The SaaS CFO

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast, where we dive deep into the financial and operational strategies shaping the future of SaaS companies. In this episode, Ben sits down with Brian Mongeau, CFO at Cav—a company revolutionizing compliance and assurance for high-reliability organizations in both the government and commercial enterprise space. With a career spanning Army Special Forces, stints at Goldman Sachs and CrowdStrike, and extensive experience in early-stage security tech investing, Brian Mongeau offers a unique perspective at the intersection of finance, product, and go-to-market strategy. 

Together, they explore Cav’s evolution from legacy SaaS to the development of its AI-driven ComplianceOS platform, the challenges of pricing and margins in an era powered by tokens, the intricacies of fundraising in a capital-efficient environment, and the lessons learned from driving enterprise growth and retention. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, operator, or fellow CFO, this episode is packed with actionable insights for navigating today’s rapidly changing landscape. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Early career experiences and learnings 

04:21 Scaling and operationalizing the business 

06:52 Developing ComplianceOS and Fundraising 

09:55 Importance of cross-department communication 

15:18 Importance of Customer Referrals 

18:13 Discussing efficiency metrics in federal space 

21:21 Investment in Compliance and FedRAMP 

23:16 Exploring the CAVHQ website 

Links: 

Brian Mongeau's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-mongeau/ 

Cav's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/caveonix 

Cav's Website: https://cavhq.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 The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben sits down with Ryan Austin, founder and CEO of Cognota. Ryan shares his journey from being an entrepreneur with a self-described unconventional academic background to building Cognota, a company pioneering the "LearnOps" category for enterprise learning and development teams.  

Together, they dive into the challenges of scaling in today’s market, discuss creative approaches to enterprise sales and pricing, and explore how AI is reshaping internal operations and competitive strategy. Whether you’re interested in SaaS growth, fundraising, or the evolving landscape of learning technology, this episode offers unique insights from Ryan's experience leading an agile team and navigating the fast-changing world of enterprise software. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Integrating tech for better outcomes 

04:53 Managing Longer Sales Cycles 

07:20 Investing in leadership team 

11:26 Exploring outcome-based pricing models 

15:47 Discussing ARR and AI efficiencies 

18:32 Making tough business decisions 

20:19 Connecting on LinkedIn and LearnOps 

Links: 

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/cognota-raises-5-75-million-series-b 

Ryan Austin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanaustin3/ 

Cognota’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cognotahq/ 

Cognota’s Website: https://cognota.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 Murray is joined by Josh Axler, Managing Director at Flow Capital, for a deep dive into the world of SaaS fundraising, venture debt, and revenue metrics. Josh shares his perspective on what makes SaaS ARR truly financeable, the nuances between live and committed revenue, and why understanding the quality of your earnings is critical for securing debt financing. 

Listeners will get practical advice on key SaaS metrics, due diligence readiness, and how to prepare for successful conversations with lenders. Josh also addresses the impact of AI on SaaS businesses, current expectations in SaaS lending, and common misconceptions about equity versus debt financing. Whether you’re a founder, CFO, or operator aiming for growth, this episode offers invaluable insight into navigating the evolving financial landscape for SaaS companies. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Introduction to Flow Capital 

03:13 Evaluating ARR quality and details 

07:25 Evaluating SaaS Financial Health 

10:08 Finding ideal customer profiles 

15:04 Evaluating SaaS Lending Metrics 

18:43 Using debt for growth capital 

20:17 Challenges with venture debt repayment 

25:07 Evaluating AI impact on business 

26:55 AI companies and revenue concerns 

29:21 Assessing value and revenue impact 

33:49 Contacting Josh for more info 

Links: 

Josh Axler’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshaxler/ 

Flow Capital’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flowcapital/ 

Flow Capital’s Website: https://www.flowcap.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 

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Brandon Min, founder and CEO of Herd Security, as he shares his journey in building an innovative SaaS company at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI. In this episode, we dive into how Herd Security is moving beyond outdated, compliance-driven training and transforming how enterprises educate their teams about security and AI adoption with ongoing, personalized programs. 

The discussion covers Brandon’s path from engineering roles to entrepreneurship, the challenges and realities of startup fundraising in today’s market, and the bold steps Herd Security is taking with founder-led sales and customer acquisition. We also unpack the complexities of SaaS pricing models in the AI era, and Brandon’s approach to tracking operational metrics, product development speed, and customer feedback. 

