Value Drivers

In this episode, Thomas Bodereau, Co Founder and CFO of Arrago, discusses his journey from banking and structured finance to building a French fintech focused on lifetime mortgages. Thomas spent much of his career in structured finance, including four years in Hong Kong. Arrago initially helped banks sell performing assets to institutional investors. When COVID changed market conditions, Thomas and his partners shifted their focus to an asset class they had already identified: lifetime mortgages. Understanding Lifetime Mortgages Arrago focuses on prêt viager hypothécaire, or PVH. An older homeowner uses a house or apartment as collateral and receives a lump sum based on the property value. Regular repayment is not mandatory, and interest compounds over time. Thomas explains why this fills a gap in France. Traditional bank lending is largely based on income and the ability to make monthly payments. Older homeowners can therefore have difficulty obtaining conventional credit even when they own valuable property. Arrago's lifetime mortgage customers are around 77 years old on average. How the Arrago Model Works Arrago develops the terms and risk models used for lifetime mortgages, including assumptions around property values and borrower longevity. It also operates a platform connecting brokers and retail banks to support underwriting. Because a bank is required to underwrite the loan, Arrago works with banking partners. Arrago then buys back the loans and groups them into a special purpose vehicle financed through capital markets or private equity money. Thomas explains that pension funds can be interested in these assets because they have longevity related liabilities and relatively few natural longevity assets available to match them. Building Origination Capabilities Arrago originally relied heavily on third party brokers for origination. Thomas describes that as an early strategic mistake because lifetime mortgages were not a core product for many brokers. Arrago eventually built its own origination capability and invested in SEA, SEO, and PR. For a team coming from structured finance, this required different skills. Thomas says understanding many things does not mean you will be good at executing everything. In some areas, hiring experienced people can save money over time. Trust and Market Development Thomas points to the UK as a more mature lifetime mortgage market and emphasizes the role of established financial institutions. For a complex retail financial product, trust matters. He argues that participation by major banks or insurance companies in France could help make lifetime mortgages more familiar and accelerate market development. Founder Lessons Thomas says entrepreneurs need to make decisions quickly and admit when they are wrong. If a plan is no longer relevant, founders should change direction rather than follow it simply because it was the original plan. He also emphasizes financial discipline, particularly when selecting outside providers. Relationships have mattered as well. Thomas credits former colleagues and business contacts with providing advice, introductions, financing support, and help during Arrago's early development. Key Takeaways • Lifetime mortgages can provide credit to older homeowners who may struggle to obtain traditional loans • Arrago connects risk modeling, bank partners, underwriting support, origination, and capital markets financing • Longevity affects both the risk model and the investment characteristics of the loans • Arrago built its own origination capability after initially relying heavily on third party brokers • Trust from established financial institutions could help expand the French market • Founders need to recognize mistakes quickly, adapt, and maintain financial discipline Chapter Summary (02:06) Thomas shares his journey from structured finance to entrepreneurship (06:29) Thomas explains the problem lifetime mortgages can address in France (12:27) Thomas describes Arrago's risk modeling, underwriting, and financing model (16:29) Thomas discusses the decision to build Arrago's own origination capability (18:11) Thomas explains why founders cannot execute everything themselves (20:49) The conversation turns to longevity and uncertain loan duration (24:08) Thomas discusses lessons from more developed European lifetime mortgage markets (28:49) Thomas shares lessons on decision making and financial discipline (31:46) Thomas reflects on relationships, trust, and the network that helped Arrago Resources Arrago: https://www.arrago.fr/ Stay Updated Please visit Brio360 for other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com Follow Our Host Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected] Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.  

