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The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startup

The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startup

By Shubham Datta

The Backbone explores the journey inside finance at high-growth technology startups. Our host Shubham Datta interviews finance leaders at various stages of emerging technology companies to find out their story, key financial and operating metrics they track, how they measure them and what their biggest challenges are. Hear directly from finance leaders at tech startups who are in there day in and day out, serving as the backbone of their company.

For more information, check out the www.thebackbone.co
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Ep. 38: The Consumerization of the Enterprise & Key Differences Between a Strategic and Financial Acquirer with Alok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFree

The Backbone: a journey inside finance at a startupJun 26, 2019

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34:29
Ep. 67: Scaling for rapid growth & hiring for decision-making vs execution w/ Julian Rowlands, VP Finance at Spruce

Ep. 67: Scaling for rapid growth & hiring for decision-making vs execution w/ Julian Rowlands, VP Finance at Spruce

Julian Rowlands, VP Finance at Spruce

I chat with Julian about:
  1. His career journey from a History major before going to business school at uChicago to becoming the VP Finance at Spruce.
  2. Spruce — what the company does and what it’s all about.
  3. Structuring and growing the finance function for scale at growth stage company. When Julian joined Spruce, the company was 75 employees. Since then, the company has tripled, growing to 250 folks. As the head of finance, Julian explains how he inherited the finance function and how it has evolved to accommodate this hyper growth.
  4. In June of 2021, Spruce raised a $60M Series C round from Bessemer, Scale Venture Partners and Zigg Capital. While Julian was at Xendit, he helped the company raise a $65M Series B round from Accel. Julian shares some of his biggest learnings going through these fundraise processes and imparts advice to folks going through fundraising rounds today.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth stage tech companies like Spruce.
Aug 11, 202125:47
Ep. 66: Finding the right path to go public for your company (IPOs, Direct Listings or SPACs) w/ Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Ep. 66: Finding the right path to go public for your company (IPOs, Direct Listings or SPACs) w/ Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners & Co-CEO and CFO at Apex Technology Acquisition  Corp. (Nasdaq: APXT)

I chat with Jeff about:
  1. 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.
  2. Apex Technology Acquisition Corp, a SPAC that recently announced its merger with AvePoint — the largest data management solutions provider for Microsoft cloud.
  3. Raising a SPAC compared to a venture fund, and the process for finding a target company to merge with.
  4. How companies should whether the traditional IPO, a direct listing or a SPAC is the right path to going public for them.
  5. Some of the unique opportunities and challenges finance leaders face today and Jeff’s advice to help navigate through them.
May 12, 202133:28
Ep. 65: The right time for SMB SaaS companies to move upmarket featuring Ivan Makarov, VP Finance at Webflow

Ep. 65: The right time for SMB SaaS companies to move upmarket featuring Ivan Makarov, VP Finance at Webflow

Ivan 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:
  1. His career journey from PwC to SmugMug, the acquisition of Flickr and then joining Webflow.
  2. Webflow —  what company does and what its all about.
  3. How finance leaders should think about pricing models that are trial-based vs freemium for SMBs and the metrics to optimize for in each.
  4. When you should consider moving upmarket as a SaaS company focused on the SMB market and what considerations you have to make as the finance leader to prepare for that change.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like Webflow.
Apr 28, 202126:35
Ep. 64: Building a financially feasible business by aligning with customer incentives feat. Sruthi Lanka, CFO at Public

Ep. 64: Building a financially feasible business by aligning with customer incentives feat. Sruthi Lanka, CFO at Public

Sruthi 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 an MBA from Duke University and a B.Tech. in Electronics Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in India.

I chat with Sruthi about:
  1. Her career journey starting off as a computer engineer turned finance professional with experience across product development, pricing, corporate development, capital raising and mergers and acquisition. Prior to her current role as the CFO of Public, she was the VP of Strategic Finance at MoneyLion and before that spent time in investment banking at RBC Capital Markets and Goldman Sachs.
  2. Public — what the company does and what it’s all about.
  3. Payment for Order Flow and why Public decided to move away from this model to tipping. What considerations she had to take into account to determine if this would be financially feasible for the company.
  4. Public recently crossed 1M members on the platform. As the company grows towards realizing its mission to open the stock market to everyone, the biggest challenges and opportunities she sees from her seat as the CFO.
  5. Themes and interesting investment conversations happening in the Public community, including Sruthi’s favorite themes and investments she’s tracking these days on Public?
Apr 14, 202126:11
Ep. 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)

