Why a Top VC is Backing FP&A all the way

The VC behind buzzy startups Calm, GoFundMe, Udemy and Gong is bullish on FP&A.  Ryan Abdullah an Investor at Norwest Venture Partners tells FP&A Today says there are four reasons why VCs rely on FP&A, particularly during a downturn.

Firstly there is a huge increase in appetite for forecasts. Secondly  FP&A must take account of labor shifts in startups (not least caused by large layoffs). Thirdly, ( investors who are all about growth) see FP&A as an ally and “profit center” to help businesses “grow and do better”. Fourthly FP&A is delivering an agenda with other departments to define budgets “rather than just entering numbers in a spreadsheet.”

In this episode Paul talks to Ryan Abdullah covering:

 

• How VCS look at the role of FP&A and the benefit to their portfolio companies
• Which financial insights and KPIs matter most to investors
• The role FP&A plays in big fundraising?
• What do VCs see as FP&A magic 
• The importance of realistic and accurate models for VCs
• The importance of robust software for handling and cleaning financial data
• The challenges and opportunities for SaaS KPIs
• His biggest success and biggest failure
• Ryan’s photography hobby and how it helps him to think about investing 

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