The Problem
Your cap table is a mess. Your chart of accounts doesn't reflect how the business actually runs. You can close the books, technically — but nobody on the team can explain the process to someone new. Your board asks for a metric and you spend three days pulling it together from four different spreadsheets.
None of this shows up on your pitch deck. But all of it shows up in your data room.
Rajiv Bhagat has worked with venture-backed companies at Series A, B, and C, and he's seen the same pattern repeat itself: founders invest in tools, headcount, and automation before they've built the foundation those things run on. The result is more complexity on top of a shaky base.
In this free live session, Rajiv will walk through the foundational finance work that has to come before any significant investment in systems, software, or headcount — and what it costs companies that defer it.
What You'll Learn
- Why the foundational work has to come before any tool or system investment, and what happens to companies that skip it
- The six fundamentals every early-stage company needs to get right: a chart of accounts that maps to your operating model and scales with the business; a timely, repeatable close process; documented policies your finance team can actually rely on; a clean cap table; audit-ready records before you need them; defined metrics you can track consistently
- Where automation fits in — and what determines the right timing (transaction volume, complexity, risk of error, and more)
- What to prioritize in your first 12 months if you're building a finance function from scratch
Meet the Speaker
Rajiv Bhagat (Partner, Finance & Accounting @ TechCXO)
Rajiv brings over three decades of experience and is called on by boards, investors, and senior management teams to serve as interim and fractional CFO, primarily within SaaS, IT consulting, and software companies. Past roles include SVP of Finance at Ushur (Series C), VP of Finance at rfXcel (acquired by Antares Vision), and Finance Director at Ariba and Cadence Design Systems. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Meet Your Host
Priyam Sodhiya (Head of Finance & Partnerships @ Zenskar)
Priyam leads Finance & Partnerships at Zenskar and spends his days talking to finance teams at early-stage and scaling SaaS companies. He'll be asking Rajiv the questions those teams are already asking themselves.
Who Should Attend
CFOs, finance leaders, and founders at venture-backed early-stage companies who are:
- Running finance on spreadsheets and shortcuts that worked at 10 customers but strain at 100
- Preparing for a fundraise, first audit, or diligence process in the next 12–18 months
- Watching the close drag on, or redefining metrics before every board meeting
- Trying to decide what comes first: process, headcount, or automation
P.S. This is a live session, not a prerecorded replay — so come ready with questions. Rajiv has been in the room for the exact situations we'll be discussing.
