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Feb 8, 2022 · 19m · top-founders

Software For Soccer Leagues Raises at $7m Valuation, Hits $35k in Monthly Revenue

Tommaso Guerra · 10m spoken Nathan Latka · 5m 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, host Nathan Latka speaks with Tommaso Guerra, co-founder and CEO of Golee, about scaling a SaaS platform for youth sports clubs to $35,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Guerra discusses Golee's freemium business model, pandemic resilience, international club expansion, technical hiring, and milestones required for an upcoming Series A round.

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 35.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 5.2 Guest teaching 1.8 Guest disagreement 1.5 Nathan pushing back 2.7
05100:0010:000:44–4:21 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Tommaso Guerra on Founding Golee for Youth Sports Nathan quickly translates Tommaso's annual euro figures into monthly USD figures and calculates the paid customer base from freemium metrics. The interaction is cooperative and introductory.4:22–6:50 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Revenue Evolution and Pandemic Recovery Milestones Nathan presses Tommaso on exact historical revenues year by year through COVID lockdowns and calculates current recurring revenue. Tommaso provides open, collaborative financial milestones.6:51–10:16 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Seed Funding History and Cap Table Dilution Nathan probes into capitalization details, specifically questioning how Tommaso arrived at a precise 22% target dilution for the upcoming Series A. Tommaso explains the European venture environment and cap table logic.10:19–13:03 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Founderpath Valuation Tool Sponsor Announcement After the mid-roll ad read, Nathan directly challenges Tommaso's valuation target, calculating an aggressive 150x forward ARR multiple. Tommaso acknowledges the valuation stretch and lays out necessary growth milestones before fundraising.13:03–17:03 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Technical Team Building and Developer Recruitment Nathan repeatedly clarifies team roles to determine who holds an active sales quota and subsequently computes the blended customer acquisition cost from conversion rates. Tommaso provides details on marketing channels and hiring challenges.17:03–18:36 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Standard Famous Five rapid-fire closing sequence covering books, tools, sleep, and advice without friction.0:44–4:21 · Guest teaching 2/10 Tommaso Guerra on Founding Golee for Youth Sports Nathan quickly translates Tommaso's annual euro figures into monthly USD figures and calculates the paid customer base from freemium metrics. The interaction is cooperative and introductory.4:22–6:50 · Guest teaching 1/10 Revenue Evolution and Pandemic Recovery Milestones Nathan presses Tommaso on exact historical revenues year by year through COVID lockdowns and calculates current recurring revenue. Tommaso provides open, collaborative financial milestones.6:51–10:16 · Guest teaching 3/10 Seed Funding History and Cap Table Dilution Nathan probes into capitalization details, specifically questioning how Tommaso arrived at a precise 22% target dilution for the upcoming Series A. Tommaso explains the European venture environment and cap table logic.10:19–13:03 · Guest teaching 2/10 Founderpath Valuation Tool Sponsor Announcement After the mid-roll ad read, Nathan directly challenges Tommaso's valuation target, calculating an aggressive 150x forward ARR multiple. Tommaso acknowledges the valuation stretch and lays out necessary growth milestones before fundraising.13:03–17:03 · Guest teaching 2/10 Technical Team Building and Developer Recruitment Nathan repeatedly clarifies team roles to determine who holds an active sales quota and subsequently computes the blended customer acquisition cost from conversion rates. Tommaso provides details on marketing channels and hiring challenges.17:03–18:36 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Standard Famous Five rapid-fire closing sequence covering books, tools, sleep, and advice without friction.0:44–4:21 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Tommaso Guerra on Founding Golee for Youth Sports Nathan quickly translates Tommaso's annual euro figures into monthly USD figures and calculates the paid customer base from freemium metrics. The interaction is cooperative and introductory.4:22–6:50 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Revenue Evolution and Pandemic Recovery Milestones Nathan presses Tommaso on exact historical revenues year by year through COVID lockdowns and calculates current recurring revenue. Tommaso provides open, collaborative financial milestones.6:51–10:16 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Seed Funding History and Cap Table Dilution Nathan probes into capitalization details, specifically questioning how Tommaso arrived at a precise 22% target dilution for the upcoming Series A. Tommaso explains the European venture environment and cap table logic.10:19–13:03 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Founderpath Valuation Tool Sponsor Announcement After the mid-roll ad read, Nathan directly challenges Tommaso's valuation target, calculating an aggressive 150x forward ARR multiple. Tommaso acknowledges the valuation stretch and lays out necessary growth milestones before fundraising.13:03–17:03 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Technical Team Building and Developer Recruitment Nathan repeatedly clarifies team roles to determine who holds an active sales quota and subsequently computes the blended customer acquisition cost from conversion rates. Tommaso provides details on marketing channels and hiring challenges.17:03–18:36 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Standard Famous Five rapid-fire closing sequence covering books, tools, sleep, and advice without friction.0:44–4:21 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Tommaso Guerra on Founding Golee for Youth Sports Nathan quickly translates Tommaso's annual euro figures into monthly USD figures and calculates the paid customer base from freemium metrics. The interaction is cooperative and introductory.4:22–6:50 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Revenue Evolution and Pandemic Recovery Milestones Nathan presses Tommaso on exact historical revenues year by year through COVID lockdowns and calculates current recurring revenue. Tommaso provides open, collaborative financial milestones.6:51–10:16 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Seed Funding History and Cap Table Dilution Nathan probes into capitalization details, specifically questioning how Tommaso arrived at a precise 22% target dilution for the upcoming Series A. Tommaso explains the European venture environment and cap table logic.10:19–13:03 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Founderpath Valuation Tool Sponsor Announcement After the mid-roll ad read, Nathan directly challenges Tommaso's valuation target, calculating an aggressive 150x forward ARR multiple. Tommaso acknowledges the valuation stretch and lays out necessary growth milestones before fundraising.13:03–17:03 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Technical Team Building and Developer Recruitment Nathan repeatedly clarifies team roles to determine who holds an active sales quota and subsequently computes the blended customer acquisition cost from conversion rates. Tommaso provides details on marketing channels and hiring challenges.17:03–18:36 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Standard Famous Five rapid-fire closing sequence covering books, tools, sleep, and advice without friction.