Ep. 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:
  1. 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 in taking the company public as the VP of Finance. From there, Blaine spent some time at Spartan Bioscience as their CFO before joining Kinaxis as an Executive Vice President of Finance. Blaine will be transitioning into the CFO role at Kinaxis in August 2021.
  2. Kinaxis — What the company does and what is it all about.
  3. A behind-the-scenes look at taking Shopify public and the IPO process. As a finance leader, how you know a company is ready to take the plunge in the public markets and Blaine’s learnings for finance leaders preparing to go through that process now.
  4. What it means to be a finance exec for a publicly-traded software company and how the finance function has to evolve once you’re a public company, including the systems and processes they rely upon that need to be in place before a company goes public.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within software companies.
Mar 24, 202126:35
Ep. 62: Taking care of your people, company, & customers while navigating through a crisis with Naeem Ishaq, CFO at Checkr

Ep. 62: Taking care of your people, company, & customers while navigating through a crisis with Naeem Ishaq, CFO at Checkr

Joining 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 scaling growth businesses from startup stage to global reach.

I chat with Naeem about:
  1. His career journey working at the intersection of finance and tech since 2002, starting at Intel. From there he joined Salesforce in 2008 when it was a $4B market cap company and 1700 people, spending over four years there before joining Square when they were around 170 people and helping them go through their IPO. Prior to joining as the CFO at Checkr, Naeem led finance at Boxed Wholesale and Circle.
  2. What Checkr does and what the company is all about.
  3. Some of the frameworks and mental models that formed the M&A playbook for organizations like Salesforce and Square. Throughout his career Naeem had the opportunity to work very closely on M&A. While at Salesforce, he  played a key role in the acquisition of Jigsaw for $300M and the Buddy Media acquisition for $689M. Then at Square, he led the acquisition of Caviar. Naeem has worked on 40+ different M&A transactions during his career.
  4. His advice to finance leaders who may end up going through an acquisition process with large strategic acquirers.
  5. The best practices for navigating through times of crisis, from the CFO seat.
  6. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth stage software companies like Checkr.
Mar 10, 202138:01
Ep. 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)

Ep. 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 and $20B in sales.
  • Blackberry’s co-CEO management structure and whether it is something he recommends to companies today.
  • How he managed to continuously evolve as Blackberry grew to remain “qualified” for the role having minimal prior experience.
  • How he transitioned into the world of venture as a Partner at Inovia Capital and his focus area at the firm.
  • What advice or key learnings he shares with the up and coming emerging technology companies of today.
  • Hiring top talent.
Feb 17, 202142:49
Ep. 60: IPO readiness and what it truly means to take a company public today with Curt Sigfstead, CFO at Clearbanc

Ep. 60: IPO readiness and what it truly means to take a company public today with Curt Sigfstead, CFO at Clearbanc

Curt Sigfstead, CFO at Clearbanc

I chat with Curt about:
  1. 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.
  2. What Clearbanc does and what it’s all about.
  3. How he thinks about risks an emerging company has to take, and the frameworks or mental models a CFO can use to evaluate them.
  4. IPO readiness and M&A preparedness: the right time for a company to think about going public and specifically for the CFO, what needs to be in place before that can happen. M&A preparedness —to the extent one can “prepare for M&A” — what the company’s finance leader should be thinking about to ensure the company is ready to transact.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like Clearbanc.
Jan 27, 202131:13
Ep. 59: Determining the core competencies of the finance function with Etienne St-Martin, Director of Finance at Roadmunk

Ep. 59: Determining the core competencies of the finance function with Etienne St-Martin, Director of Finance at Roadmunk

Etienne St-Martin, Director of Finance at Roadmunk

I chat with Etienne about:
  1. His career journey from Deloitte to Freshbooks to becoming the Director of Finance at Roadmunk.
  2. What Roadmunk does and what it’s all about.
  3. Building a finance function and deciding what aspects to do in-house vs outsource.
  4. 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.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like Roadmunk.
Jan 13, 202124:33
Ep. 58: The makings of a well-rounded finance leader with Brian Montminy, CFO at Lessonly

Ep. 58: The makings of a well-rounded finance leader with Brian Montminy, CFO at Lessonly

Brian Montminy, CFO at Lessonly

I chat with Brian about:
  1. 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.
  2. What Lessonly does and what it’s all about.
  3. Risk aversion and why finance leaders are less likely to take on personal risk as a finance leader.
  4. 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 Lessonly around Series A when the company was 24 people with 300 customers, and now the company is at 170 people with over 1,000 customers.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like Lessonly.
Dec 09, 202027:59
Ep. 57: Lessons learned from hyper-growth & scaling to $100M+ ARR, 100k customers and raising $100M with Tim Compton, SVP of Finance at ActiveCampaign

