Founders are often told to “think big,” “move fast,” and “raise money.” But what if the real challenge isn’t getting capital—it’s what comes after? In an industry shaped by hype cycles and funding headlines, it’s rare to hear the honest, hard truths about how venture capital actually works. That’s what made “The Masked Investor” session at SAAS NORTH so refreshing (or was it the SaaSquatch outfit). Beneath the costume was a seasoned VC who’s spent a decade deploying hundreds of millions—and who was finally free to speak plainly about what founders are getting wrong.

Success stories dominate headlines, but failure is often the unspoken foundation of entrepreneurial growth. At SAAS NORTH, Marie Chevrier Schwartz, CEO of TechTO and Peerscale, took to the stage in a raw, honest and insightful discussion on all things failure—why it’s an inevitable part of the founder journey, how to navigate its emotional and professional fallout, and why setbacks often serve as stepping stones to greater success.

In a fast-paced industry like ours, team management is not only a moving target; as a company grows and scales, the way you manage your team can also be a competitive edge in itself. Factor in hybrid, remote, and cross-time-zone working arrangements, and things can quickly get complicated. We spoke with Michelle Brooks (Chief People & Culture Officer at Security Compass) and Mike Gozzo (Chief Product Officer at Ada) to get some tips about how they design and manage high-performing teams.

In a fast-paced industry like ours, team management is not only a moving target; as a company grows and scales, the way you manage your team can also be a competitive edge in itself. Factor in hybrid, remote, and cross-time-zone working arrangements, and things can quickly get complicated. We spoke with Michelle Brooks (Chief People & Culture Officer at Security Compass) and Mike Gozzo (Chief Product Officer at Ada) to get some tips about how they design and manage high-performing teams.

So, you’ve raised a round of seed funding – congratulations! But now what? This phase of growth is all about defining, refining, and systematizing. In the words of Janet Bannister, who’s been a seed-stage investor for over a decade, “I’m a big believer in running a tight ship… and it’s easier to put those things in place when you’re a small startup.” We spoke with Janet and also Kaylee Lieffer, founder of private labelling beauty SaaS platform Blanka about what to focus on at this stage.

Martin Basiri’s passion for increasing educational opportunities was so strong—and so personally driven—that he left his own unicorn company to start from the ground up. Speaking with SAAS NORTH, Martin explained more about how passion led him to found (then leave) ApplyBoard and ultimately start Passage, raising a $40 million Seed round.

Why are you raising capital? If your only answer is “growth,” there might be more work to do. It’s also a problem if you can’t articulate why raising capital might be the wrong choice, said Kevin Kliman, co-founder and CEO of SMB HR platform Humi. Speaking with SAAS NORTH, Kevin shared his first principles approach to using capital for growth.

When you’re bootstrapped, cash flow is always top of mind. At the same time, founders can’t let money-focus hamstring creativity—instead, it should foster creative solutions that both help you reach your vision and bring revenue in the door. This is the balance Kaaveh Shoamanesh has struck in his role as CEO of community-based ad marketplace Plaiced. Speaking with SAAS NORTH, Kaaveh explained more about bringing vision and community together to scale globally in a lightweight, cost effective way.

A lot of startup advice says to be customer obsessed (or some similar verb). Billionaire businessman Richard Branson famously flipped this on its head, saying a focus on employees will lead to customers being taken care of. Mehrsa Raeiszadeh, Co-Founder of online car marketplace MintList, agrees with Richard Branson and goes one step further: treat all stakeholders as investors. Speaking with SAAS NORTH, Mehrsa explained how this mindset drives growth.