Metrics & Performance
Ramp-Up Period
The time it takes for a new sales rep, product, or market to reach full productivity.
Ramp-up period measures the time from initiation to full productivity. For sales teams, it's the time a new rep takes to reach quota (typically 3-9 months for enterprise SaaS). For products, it's time to reach steady-state metrics. VCs analyze ramp periods to understand unit economics timing and predict when investments in growth will yield returns.
In Practice
An enterprise SaaS company's average sales rep ramp is 6 months. They hired 10 reps in Q1, but won't see full quota attainment until Q3, creating a short-term drag on sales efficiency metrics.
Why It Matters
Ramp periods create a cash flow gap between investment in growth and resulting revenue. Understanding ramp economics is critical for modeling a company's capital needs and expected growth trajectory.
Related Concepts
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