In this episode, Sai Dhanak, cofounder and CEO of Deduction, discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and his vision for building an AI native personal accounting firm. Sai started his first company out of college, a video calling application for families that was later acquired by Mattel. He then joined Latch, where he served as chief product officer and helped the company grow from roughly 20 people to 500 and eventually go public. After leaving Latch, Sai wanted to solve a problem he personally understood. He saw the traditional tax and accounting experience as slow, expensive, and outdated, while advances in AI created an opportunity to rethink how professional services could be delivered. Rethinking the Personal Accountant Deduction is focused on the personal accountant market rather than DIY tax preparation. Sai argues that products such as TurboTax already work well for people who want to prepare their own taxes. Deduction is aimed at people who want someone else to handle the work, often because their financial situation has become more complicated or because they simply do not want to do it themselves. He also points to a supply problem. Demand for personal accountants is high, while the number of available CPAs is limited. The result can be slow responses, relatively high fees, limited proactive advice, and outdated customer experiences. Deduction combines tax professionals with an AI agent called Taylor, CPAI, to provide a more responsive and modern experience. How Deduction Works Sai says Deduction currently charges $500 for the year, including unlimited advice and preparation of the annual tax return. Clients are generally answered within 24 hours and often the same day. Taylor, CPAI can also reach out proactively about deadlines and tax planning. Deduction intentionally uses familiar communication channels. Customers can interact through email and SMS, track the progress of their return online, and upload documents digitally. Where Humans and AI Fit A major part of the conversation focuses on the boundary between AI automation and professional review. For material tax advice and tax returns, a member of Deduction's licensed tax team reviews the response. Tax professionals can also step into conversations when clarification or correction is needed. Some workflows have additional safeguards. Filing a tax return, for example, requires a human action and cannot be completed independently by AI. Sai describes the model as combining human trust and expertise with AI convenience and intelligence. DeductionOS and the Tax Team Behind the customer experience is DeductionOS, the company's internal platform. Sai describes it as an AI and human workspace where tax professionals can see AI agents communicating with clients and preparing tax returns. The system surfaces specific issues that require human attention. Deduction currently hires its CPAs, enrolled agents, and tax administrators internally and operates nationally. Over time, DeductionOS may also help the company expand its capacity beyond its internal team. Building Trust Peter and Sai discuss trust as one of the biggest challenges in applying AI to a high stakes service such as tax preparation. Every customer receives an onboarding call, and customers can call or text the company when they need help. Sai believes that as more services become AI native, human interaction may actually become more important. Deduction also offers a guarantee covering penalties and interest up to $10,000 when an error by Deduction is the sole reason for the issue. Who Deduction Is For Sai positions Deduction between DIY tax software and the traditional personal accountant experience. The core customer is what he describes as the mass affluent market: people with some financial complexity, often married or operating a small side business, but who may not require highly specialized tax planning. Scaling a Seasonal Business Deduction is currently supply constrained rather than demand constrained. Sai says the company is primarily investing in technology and its tax team to increase capacity. While January through April remains an important peak, many taxpayers file extensions, creating another peak around September and October. Customers also need help throughout the year with estimated taxes, business formation, planning, and other tax issues. Over time, Sai expects Deduction to expand further into tax advisory and planning. Customer Acquisition and the Longer Term Opportunity Deduction currently receives customers through referrals, SEO and GEO, and partnerships. Sai says demand for accountants is strong enough that getting the word out has not been the primary constraint. Looking further ahead, he sees an opportunity to make a personal accountant available to a much broader group of Americans and build a national, next generation tax brand. Key Takeaways • AI is creating an opportunity to rethink traditional professional services such as personal accounting • Deduction is focused on customers who want a personal accountant rather than DIY tax preparation • Taylor, CPAI handles parts of the customer experience while licensed tax professionals review material advice and tax returns • Certain high stakes actions, including filing a tax return, require explicit human involvement • DeductionOS allows tax professionals and AI agents to work together and surfaces issues requiring human attention • Human interaction remains an important part of building trust in an AI native service • Deduction currently targets mass affluent customers with moderate tax complexity • The company is supply constrained and is investing primarily in technology and its tax team • Tax planning and advisory could extend the customer relationship beyond filing season • Sai's longer term ambition is to build a national personal accounting brand Chapter Summary (01:44) Sai Dhanak shares his entrepreneurial journey and why he started Deduction (04:29) Sai explains the personal accountant market and the CPA supply problem (08:21) Sai discusses Deduction's pricing, responsiveness, proactive service, and customer experience (10:19) Peter and Sai discuss human review, AI guardrails, and higher stakes tax decisions (12:40) Sai explains how DeductionOS allows tax professionals and AI agents to work together (15:22) The discussion turns to trust, human touchpoints, and Deduction's guarantee (17:07) Sai positions Deduction relative to TurboTax and traditional tax firms (18:32) Sai describes Deduction's mass affluent target customer (19:07) Sai explains why Deduction is supply constrained and where the company is investing (19:44) Peter and Sai discuss tax seasonality and opportunities for year round advisory services (22:27) Sai discusses referrals, search, partnerships, and customer acquisition (23:43) Sai shares his longer term vision for Deduction and DeductionOS (25:56) Sai shares some of the podcasts and books he enjoys (26:58) Sai reflects on the lucky breaks and relationships that shaped his career Resources Deduction https://deduction.com     Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com   Follow our host:         Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm   Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected]     Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.

