Shows
The Tech Savvy Lawyer#77: CLIO Con 2023: Third-Party Apps, CLIO and More, with Shubham DattaOur next guest is Shubham Datta, the Vice President of Corporate Development at CLIO. As a key figure in overseeing the development and execution of CLIO's strategic growth strategy through acquisitions and investments, Shubham brings forth a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the intricacies of how CLIO collaborates with third-party integrations and more. Shubham is a seasoned Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) professional driving innovation in the legal tech space. With an extensive background in both buy-side and sell-side M&A, he spearheads efforts to align CLIO's product roadmap with cutting-edge companies. Join Shubham...
2023-11-2816 min
LawNextLawNext #ClioCon Bonus Episode: Shubham Datta, Clio's VP of Corporate DevelopmentAt the 2022 Clio Cloud Conference held recently in Nashville, LawNext host Bob Ambrogi sat down for a series of in-person interviews with Clio executives. In this episode, he speaks with Shubham Datta, vice president of corporate development at Clio. Datta oversees the development and execution of Clio's strategic growth strategy through acquisitions and investments. He brings to Clio years of M&A experience on both sides of the table as a strategic acquirer and sell-side advisor, with experiences in sourcing, deal execution and integration. Prior to Clio, Shubham was a corporate development lead at Shopify working on...
2022-10-2626 min
Legally Speaking PodcastThe Future of Legaltech: Why Clio is Investing in Legal Technology Innovation - Shubham Datta - S5E8Send us a text This week on the Legally Speaking Podcast, our host Robert Hanna welcomes Shubham Datta. Shubham is the VP of Corporate Development at Clio who searches for innovative companies that can help accelerate Clio’s product roadmap and transform the legal experience for all, through acquisitions and investments. In his spare time, Shubham also hosts The Backbone – a podcast exploring the journey inside finance at high growth companies. Shubham also has the best answer yet to...
2021-12-2029 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 66: Finding the right path to go public for your company (IPOs, Direct Listings or SPACs) w/ Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture PartnersJeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners & Co-CEO and CFO at Apex Technology Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: APXT)
I chat with Jeff about:
His career journey from investment banking to operating, including stops at various technology and media companies to now serving as an operating partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.
Apex Technology Acquisition Corp, a SPAC that recently announced its merger with AvePoint — the largest data management solutions provider for Microsoft cloud.
Raising a SPAC compared to a venture fund, and the process for finding a target company to merge with.
How companies should whether the tr...
2021-05-1233 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 65: The right time for SMB SaaS companies to move upmarket featuring Ivan Makarov, VP Finance at WebflowIvan Makarov, VP Finance at Webflow
Ivan is an experienced finance executive with over 15 years of professional experience in the internet industry building finance teams and functions inside global tech companies. He has served as a VP Finance for SmugMug and Flickr for a period of 8 years, prior to joining Webflow.
At Webflow, Ivan leads all of the accounting, financial planning, business operations, legal, corporate and tax compliance.
I chat with Ivan about:
His career journey from PwC to SmugMug, the acquisition of Flickr and then joining Webflow.
Webflow — what company does and what i...
2021-04-2826 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 64: Building a financially feasible business by aligning with customer incentives feat. Sruthi Lanka, CFO at PublicSruthi Lanka, CFO at Public
As CFO, Sruthi oversees finance, data, and people operations. Prior to Public, she served as VP and Head of Strategic Finance at MoneyLion, the fintech startup and challenger bank. She was MoneyLion’s first finance hire in 2017 following its Series A, and built the team that forecasts and monitors the firm’s financial performance, overseeing financial planning, capital optimization, fundraising, and Board engagement. Previously, she worked on mergers and acquisitions for RBC, and at Goldman Sachs. Sruthi also serves on the Board of the nonprofit Women Creating Change.
Sruthi has...
2021-04-1426 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 63: What it means to be a finance exec for a publicly-traded software company with Blaine Fitzgerald, EVP Finance & Incoming CFO at Kinaxis (TSX: KXS)Joining me on this episode of the Backbone is Blaine Fitzgerald, EVP Finance & Incoming CFO at Kinaxis (TSX:KXS), a company that revolutionizes planning by delivering the agility you need to make fast, confident decisions in an unpredictable world.
I chat with Blaine about:
His career journey having started his career in accounting with stints at Collins Barrow, EY and Deloitte. From there Blaine held roles at CMHC before making the plunge into tech with Curtiss-Wright Controls Defence Solutions. In 2013, he joined this small company called Shopify where he spent 5.5 years and played a key role...
2021-03-2426 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 62: Taking care of your people, company, & customers while navigating through a crisis with Naeem Ishaq, CFO at CheckrJoining me on this episode of the Backbone is Naeem Ishaq, CFO at Checkr, the leading technology company in the background check industry.
At Checkr, Naeem leads finance, facilities, and data operations teams, responsible for financial strategy and planning, corporate development, and optimizing Checkr’s financial performance for long-term growth.
Naeem has nearly 20 years of leadership experience at companies like Circle, Salesforce, and Square (which he helped to lead through a successful IPO in 2015). He was one of the first 5% of employees at both Square and Salesforce and has a strong record of repeatedly sc...
2021-03-1038 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 61: The role of momentum and velocity in propelling Blackberry's epic run from $2M to $20B in sales with Dennis Kavelman, Partner at Inovia Capital (Former CFO / COO at Blackberry)Dennis Kavelman, Partner at Inovia Capital (Former CFO / COO at Blackberry)
I chat with Dennis about:
His 15 year run as the CFO and COO of Blackberry after joining the company when it was virtually unknown, with just 20 employees and roughly $2-million in revenue back in 1995. During this time Blackberry grew to more than 15,000 employees and sales of $20B. Dennis had a front-row seat for the company’s explosive growth from startup to global player. He also helped take Blackberry public as CFO.
What made Blackberry into a global success story and how the company evolved from 20 to 15,000 employees an...
2021-02-1742 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 60: IPO readiness and what it truly means to take a company public today with Curt Sigfstead, CFO at ClearbancCurt Sigfstead, CFO at Clearbanc
I chat with Curt about:
His career journey that led him to the CFO seat at Clearbanc. Prior to joining Clearbanc, Curt was the Head of Technology Investment Banking for the West Coast at JP Morgan. Over the last 22 years while he was there, Curt led over $200B of technology M&A transactions and over 80 technology IPOs, follow-ons and private placements — a tremendous feat.
What Clearbanc does and what it’s all about.
How he thinks about risks an emerging company has to take, and the frameworks or mental models a CFO can use...
2021-01-2731 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 59: Determining the core competencies of the finance function with Etienne St-Martin, Director of Finance at RoadmunkEtienne St-Martin, Director of Finance at Roadmunk
I chat with Etienne about:
His career journey from Deloitte to Freshbooks to becoming the Director of Finance at Roadmunk.
What Roadmunk does and what it’s all about.
Building a finance function and deciding what aspects to do in-house vs outsource.
How seasonality may affect pricing and packaging SaaS businesses that serve both the SMB and enterprise markets. Both Freshbooks and Roadmunk have free trials and a self-serve onboarding process.
