Mark MacLeod
BetaKit
Toronto, ON, Canada
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Past articles by Mark:
The State of Canadian SaaS
Mark MacLoed, founder of SurePath Capital Partners, and advisor and to SaaS and commerce companies, shares his insights on the Canadian SaaS industry. → Read More
Square's Acquisition of Weebly and The Battle for the Modern Merchant
Square's acquisition of Weebly, its largest to date, signals the beginning of a consolidation wave that we have been expecting at SurePath for some time. It also suggests the beginning of a competition to see which tech company can become the first all-in-one small-business solution. → Read More
SurePath Capital Breaks Down Last Year's Money Moves in SMB Software
Last week, my firm SurePath Capital Partners released its annual State of SMB Software Report, which looks at fundraising and exit activity in the SMB software space in North America. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: How can I approach my exit strategy as an SMB SaaS company?
There are so many small businesses out there. How do you reach them? And how do you reach them profitably? → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: What makes a good buyout target?
SurePath's Mark MacLeod explains the criteria of a good buyout target. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: Should I consider a buyout?
Mark MacLeod shares why companies should expand their exit alternatives to include private equity. → Read More
Your Startup is Overvalued – SurePath Library –
VC is a funny business. No other form of investing would tolerate the failure rate that is accepted in VC where (if you’re lucky) 1 out 10 investments is a home run, perhaps 3 return capital and the… → Read More
Is DexYP the Consolidator that Local Has Been Waiting for?
On the brand side, the challenge DexYP will face is reinventing the brand to be relevant for today’s younger business owners. Millennial entrepreneurs attach no value whatsoever to the Yellow Pages brand and history. There are three million new businesses started each year. Let’s assume a meaningful portion of these are started by young entrepreneurs. DexYP will have to capture the hearts and… → Read More
Are Website Builders the Next Big Growth Market in Local?
Website builders have been around almost as long as the internet itself. As you would expect, this is a busy market. Sitebuilderreport.com tracks 35 vendors. There are many more. Interestingly, only 4 of the 35 vendors get a good rating. Clearly, this is a large market that is ready for new and better solutions. → Read More
The Coming Polarization of the SMB Software Market
Strangely, despite the size of the opportunity you don’t find too many SMB companies in most VC portfolios. You see plenty of consumer and enterprise-focused startups, but much fewer on the SMB side. The reason for this is that it’s hard for companies serving SMBs to grow at the rate that can deliver venture returns. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: Are there any downsides to earn-outs?
Mark MacLeod cautions against earn-outs in merger & acquisition deals. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: What's the path to an acquihire?
No one starts a company in order to sell it for talent. But unfortunately, not everyone makes it to the Unicorn promised land. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: When should you get on the VC train?
With the rise of accelerators, the holy grail for young startups these days seems to be to get into YC as early as possible and then go on to immediately raise → Read More
@StartupCFO explains the long, windy road to a closed funding round
StartupCFO Mark MacLeod explains that the 'traditional' way to raise around results in too many "no"s. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: How do you know when to exit your company?
When should you sell your company? It’s hard to think about a more important question. → Read More
Ask @StartupCFO: how do I make my pitch stand out to investors?
The blogosphere is littered with posts on how to prepare an investor pitch. Many VC firms have even posted their preferred format. → Read More
You can’t save your way to greatness
In the Startup World, big outcomes require lots of capital → Read More
Five Reasons NOT to Bootstrap your Startup
5 reasons why you need capital to grow your startup → Read More
Being Yourself is the Best Way to Lead
I knew very early in my career that I wanted to be a senior person in any organization I was part of. This desire drove me to seek out smaller organizations where I could rise faster. In addition, it forced me to think consciously about how to lead. Leadership was an abstract concept for me for a long time. We read about leaders in the news and the press. We see them in the media. There's a… → Read More
The pros and cons of Strategic Investors
Should you raise money from strategics instead of VCs? → Read More