I tried to find how the ranking is calculated, tried signing up for the sources they used, which in turn led to email like below.
This is just PR-spam several levels deep.
> Reply back to this email, and copy 2 of your friends who are SaaS CEO's, investors or just studying SaaS. I'll reply back and give you and your friends a full .CSV download of these rankings.
Hi Paul,
I'm CEO of the company which has created this list. As you might notice, it is voting for the most popular SaaS company among the Fastest Growing.
How we found which companies are the Fastest Growing? First, we took a list of Nathan Latka, who hosts on the most popular SaaS podcast and has a huge database of SaaS companies with their metrics. Second, we took a list of the companies that have shown massive growth on Linkedin in 2018. And we also added the data provided by Similarweb.
It sounds very simple, but it took more than a week of our team just to make this list of TOP50 companies the most accurate way. Now we welcome everybody to vote for the companies from this list.
Hope that helps.
Vlad
I guess it shouldn't be surprising that a list of SaaS companies are mostly in the surveillance economy, but it is a little depressing that only a few aren't in the business of collecting consumer data.
It's quite sad that most of them are traffic/ad optimization/analysis companies. Clicking on the link I was hoping for a nifty list of tools that benefit various (web-connected) industries.
here's the top 15 from the list if you just want to know the company names. I'm not going to post all 50.
Sales and analysis/analytics are pretty dominant keywords it looks like.
They've used the "sales letter" approach for a while. The reason is probably that it's very effective. Rubs some people the wrong way, but results are results.
Excuse my ignorance as I am not coming from a progressive western rich country but why is it important to have a forced diversity in a company?
Why is it not enough to treat every person without bias or discrimination and judge them mainly on their skills ?
... as long as you exclude age as a diversity metric.
I did a quick scan of the top 20 companies, and I found about 10 people who plausibly looked over 40, and maybe 2 who cracked 50. Maybe I missed a few, but I feel certain that I am directionally correct.
Maybe SaaS isn’t a domain for older people, but somehow I imagine that there is no shortage of folks over 40 who could add significant value to these companies if they could get past the “culture fit” filter.
I will also add that while women seem to be decently represented, black people do not seem represented at all. I found 1 in the top 20 companies in a quick scan.
You are right! That was one of the reasons we've launched this list — we wanted to show how different are the personalities in these SaaS product teams.
It's interesting because as the company I'm with (SalesLoft, 35 on this list) has gotten larger, with more revenue and goals, we've been hiring more experienced people to help guide the company. I do wonder if these people come with higher $$ expectations that aren't possible in the early days of a startup without taking on significant amounts of risk. I feel lucky to work with these people because they know what they're talking about and aren't afraid to say it.
I look forward to leading others with their level of experience one day.
there is a legitimate economic (I'm not advocating this) argument for hiring younger. Younger devs are cheaper, often more idealistic and more willing to work unpaid overtime. Throw some cheap perks in there (catering, beanbags etc) to encourage them to spend all their time on company turf and I'm sure it adds up to a greater company benefit than hiring an older dev even allowing for experience/skill difference.
There is a lot of wisdom to be found in people who do not make their place of employment the end all be all of their existence, even if for a period of time.
You are right, I used the wrong word. It shows the persons who work in each company (comparing to other lists, where only the logo of the company is being shown).
It makes me sad to see how white those teams pictures are.
Let me be clear, I do not think it is the fault of those companies nor their duty to fill their jobs with anyone but the most qualified for the job. Also, let me be clear this is referring to the US-based companies. The fault lies in those communities where non-whites mostly reside not having the proper vision by their leaders getting children ready for the future. The pictures grossly make that obvious.
Being a non-white tech leader that came from one of those communities I know what it takes to rise above it all. It is not an easy path.
I took two passes, and only spotted 2 black women on the teams. Which is unsettling because:
1. These are the people building the tools that'll be a part of _everyone's_ lives.
2. If these companies continue to be successful, these are the people who'll have the capital to continue to shape the future
3. They're often already at the point where it's really awkward (and uncomfortable) for a person of colour to join and be the first and only one there.
I don't think the pictures presented represent the current/full team. My team's picture on there is about 2 years old. We definitely have more than 2 people of color...
This is just PR-spam several levels deep.
> Reply back to this email, and copy 2 of your friends who are SaaS CEO's, investors or just studying SaaS. I'll reply back and give you and your friends a full .CSV download of these rankings.