Ep. 60: IPO readiness and what it truly means to take a company public today with Curt Sigfstead, CFO at Clearbanc

Curt Sigfstead, CFO at Clearbanc

I chat with Curt about:

1. His career journey that led him to the CFO seat at Clearbanc. Prior to joining Clearbanc, Curt was the Head of Technology Investment Banking for the West Coast at JP Morgan. Over the last 22 years while he was there, Curt led over $200B of technology M&A transactions and over 80 technology IPOs, follow-ons and private placements — a tremendous feat.
2. What Clearbanc does and what it’s all about.
3. How he thinks about risks an emerging company has to take, and the frameworks or mental models a CFO can use to evaluate them.
4. IPO readiness and M&A preparedness: the right time for a company to think about going public and specifically for the CFO, what needs to be in place before that can happen. M&A preparedness —to the extent one can “prepare for M&A” — what the company’s finance leader should be thinking about to ensure the company is ready to transact.
5. The biggest misconception about the finance function within growth-stage software companies like Clearbanc.