In this episode, Akshay Sarma, CFO of axio, discusses his path from Deutsche Bank to helping build a consumer finance company in India. Akshay began his career across trading, structuring, fixed income, and asset backed financing. After several years inside a large financial institution, he became interested in whether he could take an idea from a whiteboard and turn it into a real business. That question led him into the startup ecosystem and eventually to Capital Float, now axio, where he has spent more than a decade navigating economic cycles, a major business pivot, and the challenges of running a lending business. From Deutsche Bank to a Startup Akshay describes the adjustment from working inside a large institution with established systems to joining a smaller company where processes and tools had to be built from the ground up. Without the support of a major brand, the team had to sell its ideas, establish credibility, design processes, and improve them as problems emerged. He explains that this environment forced him to become stronger at the basics and learn what it means to operate as the smaller player in the room. From Small Business Lending to Consumer Finance axio began as a lender to micro, small, and medium sized businesses in India. Its products included supply chain finance, unsecured business loans, and financing for merchants selling through ecommerce platforms. The company entered consumer lending in 2018 and operated both businesses until the disruption caused by COVID. In 2021, it decided to run down the small business loan book and focus on consumer finance. Akshay explains that the pivot required changes to the organization, processes, operating metrics, and business plan. CFO Lens on Short Tenure Lending Many of axio's consumer loans run for one, three, or six months, with an average duration of roughly two to three months. Because the loans pay down quickly, the company needs continued disbursements and repeat customer usage to maintain its assets under management. Akshay describes this as a treadmill model. The short duration also changes how credit performance should be evaluated. Losses may relate to loans originated throughout the year, while assets under management reflect only the smaller balance currently outstanding. Traditional portfolio ratios can therefore look misleading. Finance needs to identify the right measures and explain why short tenure lending should be evaluated differently from longer duration lending. Balancing Growth, Risk, and the P&L Repeat customers can create what Akshay calls lower risk AUM because the company has more information about their repayment behavior. This allows the business to balance established customers with newer customers, including people taking their first loan. The goal is to identify poor risks early while helping strong customers return, receive higher limits, and use the product again. Akshay emphasizes that finance must work closely with credit and product teams. Product decisions need to account for growth, risk, customer behavior, and unit economics. They also need to consider how accounting and tax rules affect the P&L. A product may look attractive from an operating perspective while producing a different reported financial outcome. Capital Allocation and Product Experiments Peter and Akshay discuss capital allocation across technology, people, and lending products. axio made an early decision to build its lending and loan origination systems internally. The company also invested in people before reaching its current scale. Akshay describes these as conscious choices that created near term P&L costs but gave the company greater flexibility. For new lending products, he favors staged experiments. The company can begin with a defined capital budget, wait through the repayment cycle, gather feedback, and then decide whether to increase the investment. The process may include feedback from credit, collections, customer support, and customers themselves. Guardrails and Stop Loss Decisions Akshay argues that teams should agree on success metrics, amber lights, red lines, and required actions before launching a product. This allows the company to act when performance changes rather than debating its response after money has already been disbursed. The appropriate decision also depends on the funding environment and the amount of capital available. A capital constrained company may need to stop losses more quickly, while a company with more equity may have additional time to adjust the product. Akshay notes that axio has both closed products early and continued iterating on products that initially struggled. Team members may disagree, but once a decision is made, they commit while continuing to monitor the agreed metrics. Keeping a Complex Business Simple Akshay offers two main lessons for CFOs entering complex, high growth businesses. The first is to stay close to the basics. Even a complicated business is made up of simpler components. Finance leaders should identify the core metrics that define success and continue watching them as the company grows. The second is to build a strong FP&A and scenario planning process. Akshay maintains multiple versions of the business plan to understand what happens when performance is above plan, below plan, or significantly worse than expected. These scenarios help finance understand where intervention may be needed and when an issue should be raised with operating leaders, founders, investors, or the board. Key Takeaways • Moving from a large institution to a startup requires learning to build processes and credibility from the ground up • A business model pivot may require changes to the organization, operating metrics, processes, and business plan • Short tenure lending needs different portfolio measures than longer duration lending • Repeat customers can provide a lower risk foundation for measured growth • Finance needs to connect growth, credit risk, unit economics, accounting, and the P&L • Early investments in technology and people can create flexibility as a company scales • New lending products should be tested through defined capital budgets and gradual increases • Success metrics, warning indicators, and stop loss actions should be agreed before launch • Core metrics and scenario planning can help CFOs manage a complex business Chapter Summary (01:34) Akshay Sarma shares his path from Hyderabad and Mumbai to Deutsche Bank, Cambridge, and the startup ecosystem (05:12) Akshay discusses the adjustment from a large financial institution to building processes inside a startup (08:05) Akshay explains how Capital Float moved from small business lending toward axio's consumer finance model (10:35) The discussion turns to the CFO implications of short tenure consumer lending (14:07) Akshay explains how repeat customers help balance portfolio growth and credit risk (16:04) Peter and Akshay discuss collaboration among finance, credit, and product, as well as the difference between unit economics and the P&L (19:35) Akshay outlines capital allocation decisions involving technology, people, and organizational scale (22:13) Akshay explains how axio uses defined budgets and gradual increases to test new lending products (23:54) The discussion turns to success metrics, warning indicators, red lines, and predetermined actions (27:04) Akshay discusses stop loss decisions, funding conditions, and when to close or continue adjusting a product (29:21) Akshay shares his advice for CFOs managing complex, high growth operating models (31:56) Akshay explains why FP&A and scenario planning are important tools for the CFO office (34:30) Akshay discusses the Mahabharata and Good to Great (35:42) Akshay reflects on destiny, mentorship, hard work, and the people who shaped his career Resources axio https://www.axio.co.in/ Stay Updated Please visit Brio360 for other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com Follow Our Host Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected] Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.  

