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

Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben Murray sits down with Hiren Hasmukh, founder of Teqtivity, an IT asset management platform serving organizations from startups to global enterprises.

Hiren Hasmukh shares his journey from web and graphic design through custom software builds to leading a bootstrapped, profitable SaaS company with a global reach. Tune in as they discuss Teqtivity’s product evolution, the deliberate decision to avoid fundraising, lean operations, go-to-market strategies, and what it takes to retain big-name customers—all while maintaining a laser focus on customer support and product excellence.

If you’re interested in SaaS growth, profitability, and scaling without external capital, this conversation is packed with insights you won't want to miss.

Show Notes:

00:00 Career path to Techtivity

03:20 Origin of the smart locker idea

08:40 Driving growth through word of mouth

11:35 Focusing on retention and value

14:50 Staying flexible with marketing

Links:

Hiren Hasmukh’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiren-teq/

Teqtivity’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teqtivity/

Teqtivity’s Website: https://www.teqtivity.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 back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today's episode, Ben Murray sits down with Yogi Goel, co-founder and CEO of Maxima AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the accounting function for scaling SaaS companies. With two decades of experience in finance—from auditing at Ernst & Young to leading through multiple SaaS IPOs—Yogi Goel brings deep operational insights into the struggle for accurate, timely, and efficient financial closes.

We’ll dig into the founding story of Maxima AI, the challenges of automating record-to-report processes, and the future of agentic platforms that seamlessly integrate into established ERPs like NetSuite, Dynamics, and Oracle. Yogi Goel also reveals Maxima’s journey through fundraising, their rapid growth, and his perspective on SaaS financial metrics in the era of AI.

Whether you’re a SaaS CFO, controller, or founder curious about leveraging AI to ease regulatory pressure, reduce errors, and eliminate late nights for your accounting team, this episode is packed with practical insights and candid advice from the front lines of fintech innovation.

Show Notes:

00:00 Identifying accounting challenges at scale

04:52 When Maxima is the right fit

08:10 Streamlining accounting processes

11:30 Improving product accuracy and scalability

13:29 Why investors believed in us

19:33 Building awareness for AI finance

23:03 Focusing on customer satisfaction

24:35 Focusing on weekly active users

27:56 Where to learn about Maxima

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/maxima-raises-41-million-in-funding

Yogi Goel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogi-goel/

Maxima’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maximaai/

Maxima’s Website: https://www.maxima.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 to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In today’s episode, we sit down with Dana Rochman, CEO and co-founder of Legato, an innovative company building an AI-powered app creation layer for SaaS platforms. With deep roots in product management and technology leadership, Dana shares how Legato is on a mission to empower non-technical business users — like CFOs — to build custom tools, dashboards, and workflows directly inside their existing B2B applications, eliminating the need for lengthy and costly customizations.

We explore Legato’s journey from inception in 2025, their $7 million seed round, and the importance of clear narrative and validation in fundraising. Dana also opens up about go-to-market strategies, pricing models in the age of AI, and how the platform aims to help SaaS vendors win the AI race by unlocking new revenue streams. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at how Legato is bringing the power of app creation to the hands of business users everywhere.

Show Notes:

00:00 Building AI tools for non-engineers

03:44 Customizable tools and workflows explained

09:14 Starting fundraising with strong validation

10:51 Why investors believed in us

14:47 Vendors monetizing dashboards and customizations

17:19 Maintaining and improving the app

20:06 Closing remarks and AI vision

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/legato-raises-7-million-seed-round

Dana Rochman’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danarochman/

Legato AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legato-ai/

Legato AI’s Website: https://www.legato.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 host Ben as he sits down with Alex Novozhenov, CEO and co-founder of Nodu, on this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast. Alex Novozhenov shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur, from building and selling companies in the gaming and fintech space, to launching Nodu—a startup transforming cross-border payments for SaaS and fintech companies.

Discover how Nodu leverages stablecoin technology to enable faster, seamless money transfers across borders, eliminating traditional banking barriers. Alex Novozhenov breaks down what stablecoins are, Nodu’s API-driven approach, and why global commerce needs new solutions for moving money.

Whether you’re a SaaS CFO, founder, or fintech enthusiast, this episode is packed with insights on startup fundraising, adoption of cutting-edge financial tools, and the shift from bootstrapping to venture-backed growth. Tune in for a fresh perspective on the future of payments and entrepreneurship!

Show Notes:

00:00 "API-Driven Fintech & Stablecoins"

03:51 "Stablecoin Payments for Businesses"

09:28 "Funding Goals for Founders"

10:31 "Bootstrapping vs. Funded Startups"

15:10 "Hybrid Teams, Global Offices"

16:58 2026 Goals and Revenue Check

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/nodu-raises-1-45-million-pre-seed-funding

Alex Novozhenov’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/novozhenov/

Nodu’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nodufi/

Nodu’s Website: https://nodu.fi/

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 this episode, host Ben Murray sits down with Matthieu Hafemeister, co-founder and CEO of Concourse. Matthieu shares his journey from growing up in Paris to launching a fast-scaling AI startup in New York, drawing on his experiences in venture capital at Andreessen Horowitz and operational roles at Jeeves. Together, they dive deep into how Concourse leverages agentic AI to revolutionize finance teams—from automating workflows across complex data sources to increasing team capacity and strategic output.

Listeners will get a behind-the-scenes look at Concourse’s rapid growth, its recent $12 million Series A raise, and the evolving landscape of AI for enterprise finance. Matthieu also offers insights on the challenges of founder-led sales, best practices for scaling go-to-market, and why staying lean is a key part of their strategy. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, finance leader, or simply curious about the future of agentic AI, this conversation is packed with practical lessons and fresh perspectives. Don’t miss it!

Show Notes:

00:00 "Startup Growth and Complexity Insights"

06:03 Data Integration for Workflow Efficiency

07:36 AI Adoption Accelerates Across Industries

10:59 "AI Automating Workflows, Not Tools"

13:40 "AI Startup's Breakout Journey"

19:47 Evolving Pricing with Token Model

23:26 "AI Impact on Margins"

25:53 Streamlining Finance Team Workflows

27:31 "Custom AI for Enterprise Success"

30:41 "Proof of Concepts Drive Success"

34:38 "Concourse.ai: AI Insights Hub"

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/concourse-raises-12-million-in-series-a

Matthieu Hafemeister’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthafemeister/

Concourse’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/concourseai/

Concourse’s Website: https://www.concourse.co/

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 this episode, host Ben Murray sits down with Rishi Grover, co-founder and Chief Solutions Architect at Vena Solutions. With over 15 years of experience in the FP&A technology space, Rishi Grover shares his journey—starting from his early days as an electrical engineer to founding one of the industry's leading financial planning platforms.

Together, they dive into the evolution of the FP&A landscape, the growing role of AI in financial planning, and how Vena's unique approach integrates Excel with enterprise applications. Rishi Grover also opens up about Vena’s fundraising story, insights on scaling a SaaS company to thousands of customers, and their recent strategic acquisition to accelerate growth.

Whether you’re curious about SaaS fundraising, go-to-market strategies, or how AI is reshaping finance, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways for founders, CFOs, and finance leaders. Let’s jump in!

Show Notes:

00:00 "Comprehensive Enterprise Planning Integration"

04:55 "Navigating Uncertainty with Strategic Planning"

06:43 AI Trust and Practical Applications

12:48 Startup Growth and M&A Strategy

14:20 "Microsoft-Centric Enterprise Expansion"

16:52 "Unified Approach Across Businesses"

23:01 Driving Growth and Software Adoption

25:59 "Aligning Teams for AI Strategy"

27:57 "Accelerating Clean Data Needs"

Links:

Rishi Grover’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-grover-64480314/

Vena Solutions’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vena-solutions

Vena Solutions’ Website: https://www.venasolutions.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