E48: Why Sequoia Invested $25M in Accounting Software with Rillet CEO Nicolas Kopp
This week, Sasha Orloff and Nicolas Kopp, CEO & Founder at Rillet, discuss how Rillet is transforming accounting by leveraging AI to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and build lean finance teams. They also talk about the company’s $25 million funding from Sequoia, the importance of clean data, and Rillet’s customer-focused approach.
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SPONSORS:
Notion
Boost your startup with Notion—the ultimate connected workspace trusted by thousands worldwide! From engineering specs to onboarding and fundraising, Notion keeps your team organized and efficient. For a limited time, get 6 months of Notion AI FREE to supercharge your workflow. Claim your offer now at https://notion.com/startups/puzzle
Puzzle
📈 No more waiting for month's end. No more manual reconciliations, just financials that keep up with you. Puzzle is leading a new movement with an AI first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Join today at https://puzzle.io/
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-kopp/
https://www.rillet.com/
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X/SOCIAL:
@nicckopp (Nicolas)
@sashaorloff (Sasha)
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(01:00) Intro
(01:28) Meet Nicolas Kopp from Rillet
(02:23) Rillet's mission and market
(03:11) Founding story and challenges
(05:27) Building a modern GL
(11:27) Future of finance teams
(14:56) Real-world examples and success stories
(16:39) Sponsors: Notion | Puzzle
(18:03) AI-powered ERP
(21:28) Building a business with substance
(22:03) Investor perception and challenges
(22:46) Customer obsession and success
(24:31) Advice for founders
(27:49) The Sequoia effect
(30:47) Future milestones and product vision
(32:23) Customer feedback and obsession
(38:47) Wrap
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42:55
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42:55
E47: Agentic Commerce, Stablecoins, and Global Trends with Cindy Turner, CPO of Worldpay
This week, Sasha Orloff and Worldpay Chief Product Officer Cindy Turner explore the shifting digital payments landscape—from stablecoins and agentic tech to global trends in account-to-account payments, regional behaviors, regulatory influences, and innovations like buy now, pay later.
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SPONSORS:
Notion
Boost your startup with Notion—the ultimate connected workspace trusted by thousands worldwide! From engineering specs to onboarding and fundraising, Notion keeps your team organized and efficient. For a limited time, get 6 months of Notion AI FREE to supercharge your workflow. Claim your offer now at https://notion.com/startups/puzzle
Puzzle
📈 No more waiting for month's end. No more manual reconciliations, just financials that keep up with you. Puzzle is leading a new movement with an AI first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Join today at https://puzzle.io/
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucinda-turner/
http://www.worldpay.com
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X/SOCIAL:
@Worldpay_Global (Worldpay)
@sashaorloff (Sasha)
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(00:58) Intro
(01:40) Meet Cindy Turner: Chief Product Officer of Worldpay
(02:08) Cindy Turner's career journey
(06:41) Global payments report
(10:01) Account-to-Account payments: A global perspective
(13:15) Sponsors: Notion | Puzzle
(14:55) Unlocking Open Banking
(17:10) E-commerce and digital payments trends
(20:33) Impact of surcharging in Australia
(21:56) Surcharging trends in the US
(23:23) Cash dominance in certain countries
(26:03) Rise of buy now, pay later
(29:39) Future of payments: Agentic commerce
(33:59) Stablecoins and the future of payments
(37:29) Optimizing payments for businesses
(38:50) Wrap
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42:01
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42:01
E46: Ex-Plaid CTO on Why Tax is the Ultimate AI Challenge, with Jean-Denis Greze
In this episode, Sasha Orloff talks with Jean-Denis Greze, Co-founder and CEO of Town, about building an AI-powered tax solution for SMBs, exploring the startup’s origin, the balance between automation and human expertise, strategic market targeting, funding insights, and the transformative potential of AI in tax preparation.
