"Growth at all costs" is no longer the mantra in tech. Today, the real winners achieve sustainable growth. If you're running a SaaS or subscription-based business, you live and die by retaining and expanding customer accounts. Without a good measure of how your core business is expanding and contracting, your startup could find itself in serious financial trouble you didn't expect.

2024 marked a record-breaking year for U.S. venture debt deals, which reached $53.3 billion in investments. According to PitchBook’s NVCA Venture Monitor, the dramatic increase in venture debt funding—up 94% from 2023—was driven by evolving venture capital (VC) dynamics.

Every entrepreneur needs one thing to build their startup from idea to successful exit: money. Without a growth capital roadmap, founders on the startup journey face twists, turns, detours, and even a potential dead-end. What many don’t anticipate is the toll that repeated fundraising rounds can take on them and the business. Don’t end up like so many founders who wish they had known.

Bootstrapping a startup and building a sustainable business not only requires disciplined cash flow management but also careful management of expenses—you have to be laser-focused on where every dollar goes. Financial flexibility is a luxury that bootstrappers often don’t have. A little extra cash can go a long way. Is debt right for you?

When you’re just beginning to build your startup, funding options are limited. Traditional banks won’t talk to you. VCs want to see traction; and angels want to see a great MVP. Debt financing isn't an option yet, because you don’t have revenue. And on the off chance that you can pique the interest of investors at this early stage, you’ll give up a large chunk of equity for their money. So what are your options?

Short-term financing—a loan that's paid back in 12 months or less—often attracts startup founders looking for lower capital costs and quick access to cash, but those benefits can fade quickly if the loan terms don’t line up with what the business needs. How do you know if short-term debt can help your SaaS business grow without adding unnecessary risk and costs? Start here.

3rd annual Australian Lighter Summit, a full-day gathering for CEOs, founders, startup leaders to connect, learn and collaborate.

We hosted our 4th annual Lighter Summit in Boulder, CO. We brought together CEOs, founders, startup leaders to connect, learn, & collaborate

Two of entrepreneurs’ favorite topics are growing and scaling a business. The words are thrown around a lot, and the enthusiasm with which they’re used often exceeds the accuracy. Many people use the words growth and scaling in business interchangeably, but there's a crucial difference. We explain.

Many new entrepreneurs believe customer acquisition is the key driver of revenue grow, but they aren't entirely right. Retaining customers is equally, if not more, important than customer acquisition, especially when you don't have many to lose! Which is more important for your growing SaaS business?

As SaaS startups strive to win market share, debt can be a powerful asset for fueling growth. Though acquiring and managing debt can be a risky endeavor, structured planning and tracking goes a long way to help founders minimize those risks. Learn to manage startup debt wisely and maintain fiscal stability.

Sometimes it feels like there is an overwhelming number of metrics you should be tracking for your SaaS startup. They all have their place, but customer success metrics provide some of the most actionable insights for building successful SaaS products. Explore the SaaS customer success metrics that can help your startup move from one growth stage to the next.

Cohort analysis can provide answers to critical questions that guide effective SaaS growth strategies. Do customers you acquired last month act differently than ones you signed up the month prior? Do users who responded to a discount or promotion behave differently than those who purchased at full price? We show you how to get do a cohort analysis and apply the insights to grow smarter.

Don't let opportunities pass you by! Check out these SaaS-friendly funding solutions to extend your runway and help your startup grow.

Growing startups need capital to maintain growth and cash runway. Here are 3 reasons founders look to secure funding before the new year.

You’ll need to present your financials to prospective investors to get funding for your startup. Here's how to prepare.

Smart strategic decisions require knowing how much revenue your customers are bringing in, and more importantly, how much is churning out.

The difference between customer and revenue churn is what your business is losing: customers or cash. Learn to analyze these SaaS metrics.

Everything you need to know about customer research and the methods for conducting it at a SaaS startup.

Explore the latest SaaS benchmarking trends. We analyze private B2B SaaS startup revenue growth rates, salary costs, churn, and more.

Want make smarter decisions and secure your financial future? Master cash flow forecasting for your SaaS startup.

Lighter Capital is excited to be attending SaaStr Annual conference again. Here's why you should join us!

Learn how to manage cash flow for your SaaS startup with our comprehensive guide that covers all the cash flow fundamentals.