---
title: bob-example
type: people
slug: people/bob-example
---

# Bob Example

CEO of widget-co. Met him through fund-b in early 2024. Background:
operator at a horizontal-SaaS company before founding widget-co. Strong
sales background, weaker product instinct.

## Track record

widget-co Series A in 2024 was at a strong valuation but the revenue
quality has been suspect. I think the round was priced on growth-rate
math that doesn't hold up under retention analysis. Bob is good at the
pitch and the metrics that look good on a deck.

The product has shipped twice in the last 18 months and both releases
landed flat in user reception. Sales pipeline is keeping the lights on
but not growing the way the Series A would imply.

## Notes

I think widget-co is in trouble but Bob doesn't see it yet. The
retention curves are sliding and the team has been losing senior
engineers to competitors. I expect a forced raise within 9 months.
Moderate-high conviction, ~0.7.

Bob is a good operator at the right stage. He's wrong-stage for the
team-size widget-co is at — too senior for an early-stage problem and
too execution-focused for the late-stage strategic moves that would
actually save the company. I'd take a meeting with him for a different
kind of company.

The bet I want to record: widget-co either pivots hard in the next 12
months or wraps up. The middle path doesn't exist for them given where
they are. Conviction ~0.65.
