February 14, 2023

Why a Top VC is Backing FP&A all the way

48 minutes

The VC behind buzzy startups Calm, GoFundMe, Udemy and Gong is bullish on FP&A. Ryan Abdullah an Investor at Norwest Venture Partners tells FP&A Today says there are four reasons why VCs rely on FP&A, particularly during a downturn.

Firstly there is a huge increase in appetite for forecasts. Secondly FP&A must take account of labor shifts in startups (not least caused by large layoffs). Thirdly, ( investors who are all about growth) see FP&A as an ally and “profit center” to help businesses “grow and do better”. Fourthly FP&A is delivering an agenda with other departments to define budgets “rather than just entering numbers in a spreadsheet.”

In this episode Paul talks to Ryan Abdullah covering:

How VCS look at the role of FP&A and the benefit to their portfolio companies

Which financial insights and KPIs matter most to investors

The role FP&A plays in big fundraising?

What do VCs see as FP&A magic

The importance of realistic and accurate models for VCs

The importance of robust software for handling and cleaning financial data

The challenges and opportunities for SaaS KPIs

His biggest success and biggest failure

Ryan’s photography hobby and how it helps him to think about investing

Watch the full show on YouTube

Read the full transcript and blog

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