Speakers

Everything you should know before you apply

Before you waste time filling out the application, we strongly suggest you read the below.

1. So, who exactly are we looking to speak?

We’re looking for founders, operators, and domain experts with real vSaaS scars. In other words, people who’ve actually built, scaled, or rebuilt the platforms that power their unique vertical. If you’ve shipped something meaningful, learned something the hard way, or changed how a market works, you’re our people. Titles matter less than depth and originality of insight.

2. No sales pitches. No demos. (duh)

If this is even a thought, you're in the wrong place. Attendees want playbooks and novel ideas, not product walkthroughs. Everything on stage should be educational, candid, and rooted in real experience, not a commercial in disguise.

3. Go deep, not broad.

The Vertex audience is extremely educated. They live and breathe vertical software everyday. They aren't interested in surface-level industry trends you get from LinkedIn influencers. They want tightly scoped topics where you can share the exact decisions, mistakes, frameworks, and levers that actually moved the needle.

4. We like a bit of spice.

Honest takes are encouraged. If you have a contrarian viewpoint, a misconception you want to kill, or a lesson you learned the uncomfortable way, bring it. The best sessions have edge, clarity, and a real point of view that sometimes goes against common thinking.

5. We have a few different types of open roles.

We're primarily looking for speakers to sit on 2-3 person panels, but are also open to applicants who want to moderate a session, host a 1:1 fireside chat, or lead a roundtable discussion on a specific topic. Let us know what you feel you're most qualified for!

6. Let’s say you get accepted to speak, what happens next? What's the commitment?

We get it, you're busy. We've set up the speaking process at Vertex to be as seamless and easy as possible. You can expect a streamlined prep process, a short briefing call (~one hour), and light coaching, all focused on helping you deliver something attendees will reference for months. The day of Vertex, we ask all speakers to arrive at the venue at least 90 minutes prior to their start time to prep and get mic'd up for the stage.

7. Bonus points for nominating or bringing a friend!

We are highly appreciative of any effort to get more of the vSaaS community involved. If you have a customer or connection who you want on stage, feel free to submit a nomination on their behalf or email chris.kuehn@rainforestpay.com to loop them in directly.