451: Pendo: From Two Failed Startups to $200M ARR SaaS Success - with Todd Olson

Todd Olson went from two failed startups to building Pendo, a SaaS platform now generating $200M ARR with 880 employees and nearly $500M raised. In this episode, Todd reveals how early mistakes shaped his obsession with product-market fit, why he refused to hire salespeople until he validated the sales motion himself, and how creating an entirely new category forced him to abandon inbound marketing for manual outreach. You’ll learn: - Why Todd waited until $500K ARR before hiring salespeople - How raising prices 10x overnight changed Pendo’s trajectory - What two failed startups taught him about product-market fit - Why category creation required a bold go-to-market approach - The counterintuitive product strategy that made Pendo stand out Full show notes → saasclub.io/451 This episode is brought to you by: 💖 Gearheart → Book a free strategy session + get 20% off select services 📫 Mailtrap → Get 20% off with code THESAASPODCAST Get weekly SaaS lessons and new founder stories → saasclub.io/email