In this episode, Marc Frenkel, CFO of Coterie Insurance, discusses his path from investment banking and insurance finance to helping scale a tech enabled MGA focused on simplifying commercial P&C insurance for small businesses. Marc began his career in investment banking at Rothschild, where an early insurance restructuring assignment introduced him to the complexity of the industry. He later worked at AmTrust Financial and FinLync before joining Coterie, where he saw an opportunity to work on a meaningful problem in small business insurance. Coterie focuses on micro commercial insurance, serving very small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, side hustles, and local service providers that are often underinsured or unaware of their commercial insurance needs. Marc explains why this part of the market has historically been difficult to serve and why technology, data, and agents all matter in making the model work. What Coterie Is Solving A big theme in the conversation is the friction in small business insurance. For many micro commercial customers, the insurance need is real, but the premium is small. That makes the traditional underwriting process difficult because agents may need to gather a lot of information for a policy that generates limited commission. Marc discusses how Coterie uses technology, data, and publicly available information to make the process faster and more efficient. Marc describes the goal as helping agents quote and bind coverage more efficiently while reducing the amount of manual work required to understand the business. The discussion also highlights a counterintuitive point: Coterie is not only competing with other insurance providers. It is also addressing underinsured businesses and low awareness of commercial insurance needs. CFO Lens: Scaling an Insurtech MGA Peter and Marc discuss the metrics that matter when scaling an insurtech MGA. Marc explains that while EBITDA matters, the deeper operating model depends heavily on loss ratio. Because Coterie does not retain balance sheet risk, it relies on capacity providers that need confidence in the quality of the premium being written. That makes underwriting discipline central to the business. Growth is important, but Marc emphasizes that not all growth is equal. Growing with poor quality premium may create short term revenue, but it can damage capacity relationships and undermine the business later. For Coterie, quality growth means expanding premium while maintaining the loss ratio and protecting the trust of capacity providers. Capital Strategy and Quality Growth The conversation turns to how capital allocation changes as a company moves from startup mode to scale mode. Marc describes how investment decisions looked different when Coterie was earlier stage and not yet profitable. At that time, payback period mattered heavily because the company had to preserve cash and manage toward break even. Now that Coterie is profitable and better capitalized, the company can think more strategically about long term value creation. Marc discusses investments in technology, platform capabilities, and product expansion, including how existing distribution, data, and infrastructure may create an advantage in adjacent opportunities. A key idea is capital efficient growth: finding opportunities where the company can expand without creating unnecessary complexity. Building the CFO Office Marc also shares what he focused on after joining Coterie. He joined during a difficult period for insurtech and the broader venture market, when capital was no longer easy to raise. That shaped his early priorities as CFO. The goal was to build a plan to reach cash flow break even, reduce reliance on capital markets, and give the company more control over its own destiny. The discussion covers forecasting, contribution margin, fixed and variable expenses, board communication, and KPI discipline. Marc also explains why finance needs the right level of data granularity. Looking at the business only in total can hide important dynamics. Coterie sells through partners, so understanding performance at the partner level helps the team identify where growth is slowing, where competition may be increasing, and where the product or distribution strategy needs to adjust. Key Takeaways • Micro commercial insurance is a large market, but historically difficult to serve efficiently • Coterie uses technology, data, and agents to reduce friction in quote to bind • For an MGA, loss ratio is a critical constraint because it supports capacity provider trust • Quality growth matters more than simply growing premium • Capital allocation changes as a company moves from cash preservation to profitable scale mode • CFOs need to understand where granular data improves decisions and where it creates unnecessary noise • Reaching cash flow break even can change a company's strategic flexibility and control over its future Chapter Summary (01:47) Marc Frenkel shares his career path from Rothschild and AmTrust Financial to FinLync and Coterie Insurance. (03:10) Marc explains the small business insurance problem Coterie is solving and why micro commercial P&C insurance is hard to serve efficiently. (05:37) The discussion turns to how Coterie uses technology, data, and agents to improve quote to bind. (10:09) Marc outlines the CFO metrics that matter in an insurtech MGA, including premium growth, loss ratio, capacity, and underwriting discipline. (13:59) Peter and Marc discuss quality growth and why bad premium can create problems later. (16:15) Marc explains how Coterie thinks about capital allocation, product expansion, and long term investment priorities. (21:32) The conversation turns to investors, capacity providers, risk appetite, and board communication. (23:10) Marc discusses building the CFO office, including reporting cadence, forecasting, systems, and finance maturity. (28:12) Marc shares how finance uses data to understand business performance at the right level of detail. (32:20) Marc reflects on risk, judgment, and the need for finance leaders to move between risk on and risk off modes. (34:49) Marc shares the lucky break that led him to Coterie and how a principled stand changed his career path. Resources Coterie Insurance: https://coterieinsurance.com Marc Frenkel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-frenkel-66287931 Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 for other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com Follow our host: Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected] Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.  

