The SaaS CFO

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray is joined by Ricardo Ghekiere, co-founder of BetterPic. Ricardo takes us through his unconventional entrepreneurial journey, starting with running a coffee bar, dabbling in a variety of ventures, and eventually making his way into the tech space. He shares the fascinating story of how he acquired BetterPic for just one dollar, rebuilt the company from the ground up, and scaled it into a thriving AI-powered business that transforms selfies into professional headshots.  Ricardo talks about navigating the challenges of transitioning from a B2C to a B2B go-to-market strategy, lessons learned from his first fundraising efforts, and his approach to metrics and profitability. We also get a sneak peek into BetterPic’s expansion into the fashion industry, their recent $2.5 million seed round, and Ricardo’s candid insights on scaling, pricing, and international growth. Stick around for actionable advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and a look at what’s next for BetterPic and its new ventures.  Show Notes:  00:00 Difficulty Attracts Talent  03:25 "Consumer-First, Expand to B2B"  08:53 Startup Secures $2.5M Funding  12:38 "Finding the Right Investors"  15:22 "B2B CRM Essential for Upselling"  17:49 Pricing Experiment Insights  20:09 Monthly Business Metrics Overview  23:52 Business Acquisition in San Francisco  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/betterpic-raises-2-5-million-in-seed-round  Ricardo Ghekiere’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-ghekiere/  BetterPic’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betterpic/  BetterPic’s Website: https://www.betterpic.io/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Forest Flager, CEO and co-founder of Parspec, for an insightful conversation at the crossroads of technology and the construction industry. Forest shares his compelling journey from growing up in a construction family and working internationally as an architect and engineer, to leading a research group at Stanford and ultimately making the leap into SaaS startups. His winding path led him to co-found Parspec, a platform dedicated to modernizing procurement in construction through AI-driven solutions.  Forest dives into how Parspec is tackling the unique challenges faced by wholesale distributors—those crucial intermediaries who connect designers’ technical demands with what’s available in the market. By leveraging AI, Parspec streamlines the process of parsing project specifications, identifying suitable products, and managing the procurement lifecycle, serving customers across residential, commercial, and industrial construction. Forest also opens up about Parspec’s growth strategy, from landing and expanding with major distributors to scaling up their product offering, which has driven significant revenue increases and attracted $31 million in capital.  Listeners will gain valuable insights as Forest discusses lessons learned around product-market fit, nurturing referenceable customers, and managing investor relationships through effective signaling. He also teases exciting new developments on Parspec’s roadmap, aimed at supporting both distributors and contractors with even more automation and transparency. If you’re interested in SaaS growth, usage-based pricing, or the ways AI is reshaping traditional industries, this episode offers a front-row seat to real-world innovations and strategies for scaling a successful startup.  Show Notes:  00:00 AI-Enhanced Construction Procurement Platform  05:07 "Automated Product Documentation Launch"  09:52 Validating Product Roadmap with Customers  11:59 Preemptive Fundraising and Investor Relations  14:33 Delayed Marketing Strategy Adjustment  17:15 Usage-Based Pricing Model Explanation  22:35 HQ & Engineering Team Locations  23:53 "Full-Cycle Procurement Solution Platform"  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/parspec-raises-11-5-million-in-seed-round  https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/parspec-raises-20-million-in-series-a  Forest Flager’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/forestflager/  Parspec’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/parspec  Parspec’s Website: https://www.parspec.io/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray sits down with Riya Grover, co-founder and CEO of Sequence. Riya shares her journey from investment banking to entrepreneurship, including the story behind her first SaaS company in the restaurant industry and its eventual acquisition. She dives into the inspiration for Sequence—a modern billing and quote-to-cash platform designed to tackle the challenges of custom contracts and complex pricing models for scaling SaaS and B2B companies.  