Whether you’re a SaaS founder, CFO, or anyone interested in cybersecurity, AI, or startup growth strategies, this episode of The SaaS CFO is packed with actionable insights and candid stories from the front lines. 

🔹 Topics Covered: 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Improving security training with AI 

05:15 Targeting mid-market companies for security 

10:17 Planning a realistic company exit 

11:29 Challenges in Securing Investor Interest 

15:54 Cold calling and outbound sales 

17:31 Pricing and product tiering basics 

22:00 Product roadmap and testing ideas 

24:24 Optimizing distribution channels 

Links: 

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/herd-security-lands-3m-in-funding 

Brandon Min’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-min-356ab290/ 

Herd Security’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/herdsecurity 

Herd Security’s Website: https://www.herdsecurity.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 

Join Ben Murray as he sits down with Guy Sheetrit, the innovative CEO and founder of Lyrie AI, for a deep dive into the fast-evolving world of SaaS, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. The conversation focuses on Guy’s extraordinary journey—from being one of Israel’s first internet-connected teens and a pioneer in SEO, to rebuilding everything after a failed IPO, and launching a cutting-edge AI-powered cybersecurity platform in Dubai. 

A key theme that emerges is resilience and reinvention. Ben and Guy explore the challenges and opportunities of building in stealth, redefining industry standards with autonomous cyber agents, and addressing threats others aren’t even detecting. Discover how Lyrie is transforming cybersecurity for organizations of all sizes, what it takes to raise strategic capital without losing product focus, and Guy’s vision to make the ATP protocol the new global benchmark. 

Don’t miss this episode if you want a behind-the-scenes look at SaaS entrepreneurship, next-gen cybersecurity, and the future of AI in business defense. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Early business success and pre-COVID struggles 

03:51 Moving business to Dubai 

10:44 Self-funding and costly GPU expenses 

12:03 Meeting with Joshua in Dubai 

15:19 Early revenue and growth strategies 

19:02 Concerns about advanced AI access 

22:56 Marketing plan for 1 million clients 

24:27 Checking and improving SEO 

Links: 

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/lyrie-ai-raises-2m-pre-seed-round 

Guy Sheetrit’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guysheetrit/ 

Lyrie AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lyrie-ai/about/ 

Lyrie AI’s Website: https://lyrie.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 back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today’s episode, Ben sits down with Rohit Bhadange, co-founder and CEO of Zamp—the operating system for sales tax compliance that’s bringing much-needed visibility and automation to a traditionally complex space. 

From his roots in investment banking and private equity to launching Zamp in 2022, Rohit Bhadange shares how his team is reshaping compliance for the entire digital economy, serving everyone from early-stage SaaS founders to enterprises approaching $500 million in revenue. Learn how Zamp leverages AI and data transparency to drive operational leverage and win trust from both customers and accounting partners, resulting in rapid fundraising traction and a business growing 5–6x since their Series A. 

We’ll discuss Zamp’s approach to pricing, global expansion, customer acquisition strategies, and hear Rohit Bhadange's insight on SaaS growth metrics, operating leverage, and what sets a modern compliance platform apart. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, CFO, or just fascinated by the evolving intersection of AI and finance, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Targeting mid-sized enterprise customers 

03:20 Expanding international market reach 

09:26 Building in Stealth Mode 

11:03 Choosing the Right Investors 

14:01 Improving AI with Transparent Workflows 

 17:48 Outcome-based pricing strategy 

21:27 Growth and efficiency improvements 

23:30 Where to find Rohit online 

Links:  

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/zamp-bags-30m-in-total-funding 

Rohit Bhandage’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitbhadange/ 

Zamp’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zamptax/ 

Zamp’s Website: https://zamp.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 

Join Ben Murray on The SaaS CFO Podcast as he welcomes Pac O'Shea, CEO and co-founder of Round Treasury. In this episode, Pac O'Shea shares his journey from fintech consulting to launching a SaaS company focused on automating finance operations for growing businesses. 

Discover how Round Treasury is using AI and automation to streamline cash management, accounts payable, and reporting, empowering CFOs and founders to save time and make smarter financial decisions. Pac O'Shea talks about building secure agentic workflows, the realities of raising capital in today’s AI-driven market, and why transparency in pricing matters.

