StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Mar 29, 2023 · 19m · top-founders

Event SaaS hits $6m in ARR 100% YoY Growth and $128m Valuation on $28m Raise

Palash Soni · 9m spoken Nathan Latka · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this interview with Nathan Latka, Goldcast CEO Palash Soni discusses scaling the B2B digital event platform to $6 million ARR with 100% year-over-year growth following a $28 million Series A round. Soni shares insights on product differentiation, enterprise pricing, sales organization, and actionable playbooks for maximizing engagement in virtual and hybrid events.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 40.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 5.5 Guest teaching 2.8 Guest disagreement 1.2 Nathan pushing back 3.2
05100:0010:001:28–5:02 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Goldcast Use Cases and Differentiation from Competitors Nathan demonstrates high preparation by referencing past interview data, noting previous pricing mechanisms, customer counts, and fundraising terms. Palash responds transparently, explaining the shift from per-attendee to per-team billing.5:03–8:31 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Revenue Growth and Core Competitive Advantages Nathan presses Palash on his net monthly burn and probes why Palash smiles when sharing the figure. Nathan validates the runway calculations based on the Series A cash cushion.8:32–11:01 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Optimizing Virtual Event Formats and Attendance Nathan challenges the efficacy of long multi-day virtual summits with declining viewership. Palash educates Nathan on optimal event formats, explaining why short, campaign-linked sessions work best.11:02–13:50 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Creative Pre-Event Marketing: The Metadata Case Study Palash highlights Metadata's unconventional pre-event marketing gimmicks and shares strategies for account-based gating. Nathan pushes for advice directly applicable to his own conference.13:50–16:22 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Hybrid Event Playbooks and Content Repurposing Nathan proposes a hybrid event structure of virtual teasers and recorded replays with live speaker Q&A. Palash validates the approach using case studies from LG and Salesloft.16:23–18:45 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Business Model Philosophy, Team Structure, and Sales Quotas Palash directly refutes the concept of monetizing virtual events via ticket sales. Nathan sharply cross-examines sales team headcount and quota adjustments against prior interview records.1:28–5:02 · Guest teaching 1/10 Goldcast Use Cases and Differentiation from Competitors Nathan demonstrates high preparation by referencing past interview data, noting previous pricing mechanisms, customer counts, and fundraising terms. Palash responds transparently, explaining the shift from per-attendee to per-team billing.5:03–8:31 · Guest teaching 1/10 Revenue Growth and Core Competitive Advantages Nathan presses Palash on his net monthly burn and probes why Palash smiles when sharing the figure. Nathan validates the runway calculations based on the Series A cash cushion.8:32–11:01 · Guest teaching 5/10 Optimizing Virtual Event Formats and Attendance Nathan challenges the efficacy of long multi-day virtual summits with declining viewership. Palash educates Nathan on optimal event formats, explaining why short, campaign-linked sessions work best.11:02–13:50 · Guest teaching 4/10 Creative Pre-Event Marketing: The Metadata Case Study Palash highlights Metadata's unconventional pre-event marketing gimmicks and shares strategies for account-based gating. Nathan pushes for advice directly applicable to his own conference.13:50–16:22 · Guest teaching 3/10 Hybrid Event Playbooks and Content Repurposing Nathan proposes a hybrid event structure of virtual teasers and recorded replays with live speaker Q&A. Palash validates the approach using case studies from LG and Salesloft.16:23–18:45 · Guest teaching 3/10 Business Model Philosophy, Team Structure, and Sales Quotas Palash directly refutes the concept of monetizing virtual events via ticket sales. Nathan sharply cross-examines sales team headcount and quota adjustments against prior interview records.1:28–5:02 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Goldcast Use Cases and Differentiation from Competitors Nathan demonstrates high preparation by referencing past interview data, noting previous pricing mechanisms, customer counts, and fundraising terms. Palash responds transparently, explaining the shift from per-attendee to per-team billing.5:03–8:31 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Revenue Growth and Core Competitive Advantages Nathan presses Palash on his net monthly burn and probes why Palash smiles when sharing the figure. Nathan validates the runway calculations based on the Series A cash cushion.8:32–11:01 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Optimizing Virtual Event Formats and Attendance Nathan challenges the efficacy of long multi-day virtual summits with declining viewership. Palash educates Nathan on optimal event formats, explaining why short, campaign-linked sessions work best.11:02–13:50 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Creative Pre-Event Marketing: The Metadata Case Study Palash highlights Metadata's unconventional pre-event marketing gimmicks and shares strategies for account-based gating. Nathan pushes for advice directly applicable to his own conference.13:50–16:22 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Hybrid Event Playbooks and Content Repurposing Nathan proposes a hybrid event structure of virtual teasers and recorded replays with live speaker Q&A. Palash validates the approach using case studies from LG and Salesloft.16:23–18:45 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Business Model Philosophy, Team Structure, and Sales Quotas Palash directly refutes the concept of monetizing virtual events via ticket sales. Nathan sharply cross-examines sales team headcount and quota adjustments against prior interview records.1:28–5:02 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Goldcast Use Cases and Differentiation from Competitors Nathan demonstrates high preparation by referencing past interview data, noting previous pricing mechanisms, customer counts, and fundraising terms. Palash responds transparently, explaining the shift from per-attendee to per-team billing.5:03–8:31 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Revenue Growth and Core Competitive Advantages Nathan presses Palash on his net monthly burn and probes why Palash smiles when sharing the figure. Nathan validates the runway calculations based on the Series A cash cushion.8:32–11:01 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Optimizing Virtual Event Formats and Attendance Nathan challenges the efficacy of long multi-day virtual summits with declining viewership. Palash educates Nathan on optimal event formats, explaining why short, campaign-linked sessions work best.11:02–13:50 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Creative Pre-Event Marketing: The Metadata Case Study Palash highlights Metadata's unconventional pre-event marketing gimmicks and shares strategies for account-based gating. Nathan pushes for advice directly applicable to his own conference.13:50–16:22 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Hybrid Event Playbooks and Content Repurposing Nathan proposes a hybrid event structure of virtual teasers and recorded replays with live speaker Q&A. Palash validates the approach using case studies from LG and Salesloft.16:23–18:45 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Business Model Philosophy, Team Structure, and Sales Quotas Palash directly refutes the concept of monetizing virtual events via ticket sales. Nathan sharply cross-examines sales team headcount and quota adjustments against prior interview records.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 54.2% · guest 45.8%0:00 · Nathan 54.2% · guest 45.8%3:00 · Nathan 38.9% · guest 61.1%3:00 · Nathan 38.9% · guest 61.1%6:00 · Nathan 34.4% · guest 65.6%6:00 · Nathan 34.4% · guest 65.6%9:00 · Nathan 18.3% · guest 81.7%9:00 · Nathan 18.3% · guest 81.7%12:00 · Nathan 46.4% · guest 53.6%12:00 · Nathan 46.4% · guest 53.6%15:00 · Nathan 38.8% · guest 61.2%15:00 · Nathan 38.8% · guest 61.2%18:00 · Nathan 77.3% · guest 22.7%18:00 · Nathan 77.3% · guest 22.7%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 16:26 Flat rejection of virtual ticket monetization

Palash unequivocally rejects the premise that virtual events should be used for ticket sales, arguing good marketers treat them solely as demand generation engines.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 17:15 Nathan presses on sales rep reductions

Nathan interrupts and challenges Palash on having fewer sales reps than previously stated, forcing a clarification between total sales staff and quota-carrying AEs.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 9:06 Deconstructing the flawed multi-day summit format

Palash explains why bloated multi-day webinars fail and outlines the modern framework of compact, campaign-integrated digital events.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 17:20 Nathan cites specific AE and quota metrics from past records

Nathan catches discrepancies in sales headcount and quota numbers from their prior episode, demonstrating detailed tracking of the founder's metrics.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Goldcast Use Cases and Differentiation from Competitors 6113 Nathan demonstrates high preparation by referencing past interview data, noting previous pricing mechanisms, customer counts, and fundraising terms. Palash responds transparently, explaining the shift from per-attendee to per-team billing.
Revenue Growth and Core Competitive Advantages 6114 Nathan presses Palash on his net monthly burn and probes why Palash smiles when sharing the figure. Nathan validates the runway calculations based on the Series A cash cushion.
Optimizing Virtual Event Formats and Attendance 5512 Nathan challenges the efficacy of long multi-day virtual summits with declining viewership. Palash educates Nathan on optimal event formats, explaining why short, campaign-linked sessions work best.
Creative Pre-Event Marketing: The Metadata Case Study 4413 Palash highlights Metadata's unconventional pre-event marketing gimmicks and shares strategies for account-based gating. Nathan pushes for advice directly applicable to his own conference.
Hybrid Event Playbooks and Content Repurposing 5312 Nathan proposes a hybrid event structure of virtual teasers and recorded replays with live speaker Q&A. Palash validates the approach using case studies from LG and Salesloft.
Business Model Philosophy, Team Structure, and Sales Quotas 7325 Palash directly refutes the concept of monetizing virtual events via ticket sales. Nathan sharply cross-examines sales team headcount and quota adjustments against prior interview records.

