Finding product-market fit

: go-to-market strategies of German B2B SaaS startups

Abstract

The concept of Product-Market Fit (PMF) is widely recognized among practitioners as a milestone for startup success. However, PMF has received limited attention in academic research. This dissertation investigates the GTM strategies employed by German B2B SaaS startups to attain PMF, focusing on their early-stage customer acquisition approaches, growth strategies, and the key indicators used to assess PMF. It employs a mixed-methods research design, integrating qualitative expert interviews with a quantitative survey. This approach provides in-depth insights into best practices while enabling validation across a broader sample of startups. The findings reveal that German B2B SaaS startups follow Lean Startup principles, particularly through customer feedback loops and structured experimentation. However, additional patterns emerged such as prior industry expertise of founders, allowing them to leverage existing networks and knowledge. The study identifies two primary GTM strategies 3 Sales-Led Growth (SLG) and Product-Led Growth (PLG) 3 with the choice largely influenced by Average Contract Value (ACV). Additionally, startups assess PMF using a mix of qualitative and quantitative indicators. By bridging practical insights with academic research, this dissertation contributes to the literature on PMF and GTM strategies. Additionally, it offers valuable insights for early-stage B2B SaaS startups on their path to PMF.

Date of Award	23 Apr 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sílvia Isabel Cristina Taveira de Almeida (Supervisor)