The term “serial entrepreneur” gets used a lot, but my guest (and old friend) on this week’s All Dots Connected podcast defines what it really means.
How do you consistently build game-changing SaaS companies while navigating market crashes, shifting customer expectations, and inevitable struggles?
Godard Abel, the current co-founder and CEO of G2, has done it six times.
With exits to Oracle and Salesforce under his belt, Abel currently leads G2’s global team of 500. The company has become the go-to platform for software discovery, with more than 100 million annual buyers relying on its trusted reviews and real-time insights.
In this episode of All Dots Connected, Abel sat down with me to reflect on his career. He shared defining moments from nearly running out of money at Big Machines to scaling Steelbrick to $60M ARR in just two years, and his vision for the future of G2.
Here are six powerful lessons from our conversation that every founder can learn from.
For the full episode, check out the link above.
In 2003, Abel and his first company BigMachines was on the brink of collapse. The team had burned through $19M of its $20M funding. Abel and his co-founder, Chris, faced a gut-wrenching decision: shut the business down or find a way to keep going.
“I remember my co-founder, Chris, and I just sat down in 2003 and had like a come-to-Jesus meeting,” Abel shared. “What do we do? Do we just give back the million dollars? … But I think the reason we didn’t quit, one, we just didn’t want to quit on each other. Secondly, we did have about a dozen early customers.”
Those customers saw value in BigMachines, even during its darkest days. By doubling down on sales and cutting costs, they stabilized the business. Ultimately, BigMachines was acquired by Oracle for $400M in 2012.
Abel learned early on that product-market fit is the foundation for scaling a successful business. Without it, growth simply isn’t sustainable.
“At the end of the day, customers have to write you checks for your product or service. Or else there’s no value there.”
At Steelbrick, Abel applied these lessons. He focused on building a product that solved specific customer pain points and simplified complex processes. Because of this, Steelbrick scaled from zero to $60M ARR in just two years and was acquired by Salesforce in 2016.
This takeaway is a reminder that no amount of funding or marketing can compensate for a lack of real customer value.
Strategic partnerships played a key role in the success of both BigMachines and Steelbrick. Abel emphasized the importance of finding the right ecosystems to plug into.
“We also partnered with Microsoft. We partnered with Siebel, and we tried them all. So that was kind of the luck part… We didn’t know it was going to work. And then, by 2007, it became clear, Salesforce was probably number one,” Abel explained.
By aligning closely with Salesforce, Steelbrick was able to access their established customer base and leverage their platform for growth. This approach to strategic partnerships streamlined operations and accelerated scaling — something startup operators today can follow themselves.
The idea for G2 came from a simple question: Why wasn’t there a Yelp or Amazon-style review platform for business software?
“There was no site like that for business software,” Abel said. “Our industry was relying on analyst reports from the likes of Gartner, Forrester. And when I looked at that, I thought this seems like Encyclopedia Britannica.”
Abel saw that traditional analyst reports were outdated and failed to address the needs of modern software buyers. He envisioned G2 as a dynamic marketplace where users could rely on peer reviews and real-time insights. Today, G2 helps over 100 million buyers a year discover and compare software solutions.
Abel believes AI is transforming the way businesses discover and buy software. G2’s AI Monty is designed to simplify the process by matching buyers with the right tools for their needs.
“AI Monty is an agent that advises software buyers in real time,” Abel explained. “Monty can just listen to the requirements of the business person… and give them contextualized recommendations.”
By leveraging generative AI, G2 is creating an easier experience for buyers while enabling sellers to target high-intent leads. According to Abel, this is just the beginning of how AI will redefine B2B software marketplaces.
Godard Abel’s entrepreneurial journey offers a masterclass in navigating the ups and downs of building SaaS companies. His focus on resilience, product-market fit, and customer-centricity has not only shaped his own success but also set a blueprint for other founders.
Whether you’re launching your first startup or scaling a growth-stage company, Abel’s story is a powerful reminder that perseverance and customer obsession are the keys to lasting impact.
To dive deeper, tune in to this episode of All Dots Connected with Godard Abel:
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