The Rule of 40 is a very popular concept and we see founders doing whatever they can to generate growth and profitability at the same time. But are valuable companies actually achieving Rule of 40? No, not even close.
Below is every publicly traded SaaS company that has IPO’d since October 2017, of which 60 are still actively traded. The data shows their Rule of 40 results in Q4 2024. The median is 15%, average is 24%, and interestingly median Rule of 40 is below median growth of 19% which implies negative profitability on median. If we look at only those companies that are growing above the median, we’re seeing more like the rule of 20% on median.
So where is the Rule of 40? Few publicly traded companies are achieving it. Our advice to founders is to continue to push hard for cash-efficient growth. That means generating ARR of at least $0.80 for every dollar of operating loss. Don’t forsake growth just to get to profitability; the former is still far more valuable than the latter as long as you’re achieving it cash efficiently.
Thank you for the readership. Visit blossomstreetventures.com for more blogs and SaaS data. Email the author at sammy@blossomstreetventures.com or connect on LinkedIn.
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