In this episode, Yogi Goel, co-founder and CEO of Maxima AI, discusses his path from EY, Wall Street, and Rubrik to building a company focused on applying agentic AI to accounting and record-to-report workflows. Yogi started his career at EY, where he developed a foundation in audit, accounting standards, controls, and how large companies operate. He later worked in finance and capital markets before joining Rubrik, where he saw firsthand how finance and accounting operations need to evolve as companies scale. That experience shaped the problem Maxima AI is focused on today: accounting teams still spend too much time on manual work, spreadsheets, reconciliations, checklists, and system-to-system coordination. What Maxima AI Is Solving A big theme in the conversation is that accounting workflows matter more than many people realize. Record-to-report is not just a back-office process. It affects close speed, audit readiness, reporting confidence, and management visibility. Yogi explains how Maxima AI fits into the accounting workflow as an agentic system of work. The goal is not to replace the ERP or remove human judgment. Instead, Maxima AI helps prepare accounting work so finance teams can review, approve, and move faster with better control. Where AI Fits in Finance Peter and Yogi discuss how AI should be used in finance and accounting, especially in workflows where teams still rely on manual review and repetitive coordination. One important distinction is the boundary of automation. Yogi's view is that AI can take on more of the preparation work, but human judgment still matters. CFOs, controllers, and auditors need confidence that the work is accurate, explainable, and auditable before it reaches the general ledger. CFO Lens: Trust, Controls, and Auditability For CFOs, AI adoption is not just about speed. It is about trust. Yogi notes that finance leaders should not feel pressure to rip and replace existing systems. A more practical path is to start with lower-risk workflows, build confidence, and then expand over time. That makes controls, audit trails, and clear human review essential to adoption. The Future of the CFO Office The conversation also looks ahead to how the CFO office may evolve over the next several years. If AI adoption increases, the role of accountants and analysts may shift away from lower-value manual work and toward review, judgment, risk management, and business insight. For CFOs, the opportunity is not just a faster close. It is building a finance function with more capacity to help the business make better decisions. Key Takeaways • Accounting teams are still dealing with too much manual workflow complexity • Record-to-report affects close speed, controls, audit readiness, and financial visibility • Agentic AI can help prepare accounting work, but humans still need to review and approve key judgments • CFO adoption depends on trust, controls, auditability, and clear boundaries around automation • AI can work alongside existing systems rather than replacing them immediately • The finance function may become more strategic as repetitive tasks become more automated Chapter Summary (02:13) Yogi Goel shares his background across EY, Wall Street, Rubrik, and Maxima AI (06:14) The discussion turns to the accounting problem Maxima AI is solving (10:41) Yogi explains how Maxima AI fits into record-to-report workflows (15:08) Peter and Yogi discuss CFO adoption, controls, auditability, and trust (20:01) The conversation explores where automation should stop, slow down, or require human judgment (24:02) Yogi shares his view on how the CFO office may evolve over the next several years (28:55) The discussion turns to ERPs, systems of record, and why so much work still happens in Excel (33:22) Yogi reflects on lucky breaks that shaped his career and the relationships that helped shape Maxima AI Resources Maxima AI: https://www.maxima.ai/ Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 for other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com Follow our host: Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected]   Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.  

  In this episode, Sara Wyman, founder of Stackpack, discusses her journey from Wall Street to operating roles at high-growth companies like Etsy and Affirm, and how those experiences led her to focus on vendor spend, contracts, and operational complexity. At Etsy and Affirm, Sara saw the same issue appear again and again: vendor management was often handled through spreadsheets, even as companies scaled. Contracts, approvals, invoices, ownership, and usage data lived in different places, making it difficult for finance and operations teams to understand what the company was actually spending. Where Stackpack Fits in the AI Wave A big theme in the conversation was how finance is evolving. Cloud gave companies better access. Big data gave them more visibility. AI is now pushing finance toward judgment and action. Sara described Stackpack as sitting at the intersection of the data problem and the decision problem. Instead of simply showing vendor spend, Stackpack helps companies understand ownership, usage, renewals, contracts, and savings opportunities. Why Existing Tools Fall Short Sara breaks the market into two broad categories: • Spend tools, which are often transaction-focused • Procurement tools, which are often built for large enterprises The gap is context. Finance teams may see the transaction, but not who owns the vendor, whether the tool is being used, whether pricing is fair, or whether there is duplicate spend elsewhere in the company. CFO Lens: Day One vs. In the Trenches Stackpack is especially relevant for new CFOs trying to gain control quickly. Sara noted that new CFOs often need fast visibility into spend, contracts, renewals, and savings opportunities so they can show command of the business early.   For CFOs already in the trenches, the value is more ongoing: reducing wasted spend, managing renewals, benchmarking vendors, and bringing more discipline to fast-moving categories like AI spend. Key Takeaways • Spreadsheets are still the default system for vendor management in many companies • AI spend is becoming a fast-moving P&L line item • Visibility alone is not enough; finance teams need tools that drive action • Vendor sprawl creates both cost leakage and ownership confusion • For startups, a "no now" is not always a "no forever" Chapter Summary (01:00) Sara Wyman shares her path from Wall Street to Etsy, Affirm, and founding Stackpack. (03:50) The conversation shifts to the broader finance evolution from cloud to big data to AI. (09:02) Sara explains the vendor sprawl problem and why spend and procurement tools often miss the full context. (17:25) The discussion turns to CFO priorities, including Day One visibility, control, and fast wins. (23:18) Sara discusses Stackpack's product focus, AI agents, go-to-market priorities, and rising AI spend. (28:24) Sara shares her book recommendation, reflects on founder luck, and explains why "no now" is not always "no forever."   Resources Stackpack: https://www.stackpack.ai/ The Second Mountain by David Brooks     Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com   Follow our host:         Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm   Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected]     Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.  