The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like Roadmunk.
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Send in a voice message: ht...
2021-01-1324 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 58: The makings of a well-rounded finance leader with Brian Montminy, CFO at LessonlyBrian Montminy, CFO at Lessonly
I chat with Brian about:
His career journey starting as a consultant with Accenture, followed by 5 years at JP Morgan Chase before taking the plunge into tech with Salesforce where he held various roles in the finance and strategy team.
What Lessonly does and what it’s all about.
Risk aversion and why finance leaders are less likely to take on personal risk as a finance leader.
How Brian has had to evolve as the company has grown and how the finance function has changed during his tenure. For context, Brian joined Le...
2020-12-0927 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 57: Lessons learned from hyper-growth & scaling to $100M+ ARR, 100k customers and raising $100M with Tim Compton, SVP of Finance at ActiveCampaignTim Compton, SVP of Finance at ActiveCampaign
I chat with Tim about:
His career journey from EY to the transition into tech including stints at Google, Groupon and Geofeedia, before taking on his current role at ActiveCampaign.
What ActiveCampaign does and what it’s all about.
Comparing ActiveCampaign’s hyper-growth to Groupon and what it means for the finance function. For context, ActiveCampaign crossed some impressive milestones. At the start of 2020, the company raised a $100M round from Susquehanna Growth Partners. The company has passed the $100M ARR milestone and has over 100k total customers. Tim joined the comp...
2020-11-2500 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 56: Lessons from raising $50M during a global pandemic with Aly Khan Musani, CFO at SymendAly Khan Musani, CFO at Symend
I chat with Aly about:
His career journey starting in the energy and natural resources sector with various progressive roles in finance including serving as the CFO of CleanTek Industries, prior to joining Symend.
What Symend does and what it is all about.
Aly’s perspective on “data is the new oil” having worked in the energy and natural resources sector, who’s now the CFO of a company driven by data. He also discusses the similarities and differences between technology and the natural resources/energy space.
Symend recently raised over $50M, Serie...
2020-10-2800 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 55: The most important SaaS metric for a high-growth software company with Rob Froment, CFO at ClioRob Froment, CFO at Clio
I chat with Rob about:
His career journey starting in public practice at Grant Thornton before taking on various progressive finance leadership roles within tech companies and he ended up as the CFO at Clio.
What Clio does and what it is all about.
Clio’s fascinating pricing model which includes aspects of freemium, self-serve vs sales assisted, and account growth through seat expansion . The most important SaaS metrics + leading indicators he considers as CFO.
What he means by “good judgement comes from experiences, and experiences come from bad judgement”.
The bigges...
2020-10-1400 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 54: Getting the most out of a finance function with Srikant Nayak, CFO at GroupBySrikant Nayak, CFO at GroupBy
I chat with Srikant about:
His career journey starting in India and holding progressive roles in various companies in India and Dubai, before taking on his current gig at GroupBy.
GroupBy — what the company does and what is it all about?
Since joining GroupBy, Srikant has helped the company raise over $15M in venture capital and complete an acquisition. He shares his biggest learnings from raising venture capital and completing an acquisition.
What factors he considers when building out a finance function in order to keep it lean.
The biggest misconception about the fi...
2020-09-3023 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 53: Every finance leader must become a great storyteller with Darrell Cox, CFO at VenaDarrell Cox, CFO at VenaI chat with Darrell about: His path to the CFO seat at Vena, with stops as the VP Finance at Freshbooks and various finance roles within telcos such as Rogers, Virgin Mobile and WIND. Vena Solutions — what the company does and what its all about. As a company, Vena helps finance leaders in organizations plan for the future through its FP&A software. To that end, Darrell shares how finance leaders can be ready to capitalize on opportunities navigating through a time of crisis and be ready to come ba...
2020-04-2240 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 53: Every finance leader must become a great storyteller with Darrell Cox, CFO at VenaDarrell Cox, CFO at Vena
I chat with Darrell about:
His path to the CFO seat at Vena, with stops as the VP Finance at Freshbooks and various finance roles within telcos such as Rogers, Virgin Mobile and WIND.
Vena Solutions — what the company does and what its all about.
As a company, Vena helps finance leaders in organizations plan for the future through its FP&A software. To that end, Darrell shares how finance leaders can be ready to capitalize on opportunities navigating through a time of crisis and be ready to come back stronger post-c...
2020-04-2240 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 52: Why the tradeoff of balancing profitability and sustainability is a false dichotomy with David Reid, CFO & COO of Boll & BranchDavid Reid, CFO & COO of Boll & BranchIt’s the first quarter of the new decade and as you know, we are in unprecedented times. The world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We all have a part to play to flatten the curve and slow the spread of this virus. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate guest and company to feature during this time. Joining me on this episode of the Backbone is David Reid, Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Boll & Branch, a direct-to-consumer brand...
2020-04-0132 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 52: Why the tradeoff of balancing profitability and sustainability is a false dichotomy with David Reid, CFO & COO of Boll & BranchDavid Reid, CFO & COO of Boll & Branch
It’s the first quarter of the new decade and as you know, we are in unprecedented times. The world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We all have a part to play to flatten the curve and slow the spread of this virus.
I couldn’t think of a more appropriate guest and company to feature during this time.
Joining me on this episode of the Backbone is David Reid, Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Boll & Branch, a direct-to-consumer bran...
2020-04-0132 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 51: The art of value-based pricing models with Karthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at ChargebeeKarthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at Chargebee
I chat with Karthik about:
His career journey starting at Tata Consultancy Services after getting your CA in India, to becoming the Director of Finance at Chargebee.
Chargebee — what the company does and what its all about.
The benefits and challenges to offering customers various local currencies pricing options, in addition to monthly and annual plans and how do to take into account fluctuating foreign exchange risk from a cash flow perspective.
The concept of value based pricing models and why Chargebee charges an overage fee.
The importance of the finance functi...
2020-03-1819 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 51: The art of value-based pricing models with Karthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at ChargebeeKarthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at ChargebeeI chat with Karthik about: His career journey starting at Tata Consultancy Services after getting your CA in India, to becoming the Director of Finance at Chargebee. Chargebee — what the company does and what its all about. The benefits and challenges to offering customers various local currencies pricing options, in addition to monthly and annual plans and how do to take into account fluctuating foreign exchange risk from a cash flow perspective. The concept of value based pricing models and why Chargebee charges an overage fee.
2020-03-1819 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 50: Behind the 7-year journey of scaling WIND Mobile to $500M in revenue and $1.6B sale w/ Brice Scheschuk, Managing Partner at Globalive CapitalBrice Scheschuk, Managing Partner at Globalive Capital
I chat with Brice about:
His career journey from PwC to entrepreneurship to being a part of the founding team at WIND Mobile, where he served as the CFO, and now Globalive.
His focus area at Globalive.
The biggest takeaways and learnings as a finance leader and entrepreneur that he’s now leveraging as an investor, including things that he wishes he knew as a finance leader / entrepreneur.
