The SaaS CFO

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 

Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, Ben Murray sits down with Ankur Goyal, CEO and founder of Fibr AI, to explore the cutting edge of AI-powered web experiences in the B2B tech landscape. Ankur Goyal shares his journey from engineering and early roles at Nestle and startups, through an MBA at Stanford, to launching and exiting his first venture before starting Fibr AI.  We’ll dive into how Fibr AI transforms static websites into intelligent, campaign-driven experiences, helping heavily regulated industries like banking and healthcare boost conversion and personalize customer journeys. Ankur Goyal also opens up about raising $7.5 million in funding, lessons learned from multiple startups, and why clear alignment with investors is crucial in early rounds.  Expect insights on enterprise SaaS go-to-market strategies, the realities of pricing complex AI products, and the operational metrics driving growth at Fibr AI. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, finance leader, or just AI-curious, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways and inspiration.  Show Notes:  00:00 How Fiber AI started  03:41 Ensuring consistent web messaging  07:09 Entering B2B with banking clients  10:11 Raising funds with angel investors  15:30 Challenges with investor feedback  18:44 Explaining the pricing model  22:49 Tracking sales cycle duration  25:23 Focusing on internal scalability  26:46 Ending and show notes info  Links:   SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/fibr-ai-raises-7-5-million-seed-round  Ankur Goyal’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankurgoyal22/  Fibr AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fibrai/  Fibr AI’s Website: https://fibr.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 this episode, Ben Murray sits down with Bobby Ocampo, Managing Partner at Blueprint Equity, for a candid conversation that flips the script—from founder journeys to the investor’s perspective. Bobby Ocampo shares his path from physics major to private equity leader, and together they dive into what he calls the “missing middle” of growth equity investing.  This discussion explores how the SaaS landscape is being redefined by AI, what investors now look for in SaaS and AI-driven businesses, and how founders can build defensible, vertical software companies in today’s competitive market. If you’ve ever wondered how investment criteria are evolving—and what metrics, strategies, and AI trends matter most when raising capital—this episode offers actionable insights straight from the dealmaking front lines.  Show Notes:  00:00 Introduction to Growth Equity  05:30 Adopting AI in SaaS products  09:53 Building trust and community  10:27 Trust and support in software business  14:15 Early growth equity challenges  18:23 Challenges with AI Monetization  22:53 Valuation for legacy SaaS companies  25:10 Importance of AI in investments  29:47 What makes an investment attractive  31:02 Thinking about raising funds  34:43 Understanding venture capital returns  37:07 Discussing future growth strategies  Links:  Bobby Ocampo’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bocampo/  Blueprint Equity’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueprint-equity/  Blueprint Equity’s Website: https://www.onblueprint.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! This episode features Agastya Samat, co-founder and CEO of Zeya Health, who shares his unique journey from leaving corporate law to launching a SaaS company focused on AI-powered solutions for outpatient clinics in Asia. Ben Murray and Agastya Samat dive into how Zeya is tackling the technical challenge of delivering customized patient engagement tools at scale, and how founder-led sales, strategic partnerships, and early revenue have fueled their rapid growth.  The conversation covers key lessons from participating in the Antler startup residency program and sheds light on choosing the right pricing model, experimenting with product-market fit, and identifying the operational metrics that drive success.  Agastya Samat also discusses building and scaling an engineering team, leveraging AI in both product development and business operations, and Zeya’s ambitions for international expansion. If you’re interested in SaaS, digital health, or startup growth, this episode is packed with practical advice and fresh perspective.  Show Notes:  00:00 Bringing AI to healthcare in Asia  03:35 Building outpatient clinic solutions  08:01 Changes in residency program approach  10:25 Experiences in the Antler program  16:45 Finding the right North Star metric  18:57 Using new models for marketing  20:50 Where to learn about Zeah Health  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/zeya-health-raises-575k-pre-seed  Agastya Samat’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agastya-samat/  Zeya Health’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zeya-health/  Zeya Health’s Website: https://zeya.health/  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 

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Ryan Wenger, CEO and founder of In House, to discuss his fascinating journey from practicing law to building and selling a SaaS travel startup, and now, creating an AI-driven legal tech company. Ryan Wenger reveals how his experiences shaped In House’s mission to make legal services affordable and accessible for small businesses.  Ryan Wenger shares candid lessons about pivoting business models, the challenges of fundraising in today's SaaS landscape, and what it takes to reach product-market fit. He explains how In House leverages both AI and a network of legal experts to deliver smarter, safer legal solutions for SMBs and what operational metrics are driving their impressive growth.  If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, or interested in how SaaS and AI are reshaping traditional industries, you’ll find this episode packed with practical insights. Tune in for a front-row view of the evolving world of SaaS, AI innovation, and startup growth strategies!  Show Notes:  00:00 Starting a travel discovery app  05:29 Realizing the need for accessible legal help  06:53 Challenges with DIY legal solutions  10:28 Improving document requests with AI  16:03 Navigating VC fundraising challenges  18:04 Finding success in GPT Marketplace  21:00 Understanding users' legal needs  24:34 Using in-house AI  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/inhouse-raises-5-million-in-seed-round  Ryan Wenger’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wenger-2122a0a/  Inhouse’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inhouseai/  Inhouse’s Website: https://www.inhouse.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 