  This episode features Neil Tween, CFO of Owlstone Medical, and his path from audit at Deloitte into biotech and life sciences. He started in accounting, which gave him a strong foundation in public company reporting and SEC requirements. But what really pulled him was the science side and working on "novel things." That led him to roles where he could get closer to the business itself. After a controllership role at a gaming company, he joined GW Pharmaceuticals and helped navigate a NASDAQ IPO and the shift from R&D into commercial scale. What Owlstone Medical Is Working On At Owlstone Medical, Neil is focused on non-invasive diagnostics using breath analysis to detect diseases like lung cancer and tuberculosis. The idea is simple but powerful: reduce the need for invasive procedures like biopsies so more people get screened earlier. Part of this work is supported by the Gates Foundation, especially around making diagnostics accessible and cost-effective in global markets, including Africa. Diagnostics vs Therapeutics One of the more interesting parts of the discussion is how different diagnostics are from therapeutics. • Diagnostics tend to be a slower ramp with lower peak revenue • But they often last longer and require less expensive clinical work There's also a lot of uncertainty. Clinical timelines rarely go exactly as planned. Neil described the CFO role here as more of a "cautious brake," someone who stress-tests assumptions and builds scenarios for things like slow patient recruitment or regulatory delays. From Pre-Revenue to Commercial A big theme was how things change once revenue starts showing up. • Before approval, it's all scenario planning and probability weighting • After approval, the focus shifts quickly to execution Neil emphasized the importance of building a "war chest" that extends beyond just funding the clinical trial itself. In practice, companies need enough capital to absorb delays, analyze results, and fund follow-on work, not just reach the initial data readout. One key point: once a product is approved, the clock starts ticking on exclusivity. Any delay in launch directly impacts the most valuable revenue window. This makes commercialization timing a high-stakes decision, where teams often need to invest ahead of certainty. Building the Finance Function Scaling finance isn't just about hiring more people. • The UK has strong R&D talent • But commercialization often requires very specific experience (US rebates, Medicare, Medicaid) That usually means bringing in people who have done it before. Timing those hires matters more than most people expect. Neil also emphasized staying in close dialogue with the board and auditors during these transitions to keep things stable while the business is moving fast.   Key Takeaways • Don't stay only in finance, get into the operations • Get under the hood of the business • Be able to explain the company as well as the technical teams • Stay optimistic, but plan conservatively • Protect the company's capital • Work on things you actually find interesting Chapter Summary (00:01:00) From Deloitte to GW Pharmaceuticals and IPO experience (00:05:51) Owlstone Medical and breath-based diagnostics (00:11:12) Gates Foundation partnership and global health focus (00:14:41) Why clinical timelines rarely go as planned (00:22:24) Diagnostics vs therapeutics economics (00:28:30) Hiring for commercialization and finance scaling (00:37:09) Book recommendations and leadership advice Resources • Bad Blood by John Carreyrou • The Curious Case of Mike Lynch by Katie Prescott • Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall     Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com   Follow our host:         Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected] Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.