An inside look at WIND Mobile’s sale process to Shaw and his biggest takeaways from the multi-billion dollar exit. WIND was truly an a...
2020-03-0441 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 50: Behind the 7-year journey of scaling WIND Mobile to $500M in revenue and $1.6B sale w/ Brice Scheschuk, Managing Partner at Globalive CapitalBrice Scheschuk, Managing Partner at Globalive CapitalI chat with Brice about: His career journey from PwC to entrepreneurship to being a part of the founding team at WIND Mobile, where he served as the CFO, and now Globalive. His focus area at Globalive. The biggest takeaways and learnings as a finance leader and entrepreneur that he’s now leveraging as an investor, including things that he wishes he knew as a finance leader / entrepreneur. An inside look at WIND Mobile’s sale process to Shaw and his biggest takeaways from the mult...
2020-03-0441 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 49: Fiscally responsible growth vs growth at all costs with Johnathan Mirian, VP Finance at JustworksJohnathan Mirian, VP Finance at Justworks
I chat with Johnathan about:
His career journey from investment banking at Morgan Stanley to product management before taking on a finance operator role at Justworks when the company was just 20 people.
JustWorks — what the company does and what is it all about.
How he evolved as a finance leader from the first finance hire of a 20 person team to today where Justworks has grown to over 600 people, and raised more than $90M in venture capital from the likes of Redpoint, Index, Bain Capital Venture amongst others.
What it means for a compan...
2020-02-1924 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 49: Fiscally responsible growth vs growth at all costs with Johnathan Mirian, VP Finance at JustworksJohnathan Mirian, VP Finance at JustworksI chat with Johnathan about: His career journey from investment banking at Morgan Stanley to product management before taking on a finance operator role at Justworks when the company was just 20 people. JustWorks — what the company does and what is it all about. How he evolved as a finance leader from the first finance hire of a 20 person team to today where Justworks has grown to over 600 people, and raised more than $90M in venture capital from the likes of Redpoint, Index, Bain Capital Venture amongst others....
2020-02-1924 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 48: Setting the right foundation in the first 100 days to scale the finance function for hyper growth with Khoi Le, VP Finance at HopperKhoi Le, VP Finance at HopperI chat with Khoi about: His journey from RSM Richter in Montreal to progressive finance and operating roles at real estate and distribution companies, before making the plunge into tech at Hopper. Hopper — what company does and what its all about. His transition into his first finance operating role at a tech company and how it compares to other non-tech companies, including the challenges and opportunities specific to tech that he faces now. Going from his first 100 days as the first finance hire at a 90 person high gr...
2020-02-0533 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 48: Setting the right foundation in the first 100 days to scale the finance function for hyper growth with Khoi Le, VP Finance at HopperKhoi Le, VP Finance at Hopper
I chat with Khoi about:
His journey from RSM Richter in Montreal to progressive finance and operating roles at real estate and distribution companies, before making the plunge into tech at Hopper.
Hopper — what company does and what its all about.
His transition into his first finance operating role at a tech company and how it compares to other non-tech companies, including the challenges and opportunities specific to tech that he faces now.
Going from his first 100 days as the first finance hire at a 90 person high growth tech company to raisin...
2020-02-0533 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 47: A framework for managing M&A as a CFO with Saeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at TulipSaeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at TulipI chat with Saei about: Her journey into tech starting at PwC with stops at Sysomos, MarketWired, and Travel Edge prior to joining Tulip. Tulip — what the company does and what it’s all about. Tulip’s sales process the most indicative KPIs and metrics of the business. Best practises from a systems integration (or separation) perspective that people should be thinking about for M&A processes. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.We close things off with a...
2020-01-2231 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 47: A framework for managing M&A as a CFO with Saeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at TulipSaeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at Tulip
I chat with Saei about:
Her journey into tech starting at PwC with stops at Sysomos, MarketWired, and Travel Edge prior to joining Tulip.
Tulip — what the company does and what it’s all about.
Tulip’s sales process the most indicative KPIs and metrics of the business.
Best practises from a systems integration (or separation) perspective that people should be thinking about for M&A processes.
The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.
We close things off with a quickfire round:
Your go to onli...
2020-01-2231 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 46: Pushing company-wide transformation of a craft brewer through technology with Trevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle BrewingTrevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle BrewingI chat with Trevor about: His journey from competing for a spot on the National rowing team for the Beijing Olympics to the Canadian Armed Forces to Management Consulting at McKinsey before making the jump into the CFO seat at Steam Whistle. Steam Whistle Brewing — what the company does and what it's all about. After inheriting the finance function, how he decided which systems to keep vs the ones to change in order to innovate as a company as well as tackling legal, HR, and IT...
2020-01-0825 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 46: Pushing company-wide transformation of a craft brewer through technology with Trevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle BrewingTrevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle Brewing
I chat with Trevor about:
His journey from competing for a spot on the National rowing team for the Beijing Olympics to the Canadian Armed Forces to Management Consulting at McKinsey before making the jump into the CFO seat at Steam Whistle.
Steam Whistle Brewing — what the company does and what it's all about.
After inheriting the finance function, how he decided which systems to keep vs the ones to change in order to innovate as a company as well as tackling legal, HR, and IT in addition to ste...
2020-01-0825 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 45: Driving growth through an omnichannel approach at an established wellness brand with Michelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural WellnessMichelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural WellnessI chat with Michelle about: Her journey from PwC to 10+ years at Lululemon in FP&A and merchandising roles prior to becoming the COO at Saje Natural Wellness. Saje — what the company does and what its all about. How she made the transition from a finance operating role to now being the COO at Saje and how does her background in accounting and finance helps her in her role. Tips and best practises of presenting financial data to a non-finance audience. How to thin...
2019-11-2724 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 45: Driving growth through an omnichannel approach at an established wellness brand with Michelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural WellnessMichelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural Wellness
I chat with Michelle about:
Her journey from PwC to 10+ years at Lululemon in FP&A and merchandising roles prior to becoming the COO at Saje Natural Wellness.
Saje — what the company does and what its all about.
How she made the transition from a finance operating role to now being the COO at Saje and how does her background in accounting and finance helps her in her role.
Tips and best practises of presenting financial data to a non-finance audience.
How to think about changing systems that y...
2019-11-2724 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 44: Striking the balance of growth and profitability as a bootstrapped company with Jessica Katz, Director of Finance at FormatJessica Katz, Director of Finance at FormatI chat with Jessica about: Her journey into tech and finance from EY to Wave and DHX Media before taking on her current role at Format as the Director of Finance. Format — what the company does and what is it all about. The challenges and opportunities faced as a finance leader in a 100% bootstrapped company having raised no outside capital. Including managing financial reporting when you know there are no outside stakeholders, certain metrics that she’s really keen on that a venture backed company may not be.
2019-11-1222 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 44: Striking the balance of growth and profitability as a bootstrapped company with Jessica Katz, Director of Finance at FormatJessica Katz, Director of Finance at Format
I chat with Jessica about:
Her journey into tech and finance from EY to Wave and DHX Media before taking on her current role at Format as the Director of Finance.