Riya opens up about the company’s pivotal shift from payments to revenue management, navigating tough conversations with investors, and building a lean, high-impact team. She reveals how Sequence is empowering finance teams to automate billing, invoicing, and revenue recognition, while also offering flexibility for hybrid pricing and go-to-market motions.  Tune in to hear Riya’s insights on scaling a SaaS business, managing a major product pivot, and how AI-powered automation is transforming the future of financial operations. Whether you’re a SaaS CFO, founder, or just curious about the evolving CFO tech stack, this episode has a wealth of lessons and practical advice.  Show Notes:   00:00 Automated Custom Billing Platform  04:29 Scaling Challenges for SaaS Companies  09:11 Pivoting to Custom Payments Solutions  10:54 Early Capital's Impact on Team Building  14:51 Adapting Teams for Changing Visions  16:40 Growth Strategy Focused on Content and Networking  20:31 Hybrid Scalable Pricing Model  24:35 Transforming Finance with AI Agents  29:19 "Contextual Finance Automation Opportunities"  30:25 "Contact SequenceHQ Easily"  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/sequence-raises-75-million-in-funding  Riya Grover’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riya-grover-a22a4822/  Sequence HQ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sequence-hq/  Sequence HQ’s Website: https://www.sequencehq.com/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Ananth Manivannan, founder of Resolvd, for an insightful conversation about building a SaaS solution that’s shaking up healthcare operations. Ananth shares how his journey from supply chain management at PepsiCo to software engineering at Capital One laid the groundwork for Resolvd, a company dedicated to automating complicated, manual workflows in hospital systems.  The discussion highlights how personal experiences—including his own family’s encounter with the complexities of hospital supply chains—inspired Ananth to solve real-world problems with technology. He opens up about the realities of fundraising at the pre-seed stage, landing big-name investors, and winning hospital clients by delivering fast, value-driven pilots that avoid drawn-out sales cycles.  Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a SaaS enthusiast, or just curious about the future of healthcare tech, this episode is packed with candid advice on pricing models, scaling a nimble team, and navigating the unpredictable world of startup growth. Tune in to discover what it takes to bring transformative AI-powered solutions to one of the world’s most challenging and impactful industries.  Show Notes:   00:00 Resolving the Swivel Chair Problem  06:35 Vision and Execution in Fundraising  09:52 Visionary Pitching for VC Success  12:18 Accelerating Healthcare Sales with Results  16:39 "Rise of Consumption-Based Models"  19:39 Measuring AI Workflow Efficiency  21:39 Exploring Pricing Models  24:21 Expressing Gratitude and Well Wishes  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/resolvd-ai-raises-1-6m-in-pre-seed-round  Ananth Manivannan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ananth-manivannan-775a24b7/  Resolvd AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resolvdai/  Resolvd AI’s Website: https://resolvd.ai/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray sits down with Idan Bar-Dov, co-founder and CEO of Heka. Idan shares his unique journey from working in finance and law—starting out at an international law firm advising fintech companies—through the challenges of founding a startup during the pandemic, to leading a fast-growing SaaS company transforming how financial institutions use open source data.  Together, they dive into Heka’s evolution from its early focus on reconnecting consumers with their assets amid widespread data gaps, to becoming a global platform that provides advanced fraud detection, contact recovery, and enriched credit decisioning for major banks, fintechs, payment processors, and alternative lenders. Idan also opens up about the company's fundraising milestones, lessons learned from raising $16 million to date, building credibility with Fortune 500 clients, and the importance of sticky revenue metrics as the business scales.  Tune in to hear more about Heka’s mission to become the gold standard in consumer data, outpacing industry giants, and what’s next for their growing team headquartered in New York and Israel. Plus, Idan shares practical advice for founders tackling enterprise sales, go-to-market strategy, and fundraising in the financial technology space.  