The CFO's Risk Stack: What Breaks Between Series B and the S-1
Somewhere between a Series B and an S-1, the things that used to work stop working. A close that was fine at 50 people is a problem at 500. Controls that lived in one person’s head become an audit finding. D&O cover that was a line item becomes a board conversation. Most finance teams build this stack in the wrong order and find out when something breaks.
This evening is a small, off-the-record conversation about what actually breaks, in what order, and what it costs to fix late. No slides, no presentations, no vendor pitches. CFOs who have been through it, with the advisors who were in the room.
What we will cover
What to build first, and what can safely wait
Internal controls and audit readiness before anyone asks for it
Close discipline, reporting maturity and data you would be happy to put in front of an auditor or a bank
D&O, cyber and the risk transfer decisions that usually get made too late
What boards, auditors, bankers and insurers expect from a finance team at each stage
The hires and the systems that actually move the needle
Who should attend
CFOs, VPs and Heads of Finance, and Chief Accounting Officers at venture-backed, PE-backed and public companies in the Bay Area.
The evening
5:30 PM Arrival, food and drinks
6:00 PM Panel discussion
6:45 PM Open Q&A
7:15 PM Networking
8:00 PM Close
Panel
Tom Alderman, CFO at HopSkipDrive, raised more than $600M and took Getaround public.
Armen Poghosyan, CFO at Britive, was a tech banker at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. He played a key role in the $600M IPO of Qimonda, the largest tech IPO of 2006.
Bonnie Tomei, CFO at International Battery Company, has worked on about two dozen deals, including the sale of Aquantia to Marvell.
Joe Russell, CFO at Airship, is a four-time CFO in enterprise software and led finance at Piston Cloud through its sale to Cisco.
Preet Gill will moderate. He leads Lockton’s Global Technology Practice and has spent nearly two decades advising tech companies on how D&O and cyber coverage need to change on the way to an IPO.
Moderated by Preet Gill, Global Technology Practice Leader, Lockton
Hosts
Murray Newlands, CEO, Open Future Forum
Yvonne Newlands, Chief Business Officer, Open Future Forum
Preet Gill, Global Technology Practice Leader, Lockton
Louis Lehot, Partner, Foley & Lardner
Christina Bui, VP, Managed Business Solutions, Robert Half | Protiviti
Ellie Yashiro, Managing Director, First Citizens Innovation Banking
About Open Future Forum
Open Future Forum is a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley in 2019, creating spaces where leaders expand what’s possible. Through Forum Select, its private gatherings, and Forum Events, its open panels, it brings executives together to build relationships, exchange ideas and learn from peers. It runs series for C-suite leaders (CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CISOs and General Counsel), investors (VC and Private Equity), and builders (YC Founders and AI Leaders). Open Future Forum also publishes original research based on first-party surveys and insights from its community. Learn more at openfutureforum.com.
Our Partners
Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner is a nationally recognized top law firm with a Chambers-ranked venture and emerging companies practice advising founders and venture investors from formation through financings, commercialization, M&A, and scale. We bring the speed, experience, and practicality startups need, with the rigor and deep specialist bench investors expect, so deals get done efficiently and companies stay ready to go from garage to global. Find us at the event, meet us at our San Francisco or Palo Alto offices, or contact Louis Lehot at llehot@foley.com.
Lockton
Lockton’s Global Technology Risk Practice advises technology companies, founders, finance leaders and investors on complex risk and insurance strategies across M&A, financing and growth. As the world’s largest independent insurance brokerage, they combine deep technology sector expertise with transaction advisory capabilities to help clients diligence risk, structure insurance solutions and navigate acquisitions, exits and scale. They help clients navigate emerging technology risks, including AI liability and performance, cyber and technology E&O, intellectual property, digital infrastructure, and the evolving exposures created by autonomous and AI-enabled technologies.
Robert Half | Protiviti
Robert Half and Protiviti support finance leaders with specialized talent and consulting expertise across accounting, finance transformation, technology, risk, compliance and business operations.
First Citizens Innovation Banking
First Citizens Innovation Banking, part of First Citizens Bank, works with companies and investors across the innovation economy, providing banking, financing and expertise throughout the company lifecycle.