Format — what the company does and what is it all about.
The challenges and opportunities faced as a finance leader in a 100% bootstrapped company having raised no outside capital. Including managing financial reporting when you know there are no outside stakeholders, certain metrics that she’s really keen on that a venture backed company may not be.
How she balances...
2019-11-1222 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 43: A framework for growing and scaling finance functions with Mustafa Nafar, VP Finance at ModsyMustafa Nafar, VP Finance at ModsyI chat with Mustafa about: His journey into tech and finance from the start of Mustafa’s career with Deloitte in India to progressive finance roles with Best Buy to Zynga, Sunrun and most recently Doordash before joining as the VP of Finance at Modsy. Modsy — what the company does and what it’s all about. His transition from large company tech companies down to startups. The biggest learnings for implementing and growing finance functions within companies having worked at large, public companies like Best Buy, and Zynga t...
2019-10-3025 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 43: A framework for growing and scaling finance functions with Mustafa Nafar, VP Finance at ModsyMustafa Nafar, VP Finance at Modsy
I chat with Mustafa about:
His journey into tech and finance from the start of Mustafa’s career with Deloitte in India to progressive finance roles with Best Buy to Zynga, Sunrun and most recently Doordash before joining as the VP of Finance at Modsy.
Modsy — what the company does and what it’s all about.
His transition from large company tech companies down to startups.
The biggest learnings for implementing and growing finance functions within companies having worked at large, public companies like Best Buy, and Zynga to fast growing startups l...
2019-10-3025 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 42: What investors really care about from a CFO turned VC & the top metrics for direct-to-consumer businesses with Amy Wu, Partner at Lightspeed Venture PartnersAmy Wu, Partner at Lightspeed Venture PartnersI chat with Amy about: Her journey into tech starting as Associate at Insight Venture Partners, and then operating as the SVP of Finance and Operations at NewsCred to the CFO seat at Discovery Inc, where she spent the last 2 years prior to making the jump back to the venture side as a Partner at Lightspeed. About your investment focus area at Lightspeed. Not many CFOs go on to become Partners at venture firms. How her experience as an operator, particularly in the finance function, helped h...
2019-10-1633 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 42: What investors really care about from a CFO turned VC & the top metrics for direct-to-consumer businesses with Amy Wu, Partner at Lightspeed Venture PartnersAmy Wu, Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners
I chat with Amy about:
Her journey into tech starting as Associate at Insight Venture Partners, and then operating as the SVP of Finance and Operations at NewsCred to the CFO seat at Discovery Inc, where she spent the last 2 years prior to making the jump back to the venture side as a Partner at Lightspeed.
About your investment focus area at Lightspeed.
Not many CFOs go on to become Partners at venture firms. How her experience as an operator, particularly in the finance function, helped her become a better...
2019-10-1633 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 41: The key differences between marketing-driven SaaS companies to sales-driven ones with Amar Shrivastava, VP Finance at ClubhouseAmar Shrivastava, VP Finance at ClubhouseI chat with Amar about: His 15+ year journey within tech and finance. Clubhouse Software — what the company does and what is it all about. The key metrics and differences between a sales-driven SaaS company vs a marketing-driven SaaS company from a finance leader’s perspective. The biggest learnings from scaling finance functions (Amar took Schoology from less than 20 people to over 200 when he left!) that he’s now employing at Clubhouse. The importance of the finance function at a fast-growing tech company.We close t...
2019-10-0225 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 41: The key differences between marketing-driven SaaS companies to sales-driven ones with Amar Shrivastava, VP Finance at ClubhouseAmar Shrivastava, VP Finance at Clubhouse
I chat with Amar about:
His 15+ year journey within tech and finance.
Clubhouse Software — what the company does and what is it all about.
The key metrics and differences between a sales-driven SaaS company vs a marketing-driven SaaS company from a finance leader’s perspective.
The biggest learnings from scaling finance functions (Amar took Schoology from less than 20 people to over 200 when he left!) that he’s now employing at Clubhouse.
The importance of the finance function at a fast-growing tech company.
We close things off with a quickfire round:
Your go to...
2019-10-0225 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 40: Mejuri's data-driven approach to managing inventory as an omnichannel, emerging direct-to-consumer brand with Katie Sellers, Director of Finance at MejuriKatie Sellers, Director of Finance at Mejuri
I chat with Katie about:
Her journey into tech after starting her career at EY and then you working on HP’s separation into 2 public companies in the Bay Area. From there Katie’s move back to Toronto to join Coinsquare as the Director of FP&A, before taking on her current role as the finance leader at Mejuri an emerging direct to consumer brand.
Mejuri — what does the company do and what is it all about.
The challenges of forecasting unpredictable revenue streams as a direct to consumer brand, inc...
2019-09-1831 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 40: Mejuri's data-driven approach to managing inventory as an omnichannel, emerging direct-to-consumer brand with Katie Sellers, Director of Finance at MejuriKatie Sellers, Director of Finance at MejuriI chat with Katie about: Her journey into tech after starting her career at EY and then you working on HP’s separation into 2 public companies in the Bay Area. From there Katie’s move back to Toronto to join Coinsquare as the Director of FP&A, before taking on her current role as the finance leader at Mejuri an emerging direct to consumer brand. Mejuri — what does the company do and what is it all about. The challenges of forecasting unpredictable revenue streams as a direct to c...
2019-09-1831 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 39: Balancing short term expectations of investors with longer term strategic roadmap decisions as a public company tech CFO with Shouvik Roy, CFO at VersapayShouvik Roy, Chief Financial Officer at Versapay (TSXV: VPY)On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Shouvik about: His journey into tech after starting his career at EY. From there, Shouvik held various finance roles within retailers including Home Depot and Nike to automative companies like Linamar before taking the plunge into tech as the Director of Finance at Freshbooks, prior to Versapay. Versapay — what the company does and what its all about. What he identifies as specific challenges and opportunities for the finance role within tech companies, having worked across various industries includi...
2019-09-0422 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 39: Balancing short term expectations of investors with longer term strategic roadmap decisions as a public company tech CFO with Shouvik Roy, CFO at VersapayShouvik Roy, Chief Financial Officer at Versapay (TSXV: VPY)
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Shouvik about:
His journey into tech after starting his career at EY. From there, Shouvik held various finance roles within retailers including Home Depot and Nike to automative companies like Linamar before taking the plunge into tech as the Director of Finance at Freshbooks, prior to Versapay.
Versapay — what the company does and what its all about.
What he identifies as specific challenges and opportunities for the finance role within tech companies, having worked across various industries including retail, consumer brands and automat...
2019-09-0422 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 38: The Consumerization of the Enterprise & Key Differences Between a Strategic and Financial Acquirer with Alok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFreeAlok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFreeOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Alok about: His journey into tech after starting his career at JP Morgan as an Investment Banker, and then moving into growth stage investing at TCV to private equity firm Vector Capital. About AnchorFree — what company does and what is it all about. As the finance leader for a company serving both consumer and enterprise customers, what challenges does he face and what the benefits are. How the transition from banking and investing into o...
