A few years ago, when I published my e-book on the Nine Value Propositions of B2B SaaS Platforms, I was pretty sure that I’d never update it again. Properly updating it is quite a task, and I wasn’t feeling motivated. However, I recently re-read it, and it felt very outdated, even ancient.  As a result, I’m releasing a fourth edition with significant revisions. (E-mail address required for download.)

What’s Changed in the World?

A lot has changed in three years.  In particular:

• The last version (early 2022) reflected stock market valuations of the SaaS and ZIRP bubble.  How quaint!
• The advent of AI, of course.
• I gained another three years of experience working with even more B2B SaaS platforms.  This reinforced certain beliefs and refined others.

What’s Changed in the E-Book?

A significant amount, but not the Nine Value Propositions, which I’m happy to say have remained a helpful framework for evaluating and categorizing inter-enterprise B2B platforms as well as understanding their growth levers.

If you’ve read the e-book before, I believe you’ll still find enough new information to keep your interest.  If you haven’t read it, congratulations—you didn’t have to suffer through the first three attempts!  In this latest edition, I:

• Updated all stock market valuations.  The new valuations reflect the decline in valuation multiples since the 2021 peak.  This is especially noticeable in the valuations of B2B marketplaces.
• Refined the segmentations for many of the value propositions using tighter thinking.  I updated many of the logos used as examples for each proposition to remove many acquired companies and improve the examples.
• Updated case studies on the EDI giants, Sabre, and Eric Lefkofsky’s many companies.
• Added new case studies on Bill.com and Verisk.
• Added a new section on where B2B SaaS platforms tend to go wrong, and
• Added a new section on the impact of AI on these businesses.

This e-book is detailed, as you will see, but you can also easily skim it by just reading the “Quick Take” sections for each value proposition. I hope you enjoy the new edition, and I look forward to hearing your feedback.