How Vena Solutions Scaled: Rishi Grover on AI, Funding & Growth

Welcome to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben Murray sits down with Rishi Grover, co-founder and Chief Solutions Architect at Vena Solutions. With over 15 years of experience in the FP&A technology space, Rishi Grover shares his journey—starting from his early days as an electrical engineer to founding one of the industry's leading financial planning platforms.  Together, they dive into the evolution of the FP&A landscape, the growing role of AI in financial planning, and how Vena's unique approach integrates Excel with enterprise applications. Rishi Grover also opens up about Vena’s fundraising story, insights on scaling a SaaS company to thousands of customers, and their recent strategic acquisition to accelerate growth.  Whether you’re curious about SaaS fundraising, go-to-market strategies, or how AI is reshaping finance, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways for founders, CFOs, and finance leaders. Let’s jump in!  Show Notes:   00:00 "Comprehensive Enterprise Planning Integration"  04:55 "Navigating Uncertainty with Strategic Planning"  06:43 AI Trust and Practical Applications  12:48 Startup Growth and M&A Strategy  14:20 "Microsoft-Centric Enterprise Expansion"  16:52 "Unified Approach Across Businesses"  23:01 Driving Growth and Software Adoption  25:59 "Aligning Teams for AI Strategy"  27:57 "Accelerating Clean Data Needs"  Links:  Rishi Grover’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-grover-64480314/  Vena Solutions’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vena-solutions  Vena Solutions’ Website: https://www.venasolutions.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