Sourced Benchmarks
On-demand reference for the expansion-revenue-architect skill.
Master Benchmark Table
Calibrated for EUR15-150M B2B SaaS. Always adjust for client's stage, ACV, and motion type.
| Metric | Good | Great | Best-in-class | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRR | >85% | >90% | >95% | KeyBanc 2025 (median 88-91%, top quartile 95%+) |
| NRR | >100% | >110% | >120% | KeyBanc 2025; Bessemer Cloud 100 |
| Expansion as % of new ARR | 15-20% | 20-30% | >40% | OpenView; Bessemer Scaling to $100M |
| Expansion ARR acquisition cost | $0.40/$ | $0.27/$ | $0.20/$ | Ordway; Pacific Crest |
| CS-led expansion close rate (<$50K) | 30% | 40% | 50% | ChurnZero 2025 |
| Sales-led expansion close rate (>$50K) | 20% | 30% | 35% | Gainsight; industry composite |
| Time from signal to expansion pipeline | <30 days | <14 days | <7 days | Operator benchmark |
| Seat expansion velocity (quarterly, 50+ seat accounts) | 3% | 5% | 8-12% | Bessemer Cloud 100 |
Valuation context: A 10-point NRR improvement (e.g. 110% -> 120%) translates to 20-30% valuation uplift. Companies with 120%+ NRR command 20-40% premium multiples. This is the cost-of-gap argument in proposals.
Source: m3ter 2026 NRR analysis; Software Equity Group public SaaS NRR-to-valuation correlation.
Sourced NRR Benchmarks by Stage and ACV
These deepen the benchmark table above with segment-specific data from primary research.
NRR by Company Stage
| ARR Stage | Median NRR | Top Quartile NRR | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1-10M | ~105% | 145%+ | Bessemer Cloud 100, 2024 |
| $10-25M | ~108% | 135%+ | Bessemer Cloud 100, 2024 |
| $25-50M | ~106% | 125%+ | KeyBanc 2024-2025 SaaS Survey |
| $50-100M | ~110% | 135%+ | Bessemer Cloud 100, 2024 |
| $100M+ | ~112% | 120%+ | High Alpha/OpenView 2024 SaaS Benchmarks |
Context: Median NRR across ~100 private SaaS firms is 101% (KeyBanc/Sapphire Ventures 2024-2025). Public SaaS companies average ~110% (High Alpha/OpenView 2024).
NRR by ACV Band
| ACV | Median NRR | Top Quartile | Bottom Quartile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <$25K | ~100% | 108% | 95% | KeyBanc 2024-2025 |
| $25-50K | 102% | 111% | 97% | KeyBanc 2024-2025 |
| $50-100K | 105%+ | 115%+ | 98% | KeyBanc 2024-2025 |
| >$100K | 108%+ | 120%+ | 100% | KeyBanc 2024-2025 |
Implication: Higher-ACV products consistently outperform on NRR. This validates the land-and-expand strategy — land small, then grow ACV through expansion.
GRR by Segment (Sourced)
| Segment | Good | Great | Best-in-Class | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise (ACV >EUR100K) | >90% | >93% | >95% | Ordway Labs 2024; SaaS Capital 2023 |
| Mid-Market (ACV EUR25-100K) | >88% | >91% | >94% | KeyBanc 2024-2025 |
| SMB (ACV EUR5-25K) | >80% | >85% | >90% | ChartMogul SaaS Retention 2023 |
| PLG / Low ARPA (<EUR50/mo) | >60% | >70% | >80% | ChartMogul 2023 (ARPA <$50: top quartile 60-70%) |
Strategic pattern: A company with 5-7% annual logo churn AND 110%+ NRR is actually healthy — high logo churn can coexist with strong NRR if expansion from retained accounts more than offsets losses (Vitally SaaS Churn Benchmarks 2025).
The Expansion Economics Advantage
Expansion revenue is the most efficient growth lever in B2B SaaS. The data is overwhelming:
Cost Efficiency
| Metric | New Business | Expansion | Multiple | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAC (cost to acquire $1 of ARR) | $1.20-1.60 | $0.17-0.40 | 7x cheaper | Paddle 2024; SaaS Metrics Board |
| Payback period | 18-24 months | 6 months | 3-4x faster | Paddle 2024 |
| Close rate | 5-20% | 60-70% | 3-10x higher | Gainsight 2024 |
| Sales cycle | 60-180 days | 14-90 days | 2-4x shorter | 180ops 2024 |
Expansion Revenue Share by ARR Stage
As companies scale, expansion becomes the dominant growth source:
| ARR Stage | % from New Business | % from Expansion | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| <$1M | 90% | 10% | OpenView 2024 |
| $2-5M | 70-80% | 20-30% | OpenView 2024 |
| $5-20M | 60-70% | 30-40% | OpenView 2024 |
| $20-50M | ~65% | ~35% | Ordway Labs 2024 |
| $50-100M | ~50% | ~50% | OpenView 2024 |
| $200M+ | ~33% | ~67% | OpenView 2024 |
Cost-of-gap argument: If a client at EUR30M ARR is getting only 15% of new ARR from expansion (vs. 35% benchmark), that's a 20pp gap. At EUR6M new ARR target, that gap = EUR1.2M in missed expansion revenue annually — at 7x lower CAC than acquiring it via new business.