Ep. 57: Lessons learned from hyper-growth & scaling to $100M+ ARR, 100k customers and raising $100M with Tim Compton, SVP of Finance at ActiveCampaign

Tim Compton, SVP of Finance at ActiveCampaign

I chat with Tim about:
  1. 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.
  2. What ActiveCampaign does and what it’s all about.
  3. 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 company when it was 75 employees and $17M in ARR back in 2016. Tim was part of the early days of growth at Groupon to IPO in 2011.
  4. The unique challenges and opportunities of serving the SMB segment of the market compared to enterprise, including the considerations you should take into account when deciding if the company should move upmarket.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like ActiveCampaign.

This episode is sponsored by Vena Solutions.  Vena is the complete planning platform loved by finance and trusted by business. The Vena Growth engine combines the tool you already know—Excel—with the technology and experts you need to power your plan to grow. Learn more at www.venasolutions.com/backbone.

Nov 25, 202032:45
Ep. 56: Lessons from raising $50M during a global pandemic with Aly Khan Musani, CFO at Symend

Ep. 56: Lessons from raising $50M during a global pandemic with Aly Khan Musani, CFO at Symend

Aly Khan Musani, CFO at Symend

I chat with Aly about:
  1. 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.
  2. What Symend does and what it is all about.
  3. 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.
  4. Symend recently raised over $50M, Series B — one of the largest Series B rounds in recent memory for an Alberta based company. The round was led by Inovia Capital’s growth fund. Aly shares his biggest learnings from the raise and his tips for raising during a global pandemic.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth stage software companies like Symend.
Oct 28, 202030:26
Ep. 55: The most important SaaS metric for a high-growth software company with Rob Froment, CFO at Clio

Ep. 55: The most important SaaS metric for a high-growth software company with Rob Froment, CFO at Clio

Rob Froment, CFO at Clio

I chat with Rob about:
  1. 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.
  2. What Clio does and what it is all about.
  3. 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.
  4. What he means by “good judgement comes from experiences, and experiences come from bad judgement”.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth stage software companies like Clio.
Oct 14, 202033:14
Ep. 54: Getting the most out of a finance function with Srikant Nayak, CFO at GroupBy

Ep. 54: Getting the most out of a finance function with Srikant Nayak, CFO at GroupBy

Srikant Nayak, CFO at GroupBy

I chat with Srikant about:
  1. 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.
  2. GroupBy —  what the company does and what is it all about?
  3. 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.
  4. What factors he considers when building out a finance function in order to keep it lean.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a growth stage software company like GroupBy.

We close things off with a quickfire round.

Sep 30, 202023:17
Ep. 53: Every finance leader must become a great storyteller with Darrell Cox, CFO at  Vena

Ep. 53: Every finance leader must become a great storyteller with Darrell Cox, CFO at Vena

Darrell Cox, CFO at  Vena

I chat with Darrell about:
  1. 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.
  2. Vena Solutions  — what the company does and what its all about.
  3. 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-crisis.
  4. The importance of the finance leader to be a storyteller and look beyond the numbers.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth stage software companies like Vena.
Apr 22, 202040:16
Ep. 52: Why the tradeoff of balancing profitability and sustainability is a false dichotomy with David Reid, CFO & COO of Boll & Branch

Ep. 52: Why the tradeoff of balancing profitability and sustainability is a false dichotomy with David Reid, CFO & COO of Boll & Branch

David 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 brand that offers industry-leading luxury bedding and goods.

My conversation with David was recorded a few months ago, prior to COVID-19. As you will hear David talk about in the show, Boll & Branch’s decisions boil down to one choice: to do what’s right.

That’s why its no surprise, that starting last week Boll & Branch began donating mattresses and pillows to emergency medical operations in the fight against COVID-19. This keeps workers in their partner factories employed, and helps medical and government agencies prepare for the crisis. They’ve already provided New York State with 1,000 mattresses and 5,000 pillows for emergency facilities in places such as the Javits Center and they hope to fund more production in the days and weeks ahead as we face the uncertain future of this crisis. As a listener, you can join in this effort and in spreading the word. Visit www.bollandbranch.com and use the promo code “GOODNESS” to get 10% off and 10% of the proceeds funding this effort. Or you can donate directly. Each mattress costs $100 to make and deliver, but even $5 helps.

