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SaaSy Talk S01.26: The Rebel's Journey: A Dive into the CFO Role with Alka Tandan from Gainsight
About The Guest(s): Alka Tandan is Chief Financial Officer at Gainsight. Tandan has over 20 years of corporate finance and operations experience in the technology industry, mostly focused on SaaS. She began her career in investment banking where she helped take Salesforce and Google public and has held various strategic and operational roles at MetricStream, Actian Corporation, and SAP. Tandan is also a limited partner and advisor for the venture fund Operator Collective as well as an angel investor, and is a founding member of The F Suite, a community platform for Chief Financial Officers of leading venture capital funds and high growth technology companies.
Summary: Alka shares her journey growing up in Silicon Valley and how her parents' background in engineering influenced her career in tech. She discusses the challenges and realities of working in Silicon Valley, as well as the impact and influence of being a woman in the industry. Alka also talks about the importance of building strong relationships in business and how she navigates the role of CFO with a human-first approach. She reflects on her proudest moments in her career, including Gainsight's acquisition by Vista, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of scaling a SaaS company. Alka shares her strategies for adapting to economic downturns and planning for the future amidst uncertainty. She also highlights exciting developments at Gainsight, including recent acquisitions and the company's focus on the post-sales journey.
Key Takeaways:
Growing up in Silicon Valley and being surrounded by tech influenced Alka's career in the industry
Building strong relationships and effective communication are key to success in business
Being a human-first CFO means being transparent, approachable, and explaining decisions to build trust
Planning for the future requires scenario planning and regular review of the business's financials
Gainsight is focused on filling the entire post-sales journey and leveraging AI for future growth.
Quotes:
"Being in an environment like Silicon Valley, my uncle being an entrepreneur, you just start dreaming big."
"The most important reason this deal matters is that we've proven you can win in business by being human first."
"We're not just a customer success company anymore. We're looking at owning the entire post-sales journey."
Chapters:
00:08 Guest's Early Life and Career Beginnings
02:02 Growing Up in Silicon Valley
02:37 Career Milestones and Achievements
02:47 Challenges and Realities of Silicon Valley
03:54 Impact and Influence as a Woman in Tech
06:07 Journey to Becoming a CFO
08:24 Building Strong Relationships in Business
10:26 Adapting to Economic Downturn
12:51 Challenges in Scaling a SaaS Company
15:56 Learning from Business Mistakes
18:06 Proudest Moments in Career
19:35 Adopting a Human-First Approach in Business
23:48 Navigating Transparency and Confidentiality
26:45 Adapting to Unpredictable Situations
27:04 Team Alignment and Decision Making
27:13 Impact of Investment on Team Communication and Planning
27:28 Increased Alignment and Regular Meetings with Investors
30:11 Planning for 2024 Amidst Uncertainty
30:29 Strategies for Navigating Economic Changes
32:34 The Importance of Regular Review and Adaptability
33:23 Understanding Cash Flow for Business Flexibility
34:04 Exciting Developments and Future Plans for Gainsight
35:28 Quick Fire Round: Getting to Know Alka
Subscribe on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saasy-talk-unfiltered/id1709426070
Subscribe on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSyTalkUnfiltered
Subscribe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered
Visit our Website:
https://saasytalkunfiltered.transistor.fm/
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickysevta/
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandiljore/
View all episodes
By Ricky and SeanAbout The Guest(s): Alka Tandan is Chief Financial Officer at Gainsight. Tandan has over 20 years of corporate finance and operations experience in the technology industry, mostly focused on SaaS. She began her career in investment banking where she helped take Salesforce and Google public and has held various strategic and operational roles at MetricStream, Actian Corporation, and SAP. Tandan is also a limited partner and advisor for the venture fund Operator Collective as well as an angel investor, and is a founding member of The F Suite, a community platform for Chief Financial Officers of leading venture capital funds and high growth technology companies.
Summary: Alka shares her journey growing up in Silicon Valley and how her parents' background in engineering influenced her career in tech. She discusses the challenges and realities of working in Silicon Valley, as well as the impact and influence of being a woman in the industry. Alka also talks about the importance of building strong relationships in business and how she navigates the role of CFO with a human-first approach. She reflects on her proudest moments in her career, including Gainsight's acquisition by Vista, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of scaling a SaaS company. Alka shares her strategies for adapting to economic downturns and planning for the future amidst uncertainty. She also highlights exciting developments at Gainsight, including recent acquisitions and the company's focus on the post-sales journey.
Key Takeaways:
Growing up in Silicon Valley and being surrounded by tech influenced Alka's career in the industry
Building strong relationships and effective communication are key to success in business
Being a human-first CFO means being transparent, approachable, and explaining decisions to build trust
Planning for the future requires scenario planning and regular review of the business's financials
Gainsight is focused on filling the entire post-sales journey and leveraging AI for future growth.
Quotes:
"Being in an environment like Silicon Valley, my uncle being an entrepreneur, you just start dreaming big."
"The most important reason this deal matters is that we've proven you can win in business by being human first."
"We're not just a customer success company anymore. We're looking at owning the entire post-sales journey."
Chapters:
00:08 Guest's Early Life and Career Beginnings
02:02 Growing Up in Silicon Valley
02:37 Career Milestones and Achievements
02:47 Challenges and Realities of Silicon Valley
03:54 Impact and Influence as a Woman in Tech
06:07 Journey to Becoming a CFO
08:24 Building Strong Relationships in Business
10:26 Adapting to Economic Downturn
12:51 Challenges in Scaling a SaaS Company
15:56 Learning from Business Mistakes
18:06 Proudest Moments in Career
19:35 Adopting a Human-First Approach in Business
23:48 Navigating Transparency and Confidentiality
26:45 Adapting to Unpredictable Situations
27:04 Team Alignment and Decision Making
27:13 Impact of Investment on Team Communication and Planning
27:28 Increased Alignment and Regular Meetings with Investors
30:11 Planning for 2024 Amidst Uncertainty
30:29 Strategies for Navigating Economic Changes
32:34 The Importance of Regular Review and Adaptability
33:23 Understanding Cash Flow for Business Flexibility
34:04 Exciting Developments and Future Plans for Gainsight
35:28 Quick Fire Round: Getting to Know Alka
Subscribe on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saasy-talk-unfiltered/id1709426070
Subscribe on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSyTalkUnfiltered
Subscribe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasy-talk-unfiltered
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
https://substack.com/@saasytalkunfiltered
Visit our Website:
https://saasytalkunfiltered.transistor.fm/
Follow Ricky Sevta on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickysevta/
Follow Sean Diljore on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandiljore/