Brett Turner spent two years talking to customers, VCs, and bank treasurers before writing a single line of code. Then he made a bet that could have killed the company - he started building before banks had the APIs he needed for his enterprise SaaS product.
Learn how Trovata survived a two-year wait for bank APIs, turned JP Morgan into both an investor and a B2B SaaS sales channel, and grew to $10M ARR by selling to the most risk-averse buyers in corporate finance. Brett shares how "transference of trust" works in enterprise sales - leading every conversation with "We're a JP Morgan-backed solution" to win B2B SaaS sales with professional risk managers.
Trovata has raised $58M, serves 200+ customers, and grows 2.5x year over year. This is a masterclass in B2B SaaS sales for founders entering enterprise markets.
Key Lessons
- š¢ Enterprise SaaS demands longer discovery phases: Brett spent 2+ years testing his thesis with VCs and treasurers before writing code, reducing risk to pure execution.
- š¤ Turn investors into B2B SaaS sales channels: JP Morgan invested after seeing Trovata connect to their APIs, then became a referral source for enterprise sales prospects.
- ā” Enterprise MVPs require more rigor than consumer products: Trovata pursued SOC compliance far earlier because one bad experience with a bank-referred customer would destroy the partnership.
- šÆ Use "transference of trust" to win B2B SaaS sales with risk-averse buyers: Leading with "We're JP Morgan-backed" gave Trovata instant credibility with corporate finance teams.
- š Build multiple ways to win in B2B SaaS sales: Trovata combined direct outbound, bank referrals, JP Morgan credibility, and early adopter evangelism rather than depending on one channel.
Chapters
- Introduction
- Brett's favorite quote - no shortcuts in building a great company
- What Trovata does - automated cash management for enterprises
- The origin story - 20 years in the making
- The two-year discovery phase before building
- Does a track record make enterprise discovery easier?
- Building an enterprise MVP when you depend on bank APIs
- The big bet - waiting for banks to release corporate APIs
- JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America launch APIs
- Trovata by the numbers - $10M ARR, 200+ customers, $58M raised
- Customer acquisition - bank referrals plus direct B2B SaaS sales
- Overcoming risk aversion in enterprise sales
- Solo founder vs co-founder after three previous exits
- Lightning round
- Book recommendations and final thoughts
Resources
