Flow 2018 session spotlight: Building a SaaS Unicorn
As part of our ongoing series in the run-up to Flow 2018, we're introducing you to the fresh ideas and in-depth discussions that will be happening on the day. Next up, building a SaaS Unicorn
In this session, we'll be asking our panel of acute business minds what it takes to build a billion-dollar company.
In the fast-paced SaaS industry, you need a leader with unique insight and interpersonal intelligence. Everyone craves the unicorn status and defines it as a success, but very few know how to get there.
Everyone craves the unicorn status but few know how to get there
What conditions need to be present for the best path to profit? How do you decide what side the spending falls on?
Meet the panel
For the Building a SaaS Unicorn panel, we've assembled a team of experts who will discuss where the next billion-dollar businesses will be born as new technologies and changing expectations lead to ever greater levels of disruption and opportunity in the enterprise space.
Session host, Monica Adractas, leads the Global Customer Growth team. She has a shining track record of building and leading in high-growth environments and is an initial founder of Workplace by Facebook.
Jason M. Lemkin is the serial tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist at the helm of the SaaS industry's support network, SaaStr. Named one of the Top 100 Blogs by Forbes, SaaStr has expanded its offering to include global events and an investment fund. With natural enthusiasm and instinctive business skills, Jason discusses all things SaaS and the human capital process behind the industry.
Eric S. Yuan is the founder and CEO of Zoom, the leader in modern enterprise video communications. As a sole founder, Eric has the power to make decisions and move the company forwards in a way that aligns with his executive vision. Having previously worked as VP of Engineering at Cisco and WebEx, he knows what's needed to leap-frog to the next level.
Melissa Taunton is a Partner at NEA, a multi-billion dollar global venture capital firm that invests in healthcare and technology companies. Melissa joined the firm in 2015 and focuses on CEO leadership and development along with executive level talent acquisition.
With a passion for cultivating relationships, Melissa seeks out best-in-class people who build life-changing companies.
Mark Mader serves as President and CEO of Smartsheet, a high-growth work execution software company transforming the way organisations plan, track, automate and report on work at scale.
Based in Seattle, US, Mark leads a high-performing team of over 1,000 employees who, together, bring the SaaS unicorn to market.
He knows that star players move a business forward by meshing them with big ideas: "You have to graduate insights into recommendations that ultimately help to accomplish something."
But unlocking those insights can be tough. How do you instill a sense of confidence into a new hire and ultimately ensure that they deliver results?
"Which new employee on day 13 is going to come to the CEO's office and say, 'I've got this incredible insight?' No way, no chance," says Mark. "You have to put mechanisms in place beyond an open-door policy."
In this session, we'll explore new scaling strategies, teamwork, plus we'll deep dive into the influence of new technologies on the modern leader.
This session will explore new scaling strategies, teamwork and a deep dive into the influence of new technologies on the modern leader
What is Flow?
Flow is Workplace's global leadership summit, taking place on Tuesday, 9 October 2018 at Hotel Nia, Menlo Park, CA.
Together with customers and best-of-breed partners such as Walmart, Vodafone, Box and Okta, we'll discuss the ways that businesses can connect people to their organisation's purpose, unlock their true potential and empower them to do their best work.