As for David himself, he oversees Boll & Branch’s Finance, Operations, Technology, Customer Experience, and Business Intelligence functions. David started his career with Deutsche Bank working in both London and New York City. He subsequently moved to the corporate world taking leadership roles as CFO at Dylan’s Candy Bar and VP Business Development at Suite Retail.

David is a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland) and holds Bachelor’s and Masters degrees from the University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh respectively.

Apr 01, 202032:16
Ep. 51: The art of value-based pricing models with Karthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at Chargebee

Ep. 51: The art of value-based pricing models with Karthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at Chargebee

Karthik Srinivasan, Director of Finance at Chargebee

I chat with Karthik about:
  1. His career journey starting at Tata Consultancy Services after getting your CA in India, to becoming the Director of Finance at Chargebee.
  2. Chargebee — what the company does and what its all about.
  3. 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.
  4. The concept of value based pricing models and why Chargebee charges an overage fee.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a company like Chargebee.

At Chargebee, Karthik is responsible for managing the company’s financial operations, FP&A, tax management and legal. 

 Prior to Chargebee, he served as the Head of Finance at Olam Information Services managing the finance for their global IT/ITES function from scratch. Having started off his career at Tata Consultancy Services, and a brief stint in Singapore managing the subsidiary finance for the APAC region, he has played a pivotal role in cost consulting as part of the CFO’s office and also laying the foundation for cross-border finance within a fintech company.

He has over 15+ years of experience in Tech finance embracing various roles across different streams including financial consolidation, pricing, cost management, consulting, international finance and taxation.

He holds a Chartered accountant degree from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Besides his work, he is actively committed to working as a volunteer in a nonprofit organization in the field of culture, arts, and religion.

Mar 18, 202019:53
Ep. 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 Capital

Ep. 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 Capital

Brice Scheschuk, Managing Partner at Globalive Capital

I chat with Brice about:
  1. 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.
  2. His focus area at Globalive.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 amazing scaleup story. The company had over 1,200 employees, 900,000 subscribers and generated approximately $500 million in revenue and $80 million in EBITDA in 2015, prior to selling to Shaw Communications for approximately $1.6 billion in December 2015.
  5. The best practices for setting up an investment platform and the most important consideration entrepreneurs should make when raising capital.
Mar 04, 202041:38
Ep. 49: Fiscally responsible growth vs growth at all costs with Johnathan Mirian, VP Finance at Justworks

Ep. 49: Fiscally responsible growth vs growth at all costs with Johnathan Mirian, VP Finance at Justworks

Johnathan Mirian, VP Finance at Justworks

I chat with Johnathan about:
  1. 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.
  2. JustWorks — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. 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.
  4. What it means for a company to  grow in a fiscally responsible manner and the finance leader’s role in ensuring a business is fiscally responsible.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a company like JustWorks.
Feb 19, 202024:12
Ep. 48: Setting the right foundation in the first 100 days to scale the finance function for hyper growth with Khoi Le, VP Finance at Hopper

Ep. 48: Setting the right foundation in the first 100 days to scale the finance function for hyper growth with Khoi Le, VP Finance at Hopper

Khoi Le, VP Finance at Hopper

I chat with Khoi about:
  1. 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.
  2. Hopper — what company does and what its all about.
  3. 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.
  4. Going from his first 100 days as the first finance hire at a 90 person high growth tech company to raising $100M+ in venture capital funding from the likes of Omers, Caisse, Accomplice, BDC and others and scaling the team to 330+ people.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.
Feb 05, 202033:25
Ep. 47: A framework for managing M&A as a CFO with Saeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at Tulip

Ep. 47: A framework for managing M&A as a CFO with Saeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at Tulip

Saeideh Fard, Chief Financial Officer at Tulip

I chat with Saei about:
  1. Her journey into tech starting at PwC with stops at Sysomos, MarketWired, and Travel Edge prior to joining Tulip.
  2. Tulip — what the company does and what it’s all about.
  3. Tulip’s sales process the most indicative KPIs and metrics of the business.
  4. Best practises from a systems integration (or separation) perspective that people should be thinking about for M&A processes.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advice you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Jan 22, 202031:15
Ep. 46: Pushing company-wide transformation of a craft brewer through technology with Trevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle Brewing

Ep. 46: Pushing company-wide transformation of a craft brewer through technology with Trevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle Brewing

