Welcome to Ursa Consultants: Beyond the Balance Sheet, hosted by Jace Lotz.
Through focused interviews with Founders and Operators of people-first companies, I sit down with guests and dive into the nuances of the numbers, and the humans who ultimately make these businesses successful.
From people-first strategies to crunching the numbers, this podcast will explore what it takes to thrive in the current economy and build a successful start-up.
Whether you are a CEO, operator, or accountant, you'll find something in these conversations to help you better understand your company - and your financial future.
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Why You Should Care About the Financial Health of Your Employees with Andy Bandyopadhyay of Attune Insights
In the most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Andy Bandyopadhyay, PhD, founder & CEO of Attune Insights.
Andy teaches at the Berkeley Haas School of Business, where he challenges Silicon Valley founders to put people first, and at the Berry College MBA program, where he teaches business owners to build people-first research and data science functions.
His company, Attune Insights, is a fintech platform that helps financial institutions make the financial health of their customers and employees a KPI in all parts of the business.
In the episode, Jace and Andy talk about:
What they’re excited about in the future of finance
Creating a community around financial health
Building a sustainable business with a people-first approach
Helping employees live lives without worries about finances
And more…
It was a pleasure to have Bill on the podcast. Enjoy!
4 Jun 2024
Creating a Supportive and Balanced Work Environment with Bill Tyndall of Tynrose, Inc.
In the most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Bill Tyndall, founder & CEO of Tynrose, Inc.
Bill is a former D1 college football player, turned seasoned entrepreneur and investor. Tynrose, Inc. is a holding company focused on long-term innovation within the digital transformation industry. Throughout his career, he has built, acquired, and managed many different times.
Bill believes in leading by example, rather than trying to impose practices. He shares his personal routine and how it impacts his presence and productivity.
He shares his strategies for fostering a workplace where employees can be fully present and productive, despite external challenges. This includes supporting employees through personal hardships and making sure they have the resources to maintain their mental and physical well-being.
Bill emphasizes the importance of consistency in service delivery – it’s what Tynrose is built on. He shares his 3-step strategy to make sure you can consistently exceed expectations.
It was a pleasure to have Bill on the podcast. Enjoy!
14 May 2024
Why Every Startup Should Use AI With Mehdi Tehranchi of KnowledgeNet.ai
In the most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Mehdi Tehranchi, co-founder and CEO of KnowledgeNet.ai.
Mehdi Tehranchi is a seasoned software entrepreneur who is currently working on his third startup. KnowledgeNet is an AI solution designed to help companies retain knowledge across their organization.
Jace and Mehdi talk a lot about AI, and how it will shape our future across the board. Mehdi emphasizes the importance of AI training for employees and gives specific examples of what you can do today.
He thinks that every organization should start implementing AI, and explains why and how. His philosophy is simple: start with simple AI applications, and then progressively move into more complex tasks.
Jace and Mehdi also go into the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship. Mehdi discusses the build vs. buy dilemma when it comes to owning a business.Should you build it from scratch or buy an existing business in today’s world, which is changing faster than ever before?
It was a pleasure to have Mehdi on the podcast. Enjoy!
16 Apr 2024
Banking for Startups with JP Ferro of Bridge Bank
It’s Friday night – having just finished your final Zoom call of the week, you hop into an Uber to pick up your friend from their Airbnb, while you check Yelp for a good restaurant to grab dinner downtown. Sounds like a pretty realistic scenario, right?
In that sentence, I mentioned four different startups that we can't imagine life without. But without proper banking and financial services, those companies wouldn’t exist. And that’s exactly what this week’s guest knows all about.
In our most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with JP Ferro, VP of Startup Banking at Bridge Bank.
JP started at NetSuite, where he worked directly with portfolio companies to drive value creation. He then moved into venture capital, where he managed startup ecosystem partnerships for Burkland.
These experiences led him to Bridge Bank. Having been active in the startup world for close to a decade, JP knows about the financial side of running an early company. As a Vice President in Bridge Bank’s Startup Banking Group, he supports entrepreneurs and startup founders navigate their journey from inception to success.
Jace and JP talk about the state of startup banking. Since many early-stage companies struggle with getting a credit card, Bridge Bank thought there was a better option for startups to get the credit they need for everyday purchases.
"We created our new offering designed for early-stage startups based upon their deposit balances. So it's not tied to credit history, not to raising an equity round, and not to an individual founder on the personal guarantee side."
Most banks aren’t creative when it comes to financing and helping startups. Bridge Bank decided to provide a solution that gives founders more ability to succeed. Why? JP explains all in this episode.
It was a pleasure to have JP on the podcast. Enjoy!
2 Apr 2024
The Role of an Operator with Casey Woo of Operators Guild
What happens when a Navy SEAL gets put in a leadership position at a company? According to Casey Woo, that is exactly what the operator role is. “They are specialists at being generalists.”