Join Ben Murray on The SaaS CFO Podcast as he interviews George Nichkov, CEO and founder of TaxNova. Hear how George Nichkov’s journey from consulting and tech inspired him to solve R&D tax credit challenges for SaaS companies.  George Nichkov shares how TaxNova uses AI to automate finance operations—streamlining tax claims, connecting with tools like JIRA and GitHub, and simplifying compliance across global markets. Say goodbye to spreadsheets and manual processes.  If you're a SaaS founder or finance leader curious about leveraging global tax credits and AI-powered FinOps, this episode is full of insights you won't want to miss.  Show Notes:  00:00 Considering a career change  03:50 Translating projects for accounting  07:24 Easy data integration for companies  12:14 Choosing venture capital for growth  14:04 Building early brand trust  16:57 Discussing data-driven tiered pricing  22:49 Building Pack Snow from scratch  26:05 Integrating JIRA with global offices  26:53 Promoting TaxNova resources online  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/taxnova-raises-1-million-in-funding  George Nichkov’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichkov/  Taxnova’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/taxnova-ai/  Taxnova’s Website: https://taxnova.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 

Kristen Beck, CEO and co-founder of Elly, shares her career path from being Trello’s first revenue hire through leadership roles at Atlassian, Shogun, and Typeform, and explains why she returned to startups to build an AI-native recruiting platform.   Elly focuses on capturing and learning from unstructured conversational data across hiring—from kickoff through interviews and debriefs—to help teams make better decisions, reduce time spent, and reveal patterns in successful hires. Beck outlines Elly’s two main customer segments: high-volume employers (including manufacturing and home healthcare) and fast-growing startups, and describes how AI enables insights beyond basic efficiency gains.   She discusses Elly’s founding timeline, seed fundraising to $8M (Atomic incubation and Sorenson-led round), PLG-led growth via word of mouth, a free ATS with paid AI features using subscription-plus-usage pricing, and key metrics like K-factor and module adoption, with Elly headquartered in New York and a 10-person team. Show Notes: 00:00 Welcome and Intro   00:08 Kristen Beck Career Path   02:07 What Ellie Does   03:01 Why Build Ellie   04:44 Ideal Customer Profiles   06:08 How AI Changes Recruiting   08:57 Founding Story and MVP   09:41 Seed Round and Investors   10:35 Why Raise vs Bootstrap   11:49 Fundraising Lessons in Crowded Markets   14:20 Go To Market and PLG   18:42 Pricing and Usage Model  20:39 Key Metrics and Virality   22:19 Team and 2026 Priorities   23:56 AI Makes Distribution Matter   25:31 Where to Learn More  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/elly-raises-8-million-in-funding  Kristen Habacht’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-habacht-80288780/  Elly’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellyai/  Elly’s Website: https://www.elly.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 this episode, Ben Murray sits down with Ruth Bosse, founder and CEO of Ark Climate, a Munich-based SaaS company transforming how cities tackle climate action. With a background in politics, mathematics, computer science, and significant experience at McKinsey, Ruth Bosse brings a unique perspective to the intersection of technology, climate, and government.  We'll hear about the inspiration for Ark Climate, how the company rapidly built traction in the German market, the challenges and opportunities of selling SaaS to government entities, and their approach to fundraising and growth. Ruth Bosse also shares key lessons learned from launching a govtech startup, the importance of realistic sales forecasting, and her vision to expand Ark Climate into a broader government operating platform. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, govtech enthusiast, or simply interested in the evolving world of climate solutions, this conversation is packed with candid insights on metrics, go-to-market strategies, and scaling impact-driven technology.  Show Notes:  00:00 Starting a climate-focused company  06:29 Internal and external climate tools  08:04 Bootstrapping and pre-seed funding  12:02 Starting with cold calling  14:16 Why we stopped doing fairs  18:56 Expanding beyond climate tools  20:38 Closing remarks and future goals  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/ark-climate-raises-2-1m-pre-seed  Ruth Bosse’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthbosse/  Ark Climate’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ark-climate-technologies/?originalSubdomain=de  Ark Climate’s Website: https://www.ark-climate.de/en/homepage  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