised $343.5M since its founding in 2019. Investments: Motif Foodworks has created plant-based burger patties made with the company's breakthrough ingredients HEMAMI and APPETEX — which provide rich, meaty flavor and delicious, juicy texture. Success story: The technology was tested among customers, and the results showed that 55% of consumers would eat the demo burger regularly, while 63% preferred the demo burger over a leading plant-based product at retail.

Scientific Boom: 5 Innovative Biotech Startups That Will Change Our Everyday Life

The emergence of blockchain technology has opened up a new era of possibilities for the internet, giving rise to what is now referred to as Web3. With this new technology, comes a demand for developers skilled in building decentralized applications (dApps) that can unlock the full potential of the blockchain. However, despite the opportunities that Web3 presents, there remains a significant user-developer problem that needs to be addressed before mass adoption can be achieved. Web3’s User-Developer Problem One of the most significant challenges that developers face in building Web3 applications is high barriers to entry. These include incompatible coding languages, protocols, and varying security solutions that make it difficult for developers to transition from Web2 to Web3. Furthermore, there are not enough toolkits and incentives available to bring substantial developer talent on-chain in its current stage of infancy. To address this issue, it is essential to simplify the development process for Web3 developers. This means creating an environment that is not only easy to work with but also provides them with the necessary tools and incentives to develop innovative and secure Web3 applications. For users, it is essential to ensure that the Web3 experience is intuitive and user-friendly, with an emphasis on security and ease of use. Smart Contracts: Fortifying Accessibility and Security For The Gateway To Web3 One of the fundamental components of the Web3 experience is the digital asset wallet. Digital wallets serve as the initial gateway into Web3 for most users, making them a critical component of bridging the blockchain experience from the realm of Web2. However, the clunky user experience of self-custody has been a significant obstacle to the widespread adoption of digital wallets. To address this issue, developers can enable a mixed-modal custodial management solution that allows users to start with a custodial wallet, which enables easy navigation with little to no barriers to entry. As users gain more experience and knowledge while accumulating more digital assets, the self-custodial mode allows for added security, more control, and ownership. What is Account Abstraction? The latest blockchain advancement, , is set to unlock many more magnitudes of security and user accessibility for digital wallets. Integrating a native smart contract model to self-custodial wallets fundamentally resets the self-custodial narrative away from complications of seed phrase management and multiple processes, to a more customizable yet secure asset management experience — not unlike mobile banking services commonly used today. account abstraction With social recovery, 2-factor authentication ( ), and biometric authentication, users are protected in the event of key loss or theft. Spending limits, whitelists, and blacklists for certain recipients can all be enabled to shift access control from being static and binary to a fully customizable one. 2FA How Do Smart Contract Wallets Solve Complicated Onboarding Processes? Smart contracts enable sponsored gas fee payments on behalf of users, allowing wallet providers and dApp builders to subsidize transaction fees as user acquisition costs and make in-dApp payment more flexible. ensure multiple keys are stored separately to perform transactions, reducing the risk of cyber-attacks and creating a safe trading environment. Multi-signature schemes This opens up design space for privacy-enabled social applications, with the in the Web3 universe. Real-world DIDs are integrated by storing encrypted, verified ID documents on-chain, undergoing verification by a trusted authority, and allowing users to decrypt and