The year is coming to an end, and with that looking back at the most significant events that have shaped the SaaS world. How has the industry evolved? What were the top three trends? And which new players on the market have caught our attention during 2022?
Heading towards 2023, and dealing with a very data-driven and mature industry defining how modern companies should be run. The SaaS world continues to grow despite macroeconomic uncertainty. According to the GP Bullhound European SaaS Survey, one-third of CEOs surveyed plan to raise capital in the next 12 months. The size per deal is also steadily increasing, and so-called “mega deals” account for a significant part of the SaaS industry’s growth. If you look at the European countries, the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands account for 65 percent of the total SaaS deals in Europe. At the same time, the increased interest rates have contributed to a shift in the space as well, where SaaS companies have transitioned from a “growth at all costs-mindset” into establishing a more sustainable growth strategy.
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Three big SaaS trends
As a result of the economic decline, three clear trends within the SaaS space are seen:
- Many big SaaS companies have been forced to lay off people to have a more sustainable cash flow.
- While having limited access to funds, companies, in general, are creating a focus on efficiency, controlled growth, and customer retention. This is going to increase the importance of automation-related SaaS solutions further.
- Product-led growth is the key to getting more traction in 2023.
Highlights
Younium participated in the largest European SaaS events, such as SaaSiest in Malmö, SaaStr in Barcelona and SaaStock in Dublin. As a result of the pandemic, one is experiencing that meeting in person today is a luxury, which has led to increased efficiency and respect for each other’s time. It has been essential to have a clear plan and target for the events. The combination of meetings, “social proof” and precise follow-ups are integral to everything. Younium also entered the North American market in 2022, and the participation at SaaStr Annual in San Francisco was a great highlight, also the election of CEO and Founder Niclas Lilja into the Forbes Technology Council.
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Newcomers in the SaaS space
Younium has had a strong growth journey in 2022, and likewise, many other SaaS companies have grown, including Chili Piper, Deel and Xero.
Some new players in the European SaaS world that are worth mention a little extra are Belgian Gorilla, Spanish A-Planet, German Zenloop, and three Dutch newcomers: Playbookify, Spotler Group and Textkernel. Other companies that develp really good products are Vidyard, Hubspot, and Teamtailor.