I am happy to announce that we are re-positioning Sixteen Ventures to be focused like a laser on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Product Development and Marketing. In the process, we have re-done almost all of the content on the Sixteen Ventures website so be sure to check it out.
It is interesting to note that Sixteen Ventures, and prior to that in my own startups and as an independent consultant, have been focused on On-Demand technologies since the mid-1990's. Our SaaS-specific expertise dates back to 2004/2005 when the term "SaaS" was coined and the business model behind it started to gel. Unfortunately, we didn't position ourselves as "SaaS Experts" or "SaaS Gurus" in an effort to avoid being pigeon-holed. By avoiding becoming SaaS experts in the eyes of the industry as a whole (there are a few very smart people who know), we became simply another consulting firm that also "does SaaS."
The reality is that all along we've been 100% focused on SaaS or derivative technologies such as Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) or Cloud Computing; though only from the SaaS-supporting technology view. But we just did not put it out there as we should have. Well, now we are. Sixteen Ventures as a company, and myself as founder of this firm, are Strategic SaaS Product Development and Marketing experts.
So why did we not position the firm that way from the beginning? The fact is, we still believe that the market should drive the delivery model for your software and that you should verify that your customers will accept a SaaS product. Depending upon your target market, there might be numerous ways in which they are not ready for your SaaS application. Whether it is by IT policy or by having the wrong attitude, you need to be aware.
That said, I think it is time to say that SaaS has crossed the chasm and is moving into mainstream adoption. Therefore, we feel the time has come to focus our messaging specifically on SaaS. Since few startups building on-premises software products, outside of infrastructure or security, are being funded it just seems that the time has come to be very specific with our message. Sure there might be some on-premises companies out there that we will miss out on working with, but the truth is on-premises software is not where our expertise lies. It is a stayed market with only a few possible revenue streams, it is a slow-to-react market due to the technology model, and it is not where we want to be. To re-iterate, Sixteen Ventures as a company, and myself as founder of this firm, are Strategic SaaS Product Development and Marketing experts.
This is truly an exciting milestone for Sixteen Ventures. In the coming weeks, we will have some more exciting announcements. New projects, new partnerships to talk about, and some great events and webinars to announce. Stay tuned.
Author: Lincoln Murphy (@lincolnmurphy on Twitter)