2019-06-2634 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 38: The Consumerization of the Enterprise & Key Differences Between a Strategic and Financial Acquirer with Alok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFreeAlok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFree
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Alok about:
His journey into tech after starting his career at JP Morgan as an Investment Banker, and then moving into growth stage investing at TCV to private equity firm Vector Capital.
About AnchorFree — what company does and what is it all about.
As the finance leader for a company serving both consumer and enterprise customers, what challenges does he face and what the benefits are.
How the transition from banking and investing into operating has been and what h...
2019-06-2634 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 37: An Inside Look at Salesforce's $689M Acquisition of Buddy Media & Lessons Learned from Raising $150M+ with Oliver Bell, CFO at SpringbotOliver Bell, CFO at SpringbotOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Oliver about: His your journey into tech and finance over 15 years ago, with stints in companies like Google to Buddy Media, (acquired by Salesforce) to the SVP of Finance and Operations at Braze, prior to Oliver’s current gig as the CFO at SpringBot. SpringBot — what the company does and what is it all about and why he decided to join the company. The experience leading up to the Buddy Media acquisition and exiting to Salesforce for $689M. We go...
2019-05-2925 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 37: An Inside Look at Salesforce's $689M Acquisition of Buddy Media & Lessons Learned from Raising $150M+ with Oliver Bell, CFO at SpringbotOliver Bell, CFO at Springbot
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Oliver about:
His your journey into tech and finance over 15 years ago, with stints in companies like Google to Buddy Media, (acquired by Salesforce) to the SVP of Finance and Operations at Braze, prior to Oliver’s current gig as the CFO at SpringBot.
SpringBot — what the company does and what is it all about and why he decided to join the company.
The experience leading up to the Buddy Media acquisition and exiting to Salesforce for $689M. We go behind the scenes t...
2019-05-2925 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 36: Key Considerations + Metrics for Expanding a Localized Marketplace with Corey Noyek, Finance Manager at PlatterzCorey Noyek, Finance Manager at PlatterzOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Corey about: His transition into tech and what made him decide to join the Platterz, from Deloitte. Platterz — what the company does and what is it all about. What metrics and KPIs are most important to running a localized marketplace across 10 different cities in Canada and the United States and the considerations to assess new market expansion. Learnings from raising Platterz $18M (CAD) Series A round. The importance of the finance function within a high gr...
2019-05-1520 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 36: Key Considerations + Metrics for Expanding a Localized Marketplace with Corey Noyek, Finance Manager at PlatterzCorey Noyek, Finance Manager at Platterz
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Corey about:
His transition into tech and what made him decide to join the Platterz, from Deloitte.
Platterz — what the company does and what is it all about.
What metrics and KPIs are most important to running a localized marketplace across 10 different cities in Canada and the United States and the considerations to assess new market expansion.
Learnings from raising Platterz $18M (CAD) Series A round.
The importance of the finance function within a high growth technology company.
We close...
2019-05-1520 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 35: Getting Dirt Underneath Your Fingers as an Operator with Tom Finn, VP Finance at SolsticeTom Finn, VP Finance at SolsticeOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Tom about: His 20+ year journey within tech and finance from Ireland. Solstice — what the company does and what is it all about. What it means for an operator to get dirt underneath their fingers. The contrasting priorities of your first 100 days as a finance leader varies from an early stage company, where you are setting up the finance function for the first time to a growth stage company, where you are inheriting a finance function. Th...
2019-05-0122 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 35: Getting Dirt Underneath Your Fingers as an Operator with Tom Finn, VP Finance at SolsticeTom Finn, VP Finance at Solstice
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Tom about:
His 20+ year journey within tech and finance from Ireland.
Solstice — what the company does and what is it all about.
What it means for an operator to get dirt underneath their fingers.
The contrasting priorities of your first 100 days as a finance leader varies from an early stage company, where you are setting up the finance function for the first time to a growth stage company, where you are inheriting a finance function.
The importance of the financ...
2019-05-0122 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 34: An Inside Look into Lightspeed's $275M+ IPO & Scaling a Global OrganizationBrandon Nussey, Chief Financial Officer at Lightspeed POSAt Lightspeed, Brandon oversees Finance, Legal, HR, IT and Payment Operations. He recently led Lightspeed’s $240M (CDN) IPO on the TSX, one of the largest in last 10 years on the TSX. Prior to Lightspeed, Brandon has held many senior finance positions, serving as the CFO of Desire2Learn, Tsavo Media and Descartes Systems Group. Brandon is an operationally minded CFO with experience in public markets, raising capital and M&A. Brandon obtained his CPA, CA designation while at KPMG and holds a Honours Business Administration Degree from Wi...
2019-04-1724 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 34: An Inside Look into Lightspeed's $275M+ IPO & Scaling a Global OrganizationBrandon Nussey, Chief Financial Officer at Lightspeed POS
At Lightspeed, Brandon oversees Finance, Legal, HR, IT and Payment Operations. He recently led Lightspeed’s $240M (CDN) IPO on the TSX, one of the largest in last 10 years on the TSX. Prior to Lightspeed, Brandon has held many senior finance positions, serving as the CFO of Desire2Learn, Tsavo Media and Descartes Systems Group. Brandon is an operationally minded CFO with experience in public markets, raising capital and M&A. Brandon obtained his CPA, CA designation while at KPMG and holds a Honours Business Administration Degree from Wi...
2019-04-1724 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 33: Behind the Scenes of SnapTravel's $21m Slam Dunk Series A from Steph Curry with Ankur Bansal, Head of Finance + Business DevelopmentAnkur Bansal, Head of Finance and Business Development at SnapTravelOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Ankur about: His journey into tech after completing the trifecta of management consulting, investment banking and private equity, as well as being a co-founder with an exit to Groupon. SnapTravel — what the company does and what is it all about. Raising a debt round in conjunction with an equity round. What Steph Curry looks for in his investments. How his diverse background of investment banking, consulting and private equity, not to mentio...
2019-04-0326 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 33: Behind the Scenes of SnapTravel's $21m Slam Dunk Series A from Steph Curry with Ankur Bansal, Head of Finance + Business DevelopmentAnkur Bansal, Head of Finance and Business Development at SnapTravel
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Ankur about:
His journey into tech after completing the trifecta of management consulting, investment banking and private equity, as well as being a co-founder with an exit to Groupon.
SnapTravel — what the company does and what is it all about.
Raising a debt round in conjunction with an equity round. What Steph Curry looks for in his investments.
How his diverse background of investment banking, consulting and private equity, not to mention being a founder, helped him think...
2019-04-0326 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 32: A CFO Must Master Being a Capital Allocator with Sujeet Kini, CFO at Solium CapitalSujeet Kini, CFO at Solium Capital
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Sujeet about:
His 20+ years of experience in finance within tech serving as the Chief Accounting Officer at OpenText and the Chief Financial Officer at Hootsuite, prior to his current role.
Solium Capital — what the company does and what is it all about.
Changes in technology that have benefitted the finance function in fulfilling their role as master capital allocators.
