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The 'move fast and break things' philosophy fails in enterprise SaaS

Alex Clayton · 20VC: Spark Capital's Alex Clayton on How The Best Growth Investors Source, Evaluate and Win Deals, Why Market Depth Is Crucial When Analysing Markets & Why Capital Is Only A Temporary Competitive Advantage · Mar 25, 2019 · at 27:52

Alex Clayton, Partner at Spark Capital, shares common startup advice he disagrees with during a quickfire discussion on enterprise software strategy.

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“I think for SaaS companies, moving fast and breaking things, you can't break things for your customers. You don't get many opportunities. You've got to deliver a great customer experience from the onset.”

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