Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! Today, we’re excited to speak with Nilo Pirttijarvi, co-founder of Inven—a rapidly growing AI-powered deal sourcing tool making waves in the M&A world. Nilo takes us through his journey from a background in consulting and investment banking to launching his first startup, inspired by the pain points he and his co-founders experienced firsthand in finding and analyzing acquisition targets. In this episode, you’ll hear how Inven is helping private equity, investment banks, and corporate M&A teams supercharge their deal pipelines—especially when it comes to those hard-to-find, niche targets in the middle market.

Nilo shares candid insights about Inven’s rapid growth, fundraising journey (including a recent €11.2 million Series A), and the lessons learned when building both relationships and ARR to attract top investors. We also dive into the startup’s operational metrics, go-to-market strategies, pricing models, and what’s next for this ambitious international team. If you’re interested in SaaS growth, fundraising, or the future of AI in deal sourcing, you won’t want to miss this conversation!

Show Notes:

00:00 Streamlining Company Analysis Process

06:20 Rapid Startup Growth Pathway

08:16 Relationships Over ARR in Investment

12:00 "Classic Global Sales Model"

13:59 M&A Tool User Variability

17:54 Competitive Multi-Tool Market Strategy

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/inven-raises-11-2-million-in-series-a

Niilo Pirttijarvi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niilo-pirttijarvi/

Inven AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inven-ai/

Inven AI’s Website: https://www.inven.ai/

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

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Katherine Tobias, the dynamic co-founder and CEO of InsightWise. Katherine shares her inspiring journey from her early days consulting at KPMG and working in government to leading one of Australia’s fastest-growing startups. Driven by her passion for delivering real-world impact and navigating mountains of qualitative data, Katherine reveals how these experiences led her to launch InsightWise—a groundbreaking AI platform tailored for consultants and strategy teams.

Tune in as Katherine dives into the realities of startup life, fundraising, and what it takes to disrupt the consulting industry with innovative technology. She opens up about empowering both global enterprises and agile boutique firms with tools that turn unstructured data into actionable insights, while also building a tight-knit team with big ambitions. Katherine’s story is a masterclass in navigating career pivots, seizing opportunities, and harnessing AI to drive business transformation.

Whether you’re a SaaS founder, consultant, or tech enthusiast, you won’t want to miss this engaging conversation packed with actionable advice, honest reflections, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to scale a modern software company. Hit play and get inspired!

Show Notes:

00:00 From Oxford to Global Startup Success

03:12 Insightwise: AI Hub for Consultants

07:20 AI-Driven Data Synthesis Solutions

10:50 "Building Relationships in Consulting"

15:30 "First-Time Founder Fundraising Journey"

16:32 "Strategic Capital for Business Growth"

19:58 "Insightwise AI Free Trial"

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/insightwise-closes-1-million-in-funding

Katherine Tobias’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-tobias-40857789/

InsightWise’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightwise-ai/

InsightWise’s Website: https://www.insightwise.ai/

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

In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray welcomes Austin Carroll, the dynamic founder and CEO of Warrant. Drawing from her deep roots in marketing and product management at household names like Capital One, Mercury, and Brex, Austin shares how real-world challenges navigating regulatory approvals inspired her to launch Warrant—a platform harnessing AI to automate and streamline marketing compliance for the financial services industry.

Austin highlights the complexities and pitfalls of adhering to rapidly evolving federal, state, and local regulations in sectors like mortgage, insurance, and banking. She explains how Warrant checks marketing materials for compliance, helping companies of all sizes—from nimble startups to large enterprises—avoid costly missteps and accelerate their go-to-market strategies. Her journey provides invaluable insight into the needs of modern fintech marketers and compliance teams.

Beyond the tech, Austin opens up about her path as a female founder, candidly discussing the fundraising process, her unique go-to-market approach, and the lessons learned from early customer traction. Whether you're passionate about fintech, compliance, or entrepreneurship, this conversation offers a compelling look at the future of AI-powered marketing compliance and the vision of a founder determined to solve one of the industry’s most pressing challenges.

Show Notes:

00:00 Streamlining Crisis Communication Compliance

06:09 Regulatory Challenges in Financial Compliance

07:12 Targeting Small to Mid-Market Clients

10:59 Strategic Market Engagement Approach

16:57 Entrepreneurship: Play to Your Strengths

17:51 Conversation-Driven Fundraising Strategy

21:40 Tracking Key Business Metrics

25:37 "Sign Up for Newsletter Now"

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/warrant-raises-720k-in-pre-seed-round

Austin Carroll’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austincarroll/

Warrant’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/warrant/

Warrant’s Website: https://www.hellowarrant.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