Growth Stage by FastSpring
by FastSpring
A podcast featuring insightful conversations with diverse digital product industry leaders from around the world who share key lessons from every stage of their business journey. Listen to compelling stories from bootstrapped and VC-funded founders, C-suite executives, and developers across SaaS, software, video gaming, and mobile apps. Discover actionable growth strategies to elevate your own business.This podcast is brought to you by FastSpring. As the leading merchant of record payment platform for digital products, FastSpring delivers an all-in-one solution for payments, subscriptions, and automated tax compliance—enabling digital businesses to expand globally with reduced complexity and lower costs.
Episodes
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Do Less, Sell More: Lean Monetization Lessons for Mobile Apps With Antoine Rondelet of Ganddee
Small app teams are told to test everything, monetize everywhere, and build the perfect onboarding flow. But when you're lean, doing more usually means doing everything a little worse. So how do you decide what actually moves revenue, and what to ignore? In this episode of Growth Stage, we...
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Creator Program Attribution: Do Creators Actually Add Value?
If you're considering a creator program for your game or app, you may be wondering if the creators in your program will drive net new revenue or simply collect commissions by drafting off your game or brand. Are creator programs just a back door for getting scammed or a path to higher revenue? In...
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The Incredible Untold Story of Open Commerce in Mobile Apps & Games
You’re likely familiar with global efforts to open up app stores, to allow app and game developers to monetize directly and provide choice for users. But how did we get here, and what can lessons about the past tell us about where open mobile commerce will be in the future? In this episode of...
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Getting the Most Out of Web2App with FastSpring + FunnelFox, with Andrey Shakhtin
In order to grow your app in an increasingly competitive landscape, you'll need to master a variety of strategies to stand out and maximize your chances of success. One of the key ways to maximize your chances of success is to take advantage of web2app to increase your profitability and the...
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Cold Outreach in the Era of AI: What Actually Works With Kseniia Skobelska of Snov.io
Most SaaS founders have sent cold emails, but between AI-generated noise, spam filters, and domain reputation pitfalls, getting a reply in 2026 is harder than ever. How can digital product companies build outreach that actually reaches the inbox, earns a response, and scales without burning their...
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Tips for Adopting Advanced Agentic Engineering with Chris Bunk of FastSpring
At this point, agentic development likely plays some role within your engineering team, but you may be seeing uneven adoption, effectiveness, and coverage leading to a chaotic experience for your team. How can digital product companies leverage agentic engineering to move faster without tearing...
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How AI is Changing Consumer Subscription Growth with Phil Carter of Elemental Growth
Consumer subscription apps are one of the most compelling business models out there — low overhead, high margins, and global distribution right out of the box. But even the best apps lose more than half their subscribers after year one. So what separates the ones that thrive from the ones that...
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Optimizing Ecommerce for Emerging Markets with Sudipto Manna and Lauren Steyn
One of the fastest ways to grow your business is to expand globally especially in emerging markets like India, Brazil, and others, but how do you successfully monetize in emerging markets while avoiding risk and burdensome compliance requirements for you and your team? In this episode of Growth...
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7 Things That Are 'Absolutely' Going to Happen in Gaming in 2026 with Bill Grosso, CEO of Game Data Pros
What will define gaming in 2026 — and what did the industry miss coming in? Bill Grosso has been making bold annual predictions about the gaming industry for years, with a track record to back it up. Now, a few months into the year, it's the perfect time to pressure-test those calls with the...
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Act Global, Play Local: What it Takes to Build Global Payments for Games with Lindsay Walker
Are you wondering what it takes to deliver an exceptional experience for your players when it comes to payments and D2C, but don't know where to start? In this episode, we interview payments veteran Lindsay Walker about her thoughts around what it takes to build a global payment offering that...
