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Run the Numbers

Run the Numbers

Von: CJ Gustafson
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 Run the Numbers is a twice-weekly podcast about financial metrics and business models, designed for ambitious people operating tech startups. It's a collection of things host CJ Gustafson (CFO at Partstech and writer of Mostly Metrics) has learned and thought about in the trenches as a tech CFO. This show is meant to serve as a playbook of sorts for the stuff CJ wishes he knew earlier in his career, both from experience and from copying people smarter than himself. Topics frequently touch upon Startup SaaS Metrics, Annual Budgeting, Financial Forecasting, Headcount, Equity, Dilution, and Fundraising – and how all of these drive business performance and growth.CJ Gustafson Management & Leadership Ökonomie
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  • How a CFO Budgets for Forward Deployed Engineers

    How a CFO Budgets for Forward Deployed Engineers
    Feb 19 2026
    In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Varsha Udayabhanu of Invisible to unpack what enterprise AI adoption actually looks like beyond the hype. They cover forward deployed engineers, eight-week solution sprints, value-based pricing when outcomes are hard to meter, ARR vs. services revenue, and why “momentum” beats traditional SaaS metrics. A tactical look at trust, expansion, and building durable AI revenue.—SPONSORS:Brex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you’re scaling on an ERP that wasn’t built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjTabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/runAbacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.ai—LINKS: Varsha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varshaudayabhanu/Company: https://invisibletech.ai/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Marketing as a Form of Capital Allocation With Carta's Head of Growth Angela Winegarhttps://youtu.be/rG09ehsrWv8—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro03:21 What Invisible Technologies Does05:34 Enterprise AI Adoption Gap07:38 Forward Deployed Engineers09:44 Evolving GTM in AI Services10:36 Solution Sprints12:37 Sponsor — Brex | Metronome | RightRev15:56 Upfront Investment vs. Upside18:38 Bespoke Deals20:37 Value-Based Pricing in Enterprise AI22:12 Value Sold vs. Value Delivered23:31 Enterprise Revenue as a Portfolio of Bets24:53 Time-Bound Solution Sprints27:06 Sponsor — Rillet | Tabs | Abacum30:32 Humans in the Loop & Expert Incentives33:38 Niche Human Expertise34:10 Rethinking KPIs Beyond ARR35:44 Momentum Metrics39:00 Evaluating GenAI Financial Profiles40:47 Expansion as the Atomic Unit42:19 AdTech Lessons on Distribution & Brand43:23 Why Brand Matters for Enterprise47:10 Commoditization Risk48:31 Long-Ass Lightning Round53:20 Credits
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    54 Min.
  • What Investors Want to Hear in Board Meetings

    What Investors Want to Hear in Board Meetings
    Feb 16 2026
    In this episode, CJ talks with Paul Stansik of ParkerGale Capital about what separates Simplifiers from Complicators. They unpack why most board meetings miss the point, how to answer the actual question, and why naming the real problem builds trust.—SPONSORS:Abacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.aiBrex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you’re scaling on an ERP that wasn’t built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjTabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run—LINKS: Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulstansik/ParkerGale Capital: https://www.parkergale.com/https://hellooperator.substack.com/CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Fixing Broken Windows in Investing3:08 What an Operating Partner Actually Does5:35 Managing Nine Portfolio Companies6:07 Where PE Investors Spend Their Time9:02 Do Investors Think About You All Day?10:16 The Operator “Bermuda Triangle”12:35 Sponsors — Abacum | Brex | Metronome15:52 The CFO “Triangle of Doom”17:47 How to Become an Investor Favorite18:42 Templates Build Trust in Board Communication20:54 Using Trusted Data22:10 The Board Payback Record Scratch23:18 Building Your “Data Diet” With the Board25:19 Sponsors — RightRev | Rillet | Tabs28:47 Signs a Team Isn’t in Command31:30 Board Meetings Aren’t a Performance34:16 “20 Board Meetings—Don’t Waste Them”35:15 Ask Permission to Reallocate the Agenda37:54 When to Send Board Materials40:28 Simplifiers vs. Complicators41:58 The Simplifier Finds the One Question That Matters42:16 Three Traits of a Simplifier: Answer, Find, Do43:15 Why Complicated Operators Take You on a Ride44:26 Selling vs. Substance46:23 “Get There, Bob”47:25 Why We Hedge49:36 You Can’t Fix a Secret52:50 Credits
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    53 Min.
  • Rivian’s CFO on Raising $14B and EV Economics

    Rivian’s CFO on Raising $14B and EV Economics
    Feb 12 2026

    In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson talks with Rivian CFO Claire McDonough about financing one of the most capital-intensive businesses in the world. They cover long-term investment decisions, capacity planning, cash management as production scales, lessons from Rivian’s nearly $14B IPO, the risks of over- and under-building, and why federal EV tax credits matter more than most people think.

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    SPONSORS:

    Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run

    Abacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.ai

    Brex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metrics

    Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com

    RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.com

    Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you’re scaling on an ERP that wasn’t built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj

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    LINKS:

    Claire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-rauh-mcdonough-5291b946/

    Rivian: https://rivian.com/

    CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/

    Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com

    —

    RELATED EPISODES:

    Why Revenue Recognition Is the Next AI Battleground | Dan Miller of RightRev

    https://youtu.be/TxhTtwmOass

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    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00:00 Craziest Expense Story at Rivian

    00:01:22 Intro to Claire McDonough

    00:03:09 Capital Intensity and Vertical Integration at Rivian

    00:06:44 Raising $14B: How Rivian Planned Its IPO Capital

    00:10:22 Capacity Planning and Scaling R2 Production

    00:12:13 Sponsors — Tabs, Abacum, Brex

    00:15:34 Sweating Existing Capacity vs Overbuilding

    00:18:22 Winning EV Adoption from ICE Buyers

    00:22:27 How Federal EV Tax Credits Shape EV Pricing

    00:26:03 Sponsors — Metronome, RightRev, Rillet

    00:29:27 R2 as a Driver of Long-Term Profitability

    00:33:14 Supply Chain as the Critical Path to Launch

    00:36:53 Product Roadmap as the Anchor for Capital and Headcount

    00:39:40 Peloton and Flipkart Lessons from Banking

    00:43:42 Biggest Career Mistake

    00:44:50 Advice to Younger Self

    00:47:19 Rivian’s Finance Software Stack
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    50 Min.
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