As the startup funding landscape evolves, is your financial strategy keeping pace? 

In this changing environment, a well-crafted financial strategy has become increasingly crucial for startups. 

Janelle Gorman, CFO of York IE, York IE, an advisory and investment firm that helps technology companies grow, shares valuable insights on crafting financial strategies that can make or break a startup's success. Drawing from her extensive experience with high-growth startups, Janelle explores key topics such as optimizing cash flow, managing burn rates, and identifying the metrics that drive sustainable business growth.  

Whether you're a CFO, finance leader, startup founder, or investor, this episode provides actionable strategies for building financial resilience and positioning your startup for success in the current economic climate. Discover how to transform financial challenges into opportunities for growth and long-term success. 

Discussed in This Episode  

• Navigating the delicate balance between growth and financial sustainability in today's market 
• Evolving investor expectations and strategies to make your startup stand out in fundraising 
• Cash flow management techniques to extend runway and fuel effective scaling 
• Essential financial metrics for startup success, including how to optimize CAC payback period 
• Why achieving product-market fit is crucial before ramping up sales and marketing efforts 

Revolutionizing tax functions is no longer a distant dream—it's happening now. This episode delves into the groundbreaking transformation of tax departments from cost centers to strategic powerhouses. Dave Helmer, EY Global Tax and Finance Operate Leader, and Daren R. Campbell, EY Americas Tax Technology and Transformation Leader, share their expertise on how Generative AI or GenAI and other cutting-edge technologies are elevating tax departments from mere cost centers to strategic business partners. 

The discussion explores how innovative tax strategies are influencing everything from supply chain management to corporate transactions, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of a modernized tax function. 

This episode examines the challenges and opportunities facing today's tax professionals. From talent acquisition to technological integration, it provides insights for finance leaders aiming to unlock the full potential of their tax departments and drive business value in an AI-driven world. 

Learn how forward-thinking companies are leveraging their tax functions to navigate complex regulatory environments, drive efficiency, and inform critical business decisions. 

Discussed in This Episode  

• The role tax plays in partnership with finance and business decision-making 
• How Generative AI is helping CFOs transform tax operations 
• Challenges in tax data management and integration within finance operations 
• AI use cases in tax 
• How tax functions integrate seamlessly into finance 
• Initial steps for AI adoption 
• Change management in AI adoption

The AI revolution is here, and it’s transforming business as we know it.  

In this episode, Hugh Cumming, Chief Technology Officer of Vena Solutions, discusses the new industrial revolution powered by artificial intelligence. With over 20 years of experience as a product and technology leader, Hugh offers insights into how AI is reshaping the modern business landscape.  

The conversation delves into AI’s impact on finance and productivity, offering a glimpse into the future of work. Hugh outlines the emerging skill sets required to thrive in this new era and provides valuable advice on how professionals and organizations can stay competitive in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.  

Hugh explores the myriad ways AI is revolutionizing work by automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making processes, and fostering creative problem-solving. From maximizing operational efficiency to nurturing creativity, Hugh offers practical examples and actionable insights for strategically integrating AI into business operations as a workforce partner.  

Learn how AI is shaping the future of business and how you can position yourself and your organization at the forefront of this exciting new frontier.  

Discussed in This Episode   

• The AI-Driven industrial revolution: How to avoid getting left behind  
• The changing skill sets required for the future AI-driven landscape  
• How businesses are integrating AI into their workflow  
• Embracing AI as a workforce partner, not your replacement  
• Suggestions on how to integrate AI without disruption  
• Importance of change management in AI adoption 

The art of corporate debt management has become a critical balancing act for CFOs, who must simultaneously fuel company expansion and preserve financial robustness.   

Debt is a critical tool that, when leveraged effectively, can drive operational efficiency and business expansion. By structuring debt strategically, organizations can optimize liquidity, mitigate financial risk, and enhance overall capital efficiency.

Tom Panther, Chief Financial Officer of Corpay, a leading S&P 500 corporate payments company joins our host Melissa Howatson to discuss the complexities of debt management. Drawing on his 30+ years of experience in finance, Tom explains how CFOs can navigate debt management amid fluctuating market conditions and leverage these changes to benefit their organizations.  

Discover Tom’s strategies for effective spend management, proactive cash flow monitoring, and successfully adapting to today’s new business landscape.  

Discussed in This Episode:  

• The macroeconomic impacts resulting from the Federal Reserve rate cuts and broader market volatility.   
• Strategies CFOs are employing to adapt their financial approaches in response to economic shifts.  
• Advice on how to maximize debt structure.  
• How businesses can hedge against volatility.  
• Positioning your organization for future growth in an evolving climate.

