From our SaaS audits
What we find inside SaaS companies
Patterns from the technical due diligences we run for investors and boards.
Leadership
The authenticity tax
AI-generated content has made polished writing look suspicious. The deeper cost is the thinking you skip when you outsource the words that define your position.
The cost of the quick fix
The quick fix isn't cheaper. It's cheaper today. Bram Devries traces how deferred fixes compound into emergencies, and argues that naming the trade-off out loud is the only way to break the cycle.
The SaaS audit bingo card: insights after auditing 190+ SaaS companies
After auditing 190+ SaaS companies, the same patterns keep showing up: a CTO who does everything, documentation nobody updates, a backlog from 2019. Here's what the bingo card looks like, and what AI is changing about it.
Be a lobster
The processes that got you here will eventually constrain you. Like a lobster shedding its shell, scaling companies must periodically dismantle what worked intentionally, not in panic. Constraints aren’t a failure; they’re proof you’ve outgrown your current structure.
Who teaches the next generation?
AI has removed the junior work that used to build software engineers. Seven other industries faced the same disruption and didn't agree on an answer.
The disconnect between management and engineering
A mobile app, past its usefulness, was days from being phased out. One email reversed the decision. No discussion. No input from engineering. This is what happens when decision-making drifts too far from the work.
The CTO's guide to AI adoption strategy
AI adoption fails when treated as a tool rollout. This guide covers the decision framework, team dynamics, economics, and mistakes from 190+ technical audits.
The value of code review
Code reviews improve more than code quality. Done well, they shape better problem-solving, expose edge cases, and spread knowledge across teams. Learn how small, focused reviews and AI support help teams ship faster with confidence.
Your startup does not need more engineers, it needs fewer mistakes
Hiring to fix velocity often multiplies your problems. Reduce avoidable mistakes first: tighten decision-making, align product and engineering, and put foundations in place that make a small team dangerous in the right way.
Stereotypes: are these the biggest misconceptions about software engineers?
Outdated myths about developers—like “they hate meetings” or “only care about code”—create friction, missed context, and rework. Learn how to build healthier collaboration across engineering and product.
Why freedom beats control: building a proper remote culture
Building a thriving remote-first culture takes more than allowing people to work from home. Discover how hiring for ownership, embracing asynchronous work, and saying no to misaligned projects creates a sustainable remote future.
The show must go on: building bridges to prevent and work with silos
What can theatre teach startups about silos? That rehearsed collaboration beats chaos every time. madewithlove supports SaaS companies with CTO coaching, audits, and software engineering: discover how to keep your teams working together at the heart of your business.
What should tech companies do to hire a more diverse workforce?
Building diverse tech teams takes more than good intentions. From job ads and interviews to flexible work and international hiring, discover how we try to embed inclusion into every stage of the hiring process, subtly, sustainably, and deliberately.
Fitness for purpose: taking risks with quality
When product teams obsess over perfect quality, they risk standing still, but by embracing a 'fit for purpose' mindset and planning for instability, they can move faster and smarter.
Offboarding: The security hole nobody wants to talk about
Offboarding is a crucial part of security. Forgotten accounts and overlooked credentials can expose your systems to risk. This post offers real examples, a checklist approach, and clear steps to make offboarding more reliable across teams.