The board deck after a Series A round usually contains a slide with a new line on it: paid acquisition. Before the round, paid search and LinkedIn were small experiments, run by a founder or a marketer on the side, judged by feel. After it, the same channels carry a budget that would have looked absurd a year earlier, and a target that investors will check every quarter.
That shift changes what paid media has to do. A few thousand a month can be wasted quietly while a company learns. Tens of thousands a month cannot. Every pound or euro now has to be traced to opportunities and revenue, campaigns have to scale without the cost of a qualified lead running away, and the numbers have to hold up in front of people who read SaaS metrics for a living. By Series B, the bar rises again: more channels, more segments, more markets, and a cost per opportunity that has to improve as spend grows, not worsen.
After analysing paid programmes across more than 200 B2B SaaS accounts, the companies that used post-round budgets well shared a pattern. They tied every campaign to the CRM before scaling spend. They chose channels by contract value and buying cycle, not by fashion. And they fixed landing pages and follow-up before buying more traffic, because extra clicks sent to a leaking funnel only made the leak more expensive.
PPC agencies differ a great deal in how well they support that discipline. This guide compares ten that work with SaaS companies at Series A and B, with a clear view of which kind of company each one suits.
How Paid Search and Social Change Between Series A and Series B
The same channels do different jobs at each stage.
At Series A, paid media proves a repeatable channel. Budgets are meaningful but still limited, so the priority is finding the campaigns that reliably produce qualified opportunities at an acceptable cost. High-intent search, competitor terms, and tightly targeted LinkedIn audiences usually come first. Tracking into the CRM matters more than scale, because the company needs evidence before it can justify spending more.
At Series B, paid media has to scale without breaking. The company adds segments, regions, and sometimes products. Campaigns expand across Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, review sites, and retargeting. The challenge is keeping cost per opportunity stable as spend rises, which depends on better audience strategy, more creative, offline conversion data fed back to the ad platforms, and conversion work on landing pages.
What carries over. At both stages, contract value decides the channel mix. Lower-priced, product-led offers often do better with search and lighter social. Higher-value, sales-led products justify LinkedIn's higher costs because its targeting matches the buying committee. Agencies that apply the same mix to every client are a warning sign.
The agencies below are strongest at different points in this journey. Some excel at making the first channel work efficiently; others at scaling several channels without losing control of cost.
Fees, Minimums, and How PPC Agencies Charge
How an agency charges shapes how it behaves, so it is worth understanding before comparing proposals.
Percentage of spend. The agency takes a share of the media budget, often in the region of 15% to 20%. It is simple, but it rewards the agency for spending more, even when the better decision would be to cut weak campaigns.
Flat fee. The agency charges a fixed monthly amount, sometimes in bands linked to spend. This removes the incentive to inflate budgets and makes costs predictable, which suits companies watching burn closely.
Retainer by scope. The fee reflects the channels, creative, landing pages, and reporting included. Common among agencies that do more than media buying, and the most important thing to check is exactly what the retainer covers.
Programme or build fee. The agency is paid to build a defined system over a set period, then hand it over. This suits companies that want a lasting capability rather than an indefinite supplier.
Also check minimum contract length, who owns the ad accounts, and whether creative and landing pages cost extra. Several agencies in this guide run month-to-month; others expect longer commitments. Ad accounts should always be owned by the client, not the agency.
How We Chose These Agencies
- Stage fit: Each agency works with SaaS companies at Series A, Series B, or both, at budgets those companies can sustain.
- SaaS focus: Exclusive or substantial B2B SaaS client bases.
- Pipeline measurement: Reporting tied to opportunities, pipeline, or revenue through the CRM.
- Channel judgement: Evidence of matching channels to contract value and buying cycle.
- Transparency: Clear pricing models, contract terms, and account ownership.
Each profile notes the stage and channel mix where the agency is strongest.
The 10 Best PPC Agencies for SaaS at Series A and B
1. dimartec
Best for: Series A and B SaaS and fintech companies at €2M–€10M ARR that want paid media tied to closed revenue and supported by conversion, nurture, and RevOps
dimartec builds Predictable Revenue Engines for B2B SaaS and fintech companies. Performance Paid Media is one of five connected pillars, covering Google Ads and search, LinkedIn and Meta, campaign strategy and structure, creative and messaging, and attribution and reporting. Its stated aim is to turn ad spend into a profit engine, with pipeline tied to acquisition cost, lifetime value, and closed revenue instead of clicks.