Trevor Young, Chief Financial Officer at Steam Whistle Brewing

I chat with Trevor about:
  1. 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.
  2. Steam Whistle Brewing — what the company does and what it's all about.
  3. 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 steering the ship from a financial perspective
  4. Tips and best practises of presenting financial data to a non-finance audience.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a retailer and brand like Steam Whistle Brewing.
Jan 08, 202025:35
Ep. 45: Driving growth through an omnichannel approach at an established wellness brand with Michelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural Wellness

Ep. 45: Driving growth through an omnichannel approach at an established wellness brand with Michelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural Wellness

Michelle Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Saje Natural Wellness I chat with Michelle about:
  1. Her journey from PwC to 10+ years at Lululemon in FP&A and merchandising roles prior to becoming the COO at Saje Natural Wellness.
  2. Saje — what the company does and what its all about.
  3. 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.
  4. Tips and best practises of presenting financial data to a non-finance audience.
  5. How to think about changing systems that you inherit, including managing an established wellness brand that sells both online and in bricks-and-mortar locations. Saje was founded in 1992. When she joined Saje, the company had over 15 years of operating history, and systems in place.
  6. The importance of the finance function at a retailer and brand like Saje.
Nov 27, 201924:45
Ep. 44: Striking the balance of growth and profitability as a bootstrapped company with Jessica Katz, Director of Finance at Format

Ep. 44: Striking the balance of growth and profitability as a bootstrapped company with Jessica Katz, Director of Finance at Format

Jessica Katz, Director of Finance at Format

I chat with Jessica about:
  1. 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.
  2. Format — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. 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.
  4. How she balances profitability (or break even) and growth as a bootstrapped company and how she thinks about the competition that has raised a lot of venture capital funding and can afford to outspend Format.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advice you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Nov 12, 201922:49
Ep. 43: A framework for growing and scaling finance functions with Mustafa Nafar, VP Finance at Modsy

Ep. 43: A framework for growing and scaling finance functions with Mustafa Nafar, VP Finance at Modsy

Mustafa Nafar, VP Finance at Modsy

I chat with Mustafa about:
  1. 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.
  2. Modsy — what the company does and what it’s all about.
  3. His transition from large company tech companies down to startups.
  4. 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 like Doordash.
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advice you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Oct 30, 201925:02
Ep. 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 Partners

Ep. 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 Partners

Amy Wu, Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners

I chat with Amy about:
  1. 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.
  2. About your investment focus area at Lightspeed.
  3. 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 investor.
  4. Her  lessons learned while raising capital and what she’d do differently. Things that she’s now looking for as an investor, that she wishes knew  as a finance leader. [Amy helped raise over $60M for NewsCred and is now investing millions for Lightspeed.]
  5. The unique metrics and KPIs that are relevant for DTC businesses vs SaaS businesses.
  6. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advice you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Oct 16, 201933:28
Ep. 41: The key differences between marketing-driven SaaS companies to sales-driven ones with Amar Shrivastava, VP Finance at Clubhouse

Ep. 41: The key differences between marketing-driven SaaS companies to sales-driven ones with Amar Shrivastava, VP Finance at Clubhouse

Amar Shrivastava, VP Finance at Clubhouse

I chat with Amar about:
  1. His 15+ year journey within tech and finance.
  2. Clubhouse Software — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. The key metrics and differences between a sales-driven SaaS company vs a marketing-driven SaaS company from a finance leader’s perspective.
  4. 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.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a fast-growing tech company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advice you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing

At Clubhouse, Amar is responsible for the Finance, Legal and HR functions. He has spent most of his 20+ yr career working with early stage, VC backed companies. In his prior roles, he has generally been the first operational hire brought on to build out the G&A functions. He has worked with some of the most prominent VC’s in the business, including Battery Ventures, JMI Equity, FirstMark Capital, Intel Capital, Union Square Ventures and Spark Capital. Amar received his BA in Business at Virginia Commonwealth University and received his Executive MBA at Rutgers University.

Oct 02, 201925:26
Ep. 40: Mejuri's data-driven approach to managing inventory as an omnichannel, emerging direct-to-consumer brand with Katie Sellers, Director of Finance at Mejuri

Ep. 40: Mejuri's data-driven approach to managing inventory as an omnichannel, emerging direct-to-consumer brand with Katie Sellers, Director of Finance at Mejuri

