Burkland

Burkland gives startups and growing SMBs a solid foundation to grow with confidence.

08/28/2026

AI can crunch the numbers, but founders still need to know if they can trust them.

Join Steven Lord, COO & Managing Director of Strategic Finance at Burkland, and Laura Crean, FCA, Sr Accounting Partner Program Manager at Mercury, for a live 30-minute "Ask a CFO" Q&A on what a good AI setup actually looks like for a startup finance function, and what should never leave human hands.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Tuesday, Sept 29 at 10 am PT
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Zoom
𝗛𝗼𝘄: Free registration takes 30 seconds

📲 Screenshot & tap the QR code to register

08/17/2026

Today marks the 150th episode of podcast.

We started this podcast almost six years ago to connect and expand a startup founder's network, offering conversations with thought leaders and practitioners who are passionate about ideas that work to help founders succeed.

Reaching this milestone wouldn't have happened without our guests, who've generously shared their expertise, and the founders who keep listening. Thank you!

08/12/2026

Investors reject most pitch decks for reasons that have nothing to do with your business.

Carl Fudge, Founder and CEO of Presentation Mode, breaks down why decks lose investors, the "why now" argument most founders skip, and why logic alone never gets a deal funded.

08/11/2026

What separates a pitch deck that gets forwarded to the investment committee from one that gets a polite "Let's stay in touch"?

For our 150th episode, Kate sits down with Carl Fudge, Founder and CEO of Presentation Mode, a narrative strategy and design firm that's helped startups raise more than $1 billion.

Carl shares expert advice on:

1️⃣ The pitch deck mistakes that make investors lose interest

2️⃣ The "why now" argument most founders overlook and why its absence kills deals

3️⃣ The different fundraising playbooks for AI-native startups vs other sectors

4️⃣ Why logic alone doesn't win investors over, and how emotion drives FOMO

Carl's biggest takeaway might be the simplest: the founders who raise the most aren't the ones with the best slides. They're the ones who know their story so well they barely need them.

Don't miss this milestone episode of podcast! 🥳 🎉 🎊

07/30/2026

At seed, investors bet on a team and a thesis. At Series A, they underwrite a machine.

The central question: is there repeatable, capital-efficient growth that more money can accelerate?

In practice, that means they assess seven things:

1️⃣ Product-market fit
2️⃣ Growth rate and unit economics
3️⃣ Financial health and runway
4️⃣ Business model scalability
5️⃣ Team strength
6️⃣ Market size and defensibility
7️⃣ Go-to-market efficiency

🚩 Red flags like inconsistent metrics, revenue concentration, and short runway kill more deals than weak growth does.

Preparation should start 6+ months before the raise, not when the first term sheet conversation begins.

07/16/2026

Burkland was thrilled to be part of Ramp's 2026 Executive Partner Summit, joining top accounting partners in NYC. Participating in the Summit gave us a front-row seat to where financial technology and startup accounting are headed. And we walked away with insights we're already putting to work for our clients.

Big thanks to Ramp for an incredible event and for being an invaluable long-term partner. 🙌

07/07/2026

AI isn’t just changing how startups scale. It’s reshaping who leads them. Traditional roles aren’t disappearing—they’re evolving into something bigger.

With full visibility to data across the business, the CFO role is becoming the Chief Performance Officer.

As AI handles ex*****on, strategic thinking becomes the differentiator.

Casey Woo, CEO & Founder of Operators Guild and GP & Founder of FOG Ventures, joins us on to explore what this shift means and why founders who don’t adapt risk getting left behind.

Listen by clicking the link in our bio!

06/25/2026

The AI ARR Reckoning Is Here...

Recent coverage from TechCrunch , PitchBook, Bloomberg News, Fortune, and others has spotlighted a growing concern: AI startups’ ARR numbers are getting harder to trust.

As founders blend recurring revenue with usage-based, contracted, projected, or otherwise “adjusted” figures, investors are asking tougher questions about what’s real, repeatable, and defensible.

Burkland’s "AI ARR You Can Defend" shows AI founders how to calculate ARR credibly and build revenue metrics that hold up under diligence.

Link in comments!

06/15/2026

Most startups lose talent fights before they even start — because they're trying to win on cash. Here's what actually works.

Full article by Charles Ashworth, Managing Director of Burkland's People Operations Practice.

🔗 Link in comments!

06/03/2026

Burkland COO Steven Lord joins us on for his quarterly breakdown of what’s happening in the markets and how founders can prepare for what’s next.

🎬 In this clip, he explores the current state of the ecosystem and why many founders are still struggling to raise.

Key Takeaway: Fundraising remains highly concentrated, with most capital flowing to AI companies from a small group of top VC firms.

Check out the full podcast, link in comments!

Address

San Francisco, CA

Website

https://burklandassociates.com/, https://burkland.business/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Burkland posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your business to be the top-listed Finance Company in San Francisco?