Lenny's Podcast · Nov 24The ultimate guide to founder-led sales | Jen Abel (co-founder of JJELLYFISH)
Its founder searched for a pain, talked to everyone about it, and first built the answer in spreadsheets, a market-first route to fit.
Company · Business software
Vanta
A compliance automation software company.
What was said about Vanta
Product strategy and PMF4
- At level one, do the work manually to deliver a promise customers urgently need▶ 25:59Vanta's early customers Segment, Front and Figma landed a Fortune 10 deal after she did their compliance work manually.Lenny's Podcast · A framework for finding product-market fit | Todd Jackson (First Round Capital)
- Use the four Ps to decide what to pivot when stuck▶ 32:03Lattice kept the persona (HR heads) but changed problem and promise from OKRs to performance management, selling its first 5 to 10 customers with Figma mock-ups. Vanta changed all four. Plaid kept its product and changed the other three.Lenny's Podcast · A framework for finding product-market fit | Todd Jackson (First Round Capital)
- At level four, expand TAM with new markets or products, and re-earn fit each time▶ 1:02:40Vanta added vendor risk and security questionnaires, Verkada moved from cameras to alarms and badge readers, and Stripe added Radar and Atlas.Lenny's Podcast · A framework for finding product-market fit | Todd Jackson (First Round Capital)
- Stop interviewing when you can predict 70 to 80% of the next answer▶ 1:24:53Lenny's Podcast · A framework for finding product-market fit | Todd Jackson (First Round Capital)
Lenny's Podcast · Nov 24Lenny's Podcast · Apr 11A framework for finding product-market fit | Todd Jackson (First Round Capital)
Founder Christina Cacioppo filled out SOC 2 spreadsheets by hand for design partners Segment, Front and Figma, which helped one land a Fortune 10 deal. It changed all four Ps and later added vendor risk and security questionnaires.
Tips
- At level one, do the work manually to deliver a promise customers urgently need▶ 25:59Vanta's early customers Segment, Front and Figma landed a Fortune 10 deal after she did their compliance work manually.
- Use the four Ps to decide what to pivot when stuck▶ 32:03Lattice kept the persona (HR heads) but changed problem and promise from OKRs to performance management, selling its first 5 to 10 customers with Figma mock-ups. Vanta changed all four. Plaid kept its product and changed the other three.
- At level four, expand TAM with new markets or products, and re-earn fit each time▶ 1:02:40Vanta added vendor risk and security questionnaires, Verkada moved from cameras to alarms and badge readers, and Stripe added Radar and Atlas.
- Stop interviewing when you can predict 70 to 80% of the next answer▶ 1:24:53
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