Written in Partnership with Amir BakianIn today’s world, businesses are increasingly relying on technology to connect with customers, streamline operations, and ultimately drive growth. As a result, software-as-a-service (SaaS) has become one of the most rapidly growing industries, with countless new startups popping up every year. But with so many options available, how can businesses find the right software solutions to fit their needs?
This is where LeadrPro, a software marketplace startup, comes in. Founded by Chris Sheng and Walter Guevara, LeadrPro is a matchmaking service for those who love discovering new products that are making their professional lives more efficient. What sets LeadrPro apart from its competitors is its unique approach to product demonstrations. In a world where “attention” is a valuable commodity that businesses want in spades, LeadrPro pays their users to participate in these product demonstrations under the thesis that “time is money” and that we should be compensated for our time even when we are being marketed to. It should be noted that the average user is joining 1-3 product demos per month, and about a third actually donate their proceeds to charity, thereby the financial benefit is viewed by users more as a “feel good” use of their time.
Sheng, who has a background in growth marketing, came up with the idea for LeadrPro while working with venture capital firms in Los Angeles that backed SaaS companies. He realized that to generate more qualified sales leads, companies had to find creative ways to cut through noisy channels like email and LinkedIn to reach potential customers.
LeadrPro’s technology uses a matching algorithm that connects software sellers directly to prospective buyers. The company manages the timing and fit of the demo, essentially replacing some of the sales development roles within a company. LeadrPro operates on a pay-per-meeting model basis, which is extremely attractive for many sales and marketing leaders during this volatile economic environment, given the level of predictability and cost-effectiveness the platform provides. With 73% of completed demos conducted on the LeadrPro platform turning into a sales opportunity for their vendors, LeadrPro is not only generating sales qualified leads and a high velocity, but realigning the expectations around the discovery process and thus optimizing customer win rates.
Since launching in mid-April, LeadrPro has already amassed over 50,000 users on the demand side from enterprise companies like Amazon, Meta, DocuSign, Paychex, and Tesla. Customers now include companies like Monday.com, Hired, Mixmax, amongst hundreds of others.
In fact, LeadrPro has been so successful that Sheng raised a $1.1 million seed round to accelerate growth from a group of investors, including Okapi, Mucker Capital, Plug and Play, Gaingels, and Matt Mickiewicz, who founded 99designs, Hired, and Flippa. In addition to their success in customer acquisition and fundraising, LeadrPro also gained recognition at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. The company won the “Speed Pitch” category, impressing judges with their innovative approach to connecting software buyers with sellers.
With LeadrPro’s continued success, Sheng’s goal is to create features that will help improve the quality of demos and meetings in the next three to six months. LeadrPro’s innovative approach to product demonstrations has clearly resonated with businesses, and it will be exciting to see how the company continues to disrupt the SaaS industry in the years to come.
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