In our most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Casey, the founder and CEO of Operators Guild – an independent, invitation-only group that is home to the world’s top finance and operations leaders.
Casey is a Harvard grad who previously worked as the Global Head of Strategic Finance at WeWork and Chief Financial Officer at Landing, before starting Operators Guild, and his investment firm FOG Ventures.
Jace and Casey talk about the role of an Operator.“We are the Navy SEALs of company building. Navy SEALs have the same tattoo and they're all called SEALs, except they have disciplines. They are brought in because they're specialists at being generalists.”
They discuss the value of engaging with operators and how they deploy vision to ensure the success of the company as a whole. Casey emphasizes the importance of understanding the company’s vision, values, and core objectives in today’s world.
Casey describes how the roles of operator and CFO are changing. Different types of skills are important in the current business environment, and Casey explains what skills you should focus on developing today
The two then go on to discuss the importance of community, and the difficulties that come with building great teams. Casey also shares how he and the operators in his community track success.
It was a pleasure to have Casey on the podcast. Enjoy!
19 Mar 2024
Robin P. Zander on Storytelling and the Entrepreneurial Mindset
In our most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Robin Zander, founder and CEO of Zander Media – a creative agency that’s worked with clients such as Sequoia, Philz Coffee, Codility, and more.
Robin is a serial entrepreneur, having built three successful companies in the last seven years. He knows a thing or two about building businesses from the ground up.
Jace and Robin talk about the entrepreneurial journey and Robin shares the story of how he started a restaurant with no prior experience – and the challenges that came with that.
They discuss Robin’s transition from the restaurant industry to founding Zander Media and why he decided to focus on digital storytelling for startups.
Robin gives specific advice on storytelling. He argues that just because not everyone is a natural storyteller, but that doesn’t mean not everyone can tell a great story. As Robin says, “Practice makes excellent.”
Robin’s journey wasn’t one without hurdles. But those challenges are part of the fun. In Robin’s words, “There’s always another mountain to climb. But I’ve done something like that before.”
It was a pleasure to have Robin on the podcast. Enjoy!
5 Mar 2024
The Future of Accounting with Anita Koimur, co-founder and COO of LiveFlow
With all the new technologies on the rise in the past few years, the accounting landscape is evolving. There’s no question about it.
With all the new AI tools, and companies automating processes more and more, a reporting revolution seems to be on the horizon. But what does this look like?
In our most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Anita Koimur, co-founder and COO of LiveFlow.
LiveFlow is a financial platform that turns your Excel or Google Sheets into a live financial planning & analysis dashboard. It was part of a recent batch of Y Combinator startups.
In the interview, Jace and Anita talk about finding product market fit. This is crucial for any startup. Marc Andreessen of a16z once said: “The only thing that matters is getting to product-market fit.” But getting there is not easy. 42% of startups fail because they lack product-market fit.
Anita was able to crack the code. She shares interesting insights into how to find product-market fit, and even gives an anecdote of how LiveFlow got there through analysis and iteration.
Anita dives into LiveFlow’s people-first approach, which she thinks is key to success. LiveFlow is always in direct communication with its customers and strives to be hyper-responsive to problems. "Through conversations with the customers, through the case studies, interviews, etc., where we ask them, what is the impact on your business with LifeLow versus without LifeLow?"
It was a pleasure to have Anita on the podcast. Enjoy!
20 Feb 2024
The Future of Startups with Eric Bahn of Hustle Fund
On average, it takes startups 40-50 meetings to raise a $1M+ round of capital.
This investor often invests after just one or two meetings…
In our most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Eric Bahn, General Partner and co-founder of Hustle Fund.
They talk about Hustle Fund’s mission and the importance of cultivating community.
Hustle Fund focuses on investing in ridiculously early-stage startups and Eric shares some interesting insights into making decisions within one or two meetings, and providing initial funding quickly.
Eric shares some insider stories, like that of a company which started with a solo founder without a team and is growing at an incredible rate. He also mentions the Angel Squad community, which helps new investors learn and engage in the startup world.
Eric touches on the broader goal of making the tech ecosystem kinder and more inclusive. But he also criticizes the current startup culture of celebrating 'brilliant jerks' and shares how he thinks it should change.
It was a pleasure to have Eric on the podcast. Enjoy!
6 Feb 2024
The State of Banking with Senior Managing Director of Bridge Bank Mike Lederman
How does a financial pro with over two decades of experience in the banking industry deal with financial uncertainty?
In our most recent episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Mike Lederman, senior managing director in Bridge Bank’s Technology Banking.
They talk about topics including the current state of the banking industry, how to deal with uncertainty, and the benefits of debt facilities versus raising equity capital.
With over twenty years of experience in the banking industry, Mike knows what he’s talking about. He started as an associate at Silicon Valley Bank before joining Bridge Bank, a division of Western Alliance Bank, where he has been for over twenty years. In between, he had a brief tenure as managing director at Horizon Technology Finance. You could say he knows a thing or two about finances…
In the episode, you’ll learn all about debt. How to handle it right as a business, where to get it from, and what the playbook is for when the plot twists hit.
