On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray is joined by Ricardo Ghekiere, co-founder of BetterPic. Ricardo takes us through his unconventional entrepreneurial journey, starting with running a coffee bar, dabbling in a variety of ventures, and eventually making his way into the tech space. He shares the fascinating story of how he acquired BetterPic for just one dollar, rebuilt the company from the ground up, and scaled it into a thriving AI-powered business that transforms selfies into professional headshots.

Ricardo talks about navigating the challenges of transitioning from a B2C to a B2B go-to-market strategy, lessons learned from his first fundraising efforts, and his approach to metrics and profitability. We also get a sneak peek into BetterPic’s expansion into the fashion industry, their recent $2.5 million seed round, and Ricardo’s candid insights on scaling, pricing, and international growth. Stick around for actionable advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and a look at what’s next for BetterPic and its new ventures.

Show Notes:

00:00 Difficulty Attracts Talent

03:25 "Consumer-First, Expand to B2B"

08:53 Startup Secures $2.5M Funding

12:38 "Finding the Right Investors"

15:22 "B2B CRM Essential for Upselling"

17:49 Pricing Experiment Insights

20:09 Monthly Business Metrics Overview

23:52 Business Acquisition in San Francisco

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/betterpic-raises-2-5-million-in-seed-round

Ricardo Ghekiere’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-ghekiere/

BetterPic’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betterpic/

BetterPic’s Website: https://www.betterpic.io/

To learn more about Ben check out the links below:

Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page

SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/

Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout

Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Forest Flager, CEO and co-founder of Parspec, for an insightful conversation at the crossroads of technology and the construction industry. Forest shares his compelling journey from growing up in a construction family and working internationally as an architect and engineer, to leading a research group at Stanford and ultimately making the leap into SaaS startups. His winding path led him to co-found Parspec, a platform dedicated to modernizing procurement in construction through AI-driven solutions.

Forest dives into how Parspec is tackling the unique challenges faced by wholesale distributors—those crucial intermediaries who connect designers’ technical demands with what’s available in the market. By leveraging AI, Parspec streamlines the process of parsing project specifications, identifying suitable products, and managing the procurement lifecycle, serving customers across residential, commercial, and industrial construction. Forest also opens up about Parspec’s growth strategy, from landing and expanding with major distributors to scaling up their product offering, which has driven significant revenue increases and attracted $31 million in capital.

Listeners will gain valuable insights as Forest discusses lessons learned around product-market fit, nurturing referenceable customers, and managing investor relationships through effective signaling. He also teases exciting new developments on Parspec’s roadmap, aimed at supporting both distributors and contractors with even more automation and transparency. If you’re interested in SaaS growth, usage-based pricing, or the ways AI is reshaping traditional industries, this episode offers a front-row seat to real-world innovations and strategies for scaling a successful startup.

Show Notes:

00:00 AI-Enhanced Construction Procurement Platform

05:07 "Automated Product Documentation Launch"

09:52 Validating Product Roadmap with Customers

11:59 Preemptive Fundraising and Investor Relations

14:33 Delayed Marketing Strategy Adjustment

17:15 Usage-Based Pricing Model Explanation

22:35 HQ & Engineering Team Locations

23:53 "Full-Cycle Procurement Solution Platform"

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/parspec-raises-11-5-million-in-seed-round

https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/parspec-raises-20-million-in-series-a

Forest Flager’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/forestflager/

Parspec’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/parspec

Parspec’s Website: https://www.parspec.io/

To learn more about Ben check out the links below:

Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page

SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/

Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout

Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray sits down with Riya Grover, co-founder and CEO of Sequence. Riya shares her journey from investment banking to entrepreneurship, including the story behind her first SaaS company in the restaurant industry and its eventual acquisition. She dives into the inspiration for Sequence—a modern billing and quote-to-cash platform designed to tackle the challenges of custom contracts and complex pricing models for scaling SaaS and B2B companies.

Riya opens up about the company’s pivotal shift from payments to revenue management, navigating tough conversations with investors, and building a lean, high-impact team. She reveals how Sequence is empowering finance teams to automate billing, invoicing, and revenue recognition, while also offering flexibility for hybrid pricing and go-to-market motions.

Tune in to hear Riya’s insights on scaling a SaaS business, managing a major product pivot, and how AI-powered automation is transforming the future of financial operations. Whether you’re a SaaS CFO, founder, or just curious about the evolving CFO tech stack, this episode has a wealth of lessons and practical advice.

Show Notes:

00:00 Automated Custom Billing Platform

04:29 Scaling Challenges for SaaS Companies

09:11 Pivoting to Custom Payments Solutions

10:54 Early Capital's Impact on Team Building

14:51 Adapting Teams for Changing Visions

16:40 Growth Strategy Focused on Content and Networking

20:31 Hybrid Scalable Pricing Model

24:35 Transforming Finance with AI Agents

29:19 "Contextual Finance Automation Opportunities"

30:25 "Contact SequenceHQ Easily"

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/sequence-raises-75-million-in-funding

Riya Grover’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riya-grover-a22a4822/

Sequence HQ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sequence-hq/

Sequence HQ’s Website: https://www.sequencehq.com/

To learn more about Ben check out the links below:

Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page

SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/

Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout

Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray