Quietly replacing the old way: customers are switching to the company from an entrenched alternative, and the switching
The model's full reasoning — Q4 2023 call → NOWe need to determine if management describes customers switching from an entrenched alternative to the company's product, and that this switching is still early with most potential switchers not yet converted. Let's examine the transcript for relevant statements. Key areas: 60% protein, dextrose (Clean Sugar), carbon capture, etc. For 60% protein: Todd Becker says "We have sold some 60% protein commercially in smaller beginning quantities and are in the process of finishing some commercial feed trials with some larger potential customers and have begun price negotiations for a larger share of the recipes and rations that they have." This indicates early adoption, but is it switching from an entrenched alternative? The product is new, but it's a substitute for other proteins like fish meal, soybean meal, etc. However, management doesn't explicitly say customers are switching from an incumbent. They say "we are in enough discussions right now and I've identified enough demand that would take all of our product if we can get them to buy it" – that's future potential. They also say "we have enough identified demand to take all of our product. We just got to get it to that next point." That suggests early stages, but is it a substitution? They mention "changes in the ratios between corn and soy" affecting buyers' decisions. But they don't explicitly say customers are abandoning an incumbent to adopt their product. They say "we are in the process of finishing some commercial feed trials" – that's still testing. For dextrose: They say "we will be ready to begin delivering product in the beginning of the second quarter." That's future. They have "strong interest" and "late-stage negotiations" but not yet delivered. So not yet happening. For carbon capture: They talk about decarbonizing, but that's not a product switch. The question asks: "does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON" – that is, actual switching happening now. The transcript shows for 60% protein they have "sold some 60% protein commercially in smaller beginning quantities" – that is actual sales, but is it switching? They are selling a new product, but the customers might be using it as an alternative to something else.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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BLKB · Q1 2017 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON, and that this switching is still in its early ...YES Management describes customers switching from entrenched alternatives (legacy hardware systems, older Raiser's Edge versions, standalone point solutions) to Blackbaud's cloud solutions like NXT, with examples of recent replacements and migrations already occurring. They also note that much of the potential remains, as the installed base of legacy methods is still large 25% of subscription revenue, and they describe the opportunity as "really early days" with substantial distance left to run. This fits the criteria of a present-tense substitution pattern in the market, not just future hope. The high retention on their own base (93%) combined with declining maintenance revenue shows the shift is active and ongoing, while new wins against competitors and legacy alternatives are happening now. The TAM of $7 billion with hundreds of thousands of addressable customers reinforces that switching is early-stage relative to the total opportunity. The answer is YES. The question is answered with YES. The question is answered with YES.
BLZE · Q3 2022 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON, and that this switching is still in its early ...YES The transcript shows management describing current customer switches from entrenched alternatives (AWS for urlscan.io; Synology NAS/on-prem for Fiture; broader AWS and on-prem users), with these as real, ongoing patterns. They explicitly note that much of the potential remains ("so much of the world's data is still on-premises" and "customers that are inside of AWS and others"), confirming the substitution is early-stage relative to the large installed base. This is conveyed directly in Gleb's responses as a present-tense reality, not merely anticipated. The two examples plus the broader opportunity framing establish a coherent substitution underway, with the company being substituted in. The investor question on percentages and Gleb's reply reinforce the pattern without contradicting the current movement. No single-event or future-only framing applies here. Thus, both conditions are met.
APPS · Q1 2024 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that customers are currently SWITCHING TO THE COMPANY FROM AN ENTRENCHED ALTERNATIVE THEY PREVIOUSLY RELIED ON, and that this switching is still in its early ...YES The transcript shows management describing customers shifting from Apple/Google app stores to DT Hub and SingleTap-enabled alternative distribution as an ongoing, early-stage substitution. Bill Stone notes the company has already launched DT Hub with four U.S. operators and is generating revenue today, while highlighting "increasing pressure on the duopoly" and 5 monetization ways for SingleTap that enable publishers to direct-download apps outside traditional stores. He explicitly calls it "very early days and not yet material to our overall results" and "early innings," confirming the installed base of the old way remains large and the switch is just beginning with incremental RPD gains from devices engaging the new platform. This meets the criteria of a present-tense substitution underway, with the company positioned as the alternative being adopted.