Build, launch, and scale your SaaS with real strategies from founders who’ve actually done it.
Honest conversations about what’s working in SaaS growth, recurring revenue, and building products people want.
The SaaS Podcast shares in-depth interviews with proven SaaS founders and entrepreneurs, where we unpack the real stories behind the wins, failures, pivots, and lessons learned along the way.
You’ll discover practical insights you can use to get traction, reach product-market fit, grow your MRR, and scale your SaaS — including how to leverage AI without the hype.
Hosted by Omer Khan — SaaS founder, advisor, and creator of SaaS Club — helping thousands of founders build and grow successful software businesses.
New episodes weekly. Follow the show and start leveling up your SaaS.
All content for The SaaS Podcast: Build, Launch & Scale Your SaaS is the property of Omer Khan and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Build, launch, and scale your SaaS with real strategies from founders who’ve actually done it.
Honest conversations about what’s working in SaaS growth, recurring revenue, and building products people want.
The SaaS Podcast shares in-depth interviews with proven SaaS founders and entrepreneurs, where we unpack the real stories behind the wins, failures, pivots, and lessons learned along the way.
You’ll discover practical insights you can use to get traction, reach product-market fit, grow your MRR, and scale your SaaS — including how to leverage AI without the hype.
Hosted by Omer Khan — SaaS founder, advisor, and creator of SaaS Club — helping thousands of founders build and grow successful software businesses.
New episodes weekly. Follow the show and start leveling up your SaaS.
SaaS Growth Strategy: 7 Years of Zero Revenue to $100M ARR | Sigma Computing
The SaaS Podcast: Build, Launch & Scale Your SaaS
52 minutes
5 months ago
SaaS Growth Strategy: 7 Years of Zero Revenue to $100M ARR | Sigma Computing
Rob Woollen founded Sigma Computing with $8M in funding and a massive vision, but for the first seven years, the company generated almost zero revenue. They built products that failed, lost early team members, and struggled to find a working interface.
In this episode, Rob (Co-founder & CTO) reveals how they survived the "Valley of Death" to eventually hit product-market fit so hard they grew from $0 to $100M ARR in just 3.5 years. He breaks down why their early "AI Suggestions" product failed, how a lunch with Snowflake's CEO changed their trajectory, and the specific "Spreadsheet Interface" insight that finally unlocked the enterprise market.
🔑 Key Lessons
📉 The "Tale of Two Companies": How Sigma survived 7 years of stagnation before finding the fit that led to $100M ARR.
💡 The Interface Pivot: Why their initial "AI Auto-Analysis" product failed and why returning to a "Spreadsheet" interface won the market.
🤝 Strategic Partnerships: How piggybacking on Snowflake's growth (and solving their biggest user gap) fueled Sigma's explosion.
🧠 Founder Resilience: Rob's mindset during the "dark years" when the team shrank to 3 people and the office was empty.
🏢 Enterprise Sales: How they transitioned from founder-led sales (giving out personal cell numbers) to a scalable enterprise motion.
📖 Chapters
Introduction and Favorite Quote
Overview of Sigma Computing
Company Growth and Milestones
Founding Story and Background
Early Challenges and Iterations
Securing Funding and Initial Team
Product Development and Prototypes
First Startup Failure & Lessons
Missing Product-Market Fit
Inspiration for Pendo
Building the First Product
Landing First Customers
First Paying Customer
Achieving Product-Market Fit
Rebuilding the Product for Broader Appeal
Leveraging Strategic Partnerships
Reflecting on the Journey and Key Milestones
Lightning Round: Insights and Personal Reflections
This episode is brought to you by:
💖 Gearheart → Book a free strategy session + get 20% off select services
📫 Mailtrap → Get 20% off with code THESAASPODCAST
Resources:
🎧 Full Show Notes: saasclub.io/448
🎤 Subscribe to the Podcast: saasclub.io/subscribe
💌 Get weekly 5-minute SaaS insights: saasclub.io/email
💡 Join the SaaS Club founder community: saasclub.co/plus
The SaaS Podcast: Build, Launch & Scale Your SaaS
Build, launch, and scale your SaaS with real strategies from founders who’ve actually done it.
Honest conversations about what’s working in SaaS growth, recurring revenue, and building products people want.
The SaaS Podcast shares in-depth interviews with proven SaaS founders and entrepreneurs, where we unpack the real stories behind the wins, failures, pivots, and lessons learned along the way.
You’ll discover practical insights you can use to get traction, reach product-market fit, grow your MRR, and scale your SaaS — including how to leverage AI without the hype.
Hosted by Omer Khan — SaaS founder, advisor, and creator of SaaS Club — helping thousands of founders build and grow successful software businesses.
New episodes weekly. Follow the show and start leveling up your SaaS.