share them with other relevant parties for expedited identity verification in the future. This eliminates the hassle of repetitive Know-your-customer (KYC) processes typical of common custodies such as banks. decentralized identity (DID) Adding in one’s on-chain transaction history provides a social identification of actions, purchasing preferences, risk profiles, and more, laying the groundwork for on-chain credit scores. Frictionless Experiences for Users and Developers For Web3 to achieve mass adoption, developers must have access to robust infrastructure and workflow tooling that enables them to build dApps quickly and efficiently. The availability of frictionless user interfaces alongside comprehensive security measures will see user migration brought en masse to Web3. However, creating a seamless user experience that balances security with ease of use is easier said than done. Fortunately, there are efforts underway to fast-track functional and secure Web3 wallet integration. One example is the Blocto Wallet, a cross-chain smart contract wallet interface that can support multiple blockchain networks and seamlessly integrate with dApps. This is a crucial step towards creating a more interconnected internet that is not limited to siloed blockchain networks. Simplified Web3 Building for Mass Adoption As the Web3 ecosystem continues to evolve, it is becoming increasingly clear that seamless user experience and reliable security will be key to driving mass adoption. One solution to this is Blocto SDK, a powerful development tool that enables developers to seamlessly integrate their multi-chain support in just two lines of code. Spanning common user interfaces across mobile (Blocto Native App, iOS-SDK, Android-SDK), web (Javascript-SDK), and game engine (Unity-SDK), developers can retain user engagement within their dApp without the need for additional downloads, while benefiting from 20x conversions as compared to the industry standard. Blocto also offers a free-to-use wallet solution, Blocto Wallet, that provides an intuitive user interface and a proprietary chain-agnostic gas fee solution, Blocto Points. As one of few EVM-compatible smart contract wallet providers, Blocto natively supports multiple blockchains like Ethereum, Aptos, Polygon, Solana, Flow, BNB Chain, and Tron blockchains. EVM-compatible Layer 2 blockchains such as Optimism, Arbitrum, and Polygon zkEVM will be integrated from early Q2 2023. Trusted by notable Web2 partners like Yahoo, and IPX (formerly Line Friends) and backed by top-flight investors like and 500 Global, Blocto offers developers access to a  multi-chain ecosystem with a large user base, alongside comprehensive developer support. With and state-of-the-art security mechanisms, including a multi-signature scheme, 2FA, and biometric authentication, Blocto is a secure smart contract wallet for both developers and users. Mark Cuban ISO/IEC 27001 certification The Future is On-Chain By leveraging smart contract capabilities, dApps developers can also use a freemium model that streamlines blockchain utility fees and transactions for their users. This allows developers to pivot their resources towards improving compelling dApp experiences and building chain-agnostic, decentralized application logic in a safe deployment environment. As more users and developers gravitate towards platforms like Blocto, the future of Web3 will focus more on the accessibility of interoperable developer tooling and user-friendly onboarding portals. With rich use cases in gaming, social media, and entertainment, the possibilities for Web3 are vast and exciting. By prioritizing user experience and security, platforms like Blocto are paving the way for a more inclusive and interconnected internet. About the Author Hsuan Lee is the Co-Founder and CEO of . Hsuan has been listed as one of the 21 most influential people in Taiwan’s blockchain field, which he has been actively developing since 2015. Previously, as VP of Engineering, he helped build DEXON into one of the top performing blockchains at the time. Traveling around the world as a crypto nomad, Hsuan continues to push for a culture of innovation and the mass adoption of blockchain with Blocto Wallet, made by portto. Blocto

