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Hosted by Cypher · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 38 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
Founder Files is a podcast about the real decisions behind scaling a business. Hosted by Salma Hatim, Founder and CEO of Cypher, the show features candid conversations with founders, operators, and industry leaders building and supporting high-growth companies. We unpack what actually happens behind the scenes as companies scale, from financial systems and forecasting to revenue, funding decisions, and the tradeoffs leaders make along the way.
Cypher hosts Founder Files, a business show with 38 episodes published.
Don't wait until you're raising a round or fielding an acquisition offer to think about exit readiness. – (00:00) Introduction (00:51) When exit readiness needs to start (02:40) Corporate structure and board setup before
Payroll is typically 50% or more of expenses, the single biggest spend on the P&L. David Hori , Principal at Topline Operators, joins Founder Files to clarify how payroll, HR, and operations work together in scaling comp
Accounts receivable is one of the most common sources of cash flow pressure in growth-stage companies. Revenue can look strong on paper, but when collections don’t keep up, cash becomes constrained. In this video, I brea
What does a fractional CFO actually do, and when does a company need one? Here are the most common questions founders and CEOs ask as their business grows beyond basic accounting. From cash flow management and capital al
Rows of numbers and clean reporting might make it look like the dashboard is doing its job. But the real question to ask is: “Can leadership look at it and know what to do next?” In this conversation, I sit with Nick Jai
Clean books and polished dashboards might make it look like the finance function is working. But the real question to ask is: Would leadership make different decisions this week with or without those numbers? In this con
Stakeholders may request audits when companies are raising capital, bringing on private equity, expanding credit facilities, or entering serious M&A discussions. That is when expectations change. In this conversation wit
Carter Looney , Operating Partner at Albatris and M&A advisor with 25+ years of experience, breaks down how a $12M SaaS company with strong margins and over a year of runway nearly ran out of cash. Revenue looked strong.
Carter Looney , Operating Partner at Albatris and M&A advisor with 25+ years of experience, explains the real difference between budgeting and forecasting, and why confusing the two leads founders to hire too early, ove
It’s essential to understand how bookings, billing, and revenue recognition translate into real financial performance in a subscription-based business, particularly SaaS and AI models. I spoke with Suezann Holmes, Founde
An investor-ready financial model shows how a startup turns strategy into numbers. It connects the business model, revenue drivers, costs, assumptions, and cash implications into a clear picture founders and investors ca
Fundraising in 2026 is more selective. Here are the 5 things founders need to get right in 2026: (00:00) - Introduction (01:09) - 1️⃣ Be clear about your fundraising strategy and your capital choices How much do you actu
Sales tax is often overlooked by SaaS, AI, and e-commerce companies until it becomes urgent, expensive, and unavoidable. In this episode of the Founder Files podcast, Salma Hatim sits down with Monika Miles, President of
Meet Andrew Ackerman , 2x founder, VC investor with 70+ early-stage investments, accelerator operator, and author of The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey . We sit down with Andrew to unpack what actually drives startup success, fr
Cash accounting shows what’s in the bank. That works early, when transactions are simple, and the main concern is liquidity. As companies grow, revenue becomes recurring, hiring accelerates, and financials start driving
Tax issues can come from filing mistakes, but they also come from missing financial context. In Part 2 of this conversation, I continue my discussion with Bayaan Oluyadi, CPA and founder of KTB Services, focusing on what
Tax season doesn’t create problems, but it reveals them. In Part 1 of this conversation, I sit down with Bayaan Oluyadi, CPA and founder of KTB Services, to talk through the questions founders and CEOs ask every year rig
If you’re a founder or CEO carrying a lot of year-end stress, you’re not alone… messy numbers, pressure from investors, and the feeling that your financials aren’t telling the full story. In our first solo episode of Fou
Jared Yaman , Co-founder of Spresso.AI , joins Founder Files to shares his journey from corporate lawyer to gaming entrepreneur, to scaling Boxed.com through IPO, and now to building AI SaaS. Along the way, Jared dive
What does it take to build and scale SaaS in one of the toughest industries to break into — healthcare? Sarah Worthy , CEO & Founder of DoorSpace , shares her journey from enterprise tech into healthcare HR, where she sa
David Hori
Topline Operators
1 appearance on this show
Andrew Ackerman
DreamIt Ventures
1 appearance on this show
Kate Bradley Chernis
LatelyAI
1 appearance on this show
Zach Barney
Co-founder and CEO · Mobly
1 appearance on this show
Jess Reagan
Paiv
1 appearance on this show
Ned Chenu
Boundless Digital
1 appearance on this show
Weston Baker
Morphic
1 appearance on this show
Arnaud de La Taille
Springly
1 appearance on this show
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Founder Files is hosted by Cypher. The show is categorised under business (entrepreneurship) and has published 38 episodes.
Founder Files has published 38 episodes.
Founder Files regularly covers business, entrepreneurship. It sits in the business category, with a entrepreneurship focus.
Founder Files is accessible for guests with genuine business expertise. A personalised, episode-aware pitch will still outperform a generic one every time.
Founder Files hasn't explicitly signalled guest openness in recent episodes. That doesn't rule out pitching. your hook just needs to be especially compelling and relevant to their recent content.
Episodes of Founder Files average 18 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
Our data rates Founder Files's guest bar at 80/100 (Premium tier). Established thought leaders with verified media credentials. Sign in to PitchCentric to see how your own Pod Score compares against this show.
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