Finance For Founders - Why 'Playing It Safe' Is Risky w/ Michiel Boere, CFO at Remote (Edu)

May 5, 2025

Michiel Boere, CFO at Remote and former Uber Eats CFO, shares invaluable insights on startup finance. He discusses why 'playing it safe' can lead to stagnation, urging founders to embrace calculated risks for growth. Michiel emphasizes the importance of unit economics and correct forecasting over rigid budgets. He warns against the dangers of 'failing profitably' and explains how to build simple financial models that drive strategic decision-making. With his expertise, Michiel equips founders with the tools they need to scale their businesses effectively.

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INSIGHT

Unit Economics Reveal Long‑Run Viability

Unit economics tell you whether growth can become profitable at scale and should be understood early.
Separate per-unit variable costs from promotional or acquisition costs to see true margins.

ADVICE

Hire Accounting And Tax Help Early

Hire a good controller early to keep books accurate and reporting on time.
Engage tax expertise (internal or external) before complexity grows.

INSIGHT

Aggregate Losses Hide Profitable Units

Public loss figures hide per‑unit profitability and strategic discounts used to drive growth.
Profitable units can subsidize aggressive promotions that buy scale.

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Think staying profitable means you’re on the right track? Think again.

Too many founders obsess over budgets and burn—but the real risk isn’t running out of cash. It’s growing too slowly to matter.

In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Michiel Boere, CFO of Remote and former CFO of Uber Eats, to demystify startup finance for non-financial founders. Drawing from his experience scaling Uber and managing 50+ audits at Remote, Michiel shares the strategic financial mindset every founder must adopt to succeed.

In this episode, you will:

Learn why “failing profitably” is often worse than burning cash fast
Understand unit economics the way a CFO at Uber would
Discover the difference between forecasting, planning, and budgeting—and when each matters
Avoid the trap of letting budgets drive bad spending decisions
Get a practical framework for building simple, high-impact financial models
See why many founders misuse runway and how to forecast it properly
Hear why CFOs should embrace risk at the right stage of growth

If you’re a founder who wants to build a high-growth, venture-backable business—and avoid the financial blind spots that kill startups—this episode is essential listening.

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Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/

Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur

Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

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