Katie Sellers, Director of Finance at Mejuri

I chat with Katie about:
  1. 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.
  2. Mejuri — what does the company do and what is it all about.
  3. The challenges of forecasting unpredictable revenue streams as a direct to consumer brand, including how to think about customer acquisition cost and measuring lifetime value of the customer.
  4. Mejuri’s data driven approach for forecasting demand and managing inventory levels and the key metrics she’s always monitoring as the finance leader of an omnichannel DTC brand.
  5. The importance of the finance function at emerging direct to consumer companies and what makes a great finance leader in companies like this.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Sep 18, 201931:54
Ep. 39: Balancing short term expectations of investors with longer term strategic roadmap decisions as a public company tech CFO with Shouvik Roy, CFO at Versapay

Ep. 39: Balancing short term expectations of investors with longer term strategic roadmap decisions as a public company tech CFO with Shouvik Roy, CFO at Versapay

Shouvik 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 automative.
The biggest changes in the KPIs that were particularly important for an SMB software company (like Freshbooks) which are not as relevant for a company serving enterprise customers (like Versapay).
Balancing short term expectations of investors (quarterly earnings calls) with longer term strategic roadmap decisions, as a publicly traded company CFO.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
Your favourite productivity hack
Tech jargon that makes you cringe
The best advise you’ve received
One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Sep 04, 201922:56
Ep. 38: The Consumerization of the Enterprise & Key Differences Between a Strategic and Financial Acquirer with Alok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFree

Ep. 38: The Consumerization of the Enterprise & Key Differences Between a Strategic and Financial Acquirer with Alok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFree

Alok Pandey, VP Finance & Corporate Development at AnchorFree

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Alok about:

  1. 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.
  2. About AnchorFree — what company does and what is it all about.
  3. As the finance leader for a company serving both consumer and enterprise customers, what challenges does he face and what the benefits are.
  4. How the transition from banking and investing into operating has been and what has surprised Alok the most.
  5. His Corp Dev role within the company, what it entails, and how strategic acquirers look at acquisitions vs private equity investors.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Jun 26, 201934:29
Ep. 37: An Inside Look at Salesforce's $689M Acquisition of Buddy Media & Lessons Learned from Raising $150M+ with Oliver Bell, CFO at Springbot

Ep. 37: An Inside Look at Salesforce's $689M Acquisition of Buddy Media & Lessons Learned from Raising $150M+ with Oliver Bell, CFO at Springbot

Oliver Bell, CFO at Springbot

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Oliver about:

  1. 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.
  2. SpringBot — what the company does and what is it all about and why he decided to join the company.
  3. The experience leading up to the Buddy Media acquisition and exiting to Salesforce for $689M. We go behind the scenes to the months leading up to the acquisition discussing things that Salesforce did really well as an acquirer and what could they have done better.
  4. Lessons learned from Oliver’s 4 years at Braze, leading 3 fundraising rounds, with $150M of total capital raised including Series E (Sept ’18) at a $850M valuation. During Oliver’s tenure, the company grew from 40 people and $5M ARR to 300 people. 
  5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing

At Springbot, Oliver oversees Finance, Legal, HR, and Revenue Operations. Prior to Springbot, Oliver spent four years leading Finance and Operations at Braze (formerly Appboy) leading the company through multiple funding rounds including its most recent $80M raise in September 2018 at a $850M valuation. Before Braze, Oliver led the Revenue Operations team at BuddyMedia which was purchased by Salesforce for close to $700M in 2012. Post acquisition, he spent about three years leading a variety of teams inside the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. A Boston native, Oliver graduated from Harvard College, where he also received his MBA.

May 29, 201925:05
Ep. 36: Key Considerations + Metrics for Expanding a Localized Marketplace with Corey Noyek, Finance Manager at Platterz

Ep. 36: Key Considerations + Metrics for Expanding a Localized Marketplace with Corey Noyek, Finance Manager at Platterz

Corey Noyek, Finance Manager at Platterz

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Corey about:

  1. His transition into tech and what made him decide to join the Platterz, from Deloitte.
  2. Platterz — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. 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.
  4. Learnings from raising Platterz $18M (CAD) Series A round.
  5. The importance of the finance function within a high growth technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
May 15, 201920:42
Ep. 35: Getting Dirt Underneath Your Fingers as an Operator with Tom Finn, VP Finance at Solstice

Ep. 35: Getting Dirt Underneath Your Fingers as an Operator with Tom Finn, VP Finance at Solstice

Tom Finn, VP Finance at Solstice

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Tom about:

  1. His 20+ year journey within tech and finance from Ireland.
  2. Solstice — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. What it means for an operator to get dirt underneath their fingers. 
  4. 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.
  5. The importance of the finance function within a high growth technology company?

