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Pipeline

Case Interview Practice > 
Structure

Torrent Analytics is a B2B software company selling data analytics and business intelligence tools to mid-size enterprises across the US. The company generates $85M in ARR (annual recurring revenue, meaning subscription revenue that recurs on an annual basis) with strong retention, but new customer acquisition has slowed over the past 18 months. EY has been engaged to develop a growth strategy to accelerate ARR toward $150M over three years.

Before reviewing any data, how would you structure the question of how Torrent should grow?

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Clarifying Questions

  • Has the slowdown in new customer acquisition been driven by a smaller pipeline of new prospects, lower win rates on deals in the pipeline, or both?
  • Are there specific industries or customer segments where Torrent has particularly strong penetration vs. others where it is underrepresented?
  • Has the competitive environment changed, for instance new entrants or increased competition from larger players like Salesforce or Microsoft that may be squeezing Torrent's addressable market?

Framework

Bucket 1: Existing Customer Base

‍Objective: Understand how much of the $150M target is achievable within Torrent's current customer base before pursuing new acquisition, since expansion revenue from existing customers typically carries lower cost and higher margins than new logo acquisition.

  • Upsell and Cross-sell: penetration of additional product modules or seat expansions within existing accounts and where the biggest gaps are
  • Retention and Churn: whether the acquisition slowdown is masking a churn problem that would undermine any growth investment
  • Pricing: whether Torrent has room to increase contract values through price increases or value-based pricing on its highest-retention products

Bucket 2: New Customer Acquisition

‍Objective: Understand why new customer acquisition has slowed and what it would take to re-accelerate it, since reaching $150M from $85M will require meaningful new logo growth regardless of expansion performance.

  • Market Saturation: whether Torrent has reached meaningful penetration of its core mid-size enterprise segment in the US, limiting the remaining addressable market
  • Sales Efficiency: win rates, sales cycle length, and pipeline conversion metrics to determine if the problem is market-side or execution-side
  • Channel Mix: whether Torrent is over-reliant on a single acquisition channel such as direct sales, and whether partnerships, resellers, or product-led growth could open new pipelines
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