What sets it apart from a channel specialist is everything around the ads. Full-Funnel CRO builds and tests the landing pages the campaigns send traffic to. Lead Gen & Nurturing keeps the many paid leads who are not yet ready from going cold. RevOps & Automation connects every campaign to the CRM, so cost per SQL and lead-to-SQL rate are visible by campaign. GEO adds AI search visibility, so more buyers already know the company before they click.
The first two months unify tracking and restructure campaigns around profit; all five pillars then run together, and the system is handed over at month six. A Wialon client describes dimartec auditing the paid account, moving spend to high-intent audiences, and rebuilding campaigns, after which cost per SQL fell, total spend came down, and lead-to-SQL conversion reached a new high within 12 weeks. dimartec reports a 24% average reduction in cost per SQL within 180 days.
dimartec suits Series A and B companies when:
- Paid spend is rising but pipeline is not
- Campaigns are measured on leads and clicks, not opportunities
- Landing pages and follow-up are holding paid results back
- The board wants evidence of acquisition cost and payback by channel
Key services
- Performance Paid Media: Google, LinkedIn, Meta, creative, and attribution
- Full-Funnel CRO: landing pages and testing for paid traffic
- Lead Gen & Nurturing: keeping paid leads moving until they are ready
- RevOps & Automation: campaign-level pipeline reporting
- GEO: AI search visibility alongside paid
Why dimartec stands out for Series A and B PPC
- Paid media measured on cost per SQL and payback
- Pages and nurture fixed alongside campaigns
- A defined build, owned by the client team afterwards
- Only B2B SaaS and fintech clients
Best fit: Funded SaaS companies that want every euro of paid spend traceable to revenue.
2. SaaS Hero
Best for: Seed to Series B SaaS companies that want transparent flat fees and month-to-month terms
SaaS Hero is a B2B SaaS-only paid media agency led by founder Aaron Rovner, reporting more than 100 B2B SaaS clients. It charges flat monthly fees in bands linked to ad spend rather than a percentage of spend, runs on month-to-month terms, and publishes its pricing, with entry tiers from around $1,250 a month. Its playbook leans on Google Ads and LinkedIn, with competitor conquesting campaigns targeting rival brand, pricing, and alternatives searches, and it offers landing pages from $750.
For Series A companies watching burn, the model removes two common worries: fees that rise automatically with spend, and long notice periods.
Most published comparisons of SaaS Hero come from its own site, so independent references are worth requesting.
Key services
- Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads
- Competitor conquesting
- Landing pages
- CRM-based revenue reporting
- Review site advertising
Why SaaS Hero stands out for Series A and B
- Published flat-fee pricing
- Month-to-month terms
- B2B SaaS only
- Senior-led account management
Best fit: Cost-conscious Series A teams wanting a transparent, focused paid partner.
3. Hey Digital
Best for: Growth-stage SaaS companies ready to test beyond Google and LinkedIn
Hey Digital works only with B2B SaaS and reports more than 200 clients, including PostHog, Toggl, and Hotjar. Alongside Google and LinkedIn, it runs campaigns on platforms many agencies avoid, including Reddit, Quora, Product Hunt, Capterra, and Carbon Ads. It produces ad creative and landing pages in-house, with commercial attribution and structured experimentation at the centre of its reporting.
For Series B companies looking for new pockets of efficient demand, that wider channel range is valuable.
Reviewers note that value-based bidding needs a clean, connected CRM.
Key services
- Google and LinkedIn Ads
- Niche B2B channels
- Creative production
- Landing pages
- Commercial attribution
Why Hey Digital stands out for Series A and B
- SaaS-only focus
- Wider channel testing
- Ads and pages together
- Recognisable SaaS clients
Best fit: Series A to B SaaS companies wanting to find new paid channels.
4. TripleDart
Best for: Funded Series A to D SaaS companies that want paid media inside a broader growth team
TripleDart works with B2B SaaS companies from Series A to Series D and typically targets companies with an annual contract value of at least $5,000. It runs Google Ads and LinkedIn alongside SEO, content, and account-based marketing, and describes its approach as pipeline marketing. Clients it names include Freshworks, Avoma, Glean, and Airbase. One industry guide places its PPC engagements from around $3,500 a month.
For a Series A company that expects to add SEO or ABM later, working with one team across channels avoids handoffs.
Its strength is breadth; companies needing a deep single-channel specialist may prefer a narrower agency.
