ChartMogul announced it is launching the world’s first ever Subscription Data Platform. As subscription data management becomes more complex, the new tool provides more trustworthy and reliable data reporting with a powerful new suite of functions that sync, clean and normalize customer and revenue data. ChartMogul has also released a new Custom data source powered by a ‘next-generation’ data pipeline that simultaneously takes up data from user input in the UI, API, or CSV uploads, and presents a real-time view of data as it enters ChartMogul’s system. The company also plans on rolling out new features on the platform including new data output and management solutions.
Introduced 15 years, Google’s nofollow attribute was designed to fight comment spam and evolved into a recommended method for flagging sponsored and advertising related links. For indexing and crawling purposes, nofollow is evolving once again as Google has introduced two new link attributes webmasters can use to identify the nature of specific links to Google search. The new attributes will be used to identify sponsored (rel=”sponsored”) and user generated content (rel=”ugc”). Implementation of the attributes by users is entirely voluntary and will not affect sites. Technical SEO and brand ambassador for Ahrefs, Patrick Stox, spoke on the update stating, “If you were using nofollow to block any sensitive areas of your site that you didn’t want crawled, it probably makes sense to go block these in a different way.”
As concern over the coronavirus continues to grow, the tech world is seeing more and more major conferences being delayed, canceled or switched to a virtual medium as to minimize potential transmittance of the emerging virus. ZDNet has compiled a comprehensive list of upcoming tech conferences that have imposed alternate arrangements or that have been canceled all together. Notable event schedule updates include:
- LTVConf – On hold pending a new date later in 2020
- Adobe Summit – (Mar. 29-Apr. 2 in Las Vegas) – In-person canceled; online-only event
- Atlassian Summit 2020 – (Mar. 31-Apr. 2 in Las Vegas) – In-person canceled; online-only event
- Facebook F8 – (May 6-8 in San Jose, CA) – In-person canceled; online-only event
- SaaStr Annual 2020 – (Mar. 10) – Rescheduled to SaaStr “Bi-Annual” in September 2020
- SaaS Connect – Cloud Software Association – (Apr. 15-16 in San Francisco) – Potentially being rescheduled for September
- Shopify Unite 2020 developers conference – (May 6-8 in Toronto) – In-person canceled; online-only event
- SXSW – (Mar. 12-22 in Austin, Texas) – Being held as scheduled (Apple, Twitter, Netflix, Facebook, Amazon Studios, IBM, and others have withdrawn)
- Traffic and Conversion Summit – (March 31 – April 2) – Being held as scheduled
- Prosper Show 2020 – (Mar. 23-25) – Being held as scheduled as of now
- MicroConf Growth – (April 19-21) – Being held as scheduled as of now
- Shopify Unite 2020 – (May 6-9) – In-person canceled; online-only event
- SearchLove – (March 26-27, San Diego, CA) – Being held as scheduled as of now
In social media news, Twitter is testing a new feature called ‘fleets’which allows some tweets to vanish after 24 hours, like Snapchat and Instagram stories. The concept was introduced so users could post “fleeting thoughts,” but news of the feature lead to the trending hashtag #RIPTwitter, as users claim it is too similar to other social platforms.
New in FE exclusive listings, this week we have a SaaS business in the B2B Social Media Engagement Software niche. Listed at $1M, this business provides an effective software solution for SMBs and entrepreneurs looking to improve their LinkedIn reach and engagement. With a highly rated Chrome extension, the business allows marketers, recruiters and influencers to automatically engage with LinkedIn posts to increase reach by 10x. Boasting a high LTV of c.$511 over the LTM, this business has a notable client base of high profile tech leaders. With MRR expanding at a staggering c.30% compounded monthly growth rate between March 2019 – January 2020, the software is projected to uphold a strong growth trajectory. If you are interested in this business, please visit the link above to request a prospectus.
In events news, Founder Thomas Smale sat down with Andrew Warner on the Mixergy podcast to discuss his process for valuating businesses as well as the story of how he grew FE International from a college side-hustle into a global M&A service regularly advising on eight-figure deals. You can listen in to the full conversation by following the link: What should you know before buying or selling a software business? Thomas also had the opportunity to interview with Escape Velocity to talk about what buyers are looking for in a SaaS business, how FE International approaches sales, the truth behind valuation, two baseline stats for explosive sales and more.
