"Tech Finance" with Sasha Orloff: B2B Fintech | AI | Finance Tech E62: From Divvy FP&A to Parallel Founder: How Renato Villanueva Built the Tool Finance Actually Wants
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Dec 10, 2025 Renato Villanueva, Founder and CEO of Parallel, shares his journey from FP&A professional at Divvy to launching an AI-driven financial planning tool. He discusses the critical challenges that fueled his startup creation and how nurturing investor relationships helped him secure $2.4 million in funding. Renato reveals how Parallel empowers founders to overcome common mistakes in hiring and revenue growth, elevating their financial decision-making. He emphasizes building meaningful tools over mere functions to truly meet startup needs.
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Divvy Experience Built The Product
- Renato built Parallel from the exact pains he lived at Divvy, where finance had to present plans as slides not spreadsheets.
- That culture drove a product that helps founders make bolder hiring and revenue decisions, leading to major fundraising wins.
Quit Fast After A Provoking Challenge
- Renato decided to quit his job after being challenged by an investor and iterating a deck in days.
- Two weeks later he handed in notice and immediately began building full-time with early investor interest.
Nurture Investors Before You Need Them
- Nurture investor relationships early and consistently instead of waiting until you raise.
- Spend 5–10% of your time on coffee chats and updates to keep investors warm and ready.