How Fivetran scaled its growth while generating excess cash

General Catalyst's Customer Value strategy (CVF) has been successful in helping businesses scale their growth without relying solely on equity financing. Fivetran, a Cloud 100 company, partnered with CVF and experienced significant benefits, including nearly doubling its revenue while generating excess cash. The CVF approach funds the majority of upfront investment for new customer acquisition and is paid back only by the cohorts of customers it helped acquire once the capped return is reached. This innovative partnership has allowed Fivetran to maintain control over its growth, invest in product and engineering, consider M&A opportunities, and potentially clean up its capital structure or provide employee liquidity in the future.