Sponsored by Maxio
HOsted by Benchmarkit.ai and The SaaS CFO
ARR Exposed: How SaaS & AI Companies Are (Re)Defining Recurring Revenue
Broadcast has ended. You may watch the replay!
Here is What You'll Learn!
The 4 Most Common Ways SaaS Companies Define ARR
Ben analyzed 160+ public companies to surface the real patterns—what’s standard, what’s fuzzy, and what’s borderline misleading.
Why AI-First and Usage-Based SaaS Requires a New Lens on ARR
See how new business models are exposing cracks in traditional ARR metrics—and how operators are adapting.
Benchmark Insights from 160+ SaaS Company Filings
We’ll share data from over 160 SEC filings to reveal how real companies are bending—or breaking—ARR conventions.
Why AI-Native Pricing Is Stress-Testing SaaS Metrics
We’ll explore how usage-based and AI-first companies challenge the legacy of ARR, and what forward-thinking operators are doing instead.
The Creative (and Risky) Math Behind Inflated ARR
You'll see how some companies use “CARR,” overstate renewal assumptions, or count trial contracts—lessons from 11x and beyond.
Are You Ready for an AI-first Competitor?
Don't get complacent. We've seen big technology shifts before that sink the big software incumbents.
About Ben Murray (Host)
Ben is The SaaS CFO with over 25 years of finance and accounting experience in the airline and software industries. He rose the ranks of financial planning and analysis to SaaS CFO for founder-owned and private equity-backed companies. His software journey began in 2004 at a public healthcare tech company.
Ben shares his 10+ years of experience as a SaaS CFO at TheSaaSCFO.com and TheSaaSAcademy.com. He has an MBA from the University of Iowa and holds an active CPA license.
About Ray Rike (Guest Expert)
Ray leads Benchmarkit.ai with a mission to empower SaaS and cloud executives to make smarter, metrics‑and‑benchmark informed decisions that drive efficient revenue growth and increase enterprise value. With over 30 years of experience in subscription and SaaS-led companies, Ray began his journey at the GE Executive Management Development Program and later played key leadership roles at five successful SaaS or software companies—each culminating in a successful exit.
Under his leadership, Benchmarkit has become a respected authority in SaaS performance benchmarking, helping hundreds of SaaS leaders understand top-of-market trends through data-driven research.
Ray has been featured on high-profile forums like SaaS Talk, Metrics That Measure Up with Dave Kellogg, and key SaaS webinars (e.g., “Investor vs Operator Metrics”). He continues to share insights with the SaaS community through regular newsletters like the SaaS Barometer, deep-dive podcasts, and live benchmarking events—helping teams worldwide align their metrics, pricing strategies, and go-to-market execution with investor expectations.