Learnings as a public company finance leader and setting up a finance function from scratch at an early stage company to ens...
2019-03-2037 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 32: A CFO Must Master Being a Capital Allocator with Sujeet Kini, CFO at Solium CapitalSujeet Kini, CFO at Solium CapitalOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Sujeet about: His 20+ years of experience in finance within tech serving as the Chief Accounting Officer at OpenText and the Chief Financial Officer at Hootsuite, prior to his current role. Solium Capital — what the company does and what is it all about. Changes in technology that have benefitted the finance function in fulfilling their role as master capital allocators. Learnings as a public company finance leader and setting up a finance function from scratch at an early...
2019-03-2037 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 31: A Former Banker + Growth Investor Turned Operator on the Consequences of Raising Too Much Capital with Steve Isom, VP Finance at FlywheelOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Steve about: His journey into tech with stints in investment banking at Lazard, TD and Jeffries, buyside at North Bridge Growth Equity prior to making the jump to the operating side. Flywheel and what it’s all about. Transitioning between a sell side investment banker, to the buyside investing in growth stage tech companies and then operating. Considerations when determining the amount of capital to raise?(At Cybereason, Steve helped the company raise $100M from Softbank Flywheel raised $9M this year.) The importance of...
2019-03-0634 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 31: A Former Banker + Growth Investor Turned Operator on the Consequences of Raising Too Much Capital with Steve Isom, VP Finance at FlywheelOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Steve about:
His journey into tech with stints in investment banking at Lazard, TD and Jeffries, buyside at North Bridge Growth Equity prior to making the jump to the operating side.
Flywheel and what it’s all about.
Transitioning between a sell side investment banker, to the buyside investing in growth stage tech companies and then operating.
Considerations when determining the amount of capital to raise?(At Cybereason, Steve helped the company raise $100M from Softbank Flywheel raised $9M this year.)
The importance of the finance function at a te...
2019-03-0634 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 30: Customer + Revenue Churn at a SaaS Company with Recurring + Services Revenue w/ Cory Michalyshyn, CFO/COO at SolinkOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Cory about: His journey into tech from audit at Deloitte to a Controller at Optelian, before making the switch to his current role at Solink. Solink and what its all about. Thinking through both revenue and customer churn at a company that generates revenue based on the number of locations; and if services revenue impacts pricing considerations. The most challenging aspects of Cory’s role going from a full team of 13 to 55 in the last few years. His learnings from Solink’s most recen...
2019-02-2028 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 30: Customer + Revenue Churn at a SaaS Company with Recurring + Services Revenue w/ Cory Michalyshyn, CFO/COO at SolinkOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Cory about:
His journey into tech from audit at Deloitte to a Controller at Optelian, before making the switch to his current role at Solink.
Solink and what its all about.
Thinking through both revenue and customer churn at a company that generates revenue based on the number of locations; and if services revenue impacts pricing considerations.
The most challenging aspects of Cory’s role going from a full team of 13 to 55 in the last few years.
His learnings from Solink’s most recent $5M equity raise and word...
2019-02-2028 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 29: The First 100 Days as a Finance Leader of a Venture-Backed Startup w/ Bryn Knox @ BenchSciOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Bryn about: His journey into tech including stints at Walt Disney Studios, Century Fox and Wave Financial, prior to his current role at BenchSci. Benchsci and what is it all about. His first 100 days and what he prioritized as a set up the finance function as the first finance hire at BenchSci, after the company had raised $8M Series A round. Effectively fulfilling a finance leader’s role as the “gatekeeper”, while optimizing for ROI. The importance of the finance function at a technol...
2019-02-0626 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 29: The First 100 Days as a Finance Leader of a Venture-Backed Startup w/ Bryn Knox @ BenchSciOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Bryn about:
His journey into tech including stints at Walt Disney Studios, Century Fox and Wave Financial, prior to his current role at BenchSci.
Benchsci and what is it all about.
His first 100 days and what he prioritized as a set up the finance function as the first finance hire at BenchSci, after the company had raised $8M Series A round.
Effectively fulfilling a finance leader’s role as the “gatekeeper”, while optimizing for ROI.
The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
We close things...
2019-02-0626 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startup#28: Scaling a Finance Function of a High Growth Company with Strategic & Institutional Investorsfeaturing Tiffany Hsiao, VP Finance at Rubikloud.On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Tiffany about: Her time with PwC Vancouver and Melbourne where she worked on mining, real estate, infrastructure and manufacturing clients, prior to taking the plunge into tech at Rubikloud and what that transition was like for her. Rubikloud and what it’s all about. The biggest changes in her role as the company went through various rounds of financing, and the processes/procedures she had to put in place for the sc...
2019-01-2321 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startup#28: Scaling a Finance Function of a High Growth Company with Strategic & Institutional Investorsfeaturing Tiffany Hsiao, VP Finance at Rubikloud.
On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Tiffany about:
Her time with PwC Vancouver and Melbourne where she worked on mining, real estate, infrastructure and manufacturing clients, prior to taking the plunge into tech at Rubikloud and what that transition was like for her.
Rubikloud and what it’s all about.
The biggest changes in her role as the company went through various rounds of financing, and the processes/procedures she had to put in place for the scaling finance function.
How she ma...
2019-01-2321 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 27: Raising a $27M Financing Round & Managing the Ever-Changing Priorities as CFO w/ Dave PooleyOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Dave about: His journey into technology with stints at Miovision, Fibernetrics and Kitchener-Waterloo based accelerator, Communitech, prior to joining Axonify. Axonify and what its all about. Serving the enterprise market and what that means what considerations the finance leader has to make, including the size of investment round and choosing the right investor. Managing the ever-changing priorities as the CFO, and how priorities change in a smaller organization to a larger one. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
2019-01-0934 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 27: Raising a $27M Financing Round & Managing the Ever-Changing Priorities as CFO w/ Dave PooleyOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Dave about:
His journey into technology with stints at Miovision, Fibernetrics and Kitchener-Waterloo based accelerator, Communitech, prior to joining Axonify.
Axonify and what its all about.
Serving the enterprise market and what that means what considerations the finance leader has to make, including the size of investment round and choosing the right investor.
Managing the ever-changing priorities as the CFO, and how priorities change in a smaller organization to a larger one.
The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
We close things off with a...
2019-01-0934 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupSpecial: Exploring a Revolutionary Revenue Model for Education w/ Austen Allred, CEO @ Lambda SchoolJoining me on this special episode of the Backbone is Austen Allred, Co-Founder and CEO of Lambda School - a training program specializing in coding, computer science, and web development, with a revolutionary tuition model that asks graduates to pay once they land a successful job.I chat with Austen about:1. His journey so far and how it was instrumental in the founding of Lambda School in 2016.2. Lambda School and what it's all about. How Lambda School challenges traditional the university structure?3. Employers, credentialing candidates and educating employers to focus on hiring candidates whos...
