Technology Park Split runs business development programs for startups and early-stage entrepreneurs up to five years old.

Maciej Kraus, a leading expert in pricing and sales and lecturer at Stanford, shared his knowledge today with INVENTO Accelerator startups. His post-workshop interview provides a concise yet powerful summary of the strategies set to revolutionize their approach to business.

How did you come together with Technology Park Split?

It all started because of my teaching at Stanford. Lana Ugrčić from Technology Park Split  came over as they were sourcing startups from Croatia. There was a startup conference and an accelerator where those bio and fiber startups were pitching. I was giving a pricing lecture and was part of the committee assessing different startups. I got to know her, and a few months ago, she reached out, saying, “Can you come over? We have this amazing new building. You should definitely see it. We have some great founders here in Split, and they would love to get your experience and advice on building successful technology.”

A lot of startups struggle with pricing. What are the most common mistakes you see?

Startup founders focus heavily on the product, which is obviously important. But for me, pricing and getting money from customers is the best justification of product-market fit. It proves there is a need and demand for the product.

I often compare pricing to training muscles — it’s a skill that should be developed within an organization, just like product, marketing, or sales skills.

Pricing isn’t about just building a great product, slapping on a price, and calling it a day. It requires research and continuous learning.

Many startups mistakenly think they should copy pricing models from companies like Spotify or Netflix. But pricing is a tool that helps early-stage companies learn and grow faster. It tells you who wants your product, how much they want it, and what your unit economics look like—key insights for reinvesting in growth.

With external funding harder to secure, bootstrapping and using revenue from customers is the cheapest source of capital. Even if you’re seeking investors, the first questions they’ll ask are about revenue and profit margins — both of which are directly impacted by pricing.

What advice would you give early-stage startups defining their first pricing model?

Quantify the value for the customer. Customers need to understand what’s in it for them—what problem you solve and how much money they are currently losing, wasting, or could potentially earn. Show them their money first. Then introduce your solution and pricing.

How you charge is more important than how much you charge. Many startups think pricing is just about setting a price tag — 5, 10, or 15 euros. But pricing is about the model. What are you actually charging for? I use the example of shoes. If you sell shoes traditionally, you charge per pair. But with a subscription model, you could charge based on:

• The number of pairs a customer has at a time
• The number of steps they take
• The days per week they wear the shoes
• The miles traveled in them There are many ways to structure monetization around how customers consume your product.

How can a startup balance customer acquisition with profitability in its early stages?

It’s better to be expensive than cheap. 

Price shapes value perception — if a sneaker brand launches at €10 instead of €90-100, people assume it’s low quality. The same applies to services. If competitors charge €100 and you charge €1, customers won’t trust you.

The idea of starting cheap to capture the market and later increasing prices rarely works. If customers come only for low prices, they won’t stay when you raise them. If people aren’t willing to pay for your product, is it really that good?

What trends do you see in monetization models for SaaS and tech startups?

1. AI integration — Many startups are adding AI-driven features into products and pricing models.
2. Shift from flat subscriptions to consumption-based models—Instead of a fixed fee, users pay based on usage, similar to token-based pricing in AI models.
3. Retaining customers without price cuts — Instead of discounting, increase value at the same price. For example, if a user paid €100 for one month, offer two months instead. This makes it easier to maintain pricing integrity later.

Currently, the INVENTO Accelerator is underway, implemented in collaboration with Invento Capital Partners as part of the project “Strengthening Acceleration Activities” by the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations, and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO). The accelerator program provides a comprehensive support system for early-stage entrepreneurs and newly founded companies (up to five years old) whose business development or product is linked to innovative solutions, services, and technologies, as well as development teams working on innovative products/services.

The accelerator offers support for initial business assessment, individual business consulting, mentorship from experienced experts, assistance in communication with investors, internationalization activities, and more.

As part of the INVENTO Accelerator activities, a workshop on pricing and sales training was held on April 1st and 2nd for startups, led by Maciej Kraus.