From Birding Apps to Billion-Dollar Bundles: The Future of SaaS Growth

In this episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar bounce between sharp SaaS insights and delightfully weird internet culture. They start with an unexpected dive into competitive bird-watching apps, then break down recent software mergers like Superhuman + Grammarly + Coda and what they signal about scaling, cross-sell strategy, and private equity mechanics. CJ and Kyle explore why PE portfolios are becoming powerful distribution channels for AI solutions, how niche data “signals” are outpacing generic ones in sales, and share hedge-fund-style tactics for uncovering proprietary business information. The conversation rounds out with “business blunders” — from Y-axis chart crimes to clickbait headlines — and a lively discussion on Spotify’s pricing power and how companies should (and absolutely should not) communicate price increases. —SPONSORS:Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comPulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetrics—LINKS: Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comCJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/—RELATED EPISODES:The Layer-Cake Playbook for Vertical SaaS Growth | with Roland Ligtenberghttps://youtu.be/yPxWvhPISKo—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:09 Sponsors – Pulley and Metronome00:03:31 Birding, Big Year & AI Bird Apps00:06:08 Software M&A Trends in SaaS00:08:23 Superhuman–Grammarly–Coda Reverse Merger00:10:00 How Larger Valuations Attract a New Investor Class00:11:21 Streaming Wars & Platform Consolidation00:12:46 Private Equity as a Distribution Channel for AI00:14:14 How PE Firms Drive Multi-Company Expansion00:15:22 AI for Efficiency: The PE CFO Playbook00:17:10 When AI ROI Really Matters in PE00:18:49 Signal-Based Selling: High-Intent Buyer Detection00:20:41 Signal Fatigue & the Hunt for Better Data00:22:16 Why Proprietary Signals Win00:23:31 Creative (and Creepy) Data Tactics00:25:35 Pinterest vs. Google: Aspirational vs. Actual Behavior00:26:43 Blurring Work & Personal Signals in AI Tools00:27:12 The Michael Jordan of Y-Axis Crimes00:29:59 Notion Agents Billboard: “Let Them Cook”00:31:57 Pricing in the Real World: Spotify00:34:26 How to Communicate a Price Increase00:35:06 Closing Credits#MostlyGrowthPodcast #PricingStrategy #AIGrowth #GoToMarket #PrivateEquity