2018-12-1918 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupSpecial: Exploring a Revolutionary Revenue Model for Education w/ Austen Allred, CEO @ Lambda SchoolJoining me on this special episode of the Backbone is Austen Allred, Co-Founder and CEO of Lambda School - a training program specializing in coding, computer science, and web development, with a revolutionary tuition model that asks graduates to pay once they land a successful job.
I chat with Austen about:
1. His journey so far and how it was instrumental in the founding of Lambda School in 2016.
2. Lambda School and what it's all about. How Lambda School challenges traditional the university structure?
3. Employers, credentialing candidates and educating employers to focus on hiring candidates whose experiences and skills best suit them for...
2018-12-1918 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 26: Raising a $32M Growth Round + the Symbiotic Relationship Between Finance & OperationsOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Samiksha about:
- Her path into technology and comparing working in large companies with fast-growing tech companies. We also chat about her international experiences in Melbourne and Auckland.
- Uberflip and what it's all about.
- Lessons learned from Uberflip's $32M growth financing round led by Updata Partners and what it means to balance raise process with day-to-day responsibilities as the VP Finance and Ops.
- The symbiotic relationship between Finance and Operations.
- The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
We close things off with a quickfire...
2018-12-0525 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 26: Raising a $32M Growth Round + the Symbiotic Relationship Between Finance & OperationsOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Samiksha about:- Her path into technology and comparing working in large companies with fast-growing tech companies. We also chat about her international experiences in Melbourne and Auckland.- Uberflip and what it's all about.- Lessons learned from Uberflip's $32M growth financing round led by Updata Partners and what it means to balance raise process with day-to-day responsibilities as the VP Finance and Ops.- The symbiotic relationship between Finance and Operations.- The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
2018-12-0525 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEp. 25: Correlating Non-Financial Metrics into Financial Outcomes + More w/ Trisha Egberts @ Figure1On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Trisha about:
- Her path into health and technology after starting her career at PwC, and moving to CAMH - the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health before jumping into tech and at her current role as Finance Manager at Figure1.
- Figure1 and what it's all about.
- The most important metrics to track for the largest crowd-sourced medical platform and how to correlate non-financial metrics into financial outcomes.
- The challenges of balancing ad-load and monetizing through sponsored content.
- The importance of the finance function at a technology comp...
2018-11-1422 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 24: Learnings from Starting and Shutting Down a Startup + Balancing Multiple Product Stakeholders with Mark Jarvie, VP Finance at DropOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Mark about:
His journey into tech after being an auditor and investment banker at EY, then moving leading finance at Shomi, prior to joining Drop;
What Drop is all about;
Balancing Drop's various stakeholders including consumers and brands and how Mark thinks about those that generate revenue for Drop (brands) versus consumers who use Drop for free;
The valuable lessons from Shomi as one of its earliest employees on the project to shutting it down;
The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
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2018-10-3028 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 23: Learnings from Raising/Exiting $700M+ in Deal Value for Software + Hardware and the Importance of a People-First Approach in Finance with David Brennan, Chief Financial Officer at EcobeeOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with David about:
What he attributes to being a part of many technology success stories and the advice he'd impart on finance leaders.
The biggest difference between software and hardware technology companies and how it effects the capital raise or acquisition process? What Ecobee is all about, and how it became a global brand in home automation.
About his passion towards people and their role in organizations; why its important in scaling organizations and why he cares so deeply about it as the finance leader?
The importance of the finance function at...
2018-10-1630 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 22: Raising $47M from Strategic vs Traditional VC & the Level of Finance Leader to Hire at Each Stage of a Company's Evolution with Danielle Cerisano, VP Finance at LeagueOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Danielle about:
Her progression within finance at tech companies such as: BluePrint Software Systems, Goldmoney and others, before joining League;
League and what its all about;
Raising from a $47M USD financing round from a strategic VC firm vs a traditional venture capital fund;
Dealing with the challenges of the various stakeholders (employers, administrators, and plan members) the company's products and services serves;
When should a company hire a controller, vs a Director of Finance vs a VP or a CFO?
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2018-10-0327 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 21: Using Analytics and Predictive Models to Improve Budgeting + the Role of Attribution in Assessing Digital Marketing ROI with Emma Lyndon, CFO at Canopy LabsOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Emma about:
Her journey into tech with stints at eBay, Kaboose, and Ariad Communications prior to her gig at Canopy Labs;
What Canopy Labs is all about;
Taking advantage of analytics and predictive models to improve the budgeting process;
The role of attribution in assessing digital marketing ROI;
The evolving role of the Finance leader within a technology company and it is much more than just making sure the books are in good order.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm...
2018-09-1221 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 20: Considerations for CAC and Churn in a Self-Serve Pricing Model with Matt Dove, VP FInance at CeltxOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Matt about:
His move into tech after stints in PwC Nova Scotia and Australia;
What Celtx is all about;
The biggest challenge for you moving from a professional services firm to a growing technology company like Celtx;
How to think about customer acquisition and churn at a company with a self service pricing model;
The importance of the finance function at a technology company
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-08-0126 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 19: The Journey of Raising $100M ICO (Initial Coin Offering) as a Venture-Backed Unicorn with Brandon Brunet, Controller at KikOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Brandon about:
His move into tech from PwC to joining Kik when it was only 40 employees;
What Kik is all about;
The process of raising $100M through a Token Distribution Event or Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and launching your own cryptocurrency;
What its like to scale the finance function as a company grows from 40 people to 160
The importance of the finance function at a technology company
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-06-2726 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 18: Bootstrapped to $12M Series A & What it Means for the Finance Function with Jennifer Pollock, Director of Finance & Operations at RateHubOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Jennifer about:
Her move into tech from EY and concurrently managing various brands at Ratehub;
What Ratehub is all about;
The learnings from raising a $12M Series A round;
The biggest change as a finance leader of venture-funded company
The importance of the finance function at a technology company
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-05-3023 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 17: The Added Complexities of Hardware Tech Companies & How to Price a New Medical Device with Travis Phung, Director of Finance & Administration at Exact ImagingOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Travis about:
His unique journey to Exact Imaging from KPMG and how he got started in finance within the technology industry;
What Exact Imaging is all about;
The challenges of leading finance for a hardware technology company vs software;
The pricing considerations for a new MedTech hardware device;
The importance of the finance function at a technology company
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-05-0932 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 16: Monetizing a Free Product & Navigating Complexities of the Financial Services Space with Brian Wu, Finance Lead at BorrowellOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Brian about: His journey to Borrowell from CIBC and how he got started in finance within the software industry; What Borrowell is all about; Monetizing a free product; Managing the complexities of operating in the highly regulated FinTech space; and The importance of the finance function at a technology company
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-04-2521 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 15: Serving the Restaurant Industry & Breaking Into Tech in a Finance Capacity with Rob Curcio, Director of Finance at TouchBistroOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Rob about: His journey to TouchBistro and how he got started in finance within the software industry; What TouchBistro is all about; Unique opportunities and challenges you face being the finance leader of a company serving the restaurant space; Breaking into the tech industry in a finance capacity; and the importance of the finance function at a technology company
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-04-1129 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 14: Scaling the Finance Function, Fundraising, Making Acquisitions & Operationalizing Metrics with Ryan Magee, CFO at CorityOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Ryan about: His journey to Cority and how he got started in finance within the software industry; What Cority (formerly Medgate) is all about; Scaling the finance function as the company grows from 80 employees to 300+ employees; Raising a large round of capital and making 2 acquisitions; Operationalizing metrics within the organization and The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backbone/support
2018-03-2833 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupEpisode 13: Serving the SMB Market at a Publicly Traded Software Company vs a High-Growth Startup with Darren Wood, Director of Finance & Operations at JobberOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Darren about: His journey from Intuit to Jobber and how he got started in finance within the software industry; What Jobber is all about; The differences between his experience of working in finance for a large publicly traded company to leading the finance function of high growth venture backed startup; The unique opportunities and challenges he faces being the finance leader of a company serving the SMB space; and The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company.
