What Adobe’s Acquisition of Semrush Means for Startups
A few weeks ago, Adobe acquired Semrush.
What does this mean for the startup ecosystem?
Semrush built a powerful position in SEO and content analytics. They know what matters: user intent, content performance, and competitive shifts.
Adobe wants that data as part of its content ecosystem.
Here’s why this deal matters:
1. Ecosystem Ownership
This deal is about controlling the entire content pipeline — from idea to execution to measurement.
Adobe can now tie creative teams, marketing operations, and analytics together in one system.
2. Data Flywheel
Semrush brings one of the strongest intent-data sets in digital marketing.
Combined with Adobe’s AI engine, this can power smarter content and better ROI.
3. Market Consolidation
As industries mature, the market moves toward all-in-one platforms.
The bar for a new entrant gets much higher.
Either you are so innovative that you create a new category, or you find a wedge in a segment the big players cannot address well.
For emerging founders, this means more powerful platforms and tighter competition.
However, that does not mean opportunities are gone.
Startups win in the gaps where big platforms fall short. When these systems promise seamlessness but deliver complexity, that is your opening.
As I always say to founders: stay focused. Know what you are building. Understand your users and their problems. And build something they will pick over the giants.
Do you think platform consolidation helps or hurts startup innovation?
Hit reply — I’d love to hear your take.
Focus Lessons for Building and Scaling
In this section, I’m sharing practical advice for founders: how to build and scale startups, think and decide under pressure, and avoid the mistakes I’ve seen founders make along the way.
“Your Deck Looks Great. But Does Your Startup?”
“Your deck looks great. But does your startup?”
That is the question I asked founders during my keynote at Web Summit.
I have reviewed thousands of startups. Too many of them obsess over looking impressive on paper: beautiful decks, shiny numbers, and buzzwords.
But raising money does not come down to polish.
The startups that win over investors are the ones that bring clarity and a plan they actually believe in.
For those who missed my session, here are a few takeaways:
Make Sure the Deck Still Contains Your Thinking
If your deck was made by someone else — an agency, a consultant, or AI — make sure it still contains your actual thinking and that you fully understand what you are presenting.
Your deck should clearly articulate:
The Big Idea — what you aim to improve or change
The Market — whether a real market exists for it
The Strategy — whether you can capture that market and how
The Destination — where this strategy ultimately leads
The Team — why you and your team are the ones able to do it
Skip Buzzwords
Buzzwords are just white noise.
What actually stands out are founders who know exactly what they want to achieve and what resources they need.
Be Realistic About Your Numbers
If your startup makes subtitles for animated films, that does not mean your market is the entire global video industry.
Match Your Vision to Verifiable Results
Show how you plan to get big fast — and that you actually understand what that takes.
This and other lessons are part of my new book, Unicorn Focus, coming out in just a few weeks.
In the meantime, you can already download a free chapter: The Art of Choosing a Business Idea.
It will help you:
Spot traps and dead ends before they waste your time and capital
Build conviction and focus so you can move forward with clarity
Use simple filters to identify ideas with real potential