Whether you’re a finance leader or startup founder, you’ll get practical insights into the future of back office automation, the challenges of scaling a SaaS company, and strategies for engaging with CFOs in a rapidly changing tech landscape. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Early treasury product for businesses 

04:48 Building AI for Stable Coin Payments 

07:38 Testing AI for banking tasks 

13:13 Customer referrals and word-of-mouth 

14:36 Discussing the pricing model update 

17:40 Hiring focus and enterprise projects 

Links:  

Pac O’Shea’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pac-o-shea/ 

Round Treasury’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/roundtreasury 

Round Treasury’s Website: https://www.roundtreasury.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 

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, Ben Murray welcomes Laina Chan, CEO and founder of MiAI Law, to discuss the intersection of legal expertise and cutting-edge AI. With a three-decade career as a construction law barrister and a background in mathematics, Laina Chan shares how her experiences led to building a platform that transforms legal research and risk management. 

Laina Chan explains how MiAI Law stands apart by replicating the way barristers think, offering precise, first-principles of legal analysis and verification—features now attracting judges, large law firms, and in-house counsel. She dives into the challenges of bringing AI into traditional legal workflows, recent fundraising wins, and the company’s approach to value-based pricing given the high demands of AI inference. 

Looking ahead, Laina Chan talks about MiAI Law’s rapid growth, its entry into the US market, and ambitious plans to reach $1 million in annual recurring revenue. Listen in for exclusive insights on building and scaling an AI-driven SaaS business in the evolving legal tech landscape. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Unexpected markets for legal tech 

05:38 Legal document analysis tools 

06:34 Legal risk management system overview 

10:27 Testing error validation with a judge 

13:58 Subscription pricing and package features 

19:17 Microsoft partnership and Azure listing 

20:40 Potential UK firm subscription 

23:26 Crafting detailed reports 

Links:  

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/miai-law-secures-aud-2-million-in-funding 

Laina Chan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lainachanbarrister/ 

MiAI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/miai-law/ 

MiAI’s Website: https://miai.law/ 

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 back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben Murray catches up with Anna Berger, founder and CEO of Trayd, to discuss the company’s impressive journey from a $4.5 million seed round to a $10 million Series A in just a year. 

Anna Berger shares how Trayd sharpened its focus on serving union and prevailing wage contractors, leading to 600% revenue growth and a team expansion from 14 to 35 employees. She dives into the challenges of hiring, the evolution of their leadership team, and the company-wide embrace of AI tools to boost productivity. 

Listen in as Anna Berger discusses refining Trayd’s go-to-market strategy, the metrics that matter most, and what it truly takes to scale a SaaS company in the construction tech space. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 The Series A growth stage 

06:08 Challenges of hiring staff 

07:05 Teamwide AI tool integration 

12:33 Understanding investor expectations 

15:32 Organizing unstructured company data 

17:56 Managing seasonal workforce needs 

19:26 Staying resilient in tough times 

Links: 

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/trayd-raises-4-5-million-in-seed-round 

Anna Berger’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annajberger/ 

Trayd’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/traydinc/ 

Trayd’s Website: https://www.buildtrayd.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 today’s episode, Ben sits down with Spiros Xanthos, founder and CEO of Resolve AI. With a robust background in developer tools and successful exits—including acquisitions by VMware and Splunk—Spiros Xanthos brings decades of insight from both startup and corporate environments. Now leading Resolve AI, he’s pioneering agentic AI solutions designed to transform how enterprises maintain and operate production software. 

Spiros Xanthos shares candid lessons learned from building fast-growth, VC-backed companies, insights on fundraising strategy ($150M+ raised across Seed and Series A), and how the speed of AI innovation is reshaping company culture, product development, and go-to-market approaches. If you’re curious about the latest in SaaS, AI-driven incident response, scaling a technical team, or outcome-based pricing, this conversation delivers practical wisdom for founders and finance leaders navigating today’s rapid AI evolution. 

Show Notes: 

00:00 Building developer tools and acquisitions 

05:44 Challenges with data overload 

07:06 Challenges in managing complex systems 

11:00 Early self-funding decisions 

13:23 Lessons from experience in startups 

17:53 Building a Strong Brand 

19:33 Expanding customer support team 

24:19 Defining success metrics in AI tasks 

26:42 Maintaining culture while scaling 

29:48 Innovating with Multi-Agent Systems 

Links: 

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/resolve-ai-raises-125m-series-a-at-1b-valuation 

https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/resolve-ai-secures-35-million-in-seed-round 

Spiros Xanthos’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spiros/ 

Resolve AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resolveai/ 

Resolve AI’s Website: https://resolve.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