StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Feb 27, 2017 · 19m · top-founders

EP 583: Socedo Does $1.5M+ In 2016, $200K MRR Now Helping 200 Customers Close More Leads with CEO Aseem Badshah

Aseem Badshah · 11m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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

Host Nathan Latka interviews Socedo CEO Aseem Badshah to analyze how the B2B social demand generation platform scaled to $200K MRR and over 200 customers while maintaining lean operations and capital efficiency.

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 38.7% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.8 Guest teaching 1.5 Guest disagreement 1.0 Nathan pushing back 2.0
05100:0010:003:22–7:36 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Origins from Uptown Treehouse to Techstars Seattle Nathan quickly computes MRR and annual revenue ranges based on customer count and ARPU, probing for exact 2016 figures when Asim demurs.7:36–10:09 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Seed Capital Structure and Path to Cash Flow Positivity Nathan pushes Asim into a binary dilemma about whether he is currently raising capital or talking to acquirers, which Asim sidesteps by touting near cash-flow positivity.10:09–13:44 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Multi-Source Data Enrichment and Behavioral Machine Learning Nathan names multiple API providers and translates accuracy percentages into direct deliverability numbers, while Asim educates on match rates across data pipes.13:44–15:53 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Behavioral Intent vs Account Budgets and Core SaaS Metrics Nathan tries to clarify if Socedo predicts prospect marketing budgets, prompting Asim to clarify their core value proposition around behavioral intent and timing.15:54–17:59 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five, Nathan shows off his industry knowledge by citing revenue metrics from a previous interview with Yesware's CEO.18:00–18:52 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Interview Recap and Metric Review Monologue recap where Nathan summarizes Socedo's business metrics and transitions to sponsor reads.3:22–7:36 · Guest teaching 1/10 Origins from Uptown Treehouse to Techstars Seattle Nathan quickly computes MRR and annual revenue ranges based on customer count and ARPU, probing for exact 2016 figures when Asim demurs.7:36–10:09 · Guest teaching 2/10 Seed Capital Structure and Path to Cash Flow Positivity Nathan pushes Asim into a binary dilemma about whether he is currently raising capital or talking to acquirers, which Asim sidesteps by touting near cash-flow positivity.10:09–13:44 · Guest teaching 3/10 Multi-Source Data Enrichment and Behavioral Machine Learning Nathan names multiple API providers and translates accuracy percentages into direct deliverability numbers, while Asim educates on match rates across data pipes.13:44–15:53 · Guest teaching 3/10 Behavioral Intent vs Account Budgets and Core SaaS Metrics Nathan tries to clarify if Socedo predicts prospect marketing budgets, prompting Asim to clarify their core value proposition around behavioral intent and timing.15:54–17:59 · Guest teaching 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five, Nathan shows off his industry knowledge by citing revenue metrics from a previous interview with Yesware's CEO.18:00–18:52 · Guest teaching 0/10 Interview Recap and Metric Review Monologue recap where Nathan summarizes Socedo's business metrics and transitions to sponsor reads.3:22–7:36 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Origins from Uptown Treehouse to Techstars Seattle Nathan quickly computes MRR and annual revenue ranges based on customer count and ARPU, probing for exact 2016 figures when Asim demurs.7:36–10:09 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Seed Capital Structure and Path to Cash Flow Positivity Nathan pushes Asim into a binary dilemma about whether he is currently raising capital or talking to acquirers, which Asim sidesteps by touting near cash-flow positivity.10:09–13:44 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Multi-Source Data Enrichment and Behavioral Machine Learning Nathan names multiple API providers and translates accuracy percentages into direct deliverability numbers, while Asim educates on match rates across data pipes.13:44–15:53 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Behavioral Intent vs Account Budgets and Core SaaS Metrics Nathan tries to clarify if Socedo predicts prospect marketing budgets, prompting Asim to clarify their core value proposition around behavioral intent and timing.15:54–17:59 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five, Nathan shows off his industry knowledge by citing revenue metrics from a previous interview with Yesware's CEO.18:00–18:52 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Interview Recap and Metric Review Monologue recap where Nathan summarizes Socedo's business metrics and transitions to sponsor reads.3:22–7:36 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Origins from Uptown Treehouse to Techstars Seattle Nathan quickly computes MRR and annual revenue ranges based on customer count and ARPU, probing for exact 2016 figures when Asim demurs.7:36–10:09 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Seed Capital Structure and Path to Cash Flow Positivity Nathan pushes Asim into a binary dilemma about whether he is currently raising capital or talking to acquirers, which Asim sidesteps by touting near cash-flow positivity.10:09–13:44 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Multi-Source Data Enrichment and Behavioral Machine Learning Nathan names multiple API providers and translates accuracy percentages into direct deliverability numbers, while Asim educates on match rates across data pipes.13:44–15:53 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Behavioral Intent vs Account Budgets and Core SaaS Metrics Nathan tries to clarify if Socedo predicts prospect marketing budgets, prompting Asim to clarify their core value proposition around behavioral intent and timing.15:54–17:59 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions During the Famous Five, Nathan shows off his industry knowledge by citing revenue metrics from a previous interview with Yesware's CEO.18:00–18:52 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Interview Recap and Metric Review Monologue recap where Nathan summarizes Socedo's business metrics and transitions to sponsor reads.