Show Notes:  00:00 Fintech Pivot During COVID Lockdown  04:15 Global Financial Reconnection Solutions  07:20 Insightful Investors Drive Series A  11:59 Navigating Investment Deals Efficiently  14:42 Investors Drive Financial Innovation  18:48 "Metrics for Growth: Revenue & NRR"  20:49 "Conquer Fortune 500 Market"  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/heka-raises-14-million-in-series-a  Idan Bar-Dov's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idan-bar-dov/  Heka Global’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heka-global/  Heka Global’s Website: https://hekaglobal.com/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Jon Carr-Harris, founder and CEO of Cred, for an engaging discussion about Jon’s global background and entrepreneurial journey. Growing up across nine countries and with experience in multiple startups, Jon brings a unique perspective to building successful tech businesses and understanding diverse user needs.  Jon shares insights into Cred’s innovative predictive intelligence platform, which helps companies bridge internal and external data to drive smarter business actions. The conversation dives into Cred’s go-to-market strategies, enterprise sales cycles, and evolving pricing models—along with how the team secured a $15 million seed round and landed big-name customers in sports, entertainment, and finance.  Whether you’re interested in SaaS growth tactics, data-driven decision making, or scaling a new tech venture, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways. Jon also hints at an exciting new product launch coming soon, so stay tuned to learn more about what’s next for Cred!  Show Notes:  00:00 "Bridging Internal-External Market Insights"  04:38 PLG to Leadership Sales Strategy  08:33 "Tailoring Sales for Investor Appeal"  12:15 Adapting SaaS Pricing Model  14:28 Data and Revenue Correlation  16:41 "Revolutionary Enterprise Product Release"  Links:   SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/cred-raises-15-million-in-seed-round  Jon Carr-Harris' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarrharris/  CRED’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/credplatform/  CRED’s Website: https://www.credplatform.com/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben sits down with Gilad Uziely, co-founder and CEO of Sequence (getsequence.io), for an open and insightful conversation about the rollercoaster journey of entrepreneurship and fintech innovation. Gilad shares his fascinating background—from growing up in Israel to building businesses across multiple industries, including hospitality and tech startups.  The discussion dives deep into Sequence, a platform Gilad describes as “Zapier for money,” designed to help both individuals and small business owners seamlessly connect, automate, and manage their complex financial lives across various accounts. Gilad opens up about the challenges of pivoting from a failed neobank startup, the tough lessons learned through restructuring and fundraising (including wrangling 83 signatures to clean up a cap table!), and the resilience required to move forward.  If you’re interested in the realities of founding, pivoting, and scaling a SaaS company in the fintech world—or want a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build tools for micro-businesses and solopreneurs—this candid episode is for you. Gilad also shares his outlook on metrics that matter, building a strong company culture, and what’s next for Sequence as they take on the challenge of simplifying how we manage money.  Tune in to hear Gilad’s remarkable journey, practical lessons for founders, and what it truly takes to turn setbacks into new opportunities.   Show Notes:  00:00 "Program Your Money Easily"  04:29 Small Business Clients with Diverse Income  06:44 Business App for Revenue Tracking  11:16 Startup Pivot: Conviction and Blue Oceans  13:40 Fraudulent Users Increase Acquisition Costs  18:42 Critical Pivot Fueled by Investment  21:49 Targeting Small Business Customers  26:23 Cutting Acquisition Costs with Partnerships  27:27 "Join Sequence: Community & Content"  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/sequence-raises-75-million-in-funding  Gilad Uziely’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giladuziely/  Sequence’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getsequence/  Sequence’s Website: https://www.getsequence.io/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben Murray sits down with Braden Hancock, co-founder of Snorkel AI, to explore the journey of turning an academic research project at Stanford into one of today’s leading AI data platforms. Braden shares the origins of Snorkel, how it grew from a PhD initiative to a company helping some of the world’s largest enterprises tackle their toughest data labeling and AI evaluation challenges, and why good data remains the “secret sauce” behind successful AI.  We’ll dive into how Snorkel’s platform has enabled organizations—from major banks to highly regulated industries—to quickly build and customize AI models, and why scalable, programmatic approaches to data labeling are game changers. Braden also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Snorkel’s growth, fundraising journey (raising over $237 million to date!), and valuable lessons learned along the way. If you’re interested in the real-world applications of AI, SaaS growth strategies, or the evolving landscape of enterprise tech, you won’t want to miss this insightful conversation with one of AI’s innovative leaders.  