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
May 01, 201922:59
Ep. 34: An Inside Look into Lightspeed's $275M+ IPO & Scaling a Global Organization

Ep. 34: An Inside Look into Lightspeed's $275M+ IPO & Scaling a Global Organization

Brandon 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 Wilfred Laurier University.

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Brandon about:

  1. His journey into tech from KPMG to being in several CFO roles at various technology companies including the publicly-traded Descartes Systems Group, Desire2Learn and now Lightspeed HQ.
  2. Lightspeed and what the company does
  3. What its like to be a public company CFO and how that experience helps in subsequent roles of high growth technology companies.
  4. The process and the biggest learnings of taking Lightspeed public on the TSX and the lead up to it. 
  5. The considerations you have to evaluate, beyond strategic fit, when considering an acquisition.
  6. What it means to be a global organization from managing payroll across multiple jurisdictions or serving customers and dealing with cross-border tax issues.
Apr 17, 201924:59
Ep. 33: Behind the Scenes of SnapTravel's $21m Slam Dunk Series A from Steph Curry with Ankur Bansal, Head of Finance + Business Development

Ep. 33: Behind the Scenes of SnapTravel's $21m Slam Dunk Series A from Steph Curry with Ankur Bansal, Head of Finance + Business Development

Ankur Bansal, Head of Finance and Business Development at SnapTravel

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Ankur about:

  1. 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.
  2. SnapTravel — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. Raising a debt round in conjunction with an equity round. What Steph Curry looks for in his investments.
  4. How his diverse background of investment banking, consulting and private equity, not to mention being a founder, helped him think about the finance at operations role at SnapTravel.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
Apr 03, 201926:14
Ep. 32: A CFO Must Master Being a Capital Allocator with Sujeet Kini, CFO at Solium Capital

Ep. 32: A CFO Must Master Being a Capital Allocator with Sujeet Kini, CFO at Solium Capital

Sujeet Kini, CFO at Solium Capital

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Sujeet about:

  1. 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.
  2. Solium Capital — what the company does and what is it all about.
  3. Changes in technology that have benefitted the finance function in fulfilling their role as master capital allocators.
  4. Learnings as a public company finance leader and setting up a finance function from scratch at an early stage company to ensure its capable of going public one day.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Mar 20, 201937:58
Ep. 31: A Former Banker + Growth Investor Turned Operator on the Consequences of Raising Too Much Capital with Steve Isom, VP Finance at Flywheel

Ep. 31: A Former Banker + Growth Investor Turned Operator on the Consequences of Raising Too Much Capital with Steve Isom, VP Finance at Flywheel

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Steve about:

  1. 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.
  2. Flywheel and what it’s all about.
  3. Transitioning between a sell side investment banker, to the buyside investing in growth stage tech companies and then operating.
  4. Considerations when determining the amount of capital to raise?(At Cybereason, Steve helped the company raise $100M from Softbank Flywheel raised $9M this year.)
  5. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Mar 06, 201934:11
Ep. 30: Customer + Revenue Churn at a SaaS Company with Recurring + Services Revenue w/ Cory Michalyshyn, CFO/COO at Solink

Ep. 30: Customer + Revenue Churn at a SaaS Company with Recurring + Services Revenue w/ Cory Michalyshyn, CFO/COO at Solink

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Cory about:

  1. His journey into tech from audit at Deloitte to a Controller at Optelian, before making the switch to his current role at Solink.
  2. Solink and what its all about.
  3. 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. 
  4. The most challenging aspects of Cory’s role going from a full team of 13 to 55 in the last few years.
  5. His learnings from Solink’s most recent $5M equity raise and words of advice for finance leaders going through a raise process for the first time.
  6. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.
Feb 20, 201928:07
Ep. 29: The First 100 Days as a Finance Leader of a Venture-Backed Startup w/ Bryn Knox @ BenchSci

Ep. 29: The First 100 Days as a Finance Leader of a Venture-Backed Startup w/ Bryn Knox @ BenchSci

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Bryn about:

  1. His journey into tech including stints at Walt Disney Studios, Century Fox and Wave Financial, prior to his current role at BenchSci.
  2. Benchsci and what is it all about.
  3. 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.
  4. Effectively fulfilling a finance leader’s role as the “gatekeeper”, while optimizing for ROI. 
  5. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Feb 06, 201926:48
#28: Scaling a Finance Function of a High Growth Company with Strategic & Institutional Investors

#28: Scaling a Finance Function of a High Growth Company with Strategic & Institutional Investors

featuring Tiffany Hsiao, VP Finance at Rubikloud.