FE International attends dozens of conferences every year, so we’ve compiled our list of the Top 100 Digital Conferences You Should Attend in 2020 (LTVConf 2020 is on hold pending a new date later in 2020). If you would like to schedule a meeting with a team member, please reach out. Events FE will be attending are indicated. Next up for the FE team is Traffic and Conversion Summit on March 31st – April 2nd in San Diego. FE International Founder Thomas Smale and CEO Ismael Wrixen will be in attendance to connect with leaders and founders in the digital marketing space and will be available to meet with those in the area.
Call for Entry: SaaS Mag has opened its application for the 2020 SaaS 1000 list! If you think you’re company deserves to be ranked among the top growing SaaS companies, then be sure to apply by February 29, 2020!
Continue reading below for more on Google, ChartMogul and more!
Listings
New
SaaS – B2B Social Media Engagement Software – $27K MRR
- Robust software in the social media engagement niche with an impressive c.30% CMGR over L12M
- Loyal customer base with a high LTV of c.$511 over the L12M
- Impressive business fundamentals with c.$254,000 in ARR as of February 2020
- Lean and scalable cost structure driving high net margins
- Notable client base including high profile technology leaders within the transportation, payment processing and CRM niches
Yearly net profit: $261,000
Asking price: $1,014,000
Affiliate – DIY & Heat Press Blog – $9.9K Gross/Mo
- Firm foothold in the DIY & Heat Press niche
- Rapid revenue growth of c.153% between 2018 and 2019
- Diversified income streams generating c.$127,000 in annualised revenue over the L3M
- Extensive content library of c.230 articles helping secure keyword rankings for c.13,000 keywords
- Impressive social media presence with over 35,000 followers spread across Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Yearly net profit: $116,000
Asking price: $347,000
SaaS – B2B Online File Conversion Software – $4.2K MRR
- Robust conversion software compatible with a wide range of platforms
- Loyal customer base with a high LTV of c.$200 over the LTM
- Impressive 91% CAGR YoY growth from 2015 to 2019
- Lean and automated operations driving strong margins and low owner involvement
Yearly net profit: $58,000
Asking price: $265,000
SaaS – B2B Content Management System Platform – $4.1K MRR
- Firm foothold in the content management system niche
- Highly rated product with more than 50 5-star reviews on Capterra
- 185 paying users with an attractive $4,100 MRR
- Simple operation with a lean operating model
Yearly net profit: $34,000
Asking price: $118,000
- Firm positioning in the lucrative home, beauty and tech niche aimed at a vast Spanish speaking audience
- Vast content library with c.1,000 articles and demo videos helping secure rankings for c.53,000 keywords
- Impressive volume of traffic with c.1,400,000 visitors over the L12M
- Lean and scalable cost structure driving high net margins
Yearly net profit: $36,000
Asking price: $110,000
In the News…
ChartMogul Introduces First Ever Subscription Data Platform
The first ever Subscription Data Platform has been introduced by ChartMogul. The so SaaS companies can more accurately report and evaluate their revenue and consumer data. The company recognized the process of uploading spreadsheets/CSV files to the platform needed to be simplified. They also wanted to find a solution to enhance transparency by “giving our users access to the underlying data sets that go into building their subscription reports.” The new Subscription Data platform solves these problems and more and is available for new and current users.
Google Update to Nofollow Attribute
For crawling and indexing purposes, Google has implemented a new treatment for nofollow links and has added two new attributes to identify links for user generated and sponsored content. In a statement from Google’s Gary Illyes and Danny Sullivan who released the original announcement in September, it was learned “the new attributes serve to help Google understand the web better and allow site owners to classify the nature of their links, if they want to.” The update was made available on March 1st.
Tech Conferences Canceled Over Coronavirus
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread throughout the world, tech companies are taking precautions to safeguard their employees form possible exposure. More and more major companies are implementing remote work policies, enforcing travel restrictions, and canceling popular tech conferences or opting to host online events instead. Some employees of tech giants Amazon, Microsoft and Google have been asked to work from home as cases of the virus continue to arise with unidentified origins of infection.