In this podcast episode, Colin Hurd, the CEO of Mach, discusses his decade-long journey in the autonomous vehicle space, beginning with his first company, Smart Ag, in 2016. The initial inspiration for his work came from observing farmers struggle with severe labor shortages and realizing that existing drone navigation technology could be adapted to heavy machinery.  After Smart Ag was acquired by Raven Industries, Hurd launched Mach in 2022 with a unique strategy: instead of building from the ground up, he merged two existing companies to gain 15 years of established R&D and a "full-stack" solution immediately. Mach operates as a Tier 1 supplier, integrating its autonomy technology directly into OEM equipment at the factory level. The company is industry-agnostic, serving sectors such as agriculture, construction, land care, and defense across multiple countries. By focusing on a core platform consisting of perception, navigation, and communication, Mach can scale horizontally, applying lessons learned in one field, like orchards, to another, like solar fields. This approach allows for higher R&D returns and competitive pricing through cross-market purchasing power. The industry faces headwinds from past startups that failed to deliver reliable products in harsh physical environments. Hurd notes that unlike pure software, there are no shortcuts in physics; products must be ruggedized for "dirty and dangerous" jobs. Regarding fundraising, Hurd observes a shift where investors are now more comfortable backing physical products and AI at the edge. However, he maintains a pragmatic approach to capital, preferring to raise smaller amounts to fine-tune business models and focus on cash flow before scaling massively. Key Takeaways For entrepreneurs and CFOs, Hurd's experience emphasizes the value of strategic M&A to bypass the "school of hard knocks" and enter a market with a mature product from day one. He cautions against over-valuation and raising too much capital too early, which can create unsustainable expectations before a product is proven at scale. A major strategic insight is the Tier 1 partnership model, which, while requiring longer engineering cycles, provides a more capital-efficient path to massive distribution by leveraging existing OEM support and distribution systems. Finally, Hurd underscores that the foundation of a successful venture lies in a mature, mission-focused team and the crucial personal support systems that allow founders to take calculated risks. For OEMs, the real decision isn't just adopting autonomy, it's build versus buy. Larger players may invest internally, but mid-sized OEMs can accelerate time to market by partnering with a Tier 1 provider like Mach. This shifts autonomy from a heavy R&D burden into a more flexible combination of hardware and software licensing. The tradeoff is clear: faster deployment and lower upfront investment versus longer integration cycles tied to product design timelines. For CFOs, this becomes a capital allocation question, balancing speed, control, and return on invested capital. Chapter Summary (00:01:03) Colin Hurd, CEO of Mach, is introduced as a veteran of the autonomy space who previously founded Smart Ag. (00:01:47) His journey began in 2016, seeking to solve farm labor shortages after being inspired by a farmer who used drone controllers to automate tractors. (00:07:32) Mach was founded in 2022 through a strategic merger of two existing companies, providing 15 years of R&D and a "full-stack" solution from day one. (00:10:09) As a Tier 1 supplier, Mach integrates autonomous technology across industries like agriculture, defense, and construction for almost 35 different OEMs. (00:13:39) Hurd explains that technology must be ruggedized to overcome skepticism caused by past failures in harsh off-highway environments. (00:21:09) Hurd advocates for a pragmatic capital approach, raising smaller amounts to reach cash flow while noting that investors are now more comfortable with physical AI products. (00:26:38) Scaling through OEM distribution ensures capital efficiency, though the business must remain patient while navigating long engineering and design cycles. (00:32:13) Finally, Hurd attributes his success to a mature, mission-focused team and the critical personal support system provided by his spouse. Resources: The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom https://mach.io/       Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com   Follow our host:         Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected] Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.

Kishore SM is the CFO of Boba Bhai, a fast-growing consumer brand defining the boba tea category in India. He brings more than 26 years of experience across global corporations such as Caterpillar and high growth startups such as Flipkart. Since launching in late 2023, Boba Bhai has scaled to nearly 100 company owned locations, intentionally avoiding the franchise model to maintain full control over operations and quality. The company is now targeting 250 to 300 stores by the end of 2026. To resonate with the Indian market, Boba Bhai localizes its menu with flavors like Aam Panna mango and expands into Korean inspired sides, burgers, and rice bowls. The brand focuses heavily on Gen Z, participating in events like Comic Con and building anime themed store designs and narrative driven packaging that changes by city. Kishore shared how moving from large corporates to startups required him to unlearn rigid processes. Instead of perfectly reconciled data and long planning cycles, he now prioritizes speed, daily cash visibility, and direct collaboration with founders. Operational speed comes from heavy standardization of store fit-outs, allowing new locations to open within three weeks of signing a lease. On the supply chain side, he emphasizes building redundancy with multiple vendors to avoid stockouts and margin erosion in a perishable product environment. Key Takeaways for CFOs and Entrepreneurs Capital allocation starts with ROI, but the real work is diagnosing bottlenecks. Kishore frames it as: when capital shows up, don't "spread it around" across functions, decide which constraint is limiting growth and fund that first. New store openings (capacity and footprint) Brand building and customer acquisition (demand) Supply chain and capacity investments (availability and margin protection) Working capital plus tech infrastructure (control and scalability) New stores are governed by store economics. The decision rule is store level EBITDA plus a payback of under 24 months. He also emphasizes building geographic density and brand visibility so revenue compounds, rather than scattering one-off stores. Brand spend is judged by store ramp and LTV to CAC discipline. They accept that store sales ramp over time, so they track how quickly new stores mature, while holding the line on LTV being more than 5x CAC. Below that, it is "bleeding money." Decisiveness matters. Underperforming SKUs are removed quickly to avoid working capital drag and inventory waste. Fundraising requires radical honesty. Sophisticated investors quickly detect exaggeration, and transparency builds long term trust. Fundraising is continuous. The next round effectively starts once the current one closes to maintain runway. Investor targeting matters. Founders should approach investors aligned to the company's current check size rather than firms whose minimum tickets are too large. Unit economics must be proven early. The first 20 stores provide the data and confidence to scale into rapid expansion. Episode Highlights (00:02:20) Kishore walks through his 26-year career across startups and large public companies including Flipkart and Caterpillar (00:10:15) He explains unlearning corporate processes and prioritizing speed and insight over perfect data and polished reporting (00:15:17) Boba Bhai has scaled to nearly 100 company owned stores with a target of 250 to 300 by 2026 (00:16:09) Capital allocation focuses on sub 24 month store payback and maintaining a 5x LTV to CAC ratio (00:22:41) The brand engages Gen Z through Comic Con, anime inspired stores, and localized storytelling in packaging (00:29:44) Growth is accelerated by removing low performing SKUs and using a 3 week standardized store build process (00:34:05) Fundraising advice includes radical honesty, matching investor check size, and treating fundraising as a 12 month rolling process Books Mentioned The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor     Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com Follow our host:         Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm   Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected]   Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.