Frictionless Web3 Wallet Integration In 2 Lines Of Code 

Integración de billetera Web3 sin fricción en 2 líneas de código

Intégration sans friction du portefeuille Web3 en 2 lignes de code

कोड की 2 पंक्तियों में फ्रिक्शनलेस वेब3 वॉलेट इंटीग्रेशन

2 行のコードでスムーズな Web3 ウォレットの統合

Integração de carteira Web3 sem atrito em 2 linhas de código

Tích hợp ví Web3 không ma sát trong 2 dòng mã

两行代码中的无摩擦 Web3 钱包集成

The Need for Regulating Crypto As et al., crypto assets have existed for more than ten years; however, them have only recently been elevated to the forefront of the list of priorities. This is partially due to the fact that cryptocurrency assets have just recently transitioned from being niche items looking for a use to becoming more widely used as speculative investments, hedges against unstable currencies, and prospective payment tools. Simultaneously, authorities have made it illegal for citizens to issue or possess crypto assets, engage in transactions with them, or utilise them for specific tasks like payments. On the other hand, some nations have been more hospitable and have even tried to court businesses to create markets for these assets. Consequently, there is a divided global reaction that neither ensures a level playing field nor prevents a race to the bottom as crypto actors relocate to the countries with the friendliest regulations and the least stringent access requirements. per Aditya Narain initiatives to regulate The Financial Stability Board an eye on the markets for crypto assets, published a set of rules to govern how stablecoins are regulated globally, and is currently creating guidelines for a wider variety of crypto assets, such as unbacked crypto assets. Other standard-setters are getting in on the action by coming down on the prudential treatment of banks' exposures to crypto assets and on implementing guidelines for financial market infrastructures to systemically important stablecoin structures (Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures and IOSCO) (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision). The fabric of is being spun, and a pattern is anticipated to show. However, there is concern that more national bodies will become trapped in varying legal systems as time passes. To ensure a level playing field and close any regulatory gaps brought on by naturally cross-sector and cross-border issuance, the IMF urges a global response that is coordinated, consistent, comprehensive, and aligned with mainstream regulatory mechanisms across the activity and risk bandwidth. started keeping regulation What is a CMS License? According to Monetary Authority of Singapore, to do business in Singapore in a way that complies with the Securities and Futures Act, a company must first get a capital markets services (CMS) licence. CMS licensees or CMS exempt enterprises are required to appoint representatives to carry out regulated activities on their behalf (such as banks). Businesses such as broker-dealers, corporate finance advisers, credit rating agencies, managers of real estate investment trusts (REITs), fund managers, and operators of securities-based crowdfunding (SCF) must have a CMS licence. HashKey on a License Acquisition Spree HashKey Capital, Singapore Pte. Ltd. ("HashKey Capital Singapore" and together with its affiliates, the "HashKey Group") made the at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2022 that it had received preliminary approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore ("MAS") to operate as a licenced fund management company under the Capital Markets Services ("CMS") licence (LFMC). announcement HashKey Capital now has a from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), which enables it to manage a portfolio made up solely of digital assets. In addition, HashKey Capital is the first blockchain venture capital company to be designated as a "Recognized Investment Firm" by the Tech@SG programme. Type 9 asset management licence The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Enterprise Singapore are working together to implement this initiative, which aims to aid startups and early-stage companies in Singapore in attracting and retaining top people for organisational growth and expansion. If a HashKey Capital portfolio business meets the programme requirements, the Tech@SG Programme will recommend the company to the Ministry of Manpower ("MOM"), reducing the likelihood that the MOM would reject the company's application for an employment permit. What is Hashkey Capital? HashKey Capital is the investment arm of the HashKey Group. It is a manager of assets that invests in blockchain technology and digital assets, managing over $1 billion in client assets since its establishment. The firm is headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore and has strong ties to Japan and the United States. It is Ethereum's earliest corporate investor, with the aim to connect Web2 and Web3 while bridging digital assets to the mainstream. Since 2015, HashKey Capital has invested in over 500 global initiatives ranging from Layer 1, protocols, crypto finance, Web3 Infrastructure, NFT, and Metaverse. Don’t forget to like and share the story! Image credits: Arthur Mazi and . Michael Förtsch

HashKey Capital Receives Approval From the Monetary Authority of Singapore for Fund Management

