Saas Valuation Compression
Research a SaaS company’s funding history and explain round-to-round valuation compression or expansion using ARR multiples and a structured cause framework.
Overview
saas-valuation-compression is an agent skill for the Idea phase that researches SaaS funding rounds, computes ARR valuation multiples, and explains compression or expansion with metrics, charts, and a structured cause fr
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/himself65/finance-skills --skill saas-valuation-compressionWhat is this skill?
- Structured pipeline: web search for rounds, valuations, ARR, and lead investors
- Compression metrics: ARR multiple change and valuation growth decomposition
- Cause attribution: macro/ZIRP, growth deceleration, narrative shifts, AI premium, competition
- Inline visualization via Visualizer: metric cards, line/bar charts, peer comparisons
- Pre-loaded comparables (Vercel, WorkOS, Netlify, Fastly, Stripe, HashiCorp) with compression % and primary causes
- 6 pre-loaded benchmark companies (Vercel, WorkOS, Netlify, Fastly, Stripe, HashiCorp)
- 4 visualization types (metric cards, line charts, bar charts, peer comparisons)
- 5 cause-attribution dimensions in the framework
Adoption & trust: 650 installs on skills.sh; 2.7k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You see headlines about down rounds or soaring multiples but lack a round-by-round ARR multiple story and a clear primary cause you can cite.
Who is it for?
Solo founders and indie SaaS builders doing competitive funding research, investor prep, or market education posts with cited multiples.
Skip if: Teams that need audited cap tables, live cap-table software, or legal valuation opinions instead of agent-assisted public-data research.
When should I use this skill?
Triggers include “valuation compression,” “ARR multiple” analysis, round-to-round valuation comparisons, or any multi-round SaaS valuation analysis.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get funded-round data, compression metrics, visual comparisons, and a one-sentence verdict with attributed causes you can reuse in research notes or pitch prep.
- Round-by-round ARR multiple table or equivalent metrics
- Charts and peer comparison visuals
- Prose summary with verdict, primary cause, and forward implications
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Canonical shelf is Idea because the workflow gathers market and funding intelligence before you commit to positioning, pricing, or fundraising narrative. Research fits multi-round valuation, peer benchmarks, and macro or competitive attribution—not shipping code.
How it compares
Use instead of ad-hoc web search snippets when you want a fixed ARR-multiple and cause-attribution template with charts.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is saas-valuation-compression for?
Indie and solo SaaS builders, micro-PE curious operators, and anyone analyzing public funding narratives who wants structured multiples and compression explanations without building a spreadsheet model by hand.
When should I use saas-valuation-compression?
During Idea research when comparing funding rounds, answering “why did the multiple compress,” benchmarking ARR multiples against peers, or writing a round-to-round valuation comparison before you lock positioning or pricing assumptions.
Is saas-valuation-compression safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and treat web-search-gathered figures as indicative; verify critical numbers against primary sources before investor or contractual use.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Saas Valuation Compression
# saas-valuation-compression Analyze SaaS company valuation compression between funding rounds. ## What it does This skill researches a SaaS company's funding history and computes ARR-based valuation multiples at each round, then explains the compression (or expansion) using a structured framework: - **Data gathering** — funding rounds, valuations, ARR, lead investors via web search - **Compression metrics** — ARR multiple change, valuation growth decomposition - **Cause attribution** — macro/ZIRP, growth deceleration, narrative shifts, AI premium, competitive dynamics - **Visualization** — metric cards, line charts, bar charts, and peer comparisons - **Prose summary** — one-sentence verdict, primary cause, comparable context, forward implications ## Triggers - "valuation compression" or "ARR multiple" analysis - "round-to-round valuation" comparisons - "why did the multiple compress/expand" - Comparing a company's funding rounds - Any multi-round SaaS valuation analysis ## Known benchmarks Includes pre-loaded comparables for Vercel, WorkOS, Netlify, Fastly, Stripe, and HashiCorp with compression percentages and primary causes. ## Platform Works on **All** platforms (Claude.ai, Claude Code, and other supported agents). Uses web search for data gathering and the Visualizer tool for inline charts. ## Setup ```bash # As a plugin (recommended — installs all skills) npx plugins add himself65/finance-skills --plugin finance-market-analysis # Or install just this skill npx skills add himself65/finance-skills --skill saas-valuation-compression ``` See the [main README](../../../../README.md) for more installation options. --- name: saas-valuation-compression description: > Analyze SaaS company valuation compression between funding rounds. Use this skill whenever the user asks about: how much a SaaS company's valuation multiple changed between rounds, why the ARR multiple compressed or expanded, comparing a company's compression to macro benchmarks, or explaining what drove valuation changes for any VC-backed software company. Trigger on phrases like "valuation compression", "ARR multiple", "round-to-round valuation", "multiple change", or when the user asks to compare a company's funding rounds. Always use this skill for any multi-round SaaS valuation analysis — do not try to answer from memory alone. --- # SaaS Valuation Compression Analyzer ## What This Skill Does For a given SaaS company, research its funding history and compute ARR-based valuation multiples at each round. Then explain the compression (or expansion) using a structured framework that covers macro rates, growth trajectory, narrative shifts, and comparables. Always render the output as an inline visualization (using the Visualizer tool) plus a concise prose explanation. Do not just return a wall of numbers. --- ## Step-by-Step Workflow ### 1. Gather Data via Web Search Search for each of the following. Run searches in parallel where possible. **For the target company:** - `[company] funding rounds valuation ARR revenue` - `[company] Series [X] raised valuation` for each round - `[company] annual recurring revenue ARR [year]` for each round date - `[company] investors lead investor [round]` **For macro context:** - `SaaS ARR valuation multiples [year] private market` - Use the known benchmark table below as fallback if search is thin. **For narrative context:** - `[company] AI customers product announcement [year]` — AI narrative premium? - `[company] growth rate churn NRR [year]` — fundamentals shift? ### 2. Build the Data Model For each funding round, extract or estimate: | Field | How to get it | |---|---| | Round name | Direct from search | | Date | Direct from search | | Amount raised | Direct from search | | Post-money valuation | Direct or compute from ownership %; if unavailable, note as estimated | | ARR at round date | Search explicitly; if not found, estimate from customer count x ARPC or interpolate | | ARR mult