It was a pleasure to have Mike on the podcast. Enjoy!
23 Jan 2024
Hardware is Hard with Arvin Vermani, Founder of Perl Street
In our most recent episode of Ursa Consultants: Beyond the Balance Sheet, Jace sat down with Arvin Vermani, co-founder and COO of Perl Street.
Perl Street is a New York-based fintech company with a simple mission: to empower others to fundamentally change the world. How? You might ask. Well, Perl Street transforms under-banked hardware companies into distributed asset developers with structures formerly reserved for billion-dollar project finance transactions.
In the episode, Jace and Arvin discuss running a hardware-intensive company. They talk about raising money for hardware in a software-driven environment.
Arvin also goes in-depth on the many different reasons why hardware is not easy. He talks about specific issues that came up while building Perl Street, and shares the lessons they learned.
It was a pleasure to have Arvin on the podcast. Enjoy!
2 Jan 2024
Manik Suri's Therma Brings Cutting-Edge Tech to the Central Valley
In this episode of "Ursa Consultants: Beyond the Balance Sheet," host Jace Lotz, CEO of Ursa Consultants, sits down with Manik Suri, Founder and CEO of Therma, a trailblazing technology startup on a mission to protect food, health, and the planet. Dive deep into the story behind Therma's innovative solutions designed to eliminate food waste, improve energy efficiency, and reduce refrigerant emissions, making significant strides in combating climate change. Amidst discussing these technological advancements, they also delve into the philosophy of building "people-first" companies, emphasizing the importance of culture and values in driving sustainable business success. Hear from Suri about his journey from a former lawyer and investor to leading a startup deploying its safety and sustainability tools across thousands of locations worldwide, including industry giants like McDonald's and Starbucks. This episode is a compelling narrative of innovation, dedication, and a vision to create a more sustainable and efficient future for the global food supply chain.
Learn more about people first accounting and finance at https://www.ursaconsultants.com
Leanr more about Therma at https://www.hellotherma.com
12 Dec 2023
Navigating Recruiting's Rollercoaster: Insights from Kevin Kinkor
In this episode of "Ursa Consultants: Beyond the Balance Sheet," host Jace Lotz engages in a compelling conversation with Kevin Kinkor, the co-founder and CEO of Kinkor Consulting, an experienced recruiter with decades of expertise. Kevin shares insights into the recruiting space's ups and downs, closely tied to the ever-changing economic conditions. Drawing parallels between recent economic shifts and previous tech industry downturns, he discusses the unique challenges and opportunities they present. Amidst these challenges, Kevin highlights the importance of adaptability and innovation in the recruiting process and notes a promising trend in executive hiring, indicating a resurgence of optimism in the field.
Find out more about Ursa's people-first accounting and finance at https://www.ursaconsultants.com
Find out more about Kinkor Consulting at https://www.kinkorconsulting.com
28 Nov 2023
Revolutionizing Residential HVAC with Dan Myers of Flair
In this episode of “Ursa Consultants: Beyond the Balance Sheet,” host Jace Lotz engages with Dan Myers, CEO of Flair, in a compelling discussion about revolutionizing residential HVAC systems.
Myers outlines Flair’s mission, focusing on the four C’s: Comfort, Convenience, Cost, and Carbon, and shares insights into their innovative strategies like building electrification and integration into renewable energy grids.
He highlights Flair’s commitment to enhancing home comfort while reducing energy usage, delving into the company’s operations as a hardware manufacturer with a fully distributed team, and its market presence in North America.
This conversation offers a unique blend of technological innovation and entrepreneurial vision in the field of sustainable home systems.
7 Nov 2023
Tom Kirby on Innovation with PrepDD
In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Tom Kirby, the pioneering founder of PrepDD, to our podcast. PrepDD is at the forefront of redefining efficiency and accuracy for finance and accounting teams everywhere. Jace and Tom engage in a riveting conversation about how PrepDD isn’t just enhancing financial operations—it’s leading a revolution with its cutting-edge tools. They dive into the meticulous world of producing precise figures, the analytical rigor required, and the automation frameworks that are the backbone of the industry’s transformation. But there’s more to the story than digits and data. They also touch upon the core values that shape PrepDD’s unique company culture and their commitment to prioritizing their team’s well-being. Join us for a session that’s as much about the ethos of innovation as it is about the numbers that drive a business.
17 Oct 2023
Trailer - Ursa Consultants: Beyond the Balance Sheet
Join "Ursa Consultants Beyond the Balance Sheet" with host Jace Lotz, as we dive into the heart of successful startups, exploring both numbers and the people behind them.
Whether you’re a CEO, operator, or accountant, gain insights that enhance your business understanding. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or sign up at www.ursaconsultants.com
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