Are you already in the SaaS space or just planning to launch your cloud service? Then you most probably want to know the latest metrics on how your peers are raising capital and where they are pouring their cash. If that’s the case, sit back and keep reading to find out: The number of SaaS companies & SaaS market size by region How SaaS companies are raising capital & SaaS funding amounts How much do SaaS companies spend on marketing & other channels How Many SaaS Companies Are There in the World: Core SaaS Statistics & Geographics Statista reports that , with a whopping 7,000 SaaS firms in the marketing space alone. with a projection to hit $307.3 billion by 2026 at an estimated 11.7% of industry growth rate. the number of SaaS companies in the world in 2021 stands at 25,000 The global SaaS market size is worth $272.49 billion (15,000 companies) and (2,000 companies), followed by Canada (1,000 companies), Germany (1,000 companies), France (939 companies), India (813 companies), and China (663 companies), as Statista states. The top SaaS markets are the US the UK size was valued at about in 2021. The most renowned SaaS moguls in the US are Microsoft, Adobe, Google, and others. The US SaaS market $145.5 billion The ultimate are and , with $3.5 billion and $8,5 billion market size respectively. Asian SaaS leaders India China SaaS Funding Amounts As the world shifts to the cloud, more and more entry points for startups are opening, placing SaaS funding amounts at a staggering $48.5 billion of total investment across 2,600+ firms in 2020 against the previous all-time high of $43.6 billion raised in 2019, says Pitchbook. To get a clear picture of how these record-breaking sums are distributed over the fresh industry players, we've looked into the key metrics from the core thought leaders and analysts, like , Statista, 500 Global, and others. saasindustry.com Here are our findings on the most recent capital raising activities among SaaS companies (Q1 of 2021). SaaS Pre-Seed Funding Amounts Q1 of the year 2021 was a fruitful time for SaaS startups to raise their Pre-Seed capital. On the whole, there were 40 SaaS companies accumulating pre-seed investments worth $8.8 million in total. The biggest Saas funding amounts at the pre-seed stage were distributed between the Germany-based Levity and Denmark-headquartered Oveo, attaining $1,7 and $1,2 million accordingly. SaaS Seed Funding Amounts There were 115 SaaS companies that raised capital at this investment stage. Each company attained no less than $1 million placing the total SaaS funding amount at a whopping $174 million. The ultimate leader on the list is the US-based Trace, whose $8,3 million investments were led by Greylock and Uncork Capital. SaaS Series A, B, C Funding Amounts This, by all means, was the most fruitful capital raising phase, with a total of $3,3 billion raised by 124 SaaS companies across the A, B, C funding rounds. Almost $1.5 billion came from round C alone, while $752 million was raised in Series A, and just over $1 billion in Series B. , the ultimate leader in raising capital for SaaS is the Northern America area, touching $7.8 billion (or 79% of the total investment!), only to be followed by Europe and Latin America, but funds raised in these regions were no more than 10$ each. Speaking geographically Saas Budget on Marketing & Sales and Research & Development To find out where SaaS companies pour their money and how much they spend on Marketing & Sales, Research & development, and other channels, we analyzed hundreds of SaaS companies (B2B) and a range of key benchmarks from SaaS Capital, SaaS Live, KBCM Technology Group, Gartner. In our research, we paid special attention to the following data: Company funding type (bootstrapped / equity-backed) Company growth Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). How Much Do SaaS Companies Spend on Marketing & Sales On the whole, rather than Research & Development. Moreover, whereas the global Marketing expenditure has shrunk to 6.4% in 2020 from 11% in 2019, the marketing spending in the SaaS space stays solid as never before – 10%. the lion’s part of SaaS companies’ budgets is poured into Marketing & Sales efforts (27% of ARR) The major reason behind the trend is that . Here are some illustrations of how much SaaS companies spend on marketing and sales: companies need to acquire recurring revenue and pay off the money spent on customer acquisition : spends close to 19% of its ARR on S&M efforts Zoom : spends close to 27% of its ARR on S&M efforts Twilio : spends close to 40% of its ARR on S&M efforts Wix : spends close to 19% of its ARR on S&M efforts Dropbox : spends close to 50% of its ARR on S&M efforts. Smartsheet As a rule, marketing & sales spending continuously grows over time and peaks when the company's ARR touches €1-€10 million (these numbers are true for the European market but may be approximate for The Northern American region). That said, marketing & sales channels budgets vary from company to company, but a safe estimate for SaaS business owners to keep in mind is somewhere between 10% and 40% of the company’s ARR. SaaS Research and Development Spend Historically, . The reason is straightforward: you should first invest in the quality of your product to guarantee its value and competitiveness in the market, according to the 2021 European SaaS Benchmark. the smaller and younger your SaaS business is, the more you should spend on Research and Development – from 30% all the way to 60% However, once your company hits €10 million in revenue R&D expenditures inevitably drop (European SaaS market). While this is true for the vast majority of SaaS players, your budget planning is subject to the strategy you align your company with. For example, Slack, whose revenue in 2016 hit 105M USD, spent 59% of revenue on Research & Development. Here is what they say: To remain competitive, we must continue to develop new features, integrations, capabilities, and enhancements to Slack… So, there is no one-fit-all strategy for all B2B SaaS marketing budgets. To allocate your funds wisely, you need to figure out the nature of your organization - product-driven and sales-driven. With this in mind, decide on your goals, resources, and product/service specifics to adjust your spending accordingly. Final Thoughts Running a successful SaaS company or any other type of business is not an easy task, as it is a matter of thoughtful budget planning, capital raising, and allocating your resources accordingly. So, keep an eye on the core software as a service statistics - like how your SaaS peers are raising capital, what are their funding amounts, and how they spend their money - and align this info with your own business strategy. First published here

Why you Should Consider Building a SaaS Company

Top Web Development Companies in 2018

Browsing through latest business reports and global overviews, we consistently see: Marketing automation is a sure trend in 2018. These are not just a few reports but literally every blog article, research, e-book. Thousands of words are written every week to prove just how trendy marketing automation is. Marketing automation is not a trend Not anymore, anyway. In 2018, marketing automation is a reality, an established business practice which is not a better option but often the there is. Marketing automation is vital for business — same as air is for people. The fact that we all breath doesn’t make breathing trendy just proves its significance. only option In 2018, marketing equals marketing automation , the global marketing automation industry amounts to $4 billion as of 2017 and is expected to reach $7.63 billion by 2025. According to Grand View Research , companies that automate lead management will see a 10% or greater increase in revenue in 6–9 months. , businesses that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost. Gartner says Forrester claims Successful companies are those who nurture more leads. To nurture more leads, companies automate their marketing. How come that when automation industry is at its peak and continually growing further, it is yet called a trend? It’s not some ‘innovative approach’, it’s an essential competitive advantage. In the world, where everyone is either automating or consider automation, these who do things manually, stand behind. That’s how it works in 2018. Benefits of marketing automation services Starting automation from scratch is tough if not impossible. Marketing is complex because the processes don’t just work on their own. They are always linked to sales, content, customer support: marketing influences it all. To avoid confusion while trying to be on top of everything, there were created instruments, dedicated specifically to marketing automation. They are developed precisely with the goal of taking all these processes together and uniting them in one system, unifying KPIs and measuring the end results. Do these instruments fulfill specifically my business needs? The creators of marketing automation don’t know my business and what I need. Fair enough, they don’t. However, the development of marketing automation system is based on comprehensive statistics and customer insights, collected and thoroughly analyzed. Based on general market tendencies, platform creators see a bigger picture — they might even see possibilities and problems you haven’t noticed yet. Anyway, that’s the idea — we’ll see further if this approach always works. There are many solutions, and they seem to work Let’s analyze the functionality and possibilities of the most popular ones and compare their capacities. HubSpot HubSpot, one of the fastest-growing marketing automation solutions, integrates various content distribution channels and promotional activities with a universal management system. The platform manages blogging, SEO, email marketing, analytics, customer contacts, and sales. HubSpot a proven instrument for transforming outbound (email spam, TV ads, trade shows, spam) marketing to outbound methods such as email marketing, social media marketing, search optimization etc. : more than 180 000 The number of users : free version available (with limited possibilities), basic features — 200$ per month, professional — $800, enterprise — $2400 + additional payments for more possibilities. Cost per month Marketo Marketo positions itself as a universal marketing automation solution that automates lead generation, email marketing, mobile marketing, website integration and other digital processes. The main software functions are landing page editor, email editor, webinar integration, predictive content generation, program analysis, and workflow engine optimization. Active on over 19,000 websites and the company has over 100,000 users around the world. The number of users: : basic version — $895, pro — $1 175, elite — $3 195 Cost per month Eloqua Marketing automation platform, mostly used by B2B marketers to automate digital marketing, lead generation, and customer support. Eloqua creators developed a database that stores customer information and provides data for automated email campaigns, website monitoring systems, and client management platforms. It’s a collection of B2B marketing tools, which primary goal is to automate lead nurturing and build a customer-obsessed strategy. The network controls 700 integrations and has 500 global partners. The number of users: 100 000+ Cost per month: basic — $2000, standard — $4000, custom pricing for enterprises Pardot A simple B2B Marketing Automation solution for sales and marketing optimization. Its features include CRM integration, lead scoring and nurturing, email marketing and ROI reporting. These automated tools are created to unite marketing and sales team by putting measurable objectives and connecting their goals. The software tracks customer integrations and assembles personalized insights based on client’s behavior. : 2.8 million The number of users growth — $1 250, plus — $2 000, advanced — $4000 Cost per month: ActiveCampaign The software offers marketing, email marketing, sales automation, cross-channel messaging for the entire customer lifecycle. The platform aims to create detailed reports on every business customer, analyze on-site behavior, and use this data in promotion campaigns. As Active Campaign creators say, it’s automation that listens and learns. 