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In-Game Steering That Actually Works with Mike DeLaet (Live from GamesBeat Next)
With the rise of in-game steering in the US, many publishers are left wondering: What actually works, and what is even allowed? While most studios keep their steering strategies close to their chest, there’s a massive opportunity for those who can navigate the "crawl, walk, run" approach to D2C.…
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D2C Without a Tax Degree: How to Sell On a Web Shop Without Becoming a Tax Expert
You didn’t build a game studio to become an expert in global tax law. But as more publishers move from marketplaces to direct-to-consumer (D2C) web shops, the burden of tax compliance shifts from Apple and Google directly to you. In this episode, we sit down with Rachel Harding, Senior Director…
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How to Scale Playable/Interactive Ad Strategies with Elina Arponen of Quicksave
Thanks to technologies like WebGL, mobile UA teams now have powerful tools for building incredibly interactive and playable ads that take what is possible to an entirely new level. While many of us have embraced this trend, there still remains one huge problem. TIME. Producing…
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The Dramatic Rise of Web in Gaming: How Top Publishers & Studios Are Building Innovative Web Teams With Caleb Brown of X-Team
There are few moments in an industry's history where a trend or emerging technology introduces a step function that unlocks an entirely new level of growth. With the rise of D2C and other web based experiences, game publishers are experiencing a rare opportunity to increase profits and establish...
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Pricing & Packaging for Game Web Stores with Chip Thurston of FastSpring
If you've recently launched a web store to take advantage of new steering rules on iOS in the US or even if you're an old pro at web store monetization, you may be wondering what is the best way to price and package my in-game items or subscriptions on my web store vs. what I offer in-game…
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The Hidden Science of Email: Authentication, Deliverability, and Trust With Hank Hoffmeier of Kickbox
Conversation with Kickbox Director of Operations Hank Hoffmeier about the science of email marketing. Email marketing is often hailed as the highest-ROI channel — especially for SaaS and digital product companies. But what happens when your emails don’t even make it to the inbox? In this episode…
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Payment Horror Stories: The How and Why Behind the Most Vicious Attacks on Your Payment Stack With Jeremy Waxman
In this episode of Growth Stage, we interview payments industry legend and VP of Payments at FastSpring, Jeremy Waxman about his thoughts on what the most common payment stack attacks are, why bad actors choose those particular types of attacks, and what you can do to make your payment stack more...
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What It Takes to Build an Enduring Business: Celebrating 20 Years of FastSpring
Building a lasting business isn’t easy. Knowing what really makes a company succeed long term can be even harder. That’s why it can be helpful to learn from companies that have stood the test of time. In this episode of Growth Stage, we celebrate FastSpring’s 20th anniversary with insights from…
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Why Web Accessibility Is Good for Business With Amber Hinds of Equalize Digital
Conversation with Equalize Digital CEO Amber Hinds about making the web more accessible for people with disabilities. Amber Hinds is the founder and CEO of Equalize Digital, a mission-driven agency focused on digital accessibility. As the creator of the Accessibility Checker plugin for WordPress...
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How Digital Founders Can Build Authentic Personal Brands with Rachel Gogos of brandiD
Conversation with brandiD’s Founder and CEO Rachel Gogos about how SaaS leaders can build personal brands that drive connection, credibility, and growth. Your personal brand is more than a polished LinkedIn profile — it’s how you stand out, connect with customers, and build long-term credibility…
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Introducing the FastSpring + Nexus Web Shop Integration with Justin Sacks of Nexus
Conversation with Nexus CEO Justin Sacks introducing the FastSpring and Nexus web shop integration. If you're looking for one of the fastest ways to launch your D2C channel, you may be interested in hearing more about the incredibly easy-to-implement solution offered through a partnership with…
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How oeksound Took Their Audio Plugins Business Global With Hannes Andersson
Conversation with oeksound CEO Hannes Andersson about taking an audio plugins business global. When the first oeksound plugin, Soothe, was created in 2016, creator Olli Keskinen and his friend Hannes Andersson were studying music technology to become recording engineers. And as Hannes puts it…
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How SMB Digital Brands Can Win the Best Talent With Lizzie Mintus of Here’s Waldo Recruiting
Conversation with Here’s Waldo Recruiting’s Founder and CEO Lizzie Mintus about how to compete with large brands to recruit the best talent. If you're running a smaller digital business, you may find it challenging to hire great talent. Larger technology companies can pay more, offer more…
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Scaling Success: Digital Entrepreneurship and SaaS Exits With Blake Hutchison of Flippa
Conversation with Flippa CEO Blake Hutchison about Flippa and selling a SaaS or digital product business. If you own a SaaS or other digital product business — such as a Slack plugin, Chrome extension, online publishing business, mobile app, or even a blog — and you’re looking to exit, you may…
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Can Mobile Games Really Achieve >50% of Revenue From D2C With Justin Sacks of Nexus
Conversation with Nexus CEO Justin Sacks about earning 50% or more of your game’s revenue via D2C sales. With changes to legislation in the EU and lawsuits in the U.S., the future of monetizing your game direct to consumer looks brighter than ever. That said, you might be wondering what…
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Unlock Global Growth With Targeted Payment Methods With Sudipto Manna of FastSpring
Conversation with FastSpring Product Manager Sudipto Manna about using targeted payment methods to achieve global growth. As you work to expand your SaaS, software, mobile games, or other digital product business worldwide, having the right payment methods available to global customers is key to...
