#173 Lessons Learned From Navigating a $100m Fundraise with Luigi Testa CFO at LinkSquares

Luigi Testa, CFO at LinkSquares joins Kevin Appleby on the GrowCFO Show to share his journey growing LinkSquares from a small company with $2m revenue, through a $100m fundraise, to one with 100% revenue growth in recent years. LinkSquares helps legal teams automate tasks for more efficient work. Luigi discusses navigating business growth through technology, hiring expertise, and finance leadership as the CFO. His FP&A background has helped provide strategic guidance. How did Luigi navigate a $100m fundraise? Luigi led LinkSquares through a Series C financing of $100 million He discussed how they were able to complete this raise and diligence process in under 70 days. Leveraging tools like their contract analysis product Analyze allowed Luigi to quickly provide investors with contract and other diligence information during the fundraising process. Luigi believes that fundraising success comes from building relationships before raising funds. He emphasizes the importance of networking for CFOs. Luigi and Kevin discuss preparing diligently for fundraising through financial housekeeping and relationship building. Leveraging tools like LinkSquares can streamline diligence. How is the CFO role evolving as the company grows? The evolving CFO role focuses on maintaining healthy growth through efficiency gains. Leveraging AI can create automation and leverage resources. Looking ahead, CFOs will focus on scaling efficiently while capturing market opportunities. Data-driven decisions will guide accelerating or focusing on efficiency. https://youtu.be/yLGTVa1Buhk Links Best Practice Accelerator – Prepare for a Fundraising Process Luigi Testa on Linkedin Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn Timestamps Introducing Luigi Testa. (0:11) Growth strategy and finance leadership with a legal tech company CFO. (2:32) CFO role, responsibilities, and experience. (5:38) Fundraising and growth for a tech startup. (11:26) Fundraising, financial housekeeping, and legal tech tools. (13:12) Building relationships for fundraising and networking. (18:35) Fundraising and due diligence for startups. (21:16) The evolving role of CFOs in business. (27:25) Leveraging AI for business efficiency and growth. (30:00) Find out more about GrowCFO If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favourite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Google Podcasts, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode. GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. You can join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars.  Premium members can also access our extensive training centre and CFO Digital Toolkit. Here, you can enrol in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programmes.  You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net