Statements from this episode (20)

Disclosure
Soni: GitHub has around 30 teams using Goldcast for events
“One of our largest customers is GitHub and they started with us in in May of 2020 and they Started with us doing an event series in, in Europe for one of their, you know, new product launches. So they did an event series throughout the year for 20, 30 events. …”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 1:34
Opinion
Goldcast positions against Hopin's massive 50K+ attendee trade show focus
“We don't go after, like, the big, you know, 50,000, 100,000 person trade shows, which is what, you know, VFairs hop in, specialize in.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 2:49
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Goldcast achieves a $30,000 average contract value
“30,000 dollars.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 3:31
Disclosure
Goldcast pivots from attendee-based pricing to per-team software licenses
“Yeah, since the last time we spoke, Nathan, it has changed. Now we charge based on number of teams that companies use.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 3:38
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Goldcast reaches 200 customers
“200.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 4:00
Assertion Supported
Goldcast raised a $28M Series A at $120M post-money valuation
“We raised it at a 120 post money.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 4:32
Disclosure
Goldcast crosses $500,000 in monthly recurring revenue
“We are at five, north of 500 K. 500,000 a month.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 5:07
Opinion
Soni claims Goldcast's martech integrations are 10x better than Hopin
“The third is that our integrations and analytics and all the martech functionalities that, you know, the sales and marketing teams need. They are just The best in the market, tenx better than what, you know, horizontal platforms like Hopin, et cetera, offer.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 6:10
Disclosure
Goldcast sustains a net monthly burn rate up to $1M
“Our net burn per month, Nathan, is somewhere between 600 to a million, so it's still high, but.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 6:39
Disclosure
Palash Soni: Goldcast has over two years of runway
“We easily have at least two plus years of runway.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 7:16
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Soni predicts Goldcast will cross $10M ARR by end of 2023
“We will easily cross ten million by end of this year, and hopefully we can double next year as well.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 7:24
Insight
Soni: Multi-day virtual events rarely work; stick to 2-5 hours
“Seldom is a big two day, three day event with, you know, such a complex agenda in digital mode is the right thing to do. Unless you are, you know, something like an LG or Adobe, right, where you have such a wide audience across time zones that it means somethi…”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 9:18
Insight
Soni: Gate in-person events for VIPs to protect virtual attendance
“What I have seen, at least in marketing domain, people do is that they would do some kind of gating for the in-person conference. They would get it to what they would call as high value target accounts, right? So they'll say, okay, if you are part of one of th…”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 12:48
Opinion
Soni: Concerns that virtual events cannibalize in-person attendance are unfounded
“I think also the, some of the concerns of people like not coming in person to and watching it virtually are unfounded. I think if given an option, people will attend An in-person event, and I'm saying that as CEO of a digital events company”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 14:42
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Goldcast's Q1 2023 digital event attendance surpassed all of 2022
“Just in our company, we have seen in just 10 weeks, the attendance of digital events has surpassed what we saw last year and the whole year.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 15:09
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Soni: LG and Salesloft successfully rebroadcast in-person talks with live Q&A
“So we have had LG do this recently and there was a sales loft also. They did one in Atlanta and then they did like a version of their Event virtually. And they did, they had their speakers come in and answer questions.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 16:01
Disclosure
Goldcast employs 110 people
“We have a 110.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 17:05
Disclosure
Goldcast employs 50 engineers
“50.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 17:11
Disclosure
Goldcast has six AEs and ten BDRs
“No, six AEs, so yeah, yeah, six AEs, and then we have 10 BDRs.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 17:27
Disclosure
Goldcast Account Executives carry an average $800,000 annual sales quota
“Yes. Some, yeah, on average, like one odd carry higher, but it's 800 K on average.”
Palash Soni Mar 29, 2023 ▶ 17:42
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 2,600 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.

Try the podcast clipper Learn more