Unlocking Growth Equity: Revealing Investment Secrets

Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, Ben Murray sits down with Bobby Ocampo, Managing Partner at Blueprint Equity, for a candid conversation that flips the script—from founder journeys to the investor’s perspective. Bobby Ocampo shares his path from physics major to private equity leader, and together they dive into what he calls the “missing middle” of growth equity investing.  This discussion explores how the SaaS landscape is being redefined by AI, what investors now look for in SaaS and AI-driven businesses, and how founders can build defensible, vertical software companies in today’s competitive market. If you’ve ever wondered how investment criteria are evolving—and what metrics, strategies, and AI trends matter most when raising capital—this episode offers actionable insights straight from the dealmaking front lines.  Show Notes:  00:00 Introduction to Growth Equity  05:30 Adopting AI in SaaS products  09:53 Building trust and community  10:27 Trust and support in software business  14:15 Early growth equity challenges  18:23 Challenges with AI Monetization  22:53 Valuation for legacy SaaS companies  25:10 Importance of AI in investments  29:47 What makes an investment attractive  31:02 Thinking about raising funds  34:43 Understanding venture capital returns  37:07 Discussing future growth strategies  Links:  Bobby Ocampo’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bocampo/  Blueprint Equity’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueprint-equity/  Blueprint Equity’s Website: https://www.onblueprint.com/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray