Moving Beyond Spreadsheets

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Teddy Collins, EVP of Finance at SeatGeek, who helped scale the company from its first in-house finance hire to a tech-forward finance team powering one of the most dynamic businesses in live events. Teddy shares what it was like leading finance through the pandemic when live events went dark overnight, how that period reshaped his approach to forecasting and uncertainty, and how SeatGeek is now using AI and machine learning to enhance planning accuracy and decision-making. He and CJ also dive into how finance can evolve from a cost center to a strategic partner, the toughest manual processes he’s eliminated, and where he sees the next big leap in the CFO tech stack. Finally, Teddy opens up about his rapid rise—four promotions in ten years—and offers practical advice on career growth, feedback, and building trust in a world where AI is redefining what “junior” really means.

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LINKS:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teddycollins/

Company: https://seatgeek.com/

CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222

Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com

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RELATED EPISODES:

CFO of FloQast on Why Finance Teams are Data Curators

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Preview and Intro

(00:02:49) Sponsor – Metronome | Mercury | RightRev

(00:06:36) Joining SeatGeek and the Early Finance Journey

(00:08:05) Managing Finance When Live Events Went Dark

(00:10:23) Forecasting Through Uncertainty

(00:13:12) Building Systems and Processes from Scratch

(00:15:34) Sponsor – Tipalti | Aleph | Fidelity Private Shares

(00:18:06) Using AI and Machine Learning in Forecasting

(00:22:44) Build vs. Buy: SeatGeek’s Tech Philosophy

(00:26:31) Turning Finance into a Strategic Partner

(00:30:42) Killing Manual Processes and Automating Insights

(00:34:55) The Next Big Leap in the CFO Stack

(00:38:46) Leading Teams Through Change and Growth

(00:42:11) Talent, Tools, and the Future of Finance Roles

(00:46:07) Climbing the Ladder: Four Promotions in Ten Years

(00:49:50) Career Advice and Earning Trust in Fast-Growing Teams

(00:53:16) How AI Is Reshaping the Definition of “Junior”

(00:56:22) Lightning Round and Closing Thoughts

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SPONSORS:

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Metronome. You just launched your new AI product. The new pricing page looks great. But behind it? Last-minute glue code, messy spreadsheets, and running ad-hoc queries to figure out what to bill. Customers get invoices they can’t understand. Engineers are chasing billing bugs. Finance can’t close the books. With Metronome, you hand it all off to the real-time billing infrastructure that just works—reliable, flexible, and built to grow with you. We turn raw usage events into accurate invoices, give customers bills they actually understand, and keep every team in sync in real time. Whether you’re launching usage-based pricing, managing enterprise contracts, or rolling out new AI services, Metronome does the heavy lifting so you can focus on your product, not your billing. That’s why some of the fastest-growing companies in the world, like OpenAI and Anthropic, run their billing on Metronome. Visit metronome.com to learn more.

Mercury is business banking built for builders, giving founders and finance pros a financial stack that actually works together. From sending wires to tracking balances and approving payments, Mercury makes it simple to scale without friction. Join the 200,000+ entrepreneurs who trust Mercury and apply online in minutes at https://www.mercury.com

RightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.

Tipalti automates the entire payables process—from onboarding suppliers to executing global payouts—helping finance teams save time, eliminate costly errors, and scale confidently across 200+ countries and 120 currencies. More than 5,000 businesses already trust Tipalti to manage payments with built-in security and tax compliance. Visit https://www.tipalti.com/runthenumbers to learn more.

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#RunTheNumbersPodcast #FinanceLeadership #CFOStack #AIForecasting #SeatGeek

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