Runway

Day two at the Money20/20 conference! Swing by our booth (#3203) for a chance to win one of our launch jackets.. 😉

One of the hardest lessons I've learned is this: What's obvious to me isn't obvious to others. I realized this when we were refreshing our company strategy doc. I'd rather build things than write strategy, but at our size, I can't make every decision. So it’s useful to have a clear strategy that aligns the team. I wrote a draft, and asked for feedback. I was told it wasn’t clear. Fine, I added more details. Still not clear enough. Okay, more details. Still the same response. I felt frustrated pretty quickly. I thought I got it all down, and it seemed pretty clear to me. At one point I just wanted to say, “look man — just tell me what you want to hear, I’ll write that.” Eventually what I realized is that the problem was that I had a deep aversion to including anything “obvious” in the strategy, but that’s exactly what the team needed from me. I actively avoid saying the obvious things, because I want to be liked, and when other people say things that are obvious to me, I think they’re being pedantic and condescending, and worse — stupid. And I don’t want people to think that about me. But the obvious things are only obvious to you because they are deeply informed by your own intuition and experiences — those obvious things are the things that are most likely to be inside your zone of genius. They are actually the most important things to communicate. Thinking that other people are like me has impacted me over and over — to think what’s obvious to me should be obvious to everybody else, he way I would react is the same way everyone else would react. When I realized what the team really needed me to do is offload my intuition, and especially the things that were most “obvious” to me, overnight, the team told me the strategy became much clearer and more useful. I have to remind myself of this often: people think differently from me, and we each have our own zones of genius that aren’t the same. That’s what makes teams powerful — if we hold back the things that are “obvious” to us, we don’t get to multiply each other’s effectiveness. We hold the team back.

If you're at Money20/20, stop by our booth! We’ll show you a finance platform your team will actually love. We're at booth #3203.

Whether you're the first finance hire or prepping for an IPO, scaling your team is everything. Join Charly Kevers (Carta CFO), Siqi Chen (Runway CEO), and Nicolas Kopp (Rillet CEO) as they share how to navigate the challenges of growth from Series A to exit. You’ll get insights on early hires, rebuilding your financial model, the right tools to scale, and keeping your sanity through it all. Don’t miss it!

How are Mercedes Benz, Chanel, and KPMG using AI for financial planning? We're sitting down with @bouchernicolas to know how he’s helped these companies leverage AI for real-world finance challenges. Join us to know more: https://lnkd.in/gbSdUcRM

The latest G2 reports are out, and we're thrilled to be named a leader (again)! This recognition is more than just an award—it’s a reflection of our commitment to putting customers first. Every piece of feedback and every rating shows that we’re making a real impact and earning the trust of the businesses we work with. A huge thank you to our amazing customers for trusting us and helping us lead in key categories like: - Financial Analysis - Budgeting & Forecasting - Decision-Making Software - Cash Flow Management We’re just getting started—and there's plenty more to come as we continue raising the bar.

One of the most powerful yet overlooked skills for founders: storytelling, Siqi Chen said in conversation with Andrew Chen. “As a founder, storytelling is a super power,” he said, particularly when seeking investment. During SF Tech Week, Brandon Penn of Runway, along with Andrew Chen and Siqi Chen, highlighted the importance of storytelling when it comes to building and leading a company. Founders often spend most of their time developing their ideas but little time talking about themselves or their products, Andrew said. To be successful, though, you need to highlight your own accomplishments. While it might feel uncomfortable to talk about yourself, Andrew warns that no one wants to hear a dry, dictionary-like explanation. And investors want to understand the people behind the company. Keep that in mind when explaining why you believe your startup will be successful, Andrew said. “A great story always has conflict,” he said. Focus on a “why now,” or what is broken in the industry, or even the idea of an incumbent and a new contender. And for founders who want to improve their storytelling skills: consume great stories, Andrew and Siqi said. Like an artist who wants to succeed in music listens to great music, you should watch and read great stories, taking note of what makes them work. Telling the story and taking the big risk is actually how you get the money, Andrew says. For more insights from SF Tech Week, and LA Tech Week up next, follow TECH WEEK by a16z.

Learn how AI is transforming budgeting & forecasting with Nicolas Boucher, founder of AI Finance Club. He's trained over 5,000 finance pros and works with global companies like Mercedes Benz, Chanel, and KPMG. Save your seat! 👇

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