The Conference That Will Change How You Think About Running a Business

Twice a year, the Business of Software Conference brings together some of the sharpest minds in software, product, and entrepreneurship. But this isn’t just another conference, it’s a place where your assumptions get challenged, your ideas get stretched, and you walk away seeing things in a whole new light.

Next in-person conference: BoS Europe 2025 on 31 March-1 April in Cambridge, UK

This year’s BoS Europe presents a group of thinkers, doers, and industry rebels who’ll make you question everything from user activation to AI, hiring, and pricing strategies. Here are the discussions that will shake up your thinking and give you the tools to build and grow a better business..

The Growth Playbook (Unlocking What Actually Works)

• Diego de Jódar: Why User Activation is the Key to Sustainable Growth
  Most SaaS companies chase weekly active users, but Diego warns that this metric can be deceptive. His talk dives deep into activation, how to move users from sign-up to loyal engagement without accidentally sabotaging long-term growth. Expect to leave with a new way to measure and improve user activation.
  
• Sara Gordon: The Seven Deadly Sins & Positioning
  What do Tinder, Uber Eats, and LinkedIn have in common? They leverage core human desires (lust, sloth, pride) to create market dominance. Sara’s talk breaks down how understanding customer psychology helps businesses position themselves powerfully and stand out in crowded markets.
  
• Robin Landy: Finding Features Customers Will Pay (More) For
  More features don’t always mean more revenue. Robin will share battle-tested strategies for aligning product development with pricing, ensuring that the features you build drive real business value and customer willingness to pay.

Decision-Making & Strategy

• Ryan Singer: Framing and Hard Conversations
  When everything feels urgent, how do you decide what to build? Ryan introduces the concept of ‘framing’, a critical process that helps teams make strategic decisions by weighing trade-offs. If you’ve ever struggled with prioritization, this talk will be a game-changer.
  
• Mark Stephens: 25 Years of Heretical Thinking
  For 25 years, Mark has built and run IDRsolutions by questioning conventional wisdom. His talk is a challenge to sacred cows in hiring, company size, and financial strategy. Be prepared to rethink everything you thought you knew about running a business.

AI, Innovation, and the Future of Work

• Greg Baugues: AI You’ve Been Doing It All Wrong
  AI isn’t just hype. It’s a tool, and most people are using it wrong. Greg’s session mixes live demos with practical applications, showing how to incorporate AI into your workflow without letting it take over your thinking (or your company’s credibility).
  
• Lizzie Metcalfe: Lessons Learnt from My AI Girlfriend
  AI companions are no longer science fiction. Lizzie’s personal experiment with creating an AI girlfriend led to surprising insights on loneliness, human connection, and the evolving role of AI in society. This talk is as much about business as it is about the human experience in the digital age.

Leadership, Culture, and Product Management

• David Pereira: Product Management or Bullshit Management?
  David is calling out the elephant in the room: many product teams are stuck managing politics rather than real problems. His talk focuses on cutting through the noise, simplifying complexity, and using evidence over opinions to build products that matter.
  
• Melissa Appel: The Founders’ Guide to What Product Teams Need
  Founders often fall into the trap of micromanaging their product teams. Melissa lays out five crucial strategies for CEOs to empower their teams without chaos, because when product teams thrive, businesses grow faster and stronger.
  
• Bob Moesta: JTBD & Hiring
  Hiring isn’t just about finding skills; it’s about understanding why people change jobs. Bob, the creator of the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework, will walk through a fresh approach to hiring that ensures you attract and retain the right talent.

The Exit (When and How to Sell Your Business)

• Bridget Harris: Reflections on Building & Selling My Company
  Bridget co-founded and grew YouCanBookMe in a competitive SaaS space, eventually selling it to Capacity in early 2025. In her talk, she’ll share the existential decisions she faced, how she navigated the sales process, and what founders should consider before making an exit.

The Common Threads (and What It Means for You)

Every speaker at BoS Europe 2025 offers a different perspective, but there’s a clear pattern:

• Understanding customer behavior leads to better positioning and pricing.
• Strategic decision-making prevents wasted effort and unlocks true business value.
• AI and innovation are shaping the future, but they require thoughtful integration.
• Great leadership and hiring set the foundation for long-term success.
• Knowing when to sell is just as important as knowing how to grow.

If you’re serious about building and running a profitable business, BoS Europe 2025 isn’t just another conference – it’s the place where real insights meet real execution. See you in Cambridge.

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