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Growing a Digital Goods Company in Asia: Challenges, Opportunities, and Insights With Jay Jia of FastSpring
Conversation with FastSpring Senior Account Executive Jay Jia about expanding a digital goods company in Asia. If your business is based in the APAC region and you’re focused on expanding into new areas, there are a lot of common challenges to face and questions to ask about the best way to do...
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Product Marketing Is Broken — Fix It With Thematic Product Launches, With Braden Steel
Conversation with Sr. Product Marketing Manager Braden Steel of FastSpring. Is your product marketing team struggling to coordinate marketing resources to support an endless stream of product launches, with vague release dates and a chorus of product managers demanding tons of marketing attention...
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Develop a Winning KPI Strategy for Your Game Marketing With Adam Lieb of Gamesight
Conversation with Gamesight Founder and CEO Adam Lieb about developing a winning KPI strategy for video game marketing. With so many marketing channels to manage to promote your game, combined with the complexity of monetizing your games on multiple platforms, in PC marketplaces, or even D2C via...
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Proven A/B Test Winners for B2B CRO With Sahil Patel
Conversation with Sahil Patel, CEO of Spiralyze, about B2B CRO and A/B testing. The most common examples of successful CRO tactics provided at many conferences tend to focus on B2C ecommerce, but what are the proven winning tactics you can use in your B2B CRO strategy? In this episode of Growth...
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Advanced Affiliate Marketing for SaaS, Software, and Digital Products with Adam Riemer
Conversation with Adam Riemer, President of Adam Riemer Marketing, about advanced affiliate marketing and SEO. Affiliate marketing can be a great growth lever to scale your digital product business, but how can you drive meaningful growth with the right affiliates without losing out to fraud or...
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Breaking Out of the Copy-Paste Marketing Playbook Cycle With Marc Thomas of Podia
Conversation with Podia Senior Growth Marketer Marc Thomas about how to de-risk trying new, more innovative marketing strategies. Traditional marketing playbooks are falling short in the SaaS world, but while many marketers privately acknowledge the ineffectiveness of these playbooks, they are...
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Successfully Switching From One-Time Fees to Subscriptions With Fred Linfjärd
Conversation with Fred Linfjärd, Director of Growth at Planday, about switching from a one-time fees model to a subscription billing model. If you're selling your software, plugin, add-on, or other digital product for a one-time fee, you’re likely thinking about switching to a recurring...
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Using PLG and Sales Led Growth Together to Drive Exponential Results With John Eitel of Demandbase
You might be familiar with the great promise of Product Led Growth (PLG). As the story goes, PLG is based on the notion that the value a product delivers and how easy it is to adopt and share will lead to self-sustaining increases in product adoption and less reliance on human intervention to get...
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Marketing Your Video Game Outside of Game Marketplaces & App Stores With Todd Harris of Skillshot & Ghost Gaming
Game marketplaces on platforms like Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam are great ways to earn attention and attract new players to play your game, but with stiff competition and limited real estate in marketplace interfaces such as recommended game views and category pages, game developers are often…
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Forget Support — Optimize for Full Funnel Customer Success with Jake Dipple of Sideways6
If you're operating a SaaS, software, or digital product business, you're likely optimizing your Customer Success strategy for things like ticket response times, NPS scores, and any number of KPI and tactics that help you move your business forward. But what if you could zoom out and see what...
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What Brands Look for When Considering Acquiring Software Companies with Carl Hargreaves of WP Engine
Conversation with WP Engine Director of Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Carl Hargreaves. As you build out your software, SaaS, or digital product business, you may be wondering what form your eventual exit might take. One potential exit is that your company is acquired by a...