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

0:00 · Nathan 49.4% · guest 50.6%0:00 · Nathan 49.4% · guest 50.6%3:00 · Nathan 22.2% · guest 77.8%3:00 · Nathan 22.2% · guest 77.8%6:00 · Nathan 22.2% · guest 77.8%6:00 · Nathan 22.2% · guest 77.8%9:00 · Nathan 57.9% · guest 42.1%9:00 · Nathan 57.9% · guest 42.1%12:00 · Nathan 19.3% · guest 80.7%12:00 · Nathan 19.3% · guest 80.7%15:00 · Nathan 31.3% · guest 68.7%15:00 · Nathan 31.3% · guest 68.7%18:00 · Nathan 64.9% · guest 35.1%18:00 · Nathan 64.9% · guest 35.1%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 11:50 Tommaso defends upcoming Series A target with operational metrics

When challenged on a steep 150x ARR valuation target, Tommaso pushes back with concrete milestone prerequisites needed before approaching investors.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 11:31 Nathan confronts high multiple expectations

Nathan directly challenges Tommaso asking for $10M on a $50M valuation against only $400k ARR, questioning whether revenue must grow significantly first.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 9:22 Tommaso educates on fundraising difficulties in the Italian venture market

Tommaso explains the conservative nature of Italian and European investors compared to the US, detailing why he regrets not raising outside Italy earlier.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 16:41 Nathan demonstrates unit economics mastery

Nathan instantly models Tommaso's funnel math, calculating that a 20% conversion rate on 6 euro signups equates to roughly a $30 CAC for a $60 monthly customer.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Tommaso Guerra on Founding Golee for Youth Sports 5211 Nathan quickly translates Tommaso's annual euro figures into monthly USD figures and calculates the paid customer base from freemium metrics. The interaction is cooperative and introductory.
Revenue Evolution and Pandemic Recovery Milestones 5112 Nathan presses Tommaso on exact historical revenues year by year through COVID lockdowns and calculates current recurring revenue. Tommaso provides open, collaborative financial milestones.
Seed Funding History and Cap Table Dilution 6323 Nathan probes into capitalization details, specifically questioning how Tommaso arrived at a precise 22% target dilution for the upcoming Series A. Tommaso explains the European venture environment and cap table logic.
Founderpath Valuation Tool Sponsor Announcement 7225 After the mid-roll ad read, Nathan directly challenges Tommaso's valuation target, calculating an aggressive 150x forward ARR multiple. Tommaso acknowledges the valuation stretch and lays out necessary growth milestones before fundraising.
Technical Team Building and Developer Recruitment 6224 Nathan repeatedly clarifies team roles to determine who holds an active sales quota and subsequently computes the blended customer acquisition cost from conversion rates. Tommaso provides details on marketing channels and hiring challenges.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 2111 Standard Famous Five rapid-fire closing sequence covering books, tools, sleep, and advice without friction.

Statements from this episode (12)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Golee's paying sports clubs pay an average of 500 euros annually
“On average, they pay 500 euros per year.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 2:23
Assertion Not checkable as stated
About 20% of Golee's total users are paying clients
“More or less right now, we have 20% of our clients who are paying clients.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 2:42
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Golee has approximately 3,000 total clubs on its platform
“Right now, more or less 3000.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 3:38
Disclosure
Golee closed 2021 with approximately 150,000 euros in total revenue
“Right now we're, we close this year with more or less 150,000 euros.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 6:12
Disclosure
Golee's MRR grew from under 7,000 euros during COVID to 30,000 euros
“During COVID, our monthly recurring revenue was about three and 7000, between three and 7000 euros per month. And right now it's growing every month reaching now 30,000 euros.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 6:23
Assertion Supported
Golee raised 2 million euros over three years, including 700k in 2021
“We raised in the past three years two millions. Last fundraise was last year where we raised 700,000 euros.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 7:09
Assertion Partly supported
Golee's previous funding round closed at a 7 million euro valuation
“Last evaluation was seven million.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 9:07
Opinion
Guerra says Italian VC investor mentality is lagging and 'a mess'
“Italy is one of the latest country. I mean, it is very behind the mentality and the openness of investors and Lucy to give you money is it's a mess.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 9:23
Disclosure
Guerra retains approximately 35% equity ownership in Golee
“More or less 35%.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 10:07
Disclosure
Golee targets 10k clubs and 50k euros MRR before H2 Series A
“This is why we're looking to do these series a in the second semester of 2022. We want to reach this moment with three metrics, very consolidated, which are clubs acquisitions. So right now we're working with more or less 3000 sports clubs and we want To reach…”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 11:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Golee employs 20 people, including 9 in the IT department
“So out of the 20 people nine are IT in the IT department, and the rest of it is in the business and marketing department.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 14:41
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Golee spends 6 to 8 euros on customer acquisition per web registration
“So, we're doing web marketing, and right now our CAC on web marketing is pretty low. It's between six and eight euros, so every six euros we spend, we get a new registration.”
Tommaso Guerra Feb 8, 2022 ▶ 16:11
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