Key services
- Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads
- SEO and content
- Account-based marketing
- Pipeline reporting
- Paid social
Why TripleDart stands out for Series A and B
- Clear stage focus
- Accessible starting price
- Paid plus organic in one team
- Named SaaS clients
Best fit: Series A companies planning to grow into several channels with one partner.
5. Powered by Search
Best for: Series A to C SaaS companies selling to mid-market and enterprise buyers that need paid tied to forecasting
Powered by Search is a Toronto agency that has worked only with B2B SaaS since 2009. Its PPC work focuses on capturing high-intent demand and connecting it to pipeline, using its Predictable Growth model and forecasting tied to ARR. One guide places PPC engagements from around $5,000 a month.
For companies whose board wants paid spend forecast in the same terms as revenue, that discipline helps.
Broader programmes can cost considerably more, so scope should be agreed carefully.
Key services
- Paid search
- Paid social
- SEO and content
- Pipeline forecasting
- Attribution
Why Powered by Search stands out for Series A and B
- SaaS-only since 2009
- Demand capture first
- Finance-friendly forecasting
- Integrated search approach
Best fit: Mid-market-focused SaaS companies where search is the primary paid channel.
6. 42 Agency
Best for: SaaS companies at Series A and beyond that want paid media as part of wider demand generation
42 Agency works exclusively with B2B SaaS companies at Series A or above, or with at least $5M in revenue. Its demand generation services include paid search on Google, paid social on LinkedIn and Meta, SEO, marketing operations, and creative. Independent reviewers describe its approach as taking ownership of pipeline targets.
For companies that want paid media and the operations behind it handled by one team, that combination is useful.
It is not a PPC-only specialist, which suits some companies and not others.
Key services
- Google Ads
- LinkedIn and Meta Ads
- SEO
- Marketing operations
- Creative
Why 42 Agency stands out for Series A and B
- Clear minimum stage
- Pipeline ownership
- Paid plus operations
- SaaS-only
Best fit: Series A+ SaaS companies wanting paid inside a demand generation programme.
7. Remotion
Best for: Sales-led SaaS companies where LinkedIn is the main paid channel
Remotion works only on LinkedIn advertising for B2B SaaS companies from Series A through Series E, and tracks down-funnel results such as SQLs instead of lead volume. Reviewers describe a collaborative style suited to funded startups.
For companies selling higher-value products to defined roles, LinkedIn's targeting often matches the buying committee better than any other channel, and a specialist can push its performance further than a generalist.
The single-channel focus limits testing elsewhere.
Key services
- LinkedIn Ads strategy
- Audience and account targeting
- Creative testing
- SQL-focused reporting
- Retargeting
Why Remotion stands out for Series A and B
- LinkedIn depth
- Stage-specific experience
- Measured on SQLs
- Collaborative approach
Best fit: Higher-ACV SaaS companies selling to well-defined roles.
8. Upgrow
Best for: Series A to D SaaS companies that want a LinkedIn-led programme at a flexible budget
Upgrow is a San Francisco agency working with Series A to D B2B SaaS companies, with a focus on LinkedIn advertising and partner status with LinkedIn. One guide places its retainers at around $1,500 to over $10,000 a month, which spans early and later Series A budgets.
That range makes it accessible to companies running their first structured LinkedIn programme, with room to grow into larger accounts.
The information available comes mainly from a competitor's comparison, so references and case studies should be requested.
Key services
- LinkedIn Ads
- Google Ads
- Audience strategy
- Creative
- Reporting
Why Upgrow stands out for Series A and B
- Broad budget range
- LinkedIn focus
- Clear stage fit
- San Francisco base for US-focused SaaS
Best fit: US-focused SaaS companies building LinkedIn as a core channel.
9. Obility
Best for: SaaS companies that want paid programmes held accountable for attributed revenue
Obility is a B2B-only paid media agency known for measuring work on pipeline-attributed revenue. It works across HubSpot, Salesforce, and Marketo, and its clients have included Snowflake and Fastly. One guide places typical engagements at around $5,000 to $12,000 a month.
For Series A companies whose first priority is proving which paid campaigns produce real pipeline, that attribution focus is a good foundation for scaling.
It focuses on paid media, so conversion and nurture need other partners.
Key services
- Paid search
- LinkedIn and paid social
- Pipeline attribution
- Campaign strategy
- Reporting
Why Obility stands out for Series A and B
- Revenue-attributed reporting
- B2B-only
- Works across major CRMs
- Accessible pricing
Best fit: Companies that need proof of paid ROI before scaling spend.
