Net dollar retention is a key metric for B2B startups, reflecting the revenue gained from existing customers after accounting for losses due to churn.

Visualizing retention through stacked cohorts can illustrate the long-term value of customers and the health of your business. High retention businesses can still grow revenue even when no new customers are signed up, as they continuously add layers of revenue over time.

For early-stage B2B SaaS companies, aiming for a net dollar retention of 125% to 150% is ideal, while mature companies should target around 110% to 120%.

Tracking customer retention is essential; it helps you understand how many users continue to engage with your product over time, which is a key indicator of success.

Retention is a critical metric; it shows how many customers continue to pay over time, indicating the product's value to them.

Net revenue retention measures the percentage of recurring revenue from current users, reflecting how well your company retains and expands its user base.

Retention and upsell are critical metrics that significantly impact revenue multiples; companies with high retention rates tend to have higher valuations.

The ideal cohort retention curve not only flattens but also increases over time, indicating that users are becoming more engaged with your product.

Pay attention to customer renewal rates rather than just churn rates, as they provide a clearer picture of customer retention.