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2017-07-1229 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupLeading Finance at NPOs to High Growth Tech & Bootstrapping vs Raising Venture Capital with Anthony Scolaro, VP Finance & Operations at LucovaOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Anthony about: His involvement with Lucova and how he became the VP Finance & Operations; What Lucova is all about and what it does; The similarities and differences between running finance at a NPO vs a high growth tech startup; The considerations for bootstrapping vs raising venture capital; and the importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-06-0721 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupRaising $17M Series A Round & What it Means to be ‘Venture-Backed’ with Frank Jessop, Director of Finance at SensibillOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Frank about: His path to Sensibill; What Sensibill does; What it takes to put together a large $17M Series A round for a FinTech startup; The meaning of being ‘venture-backed’ beyond having money in the bank; and The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-05-1719 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupVendor Selection Considerations & Viewing the Finance Function from an Engineering Perspective with Gerti Dervishi, VP Finance at FlybitsOn this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Gerti about: His path to Flybits after roles in CIBC, IBM and the government; What Flybits does; Staying flexible with vendors and not placing heavy reliance on any particular vendor; Viewing the finance function from engineering perspective; and The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company.
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2017-04-2624 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupThe Process of Acquiring Companies as a Startup & Best Practices for Investor Relations with Ryan Levenberg, VP Finance at Q4 Systems Inc.On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Ryan about: His journey into tech and startups and from his university startup to PwC and now Q4 Inc.; What Q4 Inc is all about; What it’s like to make 3 acquisitions as a startup having raised $25M; Best practices for maintaining strong investor relations; and the importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-04-1925 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupRaising VC Funding to Executing an $110M Acquisition + Demystifying the Progressive Roles of the Finance Leader within a Startup with Dwayne Walker, CFO at LookbookHQOn this episode of The Backbone, Dwayne Walker, CFO at LookbookHQ discusses: His journey into tech and startups and his progression from Controller to CFO; What LookbookHQ does; Raising $50M in venture capital funding and orchestrating a $110M exit to a publicly traded company; Demystifying finance leader jargon: the differences between Controller, Director, VP and CFO; What makes a great finance leader; and The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-04-1231 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupGoing Through an Acquisition of an eCommerce Company & Keeping Both Sides of a Marketplace Happy with Elena Armstrong, Co-Founder & VP Finance at Exact MediaOn this episode of The Backbone, Elena Armstrong, Co-Founder & VP Finance at Exact Media discusses: her journey into tech and startups and from public accounting at Ernst & Young; what Exact Media is all about; what it was like to go through an acquisition; the challenges of leading finance and keeping both sides of a marketplace company happy; and the importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-04-0522 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupFrom Finance to Founding an IoT Startup & Bootstrapping vs. Raising Venture Capital with Sacha Sawaya, Co-Founder and CFO at Litmus AutomationOn this episode of The Backbone, Sacha Sawaya, Co-Founder and CFO at Litmus Automation discusses: His journey into tech and co-founding Litmus, after roles in investment banking, asset management and finance; What Litmus Automation does; The challenges of founding an IoT company with a background in finance and things he would do differently if he could do it over again; Bootstrapping vs raising venture capital funding and making the most of the funds you raise; The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-03-2927 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupDifference Between Being an Advisor vs Finance Leader for Tech Startups & When to Raise Capital with Eugene Bomba, CFO & VP Operations at ThoughtWireOn this episode of The Backbone, Eugene Bomba, CFO and VP Operations at ThoughtWire discusses: How he got started in the tech scene and his involvement in the startup ecosystem for a long time both as an operator and and advisor; What ThoughtWire is does and is all about; How’s it being back in the CFO seat; The biggest differences between being an advisor for tech startups to being the finance leader of a fast growth tech company; Considerations you make when deciding whether to raise capital or not; The importance of the finance function at an early stage te...
2017-03-2222 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupTransitioning from Professional Services to Finance Leader of Pre-Revenue Tech Startup with Chris Parkes, CFO at NuraLogixOn this episode of The Backbone, Chris Parkes (CFO at NuraLogix) discusses: His journey into tech and becoming CFO at NuraLogix from his role at PwC’s Emerging Company Services group; What NuraLogix does; Why a pre-revenue company requires a finance leader; The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company; The transition process Chris went through going from a professional services firm to being the finance leader of a tech startup
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2017-03-1527 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupWhy Finance & Operations go Together & Dealing with the Highly Regulated Financial Services Industry with Leen Li, Head of Finance at WealthsimpleOn this episode of The Backbone, Leen Li (Head of Finance at Wealthsimple) discusses: Her journey into tech, after stints starting with Eloqua, Influitive and now leading finance at Wealthsimple ; What Wealthsimple does; The challenges she faces operating in the highly regulated financial services industry; Why Finance and Operations tend to go hand in hand at early and growth stage technology companies; The importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-03-0123 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupHow Finance Scales Growing from 25 to 200+ Employees & Transfer Pricing with Les Cullen, Director of Finance & Operations at TopHatOn this episode of The Backbone, Les Cullen (Director of Finance & Operations at TopHat) discusses: His journey to TopHat and his move to Toronto from Waterloo; What Tophat does; How a company’s finance function has to scale as it grows from 25 employees to over 200+; Unique challenges (from a finance perspective) that Les has encountered as the company start selling its products globally, such as dealing with transfer pricing; and the importance of the finance function at an early stage technology company
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2017-02-2224 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupManaging Churn & Being Private Equity Backed with Daniel Israelsohn, VP Finance & Operations at FirmexDaniel Israelsohn, VP Finance & Operations at Firmex shares his story from his days at PwC into the world tech startups. He discusses the importance of churn in a SaaS based businesses and what it means be backed by one of Canada's leading private equity funds - Novacap.
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2017-02-1529 min
The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupIntroducing the Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupThe Backbone is launching soon! Each episode will feature a finance leader (Director/VP, Finance or CFO) that: shares their story of how they entered the world of startups, explains what their company does; describes unique challenges he/she faces in their role; shares expertise relating to specific topics on the mind of finance leaders, such as: preparing for board meetings, determining the key metrics to monitor, when to think about raising capital, amongst other things. Be sure to subscribe and visit www.thebackbone.xyz for more details.
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2017-02-1402 min