In the season finale of Retained Learnings, Jeremy Black from Kinvie and Float CEO, Rob Khazzam, dive into the current state of Canadian business innovation and competitiveness, and how consumers pay the price.

Tune in for some thought provoking listening as we deep dive into how Fintech innovation and an abundance mindset are addressing the pain points that Canadians shouldn't have to endure, the competitiveness of Canadian businesses and more.

Join Ruslan, Co-Founder of Float, and Eleni Kasimos, Director of Finance at LumiQ, as they explore the evolving role of Finance as a strategic partner rather than the role of "Finance police." They also share valuable insights and advice for Finance professionals transitioning from larger organizations and conventional roles to becoming key contributors in a startup environment.

In this episode of Retained Learnings, Float CEO Rob Khazzam interviews Aman Samra, the Vice President of Finance at Spellbook, a company pioneering the use of assistive AI for lawyers. Aman shares his career journey, which began in large accounting firms where he built a solid foundation in financial statements, tax, and distributions. With the rise of the tech industry, he transitioned to a fintech role at an early-stage startup in the US, where he gained valuable insights into how companies scale and grow. His excitement about the innovations at Spellbook, brought him to his current position. In this episode, Aman discusses navigating a career in startups, what he considers the key considerations when joining a team, and the transformative impact of AI on finance roles.You can check out Aman’s show, The Generation Hustle Podcast, wherever you listen: In this episode of Retained Learnings, Float CEO Rob Khazzam interviews Aman Samra, the Vice President of Finance at Spellbook, a company pioneering the use of assistive AI for lawyers. Aman shares his career journey, which began in large accounting firms where he built a solid foundation in financial statements, tax, and distributions. With the rise of the tech industry, he transitioned to a fintech role at an early-stage startup in the US, where he gained valuable insights into how companies scale and grow. His excitement about the innovations at Spellbook, brought him to his current position. In this episode, Aman discusses navigating a career in startups, what he considers the key considerations when joining a team, and the transformative impact of AI on finance roles.You can check out Aman’s show, The Generation Hustle Podcast, wherever you listen: The Generation Hustle Podcast on Apple Podcasts

In this episode, Andrew Dale interviews Josh Zweig about his career journey from a Big Four accounting firm to founding his online accounting business, LiveCA. Zweig reflects on his disillusionment with the monotonous nature of auditing in a large organization, which ultimately led him on an entrepreneurial journey and the evolution of his vision from a lifestyle business to creating a flexible work environment for others.

From Bootstrapped to VC Backed with Christopher Chan, Head of Finance, Knak

Learn how Tyler Vasselin moved into the CFO role at fast-growing Calgary tech company Showpass, where he has been instrumental in scaling the company's finance operations from its early stages to a more structured department capable of supporting rapid business growth.

Tyler's insights into navigating career transitions, the strategic building of finance functions in startups, and the effective use of technology in finance painted a comprehensive picture of the challenges and strategies that define successful financial leadership in dynamic business environments.

We kick off Season 2 with a very special guest - Float's own Head of Finance, Brendan White. In this epsiode Brendan shares his career journey, how finance teams have changed over the last 10 years, and what he learned working for hypergrowth company Ada.

Taking a company public is one of the biggest moments in a company’s existence. The CFO is a key leader in making it happen. The preparations are extensive and the process can be intense. Ryan Levenberg was the CFO of Q4 when the company went public in October 2021. It was his first time going through a public offering. In this episode, you’ll learn how Ryan and Q4 worked through the preparations, how the finance team was involved and some of the helpful investments in systems, staff and processes that Ryan made prior to the IPO. You’ll also hear Ryan’s advice on how important it is to be a part of a community of experienced professionals.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

Being acquired is a pivotal milestone in a company’s existence. The process can take months or even years. When an initial agreement is made, the CFO and the finance team play an integral role in closing the deal. Due diligence can be demanding, intense and give a sense of what it will look like for companies to work together. Louise Hucal, CFO of Inkbox was a key team member during the acquisition of Inkbox by BIC in January 2022. Learn how Louise worked through thousands of due diligence questions to help close the 65 million dollar deal, the processes Inkbox already had in place to help make the acquisition go smoothly and some valuable advice for finance leaders who expect to go through an acquisition in the future.

Learn more about Inkbox by visiting https://inkbox.com/ . 

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.

As Canada’s tech industry continues to grow so does the need for experienced finance professionals to help lead these emerging businesses. As a result, seasoned finance professionals are making the leap from traditional industries like agriculture, manufacturing or natural resources. Marjorie Junio-Read made that leap, leaving Canadian Natural Resources Limited in 2019 after almost 12 years. In 2019 Marjorie became the CFO of Helcim, a tech company that is trying to create a better payments experience for merchants. Learn about the differences of working in a traditional industry like natural resources vs. tech, why it was the right time for Marjorie to make a career change, and how finance is taking a strategic leadership role in tech companies. 

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.