SaaS Flash Report

Daily SaaS News Roundup - Updated: 2025-10-03

the latest SaaS news at breaking speed

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• \1 OpenLearning Limited (ASX: OLL) has inked a SaaS deal with the University of the Philippines Manila, marking its first public university partnership in the country and covering at least 10,000 students for an initial one-year term, with options to renew for up to five years—highlighting the growing demand for AI-driven, micro-credentialing learning platforms in higher education[5].
• \1 OpenAI has launched its own AI-powered sales, support, and contract tools, directly competing with SaaS giants like Salesforce, HubSpot, and DocuSign—a move that triggered significant stock declines for these established players and signals a major shift from AI infrastructure provider to SaaS competitor[2].
• \1 The Department of the Air Force has issued new guidance reclassifying SaaS as a commodity subscription service, mandating centralized procurement, real-time usage tracking, and stricter cost controls to improve data governance and align with zero trust security mandates across the enterprise[4].

\1 Today’s news underscores the rapid evolution of the SaaS landscape, where AI-native platforms are winning major institutional deals, traditional SaaS leaders face disruptive competition from AI giants, and large enterprises are tightening governance to manage SaaS sprawl and security risks—a trifecta of trends reshaping how organizations buy, use, and secure cloud software.

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• [1] https://blocksandfiles.com/2025/10/01/storage-news-ticker-1-october/
• [2] https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-saas-attack-hubspot-salesforce-docusign-zoominfo-2025-9
• [3] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/02/saas_turbocharged_software_spending_tough/
• [4] https://www.executivegov.com/articles/daf-saas-procurement-usage-memo
• [5] https://www.sharecafe.com.au/2025/10/03/openlearning-signs-saas-agreement-with-university-of-the-philippines-manila/

📊 SaaS METRICS SNAPSHOT - October 03, 2025

# Market Performance

• \1 No specific daily stock data is available in the provided results. However, the SaaS sector continues to benefit from a return to growth-focused investment strategies, with venture capital (VC) increasingly rewarding high-growth B2B SaaS companies as the AI hype cycle cools[1].
• \1 While no new funding rounds are detailed in the results, the broader trend is a shift back toward growth over profitability in VC priorities, especially for B2B SaaS[1].
• \1 Median growth rates for equity-backed SaaS companies are 30%, with bootstrapped firms at 25% as of October 2024[3]. Smaller B2B SaaS companies (<$1M ARR) report the highest median growth at 50%, while larger firms (>$20M ARR) are at 25%[3]. Vertical SaaS (industry-specific) is growing slightly faster (31%) than horizontal SaaS (28%)[3].

# Key Industry Numbers

• \1 Usage-based pricing continues to gain traction, but per-seat remains dominant, especially in SMB-focused products. No specific daily update, but the trend toward flexible, value-based pricing is clear industry-wide.
• \1 No daily CAC updates, but industry benchmarks remain critical for evaluating efficiency, especially as growth becomes harder to achieve[1].
• \1 The average B2B SaaS churn rate is 3.5% (median), with voluntary churn at 2.6%[2]. Churn varies significantly by vertical: Software/IT (3–5% annually), Healthcare (7.5% monthly), EdTech (9.6% monthly), FinTech (12% annually), MarTech (5–7% annually), HR/Back Office (4.8% monthly)[4]. Retention is increasingly a competitive differentiator, with companies focusing on expansion within existing accounts[2].

# Today's Notable Metrics

• \1 No company-specific daily announcements are present in the results.
• \1 No new unicorn announcements or milestone updates are reported in the results.
• \1 The latest SaaS market reports highlight that retention is driving growth more than acquisition, with new sales down 3.3% but churn and downgrades also declining[2]. This underscores the importance of net revenue retention (NRR) and expansion revenue as key metrics for 2025[2]. The global SaaS market is projected to reach $390.5 billion in revenue in 2025, with a 19.38% annual growth rate through 2029[3].

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Actionable Insights for SaaS Professionals

• \1 As VC interest shifts back toward growth, ensure your growth is sustainable and supported by strong unit economics to attract investment and command higher valuations[1].
• \1 With acquisition growth slowing, focus on reducing churn and increasing expansion revenue within existing accounts. Net revenue retention (NRR) is now a top-tier KPI[2].
• \1 Churn and CAC vary widely by industry—compare your metrics to your specific vertical’s benchmarks to identify improvement areas[4].
• \1 Stay attuned to shifts toward usage-based and value-based pricing, especially as customer expectations evolve.
• \1 Vertical SaaS is growing slightly faster than horizontal SaaS—consider niche markets if scaling in broad categories becomes challenging[3].

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Growth is back in favor