Intellectual property (IP) is revolutionizing how companies build value. For many businesses, the key to sustainable growth lies not in their balance sheet, but in the ideas they own. 

Erin-Michael Gill, founder of M&A firm Genaesis, LLC, and Chairman of a Federal Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property and Trade, shares his expertise in this episode. With over $1.2 billion in M&A and capital formation investments under his advisory, Gill is consistently recognized as one of the world's leading IP strategists. 

Erin-Michael delves into the intersection of IP strategy, innovation, and deal-making. He discusses how CFOs can unlock the full potential of their IP portfolios to fuel growth, attract investors, and drive success in M&A transactions. 

Discover why IP should be at the forefront of your business strategy and learn practical approaches to developing and managing IP assets. 

Discussed in This Episode: 

• The pivotal role of IP and intangible assets in driving company valuation and growth, with a focus on M&A contexts. 
• Why many businesses overlook their potential to monetize IP and other intangible assets. 
• How a well-crafted IP portfolio can become a cornerstone of a company's growth strategy, attracting investors and securing competitive advantages. 
• The various ways patents add value to a business, from legal protections to social proof.  
• Strategies for assessing, valuing, and positioning intangible assets to optimize outcomes in deal-making scenarios.

The CFO-COO partnership is undeniably one of the most powerful alliances that can make or break a company's success. When working in perfect harmony, this duo creates a formidable force that drives strategic decisions, enhances operational efficiency, and propels growth. 

In this installment of our finance business partnering series, host Melissa Howatson welcomes Sandra Clarke, Former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Blue Shield of California. Sandra, who spent the majority of her career in finance, progressed from analyst to CFO before taking on the COO role. She discusses the unique perspective of having been on both sides of the CFO-COO relationship, addressing the benefits of close collaboration as well as the challenges that may arise from competing priorities. 

Discover what it takes to build a successful CFO-COO business collaboration that benefits the entire organization and learn how this dynamic partnership directly impacts a company's bottom line.

Discussed in This Episode: 

• The role of the COO, its variability across companies, and where it intersects with the CFO role in facilitating company strategy and boosting growth. 
• How finance leaders can bring the most value to the operations team by understanding the business, identifying patterns in numbers that may indicate potential issues, and recommending optimal resource allocation. 
• Key elements of a strong CFO-COO partnership, including humility, mutual trust in each other's expertise, and an unwavering focus on what's best for the business. 
• Navigating tensions between CFO and COO roles when financial data doesn't support perceived operational needs, and strategies for collaboration in these challenging situations. 

Healthcare costs continue to be the most unpredictable expense for businesses, creating a challenging dilemma for CFOs. While healthcare benefits serve as a powerful tool for recruiting and retaining employees, the escalating costs are forcing many finance leaders to seek innovative ways to reduce expenses without compromising the quality of care or the attractiveness of their benefits packages.

Anisha Sood is the Chief Financial and Strategy Officer at First Choice Health, with more than 20 years of experience across the healthcare industry. Since joining First Choice Health in 2019, she has overseen finance and strategy, focusing on offering more cost-effective solutions to employers. In this episode, Anisha talks to host Melissa Howatson about why healthcare costs are rising and how providers like First Choice Health are bringing them down without sacrificing quality care.

Discover how CFOs can adopt innovative approaches to manage both healthcare costs and employee benefits expenditures effectively during challenging economic times.

Discussed in This Episode:

• Recent trends and changes in healthcare benefits, and factors contributing to rising costs
• How First Choice Health is disrupting the traditional healthcare benefits model through expanded partnerships and reduced administrative costs
• Strategies to mitigate healthcare costs, including how insurers can tailor benefits to an employer’s unique needs, considering factors such as geography and remote workforce
• Balancing the CFO’s need to control costs with the CHRO’s goal of recruiting and retaining employees
• The growing importance of mental and behavioral health benefits in comprehensive healthcare packages

• The most important considerations for finance leaders before making their first hire
• Why Amy invested first in her accounts payable team, and how she now views this function as a breeding ground for talent
• How to assess the technologies a business truly needs at various stages of its growth
• Navigating the challenges of transitioning from a small to a larger, more complex finance function
• Why culture fit is often overlooked in finance, but is just as important as in any other part of the business
• Why cultural fit is often overlooked in finance, but is just as important as in any other part of the business

• Key themes that have emerged in Dresner’s market research on EPM throughout 2024.
• Advice John and his team would give to CFOs looking to stay ahead of the curve on EPM.
• How CFOs can pragmatically embrace AI to boost productivity and accuracy
• Trends expected to shape EPM in 2025 and beyond.