What Investors Really Look for: Hillel Zidel on the moves and decisions that make or break the One to Ten Million journey

What does an investor actually see when they look under the hood of a 1 to 10 Million journey? And what really separates the companies that break through from those that quietly stall? We’re joined by Hillel Zidel, Managing Director at Kennet Partners, to find out. Kennet Partners invests in founder-led, capital-efficient B2B SaaS companies at precisely the stage where growth either compounds or gets stuck, making Hillel one of the most informed voices on what this journey actually takes. In this episode, Tom and Hillel dig into the predictors he uses to assess whether a company will scale, the hidden dangers of moving from inbound to outbound too aggressively, and why the "shiny shoe" CRO hire so often ends in disappointment.  This episode is essential listening for any founder or revenue leader navigating the 1 to 10 Million journey.  📚 Episode Chapters: 01:50 - What changes at the 1 to 10 Million stage  05:00 - Predictors of early-stage growth  09:50 - The inbound to outbound danger zone  15:30 - US Expansion: When it actually makes sense  29:30 - What ‘marketable’ looks like today   🎧 Continue listening…  Make sure you listen to From Chaos to Predictability: Pete Crosby's Honest Lessons on the One to Ten Million Journey Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at [email protected]✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!