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SaaS Conversations

SaaS Conversations

By: OPEXEngine by Bain and Company
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Katherine Zhang – CEO of OPEXEngine by Bain & Company – has her finger on the pulse of the SaaS industry. She is joined by finance leaders, technology experts, investors, operations professionals, and more for conversations about metrics, benchmarking, and the state of SaaS.OPEXEngine by Bain and Company
Episodes
  • Webinar: Benchmarking That Drives Decisions
    Mar 19 2026

    This episode is a recording of a webinar hosted by AccountAim on benchmarking for RevOps, finance, and GTM leaders in March of 2026.

    In the session, Katherine Zhang (CEO, OPEXEngine) and Josh McClanahan (CEO, AccountAim) break down when benchmarking makes sense, which metrics actually matter, how to ensure your data is truly comparable, and what it takes to get organizational buy-in. They also share practical guidance for teams that need defensible data to support planning, performance conversations, and boardroom decisions.

    If you’re responsible for RevOps, finance, or GTM strategy, this conversation offers a useful framework for turning benchmarking into a more strategic advantage.

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    27 mins
  • Retention as Capital Credibility in SaaS
    Jan 20 2026

    Retention has been interpreted differently for boards and investors over the past year. In this episode of SaaS Conversations, Katherine Zhang sits down with Ellie Wu, founder of CSuiteCX, to explore how and why retention has shifted from a tactical customer success issue to a board-level credibility signal shaped by leadership judgment, timing, and capital risk at moments of scrutiny.

    This is not a discussion about churn reduction tactics or metric optimization. Instead, the conversation focuses on the patterns leaders and investors are seeing as we head into 2026, including how customer friction builds quietly, why confidence in the growth story often erodes before revenue declines, and what boards are really assessingwhen they scrutinize retention.

    Ellie shares insights drawn from patterns she sees repeatedly across hundreds of venture-backed and private equity-backed SaaS companies, explaining why dashboards can stay green while risk accumulates, why CFO involvement is often an early warning signal, and what strong leadership judgment looks like under pressure.

    For leaders who want to go deeper, Ellie has published an executive brief titled Retention as Capital Credibility that captures many of the patterns discussed in this episode and explains why confidence can erode before performance does. You can find it here: https://www.csuitecx.com/retention-capital-credibility

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    24 mins
  • SaaS Palooza 2025: What Makes an "A" Asset? Inside Tech PE
    Oct 24 2025

    At this year’s SaaS Palooza event, Jennifer Smith (Partner, Bain & Company) and Katherine Zhang (CEO, OPEXEngine), explored what sets top-performing SaaS companies apart in today’s tech private equity market. From emerging deal trends to how investors define an “A” software asset, their discussion offered actionable insights for SaaS operators and investors alike.


    We’re excited to make this live session available as a special podcast episode! Drawing on OPEXEngine’s proprietary benchmarking data and Bain’s deep expertise in tech investing, Jennifer and Katherine dive into the evolving dynamics of deal flow, valuation trends, and the balance of growth and profitability that define leading SaaS businesses.


    Whether you’re preparing for a sale, raising capital, or benchmarking performance, this episode delivers clear takeaways on building sustainable value and driving operational excellence.


    The full episode transcript and video recording are available on our website. You can also download the presentation slides here.


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    22 mins
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