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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