In this episode of Value Drivers, Peter Ho interviews Eduardo Torrealba, the co-founder and CEO of Lumafield, a company dedicated to helping manufacturers eliminate hidden defects by "seeing inside" their products. Torrealba, a mechanical engineer by training, was inspired by the semiconductor fabrication facilities near his childhood home and later dropped out of a PhD program to pursue entrepreneurship. His mission with Lumafield is to solve critical global crises in "atom space"—the physical world—where software alone is insufficient. By utilizing industrial CT scanning, Lumafield aims to "close the loop" between design and manufacturing, allowing engineers to push the limits of physics with the same precision and confidence found in semiconductor manufacturing. Lumafield operates as a vertically integrated platform, designing its own hardware, writing its own software, and managing its own manufacturing. This technology has been adopted across diverse high-stakes industries, including medical devices for drug delivery, energy storage for batteries, and aerospace for mission-critical fighter aircraft parts. The company provides significant financial value to its customers through direct labor replacement, reduction in manufacturing scrap, and a vastly accelerated speed to market. Torrealba notes that their technology can resolve manufacturing issues in hours that previously took days, sometimes unlocking contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars for their clients. Operationally, Lumafield maintains a team of 150 people across offices in Cambridge and San Francisco. To manage the complexity of a hardware-and-software business, Torrealba tracks approximately 80 KPIs, blending traditional enterprise SaaS metrics like Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and Net Dollar Retention with manufacturing-specific data like inventory on hand and first-pass yield. He rejects the common sentiment that "hardware is hard," viewing it instead as an excuse that hinders the creation of generational companies. Building something truly great requires solving difficult problems and maintaining operational excellence across every department simultaneously. Takeaways for Entrepreneurs For founders looking to scale, Torrealba offers several insights: • Validate Market Assumptions Early: Lumafield initially believed that "digital manufacturing" like 3D printing would be their primary tailwind, but they quickly realized the real opportunity lay in traditional manufacturing like castings and injection molding. • Location Matters for Venture Scale: While lifestyle businesses can be built anywhere, Torrealba argues that founders aiming for venture-backed tech success should move to hubs like San Francisco as quickly as possible to be near the necessary resources and talent. • Prioritize Specific Learning: Rather than consuming general business media, Torrealba suggests "just-in-time" learning through direct, specific conversations with other CEOs and board members who have faced similar challenges. • Identify Measurable ROI: To shorten sales cycles, focus on building a clear return on investment case for customers, such as automating manual quality checks or reducing line downtime. • Maintain Perspective: Torrealba views being born in the United States as his "luckiest break," providing an unparalleled foundation for building a company that hard work alone cannot replace in other parts of the world.   Chapter Summary (00:01:03) Eduardo Torrealba, CEO of Lumafield, shares his journey from a mechanical engineering student to building a vertically integrated industrial CT scanning company. (00:05:29) Lumafield aims to solve physical "atom space" crises by closing the loop between design and manufacturing with semiconductor-level precision. (00:11:10) The technology provides massive ROI—sometimes hundreds of millions—by replacing manual labor, reducing scrap, and doubling speed to market for aerospace and medical sectors. (00:21:17) Eduardo manages complexity by tracking 80+ KPIs, rejecting the "hardware is harder" mindset as an excuse that prevents building generational companies. (00:26:06) Early assumptions about 3D printing proved false; the company pivoted to finding "low-hanging fruit" in traditional manufacturing like injection molding. (00:29:24) He prioritizes "just-in-time" learning through peer conversations and credits being born in America as his luckiest break.   Resources: https://www.lumafield.com/   Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com   Follow our host:          Peter Ho https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm   Know a great guest for Value Drivers? Pitch founders, CEOs, CFOs, operators, or investors with standout capital allocation and scaling stories: [email protected]     Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.