The Vertical Software Conference

Jane App is a rare company. Profitable from day one and built by largely ignoring the standard Silicon Valley playbook, Co-Founders Ali Taylor and Trevor Johnston bootstrapped their way to a $1.8B valuation while maintaining total control of their vision. From foregoing a traditional sales team to a relentless obsession with design and community this fireside chat uncovers the specific, sometimes counter-intuitive decisions that allowed them to build Jane App into the powerhouse it is today, entirely on their terms.

Vertical AI platforms are reshaping how entire industries operate. These platforms aren't just driving incremental efficiency, they're redefining workflows at their core. This panel will cover not only how these platforms have scaled so rapidly, but how they are building solutions that will endure in an environment where AI is evolving by the month.

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Embedded financial offerings have never been more important to the success of vertical software platforms. Done correctly, embedded fintech deepens your customer connection, makes your platform more durable and increases revenue per customer. But how is it done? When should you build vs buy? How do you drive meaningful adoption? Fintech leaders from Toast and Clio have already answered these questions so you don't have to.

Anyone who’s sold to contractors, salons, dental clinics or restaurants knows that the buyers aren’t on LinkedIn. This workshop will go through real examples from recent GTM data projects to show you how to sequence these and how to tailor them for your vertical.

Agentic commerce is in its infancy, but won't be for long. This fireside chat explores how vertical platforms should prepare for autonomous commerce and what changes when machines, not humans, trigger the transaction.

You've seen the headlines--eight acquisitions, $90 million raised and a strategic exit. But what was happening behind closed doors? Todd Saunders sits down with his leadership team to reveal the high-stakes conversations and tough decisions that were required to execute through it all. This is a rare, post-exit look at the hard-won lessons learned while building—and ultimately selling—a vertical software giant.

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You asked. Operators answer. We polled every Payments & Fintech leader at Vertex on their 3 biggest problems. Now some of the most recognized names in payments are talking it out live. No theory. No spin. Just operators in the trenches, doing it right now.

If you read the headlines or look at the stock market, apparently "SaaS is dead". Meanwhile, real builders are rethinking moats, distribution, and data advantages to go even deeper within their vertical. This panel explores how and why vSaaS platforms remain durable in a world where AI can do more and more every day.