Let’s jump in!  Show Notes:  00:00 "AI Success: Data-Driven Approach"  06:24 Startup Investment Stages Simplified  09:57 Strategic Momentum Drives Startup Success  13:16 Expanding Channels and Partnerships  14:33 AI Platform & Data Solutions Pricing  20:25 Focus on Evaluation Challenges  21:17 "Discover Snorkel Online"  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/snorkel-ai-raises-raises-85-million-in-series-c  https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/snorkel-ai-raises-100-million-in-series-d  Braden Hancock’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradenhancock/  Snorkel AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snorkel-ai/  Snorkel AI’s Website: https://snorkel.ai/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Jan Willem Van der Meer, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Momants. Jan Willem shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from building one of Europe’s major ticketing companies to launching Momants, an AI-powered platform designed to transform the events industry.  Discover how Momants is tackling the challenges of personalization and efficiency in event ticketing. Jan Willem explains how their solution integrates with existing ticketing systems to automate support, increase conversion, and create tailored marketing experiences for everything from festivals and concerts to museums and amusement parks.  Jan Willem also discusses the realities of founding and funding a SaaS startup, offering valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. If you’re interested in how AI is shaping the future of events, or if you’re a SaaS founder seeking inspiration and advice, this episode is filled with practical insights and forward-thinking ideas.  Show Notes:  00:00 Ticketing Company Rise and Sale  03:57 Challenges in Festival Ticketing  10:00 AI Startup's Initial $1M Investment  11:54 Supportive Network for Startup Success  14:35 "Building AI Partnerships with Innovators"  20:42 Balancing Revenue and Client Experience  22:39 Message Engagement and Client Onboarding  25:38 "WWF Moments Founder Chat"  Links:   SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/momants-raises-1-million-in-pre-seed-funding  Jan Willem Van der Meer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janwillemvdmeer/  Momant’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/momants/  Momant’s Website: https://www.momants.ai/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray 

Welcome to another episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast! Today, host Ben Murray sits down with Adrian Murray, founder and CEO of Fisent Technologies—a Toronto-based, SaaS company that's making waves in the enterprise automation space. With a background in banking technology, consulting, and a previous ed tech startup, Adrian shares his fascinating entrepreneurial journey and reveals how Fisent pivoted from its original KYC-focused product to its flagship BizAI solution, thanks in part to the rise of generative AI models like OpenAI's GPT, Google's Gemini, and others.   In this conversation, Adrian discusses the complexities of automating content processing for highly regulated industries such as financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare. He gives real-world examples, including how Fisent is helping a specialty parts manufacturer in the nuclear industry save time and improve on-time delivery metrics by extracting detailed requirements from lengthy technical documentation. Adrian also dives into go-to-market strategies, focusing on partner-driven sales, transactional pricing models, and why speed—not just cost savings—is the primary value driver for Fisent’s enterprise customers.   Whether you're interested in SaaS pricing strategies, enterprise sales, or learning how AI is being applied to real-world business challenges, this episode is packed with actionable insights and entrepreneurial advice. Be sure to visit Fisent.com or connect with Fisent Technologies on LinkedIn for more information.   Show Notes:   00:00 Innovating KYC with Fisent Risk   03:28 AI-Powered KYC Automation   06:51 AI Streamlines Complex Order Processing   13:11 Partner-Driven Enterprise Strategy   17:22 Post-Sale Software Usage Challenges   18:42 Importance of Net Dollar Retention   21:40 "APIs: Demo Usability vs. Production"   Links:    SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/fisent-technologies-expands-seed-round-to-2m   Adrian Murray’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianmurrray/   Fisent’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fisent/   Fisent’s Website: https://fisent.com/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray