# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending February 14, 2025

Published: 13 February 2025
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-february-14-2025

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK

Share of Wallet. This is a fun one for all you marketplace people (who should also check this other article on [Marketplace Liquidity](https://medium.com/point-nine-news/wtf-is-marketplace-liquidity-f2caca3802c0)). Share of Wallet is[a measure of a marketplace](https://medium.com/point-nine-news/wtf-is-share-of-wallet-and-htf-do-you-measure-it-7fa3f01b1564) going from being one of many options to becoming the primary option for a buyer (AND also a supplier).

Link: https://medium.com/point-nine-news/wtf-is-marketplace-liquidity-f2caca3802c0

## 2. ADVISORS

Startups need them; often they can be a little overly plentiful and somewhat predatory. If you find a sound advisor, how should they be compensated? Peter Walker from Carta [has some data for you](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7196639132826185728/?lh_aid=3853160&lh_cid=n2pohyrqyq&di=3c07ebff86b55ab6614e74341e36139a). TL;DR market rates are 0.23%-0.07% median based on stage unless full-time hires, who get 1% typically.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7196639132826185728/?lh_aid=3853160&lh_cid=n2pohyrqyq&di=3c07ebff86b55ab6614e74341e36139a

## 3. VENTURE

Dealroom's [latest Global VC report](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v2757c9vxy0bbuacejfjf/wrapped24-Dealroom-global-vc.pdf?rlkey=dk07r7ap2sl4x53gggj6wkqm0&dl=0) reveals a mixed venture landscape. Startups raised $330B globally in 2024, with megadeals ($100M+) making up 53% of investment. The U.S. dominated, claiming 57% of global VC funding, mainly AI-driven. Meanwhile, early-stage funding slowed.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v2757c9vxy0bbuacejfjf/wrapped24-Dealroom-global-vc.pdf?rlkey=dk07r7ap2sl4x53gggj6wkqm0&dl=0

## 4. PRIVATE MARKETS

Mostly Metrics has looked into the current state of private markets at EOY 2024 SOY 2025. Much of the same, really - slower deal activity, cautious investors, and a shift toward profitability over growth. Despite the slowdown, AI continues to attract capital.

## 5. AI

Nice handoff from #3 and #4 above, AI startups have and are rewriting the fundraising playbook. But [when can we all expect AI-based economic growth](https://inferencemagazine.substack.com/p/how-much-economic-growth-from-ai), and how much? This article backs the sentiment by outlining that [2025 should be the year of killer AI apps](https://experimentationmachine.com/p/the-ai-dividend-why-2025-will-be-the-year-of-killer-apps).

Link: https://inferencemagazine.substack.com/p/how-much-economic-growth-from-ai

## 6. AI and JOBS

Bonus content expanding from above - this article has looked at the [impact of AI across different tiers of AI](https://serce.me/posts/2025-02-07-the-llm-curve-of-impact-on-software-engineers) and tech sector unemployment. Is it feeling the flow on? [IT unemployment rates rose to 5.7% in Jan from 3.9% in Dec](https://www.wsj.com/articles/it-unemployment-rises-to-5-7-as-ai-hits-tech-jobs-7726bb1b) (that's a 46.15% change, according to ChatGPT). This same article also shows that job listings for Devs are down -8.5% YoY in Jan

Link: https://serce.me/posts/2025-02-07-the-llm-curve-of-impact-on-software-engineers

## 7. GROWTH

Kalungi's [Growth Matrix](https://www.kalungi.com/blog/how-to-use-the-growth-matrix-for-saas-gtm-strategy) shows how to pinpoint hidden opportunities by plotting segments and adoption stages. It's an excellent four-step process that helps you focus and even comes with a [template](https://www.t2d3.pro/resources/growth-priority-spreadsheet).

Link: https://www.kalungi.com/blog/how-to-use-the-growth-matrix-for-saas-gtm-strategy

## 8. FUNDRAISING

What does it take to raise a Series A? How do you break through the $10M ARR barrier and secure growth capital? [More Intelligent has a great guide](https://moreintelligent.substack.com/p/fundraising-milestones-crossing-the) along with must-hit fundraising milestones—from scaling your go-to-market motion to tightening unit economics and KPIs.

Link: https://moreintelligent.substack.com/p/fundraising-milestones-crossing-the

## 9. DRAKE EQUATION

No, Kendrick isn't involved with this; it's for your tech dictionaries. [The Drake Equation was originally used to estimate alien civilizations (totally my jam) and calculates success by multiplying probabilities of key factors](https://longform.asmartbear.com/startup-drake-equation/). This article adapts it to startups—highlighting how market fit, execution, and scalability shape your survival odds.

Link: https://longform.asmartbear.com/startup-drake-equation/

## 10. CASE STUDY

Deel's on a growth rocketship right now —70% YoY at $800M ARR (AND profitable). This proves that in SaaS, market share isn't everything when your TAM is massive. [SaaStr analyzes Deel's strategy](https://www.saastr.com/deel-is-growing-70-at-800m-in-arr-does-market-share-matter-if-your-tam-is-gigantic/), focusing on category expansion and prioritizing global scale over head-to-head competition, and it looks like they may be able to [kickstart Tech IPOs](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/04/hr-unicorn-deel-prepares-for-ipo-as-soon-as-2026.html) again.

Link: https://www.saastr.com/deel-is-growing-70-at-800m-in-arr-does-market-share-matter-if-your-tam-is-gigantic/

## POD OF THE WEEK

[This](https://benjamincongdon.me/blog/2025/02/02/How-I-Use-AI-Early-2025/)is such a great article covering day-to-day AI use that I used Notebook LLM to [turn it into a Podcast](https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/86a38ca2-2461-445b-b584-2a4b1549f1a0/audio).

Link: https://benjamincongdon.me/blog/2025/02/02/How-I-Use-AI-Early-2025/