Feb 24, 2022SaaS Quick Ratio — Measuring growth efficiencyWe’ve talked about net retention rate and its importance in this blog, but even a company with perfect net retention cannot succeed without a strong MRR. Focusing solely on net retention rate is, in a sense, putting the cart before the horse. While the growth of a company is significantly…SaaS3 min readSaaS3 min read
Sep 10, 20211% in net retention could mean millions in MRR; shown thru colorful chartsThere are plenty of blogs that explain what net retention analysis is and the formula to calculate it. This is a good one. In this blog, I’m going to apply that math to a growing startup. You’ll see how a 1% delta in net retention could mean tens of millions…SaaS3 min readSaaS3 min read
Aug 21, 2020An Interview with Ryan Keating — Financial Advice for StartupsI recently spoke with finance leaders from a couple dozen startups. Their expertise ranged from seed stage start-ups, where the CEO also served as the in-house finance leader, to growth stage companies where an in-house CFO monitored the entity’s current and future financial health. …Startup8 min readStartup8 min read
Jul 30, 2020Best Practices from the CFO SuiteForward In the current economic crisis, business leaders from early-stage startups to large multinational corporations have had to make difficult decisions. The financial implication of these decision is critical and the CFO is the executive helping the CEO navigate these decisions. Historically, the CFO role was focused on backward looking…Startup11 min readStartup11 min read
Jul 16, 2020Advice for Startups from your Financial Partner — myStartUpCFOI recently spoke with finance leaders from a couple dozen startups. These businesses ranged from seed stage companies where the CEO was the finance leader to growth stage companies with an in-house CFO. …Startup7 min readStartup7 min read
Jun 5, 20203 Perspectives on Good Board MeetingsIn the last article we wrote about structuring investor updates and how important these are in an unprecedented situation like COVID-19. Some startups are thriving in this situation and some startups are fighting for survival. Either way, the business environment is changing rapidly and this typically means startup founders and…Startup8 min readStartup8 min read
Jun 2, 2020Budget vs Actual Variance AnalysisLast month, I wrote an article about the FP&A function of the CFO suite (link). For this piece, I’ll dive into a tactical analysis that is important to every CEO and CFO, the budget vs actual variance analysis. What is the Budget vs Actual Variance Analysis It is a comparison…Technology5 min readTechnology5 min read
May 6, 2020Getting the most out of your Investor Update email — tips from your target audienceBy Christian Noske & Alex Lee This piece is a team effort between Christian Noske and myself. Christian is the Head of Alliance Ventures. We started talking about how important it is to have transparency between an investor and its portfolio companies. The outcome was this piece on Investor Updates. …Venture Capital8 min readVenture Capital8 min read
May 1, 2020Breaking Down the FP&A Function of the CFO SuiteTraditionally, the chief financial officer (CFO) is responsible for tracking the company’s past and present financial situation and ensuring on-time and accurate financial reporting. Today, the CFO is expected to inform strategic decisions that drive the success of the company. This function is called financial planning and analysis (FP&A). …Venture Capital5 min readVenture Capital5 min read
Apr 16, 2020COVID-19 Stimulus Package — More Important to Move Fast than Precisely CorrectYesterday, millions of Americans found government stimulus money deposited into their checking accounts. This is part of the CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus package to provide economic relief. Interestingly, many unexpecting Americans also received money. To cover the basics: for a single filer, you qualify for a stimulus check…Startup3 min readStartup3 min read
