HENNGE @ SaaStr 2024
Hi, I’m Yuri. I joined HENNGE in August. I recently returned from an exciting week-long business trip to San Francisco, and I’m eager to share some of the highlights.
Why San Francisco?
Every year, several HENNGE members attend SaaStr, the world’s largest SaaS conference. As a SaaS company that develops cloud security services, it’s valuable and meaningful to experience the latest trends firsthand at this major conference. SaaStr Annual 2024 was held in San Mateo for three days, from September 10th to 12th. This year, we had a group of six attending the event.
What left an impression on me at SaaStr?
1. AI Now Table Stakes
One of the strongest impressions I got from SaaStr 2024 was the recognition that “AI is no longer something special.” A large stage named AI Summit Stage was set up at the venue, and AI was talked about as a matter of course in many sessions. It made me realize that AI utilization has become “Table Stakes” (the minimum requirement for participation) in the SaaS business.
Although improving customer experience and operational efficiency were key themes, it was clear that AI has become an indispensable element for the growth of SaaS businesses. How to utilize AI in the future will significantly influence the competitiveness of SaaS companies.
2. Multi-product expansion by big players
Big players like Datadog and Canva are expanding into multiple products to pursue further growth. While point solutions remain important, it is evident that the strategy of combining related services and apps to provide customers with more comprehensive solutions and strengthen customer relationships is becoming more common. It can be said that SaaS companies need to think about providing value not only through their own products but also through the entire ecosystem.
3. Diversity
In the final session by SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin, he touched upon the topic of diversity. From the number of female speakers to the ratio of domestic and international attendees, it seems this year’s event was remarkably diverse. In fact, during the networking lunch, I had the opportunity to communicate with a diverse group of individuals, including an entrepreneur who sold their business in Brazil, an investor from India, and a security consultant based in the US.
It’s often said that creating an environment where people from diverse backgrounds can foster innovation leads to the creation of better products and services. While there’s no single solution to achieving true diversity, to pile up small interactions and communication will work.
It’s true that the market has changed compared to around 2021, and I didn’t feel there were many companies talking about glamorous growth. However, even in such a situation, it was an event where I could sense the sincere efforts of each company and team to repeat experimentation and improvement based on their own logic.
Embracing Change and Challenge at HENNGE
At HENNGE, you can get the chance to go on a week-long business trip to San Francisco just a month after joining the company. True to the company name, which is a combination of “change” (HENka) and “challenge” (challeNGE), this business trip allowed me to experience firsthand the company’s culture of valuing change for the future while providing opportunities for challenges.