On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Tiffany about:

  1. 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.
  2. Rubikloud and what it’s all about.
  3. 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. 
  4. How she managed to serve the needs of both institutional and strategic investors. 
  5. Her learnings as a finance leader for a company that sells into enterprise organizations with long sales cycles.
  6. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing


Jan 23, 201921:25
Ep. 27: Raising a $27M Financing Round & Managing the Ever-Changing Priorities as CFO w/ Dave Pooley

Ep. 27: Raising a $27M Financing Round & Managing the Ever-Changing Priorities as CFO w/ Dave Pooley

On this episode of The Backbone, I chat with Dave about:

  1. His journey into technology with stints at Miovision, Fibernetrics and Kitchener-Waterloo based accelerator, Communitech, prior to joining Axonify.
  2. Axonify and what its all about.
  3. 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.
  4. Managing the ever-changing priorities as the CFO, and how priorities change in a smaller organization to a larger one.
  5. The importance of the finance function at a technology company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

  • Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
  • Your favourite productivity hack
  • Tech jargon that makes you cringe
  • The best advise you’ve received
  • One thing you don’t leave the office before finishing
Jan 09, 201934:35
Special: Exploring a Revolutionary Revenue Model for Education w/ Austen Allred, CEO @ Lambda School

Special: Exploring a Revolutionary Revenue Model for Education w/ Austen Allred, CEO @ Lambda School

Joining 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 the job.

4. Some of the financial challenges and risks associated with Lambda School's revenue model and how to raise capital for such a model? (Lambda School has a unique revenue model in that the company does not require students to pay up front for their training. Instead they are taking a bet on the student's career prospects for the first 2 years after they graduate Lambda School, to take a % of their earnings.)

5. Whether Lambda School would consider expanding its offering over time, to other aspects of training such as sales, marketing, and finance?

We close things off with a quickfire round:
- Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
- Your favourite productivity hack
- Tech jargon that makes you cringe
- The best advise you've received
- One thing you don't leave the office before finishing
Dec 19, 201818:42
Ep. 26: Raising a $32M Growth Round + the Symbiotic Relationship Between Finance & Operations

Ep. 26: Raising a $32M Growth Round + the Symbiotic Relationship Between Finance & Operations

On 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 round:
- Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
- Your favourite productivity hack
- Tech jargon that makes you cringe
- The best advise you've received
- One thing you don't leave the office before finishing
Dec 05, 201824:07
Ep. 25: Correlating Non-Financial Metrics into Financial Outcomes + More w/ Trisha Egberts @ Figure1

Ep. 25: Correlating Non-Financial Metrics into Financial Outcomes + More w/ Trisha Egberts @ Figure1

On 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 company.

We close things off with a quickfire round:

- Your go to online resource for all things startup finance related
- Your favourite productivity hack
- Tech jargon that makes you cringe
- The best advise you've received
- One thing you don't leave the office before finishing
Nov 14, 201821:12
Episode 24: Learnings from Starting and Shutting Down a Startup + Balancing Multiple Product Stakeholders with Mark Jarvie, VP Finance at Drop

Episode 24: Learnings from Starting and Shutting Down a Startup + Balancing Multiple Product Stakeholders with Mark Jarvie, VP Finance at Drop

On 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.
Oct 30, 201827:02
Episode 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 Ecobee

Episode 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 Ecobee

On 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 a technology company.
Oct 16, 201830:02
Episode 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 League

Episode 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 League

On 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?
Oct 03, 201826:04
Episode 21: Using Analytics and Predictive Models to Improve Budgeting + the Role of Attribution in Assessing Digital Marketing ROI with Emma Lyndon, CFO at Canopy Labs

Episode 21: Using Analytics and Predictive Models to Improve Budgeting + the Role of Attribution in Assessing Digital Marketing ROI with Emma Lyndon, CFO at Canopy Labs

On 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.
Sep 12, 201820:33
Episode 20: Considerations for CAC and Churn in a Self-Serve Pricing Model with Matt Dove, VP FInance at Celtx

Episode 20: Considerations for CAC and Churn in a Self-Serve Pricing Model with Matt Dove, VP FInance at Celtx

On 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
Aug 01, 201825:51
Episode 19: The Journey of Raising $100M ICO (Initial Coin Offering) as a Venture-Backed Unicorn with Brandon Brunet, Controller at Kik

Episode 19: The Journey of Raising $100M ICO (Initial Coin Offering) as a Venture-Backed Unicorn with Brandon Brunet, Controller at Kik

On 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
Jun 27, 201825:23