Introducing Beyond Benchmarks
560 SaaS startups. Four key metrics. A new performance standard for the AI era.
By Joe Floyd, General Partner
Hello readers,
In today’s market, SaaS founders are navigating more change and more pressure than ever before. AI is no longer a future bet; it’s a present-day differentiator. Go-to-market strategies are evolving in real time and efficiency is now expected.
With so many shifting signals, the old benchmarks don’t cut it.
That’s why we created Beyond Benchmarks, a report series from Emergence in partnership with Benchmarkit based on data from 560+ B2B SaaS companies. Our latest research is more than a performance snapshot. It’s a look at how the most durable, forward-thinking startups are building in 2025.
What you’ll find inside:
📈 AI-native startups are growing 4x faster than traditional SaaS (100% vs. 23% median ARR growth)
💰 67% of growth at $100M ARR comes from customer expansion, not new acquisition
📊 The Emergence Core Four metrics that consistently correlate with long-term success: ARR Growth, CAC Payback, NDR, and Burn Multiple
⚠️ Why GenAI adoption in sales isn’t translating to results and what’s missing
This report is designed to give founders, operators, and investors a sharper lens on what “good” looks like now and what it will take to win in the next chapter of SaaS.
Thanks for being part of the Emergence community. We’re excited to share this with you.
Want more context? Read our perspective on what the data reveals → LINK.
— Joe Floyd, General Partner at Emergence Capital