10. Directive
Best for: Series B and later SaaS companies scaling several paid channels with large budgets
Directive is an Irvine, California agency working only with B2B software and technology companies. Its Customer Generation methodology connects paid media, content, design, and RevOps to revenue, and it reports more than $1B in revenue generated for clients. One LinkedIn agency guide places it at Series B to D companies with retainers from around $15,000 a month.
For a Series B company expanding across segments and regions, that scale and methodology are a strong fit.
For most Series A budgets, it will be more than needed.
Key services
- Paid search and paid social
- LinkedIn advertising
- Content
- RevOps
- Financial modelling
Why Directive stands out for Series A and B
- Proven at scale
- Revenue-linked methodology
- Broad channel coverage
- Large SaaS client base
Best fit: Series B companies with substantial budgets and several channels to scale.
Why dimartec Approaches PPC Differently
The other nine agencies are strong at buying and optimising media. SaaS Hero keeps fees transparent. Hey Digital finds new channels. TripleDart and 42 Agency combine paid with other growth work. Powered by Search and Obility tie paid to pipeline. Remotion and Upgrow go deep on LinkedIn. Directive scales large programmes.
For a company at Series A or B, though, paid results are often decided outside the ad platforms. A campaign that sends good traffic to a page that does not convert looks expensive. Leads that are not ready to talk are lost if nobody nurtures them. Spend cannot be justified to a board if the CRM cannot show which campaigns produced revenue. An agency that only controls the ads can do excellent work and still be blamed for problems it cannot reach.
dimartec treats paid media as one part of a connected Revenue Engine. Campaigns are restructured around profit, landing pages are built and tested for paid traffic, nurture catches the leads that are not yet ready, and RevOps reports cost per SQL by campaign. The system is built over six months and handed to the client's team, so the next stage of growth starts from a working engine, not a new agency search.
See how the Revenue Engine works: https://www.dimartec.co.uk/services/revenue-engine
Three Things to Check Before Hiring a PPC Agency at Series A or B
One: Ask to see cost per opportunity, not cost per lead. Request a case study that shows cost per qualified opportunity or SQL from a company at your stage and contract value. Cost per lead alone hides how many of those leads ever reach sales.
Two: Confirm who owns the accounts and data. Your Google, LinkedIn, and analytics accounts should be in your name, with the agency given access. If you change agency later, you should keep the full history of campaigns, audiences, and conversion data.
Three: Ask what happens to the traffic after the click. Find out whether the agency will build or test landing pages, how it will feed CRM outcomes back into the ad platforms, and who will follow up leads that are not yet ready. If the answer is "that is your team's job", plan for it before you scale spend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a Series A SaaS company spend on paid media?
There is no single figure; it depends on contract value, sales cycle, and how much pipeline the plan requires. A practical approach is to work back from the target number of qualified opportunities and a realistic cost per opportunity, then test at that level for a quarter before scaling.
Google Ads or LinkedIn Ads for Series A SaaS?
High-intent search on Google usually produces pipeline faster and more cheaply, especially for terms where buyers are already comparing solutions. LinkedIn costs more per click but targets roles and companies precisely, which suits higher-value, sales-led products. Many Series A companies start with search and add LinkedIn once tracking is reliable.
When should a SaaS company move from a freelancer to a PPC agency?
Often after the round, when spend rises, more channels are added, and the board expects pipeline reporting. At that point, creative production, landing pages, CRM integration, and consistent reporting usually need more capacity than one person can provide.
Should PPC agencies charge a percentage of ad spend?
Percentage-of-spend pricing is common but rewards higher spending. Flat fees, scoped retainers, and programme fees separate the agency's income from the budget. Whichever model you choose, make sure the agency's success is judged on pipeline and cost per opportunity.
Spend the Round on Pipeline, Not Clicks
After a Series A or B round, paid media is one of the fastest ways to turn capital into pipeline, and one of the fastest ways to waste it. The right agency matches channels to your contract value, ties every campaign to the CRM, and makes sure the traffic it buys has somewhere good to go.
The Revenue Engine connects Performance Paid Media with Full-Funnel CRO, GEO, Lead Gen & Nurturing, and RevOps & Automation, so paid spend turns into measurable pipeline and revenue.
See how the Revenue Engine works: https://www.dimartec.co.uk/services/revenue-engine
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