"Tech Finance" with Sasha Orloff: B2B Fintech | AI | Finance Tech
Puzzle, Turpentine
On Tech Finance, host Sasha Orloff brings you inside the office of the CFO - covering major tech finance news including funding announcements, deals, product launches, and emerging players shaping B2B fintech. We break down the week's biggest developments in finance tech and accounting, and explore how finance leaders are putting AI to work.Tech Finance is brought to you by Puzzle, the modern accounting platform with an AI-first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Learn more: puzzle.ioTech Finance is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co
Episodes
Mentioned books
10 snips
Jun 13, 2024 • 57min
E11: CFO Whisperer Jim Cook of Netflix, Intuit, & Mozilla: "Stop Trying To Be Precise"
Jim Cook, the CFO Whisperer with experience at Netflix, Intuit, and Mozilla, shares insights on CFO hiring mistakes, the CFO role misunderstandings, the importance of impactful communication in board meetings, and why being precise is a finance professional's Achilles heel
6 snips
Jun 6, 2024 • 48min
E10: How OpenAI Controller Sowmya Raganathan Uses AI to Superpower Accounting
Sowmya Ranganathan, OpenAI Controller, discusses using AI in accounting, automation benefits at Rippling, and streamlining workflows at OpenAI. She predicts future accounting teams to be small and broadly skilled due to AI advancements. The podcast also explores the impact of AI on accounting, transitioning between companies, best practices for startups, and the potential of AI in reshaping the accountant's role.
May 30, 2024 • 1h 5min
E9: An Insider's Guide After $2B of M&A with Serial CFO Steve Love of Sift, Dialpad, and Heap
Seasoned CFO Steve Love shares insights on high-stakes M&A, discussing challenges, aligning stakeholders, strategic decisions, evaluating targets, negotiating terms, and executing integrations. His experiences overseeing complex acquisitions provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at successful transactions.
May 23, 2024 • 48min
E8: When Your Biggest Competitor Crashes, with Mercury CEO Immad Akhund
Immad Akhund, CEO of Mercury, discusses crisis management when a competitor falls, rapid product development to boost confidence, and the customer-first approach at Mercury. He shares insights on navigating post-competitor crash challenges, launching innovative products, and scaling startup experiments in the banking sector.
May 16, 2024 • 48min
E7: The Dealmaker’s Secrets: Steve McLaughlin on Crafting a Fundraising Story Worth $33B, CEO of FT Partners
Steve McLaughlin, CEO of FT Partners, shares his secrets for crafting fundraising stories that unlocked massive rounds like $33B for Revolut. Topics include storytelling, importance of product over marketing spend, founder red flags, and more in the high-stakes world of capital raising.
May 10, 2024 • 45min
E6: Behind the Scenes of General Catalyst: The VC Firm's Financial Operations with CFO, Mark Allen
Mark Allen, CFO at General Catalyst, delves into managing billions in assets for VC firms, tech innovations in finance, intense moments like the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, the dual role of a fund and firm CFO, advice for pitching at General Catalyst, and more.
May 2, 2024 • 49min
E5: Bringing Fun Back to Finance: Redesigning Business Modelling with Runway’s Siqi Chen, CEO
Siqi Chen, CEO of Runway, shares the 3-year journey of redesigning the finance platform to make finance fun. He discusses the importance of storytelling, centralized data, and creating a culture of fun. The podcast explores challenges in finance, product iteration, and the evolution of financial modeling tools.
Apr 25, 2024 • 47min
E4: Can Turning Down a Huge Upround Lead to a Greater Outcome? FloQast CFO Razzak Jallow Proves It Can
Razzak Jallow, CFO at FloQast, discusses building trust with the CEO, responsible product innovation, and turning down a financing round that could have doubled FloQast's valuation. He shares advice for aspiring CFOs on evaluating roles, precision Q&A skills, and hiring top talent.
8 snips
Apr 18, 2024 • 47min
E3: Chris Bakke on Negotiating with Elon Musk and Setting Up An M&A from Day One (3x exits)
Serial entrepreneur Chris Bakke shares insights on negotiating a deal with Elon Musk, transitioning from founder to building X's job platform, and the power of content-driven growth strategies. The conversation also touches on setting up M&A from day one, strategic partnerships, and reflects on a humorous social media account.
Apr 11, 2024 • 51min
E2: When COVID Hits and You are CFO at Instacart with Sagar Sanghvi
Former Instacart CFO, Sagar Sanghvi, talks about adapting to Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, scaling during COVID, balancing growth vs. unit economics, transitioning to Accel, and more. They delve into financial challenges, industry resilience, and Excel's unique investing approach, highlighting the transition from CFO to venture capitalist and the vision for impactful ventures.
