Vertical SaaS
Also called Horizontal SaaS
Software built for one specific industry, dental clinics, construction, restaurants, with deep, tailored features. Horizontal SaaS, by contrast, serves a function across all industries.
Why it matters
Vertical SaaS can win by understanding a niche deeply and owning its workflow, often with less competition and stronger retention than broad horizontal tools. The trade-off is a smaller market, so the niche has to be big enough.
For example
Toast builds software specifically for restaurants, going deep on their exact needs rather than serving every industry like a horizontal tool.
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Related terms
Also in Starting Up
See how founders actually handle this on Growing and marketing, part of the Starting Up hub.
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