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Why You Need FULL Funnel CRO Right Now With Dave Gowans of Browser to Buyer
Conversation with Browser to Buyer founder and director of conversion Dave Gowans about how CRO is even more powerful when we move beyond just top-of-funnel website visits and sign-ups. Listen for the full insights into: Why SaaS and subscription businesses especially need to consider the entire...
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How Dopple Is Defining an Emerging Market With Dopple Founder and CEO Justin Scott
Conversation with Dopple founder and CEO Justin Scott about building a business that is not just growing with its market — it's helping define it. Listen to the full interview for insights into: Why partnerships are key for building out your positioning. Why launching with a robust offering won…
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Why Your Data Doesn't Make Sense with Narrator Cofounder Cedric Dussud
Conversation with Narrator Cofounder Cedric Dussud about building WeWork's billing platform and how it led to Narrator. Listen to the full interview for insights into: Why metrics often don’t add up. What happens when there’s not a single source of truth. Why you should be skeptical about…
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Game Localization Success Story: Quadrupled Sales in South Korea
Out of the Park Developments quadrupled sales in South Korea — the fourth-largest video game market in the world — by localizing its benchmark game into Korean. EJ spoke to Richard Grisham, past COO of Out of the Park and current Director of Business Development at Com2Us — a Korean development...
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Ryan Austin on Creating an Entire Category (LearnOps)
Ryan Austin had VP-level experience in training when he decided to start a consulting business to help enterprise-level companies with their corporate learning and development initiatives. Ryan and his team noticed so many inefficiencies across the L&D workflows. “It got us thinking: Why is there...
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The Underutilization of Video with Andrew Levy
“47% of businesses created 51 or more videos just last year. So there's all this video being made, and yet, almost none of it gets used more than once. You post it to your website, you post it to social media, and you start working on the next video.” Andrew Levy explained. Andrew is the founder...
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How to Retain Employees for 10+ Years with Alf Ruppert
Most CEOs don’t run the same company for over 15 years, but Alf Ruppert isn’t the typical tech founder. “I’m a bit closer to business owners from the 50s,” he admits — a time when he believes creating an enjoyable work environment was more highly valued. This perspective is why at least four...
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Can SaaS Companies Afford to Ignore VAT and Sales Tax?
Before Rachel Harding became the global tax director at FastSpring, she spent two years on a mergers and acquisitions tax team. And she often saw deals fall apart. “I kid you not, nine times out of 10, when a SaaS acquisition fell apart, it was a sales tax issue,” she told me. Tax non-compliance...
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Global Marketing Strategies for SaaS and Software
Michael Bonfils is a marketer first, and a translator second. That’s the philosophy behind SEM International, the firm he founded that specializes in multilingual internationally-based digital marketing services. Since Michael founded the firm in 2004, it has grown to over 30 offices worldwide…
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An Iterative Approach to Localized Marketing for SaaS and Software: Interview with David Vogelpohl
As a former agency owner, now the Chief Marketing Officer at FastSpring, David Vogelpohl has helped many software companies scale around the world. EJ interviewed him for insights into how to build a global marketing strategy, especially when it comes to localization. They covered: An iterative...
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Introducing the Growth Stage Podcast by FastSpring
Trailer introducing the Growth Stage by FastSpring podcast.
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SaaS Pricing Strategies to Combat Stagflation
Stagflation occurs when heavy inflation is paired with an economic slowdown. Economists fear we're entering into a period of global stagflation. FastSpring sales lead Tony Markov interviewed former Chief Product Officer and pricing expert Kurt Smith about pricing strategies for SaaS and software...
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SaaS Case Study: How Fred Linfjärd Cut Churn in Half
In our first episode, we sat down with growth expert Frederic Linfjärd to discuss conversion optimization (CRO) for SaaS. We followed it up with deep dive into churn. Specifically, how Fred slashed it by 50% in a previous growth role at a software company. He discusses the difference between...
About this show
A podcast featuring insightful conversations with diverse digital product industry leaders from around the world who share key lessons from every stage of their business journey. Listen to compelling stories from bootstrapped and VC-funded founders, C-suite executives, and developers across SaaS, software, video gaming, and mobile apps. Discover actionable growth strategies to elevate your own business.This podcast is brought to you by FastSpring. As the leading merchant of record payment platform for digital products, FastSpring delivers an all-in-one solution for payments, subscriptions, and automated tax compliance—enabling digital businesses to expand globally with reduced complexity and lower costs.
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FastSpring
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