50 000 The number of users: : depends on the number of contacts, for 1000 contacts lite is 17$, plus — $49, professional — $129. Users can start a 14-day trial period. Cost per month Drawbacks of existing marketing automation services The most pressing issue about marketing automation tools is always picking the one from that wide range of available solutions. The standard try-and-see-what-fits-you-best solution doesn’t work here — there are thousands of services, how can anyone try them all?Yet there are more questions than answers. Marketing automation, the way it works now, does not work — at least, nearly as efficient as companies need. Why? To put it simply, existing marketing solutions are uncomfortable. Issue #1 — Price Even if the software has a free or lite version, it does not mean you spend less at the end. Programs are designed to get you hooked, but when you go further, it turns out to be just a bummer. Either a free or lite version is only available for a short time period or has so little possibilities that the business outgrows them in a week. That said, it’s apparent that SME can’t afford to pay that much for a platform as well as they shouldn’t limit their marketing opportunities simply because of high functionality cost. Platforms where you are forced to choose between ‘efficient’ and ‘affordable’, do not work. Why automation software ends up being expensive yet not efficient Platforms provide you a sale pitch, no clear results. With existing marketing automation platforms, you never know what you pay for. There are no guaranteed outcomes: if there are no leads, you pay your fee anyway. Therefore, software creators are not motivated to actually track the efficiency of their solutions. It’s challenging to find software developed specifically for SMEs. The creators of the existing solutions yet have in mind cooperation with big enterprises, adding redundant functionality that has no sense for SMB’s owner. In such scenario, SMEs owners lose, paying for what they don’t use and still lacking necessary functions. Existing platforms don’t adapt recent tech innovations. Digital marketing changes all the time. With new technologies in place, automation products quickly become outdated, and therefore, miss crucial competitive advantages. SMB’s owners pay for behindhand services, not for forward-looking solutions. Issue #2 — Existing platforms are centralized All data, insights, and tools belong to platform creators. Think about it. You have no power over all the information collected about your business, no idea why software offers your this particular instrument to solve a problem. Basically, the company is out of control, marketing processes are out of reach. Is there a way to solve this issue? Yes, with blockchain technology automated solutions can be developed as distributed systems. That means all data will belong directly to business owners, with full control and power over collected business insights and client information. However, as said before, modern solutions are currently slow to implement recent innovations, and that seriously holds their users back. Issue #3 — More words than actual results Choosing existing marketing automation solutions, business owners pay for promotion, not for the product. Using such platform, you don’t know how it works and whether it works at all. All statistics and efficiency metrics are provided by that same solution so there is a logical question to be asked: Are these results true? And if they are, how do I know they are worth the investments? Unfortunately, giving the existing solutions, this question is impossible to answer with ‘Yes.’ You can’t actually measure the efficiency. Even if the objectives are not met, you never absolutely know whether it’s your fault or platform’s problem. Also, let’s not forget that all businesses are unique. How does it matter that 50 000 people made a progress if for your particular business it doesn’t work? Your company definitely differs from those 50 thousand, and what worked for them, might not necessarily work for you. Taking into account, how diverse marketing methods are, it’s safe to say that companies are now more different than ever. Standard practices don’t exist anymore. At , we believe it’s time to revolutionize marketing automation. The business size or the amount of the current profit should not influence the quality of automation services. Each company deserves to use optimized and personalized solution which analyzes needs, not those of fifty thousand other businesses. Triggmine specifically its The future has come. With distributed systems, it’s possible to create a free market where service providers will have unlimited possibilities to their data and marketing instruments. We believe in smart technology-driven marketing. To keep track of latest automation innovations, follow our updates.

What’s wrong with existing marketing automation services?

