Run the Numbers

Dr. Andre Retterath, investing partner at Earlybird Venture Capital, discusses the levels of the AI tech stack, changes in back office functions for finance and operations, and his favorite decision-making frameworks. They explore challenges in finance, improving AI's capabilities with numbers, and the integration of machine learning in venture capital investing.

CFO of ClickUp, Dan Zhang, discusses her time at Amazon, personal finance philosophy, and important decision-making frameworks such as the Trust Formula and the Empty Boat Test. They also cover the significance of work ethic, effective communication, and scenario planning. Additionally, they explore the importance of attitude, mindset, and rewiring the mind. They discuss scheduling, prioritizing meetings, and different decision-making frameworks. They reflect on a career mistake, talk about their finance software stack, and share a funny expense anecdote.

Philip Watson, CFO of Paddle, discusses the complexities of IPOs and acquisitions. Topics include tech versus revenue acquisitions, operating within debt covenants, FP&A's role in the IPO process, picking disclosed metrics, decision making frameworks, and more.

Lee Kirkpatrick, former CFO of Twilio, shares his experience leading Twilio through its IPO. He discusses the preparations, roadshows, and decisions made during the process. Topics include selecting bankers, determining the offering price, optimizing IPO price, choosing lead bankers, first earnings call as a public CFO, the importance of forecasting, and a funny expense report mishap.

Dave Yuan, founder and partner at Tidemark discusses key heuristics and challenges in vertical SaaS, determining control points in a tech stack, the relationship between vertical SaaS companies and marketplaces, and metrics and benchmarks for vertical SaaS companies.

Tony Kim, Managing Director at Blackrock, discusses the secrets of durable businesses, unreliable TAM measure, competitive moats, 2nd/3rd acts for growth. They touch on durable revenue, data gravity, determining expansion opportunities, fundamentals in AI investments, the challenge of handling the backlog of unicorns, and analyzing CEO and CFO messages.

Jonathan Becker, CEO of Thrive Digital, discusses the significance of trust in marketing teams, the difference between brand marketing and performance marketing, the challenges of start-up marketing, and the impact of sponsorship and advertising on company growth. They also explore metrics used in startup marketing, the evolution of marketing attribution, and the importance of finding marketing channel focus.

Sebastian Duesterhoeft, partner at Lightspeed Ventures, returns to discuss competitive moats and the advantages they offer companies. They explore different types of moats, highlight the power of network effects, analyze Google and Amazon's strengths, and discuss counter positioning as a disruptive strategy. They also delve into the hesitancy of large companies to change and the importance of building sustainable moats from the start.

Sid Kumar, SVP of RevOps at HubSpot, dives deep into the world of revenue operations. He emphasizes the need for revenue operations to closely collaborate with frontline teams. Key topics include the importance of clear compensation plans and understanding customer incentives. Sid discusses how to navigate ambitious revenue targets amid market shifts and the intricacies of managing sales discounts. He also highlights the role of unified tools and AI in enhancing decision-making and insights across marketing, sales, and service divisions.

CJ welcomes the president of the Boston Celtics, Rich Gotham. Rich discusses his journey in the NBA and provides insight into the business side of one of the world's most recognizable sports brands. He highlights the emphasis placed on embracing digital technology, retaining fans, creating effective partnerships, and the importance of community involvement for the team. Rich also talks about the increasing role of data in managing team operations and addresses the famous Paul Pierce incident from the 2008 NBA Finals. Supercharge financial operations with Maxio. Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.---SPONSORS: Maxio | Tropic | ThoropassMaxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages. 🚀 Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how.Thoropass provides complete compliance management, continuous monitoring, and security audits through intuitive software and expert guidance – allowing you to do business with confidence. Learn more: https://bit.ly/Thoropass 🔒---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(00:44) The Evolution of the Boston Celtics' Business Model(00:49) The Impact of Digital Technology on the Celtics' Business(02:33) The Challenges of a Finite Business Model(08:41) The Impact of Team Performance on Revenue(10:54) The Role of Sponsorship in the Celtics' Business(13:47) Sponsor: Maxio | Tropic(16:09) Playoffs and Revenue Generation(23:28) The Role of Data in the Celtics' Business(26:30) Enhancing the Fan Experience(28:01) The Importance of Retention Rate(28:11) Renewal Planning and Timing(29:24) Sponsor: Thoropass(30:40) Estimating the Lifetime Value of a Fan(30:55) The Importance of Community Engagement(32:13) The Impact of High Renewal and Retention Rate(32:31) Revenue Generation from Different SKUs(33:08) The Importance of Branding and Merchandising(34:05) Learning from Other Sports Organizations(36:26) The Unique Culture of Sports Industry(36:54) The Competition for Fans' Time(38:21) Long Ass Lightning Round: Career Advice and Insights This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com