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SPONSORS:
Notion
Boost your startup with Notion—the ultimate connected workspace trusted by thousands worldwide! From engineering specs to onboarding and fundraising, Notion keeps your team organized and efficient. For a limited time, get 6 months of Notion AI FREE to supercharge your workflow. Claim your offer now at https://notion.com/startups/puzzle
Puzzle
📈 No more waiting for month's end. No more manual reconciliations, just financials that keep up with you. Puzzle is leading a new movement with an AI first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Join today at https://puzzle.io/
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeandenisgreze/
https://town.com/
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X/SOCIAL:
@jgreze (Jean)
@TownTaxCo (Town)
@sashaorloff (Sasha)
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(00:48) Intro
(01:20) Jean-Denis Greze: The origin story of Town
(02:10) Challenges and opportunities in business tax prep
(03:41) Role of AI in automating tax preparation
(05:50) Market dynamics and constraints in tax services
(15:49) Sponsors: Notion | Puzzle
(17:14) Unique needs of small businesses
(24:38) Future of AI in tax preparation
(26:12) Segmenting the small business market
(27:15) Building trust and scaling AI
(37:14) Exploring AI agents and their potential
(47:21) Fundraising and future plans
(50:57) Wrap
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53:50
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53:50
E45: Artisan: Stop Hiring Humans, with Jaspar Carmichael-Jack
This week, Sasha Orloff sits down with Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Founder & CEO of Artisan, about how their AI employees like Ava are transforming sales and workflows by integrating software into cohesive ecosystems, highlighting breakthroughs in AI capabilities, the balance between automation and human input, and the future of work.
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SPONSORS:
Notion
Boost your startup with Notion—the ultimate connected workspace trusted by thousands worldwide! From engineering specs to onboarding and fundraising, Notion keeps your team organized and efficient. For a limited time, get 6 months of Notion AI FREE to supercharge your workflow. Claim your offer now at https://notion.com/startups/puzzle
Puzzle
📈 No more waiting for month's end. No more manual reconciliations, just financials that keep up with you. Puzzle is leading a new movement with an AI first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Join today at https://puzzle.io/
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaspar-carmichael-jack/
https://www.artisan.co/
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X/SOCIAL:
@jasparcjack (Jaspar)
@GetArtisanAI (Artisan)
@sashaorloff (Sasha)
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(00:38) Intro
(01:08) Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Founder & CEO of Artisan
(02:53) Concept and evolution of Artisan
(04:09) Challenges and iterations in AI development
(05:09) Expanding Artisan's capabilities
(08:33) Future of AI in the workplace
(10:34) Sponsors: Notion | Puzzle
(11:58) From better data to smarter responses
(13:24) Funding and growth journey
(16:44) Balancing AI and human labor
(27:26) Fun and unusual use cases for AI
(28:45) Final thoughts and lessons learned
(31:09) Wrap
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35:07
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35:07
E44: From $2B to $80B: Wealthfront CFO Alan Imberman’s 10-Year Journey
In this episode, Sasha Orloff is joined Alan Imberman, CFO of Wealthfront, about how a client-first philosophy, transparent access, innovative products like S&P 500 Direct Indexing, and strategic use of machine learning have helped Wealthfront grow to $80 billion in assets and 1 million customers, while delivering lower fees, better rates, and sustainable wealth-building strategies.
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SPONSORS:
Notion
Boost your startup with Notion—the ultimate connected workspace trusted by thousands worldwide! From engineering specs to onboarding and fundraising, Notion keeps your team organized and efficient. For a limited time, get 6 months of Notion AI FREE to supercharge your workflow. Claim your offer now at https://notion.com/startups/puzzle
Puzzle
📈 No more waiting for month's end. No more manual reconciliations, just financials that keep up with you. Puzzle is leading a new movement with an AI first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Join today at https://puzzle.io/
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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-imberman-cfa-aab2371/
https://www.wealthfront.com/
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X/SOCIAL:
@Wealthfront (Wealthfront)
@sashaorloff (Sasha)
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(00:48) Intro
(01:16) Interview with Alan, CFO of Wealthfront
(01:54) Wealthfront's vision and growth
(03:24) Innovative financial products
(04:19) Profitability and business model
(06:03) New product launches and strategies
(15:18) Tax loss harvesting and direct indexing
(17:43) Sponsors: Notion | Puzzle
(19:23) Wealthfront’s tax strategy triumph
(23:13) Bond ladders explained
(28:11) Future of Wealthfront and AI in finance
(33:41) Advice for founders and finance leaders
(36:01) Wrap
About "Tech Finance" with Sasha Orloff: B2B Fintech | AI | Finance Tech
On Tech Finance, host Sasha Orloff brings you inside the office of the CFO - covering major tech finance news including funding announcements, deals, product launches, and emerging players shaping B2B fintech. We break down the week's biggest developments in finance tech and accounting, and explore how finance leaders are putting AI to work.
Tech Finance is brought to you by Puzzle, the modern accounting platform with an AI-first ledger, built for speed, automation, and real time decision making. Learn more: puzzle.io
Tech Finance is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co
Listen to "Tech Finance" with Sasha Orloff: B2B Fintech | AI | Finance Tech, Pitch Me Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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