The people behind the perspective
Lighter Capital (83 private B2B SaaS, 2026): the median burn multiple among cash burners is 0.89x. The 2020 "under 1x is amazing" scale now describes half the field. Below 0.5x is top quartile.
Recurly network (July 2026): SaaS median annual involuntary churn is 1.06%, not a footnote. Plans over $250 ARPC sit at 0.18%. Total SaaS churn is 3.22% (2.16% voluntary + 1.06% involuntary).
October 2026 B2B market report: SCI 4.6x ARR, AE quota 48%, LinkedIn $5.78/$31.29/$202 CPL, Google $5.42, Unbounce 6.6%/SaaS 3.8%, Aleph payback 16 mo, Rule of 40 25%, R&D 27%, S&M 35%, SparkToro zero-click 68%.
SaaS Capital Index (data as of 08/31/26): median Current Index Multiple is 4.6x ARR across ~63 public pure-play B2B SaaS companies. Peak was 16.9x in Aug 2021. BVP Cloud Index average sits at 8.1x.
The Bridge Group surveyed 158 B2B companies (Q1-Q2 2026). Only 48% of AEs hit quota, down from 51% in 2024. Ramp is 6.2 months. Capacity models that assume ~70% miss.
Aleph × Benchmarkit surveyed 342 B2B SaaS and AI-native companies (CY-2025). Median R&D is 27% of revenue (N=192), not last year's 35% bar. YoY: 35% → 27%. 75th pct 40%. Distinct from S&M 35%.
Aleph × Benchmarkit surveyed 342 B2B SaaS and AI-native companies (CY-2025). Median S&M is 35% of revenue (N=196), not the 40–50% folklore bar. Fourth quartile 47%. YoY: 37% → 35%. Distinct from marketing-only 8%.
Aleph × Benchmarkit surveyed 342 B2B SaaS and AI-native companies (CY-2025). Median Blended CAC Ratio is $1.30 (N=122), not the $1.00 folklore bar. Top quartile $1.08. YoY: $1.40 → $1.30.
Aleph × Benchmarkit surveyed 342 B2B SaaS and AI-native companies (CY-2025). Median GRR is 84% (N=226), not the 90% folklore floor. Top quartile sits at 91%. YoY drop: 88% → 84%.
Aleph × Benchmarkit surveyed 342 B2B SaaS and AI-native companies (CY-2025). Expansion is 40% of total new ARR at the median (N=114), not a 20% side motion. Top quartile clears 59%. Expansion CAC is $0.80.
Ebsta × Pavilion analyzed 655K opportunities ($48B pipeline). New-logo win rate averages 19%, not the 30% folklore that makes 3x coverage math work. Expansion wins at 45%. Early decision-makers lift win rates 55%.
Aleph × Benchmarkit surveyed 342 B2B SaaS and AI-native companies (CY-2025). Median YoY ARR growth is 20%, not the 40% folklore bar. 75th percentile sits at 42%. Founders plan 26%.
ChartMogul × ProductLed × Kyle Poyar surveyed 200 software products in January 2026. Median free-to-paid is 8%, not the 25% folklore bar. Card-required trials hit 30%.
Aleph's 2025 median CLTV:CAC is 4.1x across 146 reporters, not the classic 3:1 board slide. Top quartile 7.8x. Read it next to CAC payback.
September 2026 B2B market report: LinkedIn $5.78 median CPC / $31.29 lead gen / $202 CPL, Google search $5.42, Unbounce 6.6%/SaaS 3.8%, Aleph CAC payback 16 months, NRR 101%, Rule of 40 25%, SparkToro zero-click 68%. Citeable benchmarks for operators.
Boards still quote $10–$15. Databox’s Nov 2024 LinkedIn median is $5.78. Search Engine Land’s lead-gen objective prints $31.29; the blend sits at $11.12. Here is which sample produced each number.
SEO, AEO, and GEO are layers—not replacements. SparkToro/Similarweb: 68.01% of US Google searches were zero-click in Jan–Apr 2026. The KDD 2024 GEO paper found up to ~40% visibility lifts; keyword stuffing underperformed. Here's what B2B teams should do.
Boards quote 12 months. Aleph × Benchmarkit’s 198-company cut prints a 16-month median. Top quartile recovers in 6 months or fewer; $50K–$100K ACV sits at 22. KeyBanc’s 18 months is AE payback, a different clock. Here is which sample produced each number.
Boards quote 120%. SaaS Capital’s 1,000-plus-company private file prints a 101% median. Switch to Aleph’s 230-company cut and the median is 102% — usage-based 108%, seat-based 98%. Here is which sample produced each number.
Agencies still quote $5,000. Clutch’s 79,260-firm design file averages $38,105.39. Switch to development reviews and the mean is $66,499.09. Most reviewed projects still cost less than $10,000. Here is which sample produced each number.
Agencies still quote $50 a user. HubSpot Sales Hub Starter is $7 a seat on annual billing. Salesforce Sales Cloud Enterprise prints $175. HubSpot Professional sits at $90 plus a required $1,500 onboarding fee. Here is which SKU produced each number.
Agencies still quote $500 a month. Clutch’s 65,550-firm review file averages $3,199.19. Switch to Ahrefs’ 439-provider poll and the blended average is $2,917 — agencies print $3,209, freelancers $1,348. Here is which sample produced each number.
Agencies still quote 20 to 25 percent. MailerLite’s 3.6-million-campaign median is 43.46%. Switch the industry to software and the same dataset prints 39.31%. Mailchimp’s unique-open file sits at 35.63% — and a second Mailchimp page still prints 21.33%. Here is which sample produced each number.
Agencies still quote 2 to 3 percent. Unbounce’s dedicated-page median is 6.6%. Switch the industry to SaaS and the same dataset prints 3.8%. WordStream’s US search sample converts at 8.18%. Here is which sample produced each number.