Having your own ad is a pretty big competitive advantage. network Ad networks make it possible for advertisers to buy digital ads across a slew of publisher sites and apps, scaling their digital ad buys across a growing number of websites without having to deal with each publisher directly. For publishers everything is as simple as those: they want to increase inventory demand and ad revenues. There are two types of ad networks: those who specialize in one type of ad format and those who sell just about anything. In addition to standard IAB ad units, some examples of very popular ad formats are native display and video ads, in-image ads,recommendation widgets and in-text ads. Video is the fastest growing digital advertising unit, expected to grow at about 24 percent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2014 to 2018, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report “Global entertainment and media outlook 2014 to 2018 ”. If you want to jump into the train of revenue growth, video ad network may be a good point to start. Preparation Choose Video Ad Server A proper Ad Server enables you to launch and manage complex and targeted video ad campaigns on mobile and desktop within one ad serving platform. Consider using the White Label Ad Server from Epom with customizable features. Ad Server should be settled before you find advertisers so that you could quickly provide them with traffic. 2. Find advertisers and publishers Make a research: find relevant websites via . You can find alternatives to a popular websites, if you are looking for publishers in a particular niche. Check the traffic volume with SimilarWeb, but note that some sites look small based on volume, but are actually part of a large media group. Alexa Top 500 Global Sites A common way of partnering with publishers is networking or cold calling. Here’s a brief checklist for publisher selection: Unique and frequently updated content, absence of popups and intrusive ads. The content written in English or in one of Major European languages (German, French, Spanish, etc.). Minimum 25% site traffic coming from the US, CA, and EU countries. Avoid adult content. 3. Evaluate traffic from publishers Take a close look at the overall amount of your traffic: 20–100 million monthly impressions is good enough to start an ad network. Don’t neglect ad network promotion to ensure constant traffic growth. A good option will be using self-serve platforms for media buying where you can choose relevant traffic sources and website categories. Metrics to Consider In Video Ad Serving When you’ve got everything ready for video, it’s time to discover the most important metrics. VAST/ VPAID tags The ad server, which stands amid of the media buying process, shares the advertising tag with different publishers to enable delivery and performance tracking across all of them. There are two types of commonly used tags in video advertising: VAST and VPAID. VAST is a set of standardized code that is placed on the publisher’s site or in the app. It communicates to the ad server what type of ad to display based on the targeting criteria. VPAID tags can have more complex elements, like interactive features, and more advanced measurement capabilities to assess viewability and engagement. Most publishers accept VAST tags, but only some accept VPAID. 2. Waterfall Algorithm This algorithm determines the optimal order of ad delivery. In we have a tailored solution called “simultaneous waterfall” — it allows to request demand side tags simultaneously, thus saving a lot of time for unit to get filled and shown to a specific user. Epom 3. Ad Formats The evolution of video formats was influenced by users’ viewing behavior and their willingness to interact with ads. The most paid-for ad formats are as follows: Outstream This is an auto-playing or user-initiated video that is inserted into a traditional display ad space, typically between paragraphs of text or images. They are designed to play only when in view, which ensures extremely high viewability. Video Slider This encompasses highly customizable in-content video ads with advanced features. Best part — no video player needed. The unit can be white-labeled for a specific brand or campaign needs, which delivers additional value to advertisers. 100% viewable ad format In-read Video unit is placed into the middle of editorial articles for optimal user experience. The video plays when visible on the user’s screen. Push up/push down video banners Once the user hovers over the banner, a video expands to a nearly full-screen view and it remains open until user moves his mouse away. 4. Anti-fraud protection If your ad server is integrated with one of the these digital ad fraud checkers, you have an additional advantage: WhiteOps; DoubleVerify; MOAT; Forensiq; The MediaTrust. 5. Customizable Video Player The best option is to look for an ad server, which allows selling different types of inventory: display ads, mobile ads and video ads (e.g. ). Such servers can provide you with their own video player to serve ads in a more sophisticated and customizable manner. Epom Ad Server Video advertising is something that will bring you solid revenue if you spend some time to study the rulebook. Hope these tips will help you successfully embrace video advertising!

500 GLOBAL

500.co

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Since 2010

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500 GLOBAL

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500 GLOBAL

500.co

1K-5K employees

Since 2010

COMPANY RANKING

500 GLOBAL

EVERGREEN INDEX #751

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