Sarah Spoja, the CFO of Tipalti joins CJ to discuss M&A as a growth lever and the evolution of the CFO role in high-growth environments. Drawing from her background in private equity operations at KKR Capstone, she shares insights on the current M&A environment and the boom she predicts for the near future. She also explains how to avoid crushing the soul of a startup in the M&A process and the value of getting your hands dirty in PE Ops. As the CFO of a rapidly expanding SaaS company, Sarah sheds light on how to evolve as the company scales. She shares how to reassess priorities, balance hands-on work with strategic oversight, and navigate external-facing demands like conferences and panels. The conversation covers building investor relationships while avoiding perceptions of always being in-market and highlights the CFO’s dual role as strategist and salesperson. From navigating M&A to solving problems across stages from seed to IPO, this episode is packed with insights.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview and Intro
(02:13) Sponsor – NetSuite | Operators Guild
(04:52) Sarah’s Experience in M&A
(06:13) The Current M&A Environment
(12:17) Field Sales Versus Channel Partnerships
(14:23) How to Avoid Crushing the Soul of a Startup During M&A
(19:30) Sponsor – Maxio | Leapfin | Mercury
(22:39) The Value of Getting Your Hands Dirty in PE Ops
(26:10) How Sarah Has Evolved During Tipalti’s Hypergrowth
(31:00) Balancing Hands-On Work with Making the Best Use of One’s Time
(34:40) Reassessing the ROI of One’s Time
(37:09) Solving Problems Versus Handling People Issues from Seed to IPO
(40:21) Repeating Yourself as a Job Requirement
(42:24) How Visible a CFO Should Be
(43:52) A Framework for Choosing Speaking Arrangements
(50:43) The Risk of Being Perceived as Perpetually In-Market
(52:01) The Job of the CFO as Sales
(55:15) Long-Ass Lightning Round
(01:00:21) Finance Software Stack
(01:02:15) Craziest Expense Story
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