Navigating Life as a Startup CFO with Melinda Smith of ChaosSearch

<p>The route to transitioning from “Big 4” accounting to early startups is not always a natural transition, but for that exact reason–and more–Melinda Smith is one of the most unique CFOs we’ve had on the podcast. </p><p>She demonstrates how to best leverage practical, financial, and technical skills into emerging firms like she has done in the past at now-massive companies like Venmo. </p><p>On this episode of The Modern CFO, Melinda shares her insights on driving culture, building a strong finance team, and what it means to be a custodian while raising venture dollars.</p><p><strong>Show Links</strong></p><ul> <li>Check out<a href="https://www.chaossearch.io/"> ChaosSearch</a> </li> <li>Connect with Melinda Smith on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-c-smith/"> LinkedIn</a> </li> <li>Check out<a href="https://www.nthround.com/"> Nth Round</a> </li> <li>Connect with Andrew Seski on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-seski-819b2581/"> LinkedIn</a> </li> </ul><p><strong>Key Takeaways<br></strong><br></p><p><strong>5:21 – Your team is your foundation<br></strong>While most CFOs are thought of as the public face of the finance team, they are also an extension of the firm's culture and mission. At startups, CFOs tackle some of the most important functions in the company, including hiring.</p><em>“I think, from a leadership perspective, building the team is one of the most critical things in an early-stage business. It's also true of a finance team inside of an early-stage business. Rapidly realizing that the experience matters of people you bring onto your team, the training matters for building and growing your team. It's the energy as a leader that you put behind building the business–building something, partnering with the team, and providing those operational insights and the custodian of where that investment is going–that really helps motivate and drive and, ultimately, retain a great finance team.”</em><p><br><strong>6:18 – Drive the culture of your startup<br></strong>As CFO, you are