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

0:00 · Nathan 57.3% · guest 42.7%0:00 · Nathan 57.3% · guest 42.7%3:00 · Nathan 19.7% · guest 80.3%3:00 · Nathan 19.7% · guest 80.3%6:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%6:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%9:00 · Nathan 30.5% · guest 69.5%9:00 · Nathan 30.5% · guest 69.5%12:00 · Nathan 15.8% · guest 84.2%12:00 · Nathan 15.8% · guest 84.2%15:00 · Nathan 44.9% · guest 55.1%15:00 · Nathan 44.9% · guest 55.1%18:00 · Nathan 98.7% · guest 1.3%18:00 · Nathan 98.7% · guest 1.3%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 8:31 Asim dismisses binary funding dilemma

Asim rejects Nathan's assumption that the company must either be raising capital or exploring an acquisition, asserting that revenue growth has made them nearly cash-flow positive.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 8:25 Nathan confronts Asim on capital runway

Nathan aggressively corners Asim by asserting that thirteen months post-funding means the company is either raising money or seeking an acquirer.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 10:52 Asim explains data matching across multiple providers

Asim reframes Nathan's question about single-provider accuracy to explain how Socedo stitches together multi-pipe match rates across social, contact, and firmographic data.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 11:46 Nathan translates accuracy stats into operational email delivery

Nathan demonstrates domain expertise by translating Socedo's 80% accuracy metric into concrete deliverability and bounce figures for a campaign.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Origins from Uptown Treehouse to Techstars Seattle 6113 Nathan quickly computes MRR and annual revenue ranges based on customer count and ARPU, probing for exact 2016 figures when Asim demurs.
Seed Capital Structure and Path to Cash Flow Positivity 6224 Nathan pushes Asim into a binary dilemma about whether he is currently raising capital or talking to acquirers, which Asim sidesteps by touting near cash-flow positivity.
Multi-Source Data Enrichment and Behavioral Machine Learning 6312 Nathan names multiple API providers and translates accuracy percentages into direct deliverability numbers, while Asim educates on match rates across data pipes.
Behavioral Intent vs Account Budgets and Core SaaS Metrics 6323 Nathan tries to clarify if Socedo predicts prospect marketing budgets, prompting Asim to clarify their core value proposition around behavioral intent and timing.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 5000 During the Famous Five, Nathan shows off his industry knowledge by citing revenue metrics from a previous interview with Yesware's CEO.
Interview Recap and Metric Review 0000 Monologue recap where Nathan summarizes Socedo's business metrics and transitions to sponsor reads.

Statements from this episode (16)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo's average contract value is $12,000 to $15,000 annually
“Average is around 12,000 to 15,000 dollars a year.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 3:15
Disclosure
Socedo has raised $1.5 million in capital to date
“So we've raised about 1.5 million to date and you know, kind of been extremely capital efficient, right?”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 4:51
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo grew revenue 3x in 2016 and reached 200 paying customers
“So 200 customers, we grew revenue about three X in 2016 and are growing quickly into 20 17 as well.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 4:56
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Some enterprise customers pay Socedo up to $500,000 per year
“And some customers are paying all the way up to half a million, you know, a year and then smaller Customers as well”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 5:16
Assertion Supported
Socedo operates with a 25-person team based in Seattle
“We've got about 25 people in Seattle at this point.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 6:05
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Socedo deliberately targets slower 2x growth in 2017 to prioritize retention
“Right now we're actually looking at it and saying, Hey, we're going to slow down growth a little bit in 2017 and really kind of target to do a two X in 2017 while we focus on taking the customers that we have today and really becoming more and more core with t…”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 6:24
Disclosure
Socedo aims for cash flow positivity before raising new capital
“Is get cashflow positive, really focused on getting core with our customers here in 2017, and then take on some new capital when we're ready to really step on the gas and scale, right?”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 8:41
Insight
Badshah: Raising a $5M Series A is pointless without deployment capacity
“I mean, there's no point in going and doing a five million dollar series A if we can't make use of that capital very quickly.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 8:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo generates all inbound leads using its own demand generation platform
“So we don't actually spend a lot of money on marketing. We really kind of drink our own champagne and all of the leaves that are coming in are really kind of coming from our own system.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 9:32
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo's GTM team employs five AEs, two SDRs, and three marketers
“So we've got about, you know, five AEs on the team, two SDRs. And then and then three on the marketing team, that's basically kind of all we need on the sales and marketing side.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 9:47
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo achieves 90% Twitter-to-LinkedIn match accuracy and 80% email accuracy
“We don't guarantee an accuracy rate, but our accuracy rates are pretty high. So we normally see accuracy of about 90% when we're going from a Twitter account to a LinkedIn account match. And then from email address, you kind of get to accuracy rates around 80%…”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 11:31
Disclosure
Socedo enriches data using FullContact, Clearbit, SellHack, and direct social feeds
“So full contact is one of them. Clearbit is one that we use. And then we look at, you know, providers like cell hack and others, and then we connect right into the social media feeds as well.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 12:04
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo's gross monthly customer churn is approximately 2%
“So our gross customer churn monthly is around two percent.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 15:17
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo achieves net negative revenue churn through monthly customer upgrades
“We are. Yes, exactly. So we see greater upgrades than churn on a monthly basis.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 15:27
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo's customer acquisition cost is approximately $6,000
“We pay around 6000 dollars to acquire a customer.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 15:36
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Socedo estimates its customer lifetime value at approximately $20,000
“We look at lifetime value today is around 20 K.”
Aseem Badshah Feb 27, 2017 ▶ 15:44
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