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Metrics investors ask for

Net revenue retention

Revenue from your existing customer base this period versus the same cohort last period, including expansion, contraction and churn.

Why it matters

One of the strongest signals in software. Above 100% means the business grows even if you never add another customer, which changes how investors value it.

A worked example

A cohort worth $1M a year ago is worth $1.2M today after upsells and churn. NRR is 120%.

What is typical

Above 100% is good, 120%+ is strong for enterprise software. Below 90% suggests a retention problem that more sales spend will not fix.

Related terms

ARR

Annual recurring revenue: the annualised value of contracted, recurring subscription revenue.

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CAC

Customer acquisition cost: fully loaded sales and marketing spend divided by the number of new customers acquired in the same period.

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